Ricardo Sandoval Eyes Future Glory Following World Title Stunning Away Victory

Fresh off his stunning win over Kenshiro Teraji in Japan, newly crowned WBC and WBA flyweight world champion Ricardo Sandoval is showing no signs of slowing down.

The 26-year-old Californian, known as “El Niño,” produced the performance of his career in Yokohama, toppling Teraji to capture two major titles and launch himself to the top of the 112-pound division. It was the culmination of a years-long grind marked by setbacks, resilience, and unshakable belief.

“This is a dream come true. This is everything I’ve worked hard for over so many years,” Sandoval said, proudly displaying his new belts to a packed crowd at Fantasy Springs Casino, where he appeared during Oscar Collazo’s latest title defense.

“I had my first show here in 2017 under Jesus Soto Karass and Mauricio Herrera. I just put in the work year after year, and to finally become a champion is unbelievable.”

Despite having four losses on his 34-fight résumé, Sandoval hasn’t been beaten since 2022 — a majority decision defeat to the then-undefeated David Jimenez in Los Angeles. Rather than derail his momentum, that loss seemed to fuel it. Sandoval has since strung together six consecutive victories, culminating in his career-defining win over Teraji.

“Coming in, it was a perfect plan that my trainer put together,” Sandoval reflected on the Teraji fight. “We worked on it all camp — and it just worked perfectly.”

Now a unified champion, Sandoval is setting his sights on even loftier goals — namely, becoming the first undisputed flyweight world champion in the four-belt era. Standing in his way are WBO titleholder Anthony Olascuaga and hard-hitting Japanese IBF champion Masamichi Yabuki — and Sandoval says he’s ready for either, or both.

“I’m halfway there. That’s the main goal for me — to become undisputed at flyweight,” he stated.

There’s even interest in a potential clash with minimumweight unified champion Oscar Collazo, who successfully defended his titles last night in the same venue. While such a fight would require Sandoval to move down in weight, both fighters have expressed openness to the idea — a potential super fight between two rising stars in the lower divisions.

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya praised Sandoval’s journey and commitment to his craft.

“Ricardo Sandoval is a testament that dreams do come true,” said De La Hoya. “He fought here at Fantasy Springs four or five times, and now he’s a unified world champion. Congratulations to him for going to Japan and bringing home the titles.”

With confidence, momentum, and two world titles in his hands, Ricardo Sandoval now finds himself at the heart of one of boxing’s most competitive divisions — and he’s chasing history.