20 Predictions for 2020: PREDICTION number 10 - Nonito Donaire to win another world title!12/8/2019 As we head towards a new year we've decided to look into our glass balls, our tea leaves and our palms to come up with 20 predictions which will be posted over the coming weeks for what we think will happen in 2020. So far our predictions haven't been the best though they've not all been wrong. In 2013 we predicted that Naoya Inoue, his brother Takuma and Kosei Tanaka would all win world titles. Between them they've won a few world titles, though Takuma has yet to win a proper world title. That same year we also predicted a growth in Chinese boxing, and this arguably happened despite the fact the Macau side of things has died off. We also predicted a growth in Asian fighters making a name for themselves in the US, this was before Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue or Kazuto Ioka had fought on US soil, and before the wave of Uzbek's had began to attract US attention. Unlike the past, where we have made all of our predictions in 1 article, we'll be spreading these ones out with 1 prediction per article, and going more in depth than we have in the past.  Prediction number 10 - Nonito Donaire to win another world title!
The WBSS Bantamweight final showed us a lot about both of the men involved in the bout. It should Naoya Inoue could adapt to adversity, fight through pain, and could switch to a back up game plan when he needed to, showing just how smart of a fighter he is. It also showed that, even in his late 30's, Nonito Donaire was still very much a live competitor. Many had complained about how Donaire had reached the WBSS final, with the injury win over Ryan Burnett in the quarter-final and Zolani Tete pulling out just days before their semi-final bout. The reality however is that his route to the final under-mined the fact Donaire wasn't shot. In fact he was well and truly alive, and was fighting at his best weight. Bantamweight is a division that Donaire abandoned was back in 2011, chasing bigger bouts and bigger names at Super Bantamweight and Featherweight. They were too big for him, if we're being honest, to have the same level of success he could have at Bantamweight. At Bantamweight Donaire was huge, a massive puncher with physical traits that were scary, an incredible toughness, and the ability to walk through opponents when he needed to. Wins over Volodymyr Sydorenko and Fernando Montiel showed how good he was at Bantamweight but a desire to fight bigger opponents meant we never really knew how good of a fighter at 118lbs Donaire was, until he fought Inoue. Several years after he was supposedly on the slide. What seems to have happened is that Donaire, whilst battling up at 122lbs and 126lbs, was facing opponents who could naturally neutralise his size, who could take his power, and who has the physical strength to stand up to his biggest blows. At 118lbs though Donaire is still a freak, and against Inoue we saw that freak stand up to a monster. Against anyone else in the division Donaire would have won. Although he took a lot of punishment against Inoue we still feel there is a lot left for Donaire to give the sport, and in 2020 we predict he will, once again, become a world champion. Rolling back the clock once again to take some form of a world title at Bantamweight, or Super Bantamweight. We don't believe Donaire has another long reign in him, but we certainly feel like he has enough in the tank for one final lap of honour was champion, and next year he will reclaim the honour of being a world champion, once again. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp)
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As we head towards a new year we've decided to look into our glass balls, our tea leaves and our palms to come up with 20 predictions which will be posted over the coming weeks for what we think will happen in 2020. So far our predictions haven't been the best though they've not all been wrong. In 2013 we predicted that Naoya Inoue, his brother Takuma and Kosei Tanaka would all win world titles. Between them they've won a few world titles, though Takuma has yet to win a proper world title. That same year we also predicted a growth in Chinese boxing, and this arguably happened despite the fact the Macau side of things has died off. We also predicted a growth in Asian fighters making a name for themselves in the US, this was before Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue or Kazuto Ioka had fought on US soil, and before the wave of Uzbek's had began to attract US attention. Unlike the past, where we have made all of our predictions in 1 article, we'll be spreading these ones out with 1 prediction per article, and going more in depth than we have in the past.  Prediction number 9- Promotion of Central Asian fighters continues to frustrate
Over the last few years we've seen a real rise in fighters from Central Asia, with fighters from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan really making a mark in an impressive fashion. Amazingly however a lot of the top Central Asian hopefuls have made their name despite being badly promoted and at times had their careers made to feel more frustrating than they should be. We know there's been some stand out cases of Central Asian fighters making a name for themselves, such Sadriddin Akhmedov, Israil Madrimov and Murodjon Akhmadaliev, it feels many haven't had the best of support from their teams. Bakhodir Jalolov should be a star but has had only 2 pro bouts in 2019, the same applies with Ivan Dychko. Fighters like Hasanboy Dusmatov have seen dates of bouts change, shift and not go as planned, and others, like Shakhram Giyasov have had bouts made on short notice, not doing them any great favours. The professional development of the Central Asian Asian fighters, particularly in the US, has been more due to the fighters the promoters behind them. Hopefully that changes, but our prediction is that the Central Asian fighters will have to work much harder than they need for the promotion and hype they deserve. Fighters like Bektemir Melikuziev have star power, exciting styles and deserve to be given real attention on broadcasts. Hopefully that changes, promoters realise these fighters have the potential to be major stars, and the skills to make a name for themselves. Sadly though we expect it will be another couple of years before Central Asian fighters are regularly headlining major cards, and being given the backing their talent, desire and hunger merits. (Image courtesy of uz24.uz) As we head towards a new year we've decided to look into our glass balls, our tea leaves and our palms to come up with 20 predictions which will be posted over the coming weeks for what we think will happen in 2020. So far our predictions haven't been the best though they've not all been wrong. In 2013 we predicted that Naoya Inoue, his brother Takuma and Kosei Tanaka would all win world titles. Between them they've won a few world titles, though Takuma has yet to win a proper world title. That same year we also predicted a growth in Chinese boxing, and this arguably happened despite the fact the Macau side of things has died off. We also predicted a growth in Asian fighters making a name for themselves in the US, this was before Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue or Kazuto Ioka had fought on US soil, and before the wave of Uzbek's had began to attract US attention. Unlike the past, where we have made all of our predictions in 1 article, we'll be spreading these ones out with 1 prediction per article, and going more in depth than we have in the past.  Prediction number 8 - China claims another world title!
For a country as big as China it's impact in professional boxing has been tiny, though in the last few years it has, slowly, made more and more of an impact. We've seen 3 Chinese men winning world titles, with Xiong Zhao Zhong, Zou Shiming and Can Xu all winning major world titles. We predict that by the end of 2020 3 will become 4 and China will have another world champion in their boxing books. We'll admit we're not sure who it will be, though in fairness we would never have imagined Can Xu going all the way to the top, but the country is developing a lot of promising talent, and it seems inevitable that China will become a big player in the years to come. At the end of 2019 we'll see Wulan Tuolehazi fight for the WBO Flyweight title, we've seen Fanlong Meng become the mandatory challenger for the IBF Light Heavyweight title, which he'll likely fight for in early 2020, and Jing Xiang has impressed so much that he now sits on the verge of a world title fight. Chinese boxing has never been better, and with the domestic scene strengthening year by year it really is amazing to see how much the things have changed in China. The promoters are getting good fighters to travel, they are getting the local hopefuls tested early and they are putting on shows worth watching. Whilst we do predict a new Chinese world champion in 2020 we'd like to couple this with a longer term prediction, China will become a major player in world boxing by the end of the next decade. They will become an Asian hub for boxing and will be putting on some of the best shows in the world. The growth of streaming in China has been key to the growth of boxing, and we suspect that the free access to boxing content will remain a key feature of the countries fight scene, and it's growth into becoming a genuine boxing power house. 20 Predictions for 2020: PREDICTION number 7 - Hasanboy Dusmatov to win a world title in 202012/2/2019 As we head towards a new year we've decided to look into our glass balls, our tea leaves and our palms to come up with 20 predictions which will be posted over the coming weeks for what we think will happen in 2020. So far our predictions haven't been the best though they've not all been wrong. In 2013 we predicted that Naoya Inoue, his brother Takuma and Kosei Tanaka would all win world titles. Between them they've won a few world titles, though Takuma has yet to win a proper world title. That same year we also predicted a growth in Chinese boxing, and this arguably happened despite the fact the Macau side of things has died off. We also predicted a growth in Asian fighters making a name for themselves in the US, this was before Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue or Kazuto Ioka had fought on US soil, and before the wave of Uzbek's had began to attract US attention. Unlike the past, where we have made all of our predictions in 1 article, we'll be spreading these ones out with 1 prediction per article, and going more in depth than we have in the past.  Prediction number 7 - Hasanboy Dusmatov to win a world title in 2020
We already know that the elite level lower weight fighters get fast tracked, and we've already predicted that youngster Ginjiro Shigeoka will take home a title in 2020. Now we make our second future champion prediction and go with 2016 Olympic gold medal winner Hasanboy Dusmatov, from Uzbekistan. The fighter himself has made it clear that he's hunting WBA Minimumweight champion Knockout CP Freshmart, and wants to fight him in his third or fourth bout. That adds a lot of weight to this prediction, but the prediction isn't for him to fight for a title. It's for him to win one! We know that after just 1 professional bout, against a fairly poor opponent as well, it can feel too early to call Dusmatov a future world champion, but it seems right. He was such a good amateur, and such a good fighter in the World Series of Boxing that it's clear he's not just a typical 1-0 (1) fighter. Instead he's an excellent, well schooled fighter who has developed and experienced "pro-style" fighter through the WSB to become an accomplished fighter, before he even made his debut. Although we don't expect Dusmatov to fight for a world title next time out, we would go as far as to suggest that he could probably hold his own, with the right champion, as early as his next bout. The reality however seems to be that the fighter himself, and his team, want another 2 or 3 fights first. With that in mind expect his next bout to be against a world ranked contender over 10, or 12, rounds and if he impresses and looks ready his follow up with a world title bout. If not he'll have another at that level then fight for a world title. With Knockout CP Freshmart not impressing recently we really wouldn't be surprised by Dusmatov being too skilled, too smart and too good for the Thai. Though he would need to offer up the big bucks to get Knockout away from Thailand. If he does then don't be surprised by the Uzbek standout winning the WBA title! (Image courtesy of Olamsports) 20 Predictions for 2020: PREDICTION number 6 - DAZN to remain a minor player Japanese boxing market11/30/2019 As we head towards a new year we've decided to look into our glass balls, our tea leaves and our palms to come up with 20 predictions which will be posted over the coming weeks for what we think will happen in 2020. So far our predictions haven't been the best though they've not all been wrong. In 2013 we predicted that Naoya Inoue, his brother Takuma and Kosei Tanaka would all win world titles. Between them they've won a few world titles, though Takuma has yet to win a proper world title. That same year we also predicted a growth in Chinese boxing, and this arguably happened despite the fact the Macau side of things has died off. We also predicted a growth in Asian fighters making a name for themselves in the US, this was before Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue or Kazuto Ioka had fought on US soil, and before the wave of Uzbek's had began to attract US attention. Unlike the past, where we have made all of our predictions in 1 article, we'll be spreading these ones out with 1 prediction per article, and going more in depth than we have in the past.  Prediction number 6 - DAZN to remain a minor player Japanese boxing market
In the DAZN USA have become one of the major services to watch boxing on, rivalling ESPN, Showtime and Fox Sports. It's a service that has received a lot of media attention, both positive and negative, and is something that has, mostly, been a positive for boxing in the US, and some other regions. Whilst their are calls for DAZN UK to begin sooner rather than later, due to what it offers and the lack of PPV shows, there are countries where the boxing content of the service has been woefully lacking. That's been particularly notable in Japan. Firstly let us start this by pointing out there has been boxing on DAZN Japan, there has been some pretty big bouts on their such as Ryota Murata's first bout with Rob Brant, Jamie Munguia against Takeshi Inoue and TJ Doheny against Ryohei Takahashi. That however is about it for DAZN fights featuring Japanese fighters. They've had other boxing content, but in reality with out Japanese fighters being shown on the service it's going to be very, very difficult for the service to build momentum in a market place where boxing is available on terrestrial TV, and traditional satellite channels, such as WOWOW and G+. What DAZN has done well in Japan is offer a lot of content, with J League football, or Soccer for our American readers, and Nippon Professional Baseball being among their big hits. They do have deals with UFC and Golden Boy and Matchroom, but the reality is that the shows aren't geared to the Japanese audience, and even then some of the content you would expect to be on DAZN Japan isn't. A great example being the upcoming Andy Ruiz Vs Anthony Joshua rematch, which will be on WOWOW. Another example is the WBSS, which was available on free TV, though Fuji, 8K TV, though BS8K, and through WOWOW on tape delay. There has long been talk of Matchroom Sport and Eddie Hearn planting a flag in Japanese boxing. The reality however is that it's a very complicated market, and DAZN aren't going to be the platform to shake things up in Japan. The countries biggest stars are on free TV, with Fuji TV and TBS being the biggest players in the Japanese TV market, that's where the viewers are, and it will be very, very difficult to pull fighters from free TV. Whilst like channels like Fuji TV and TBS are free to watch they are commercial channels, and they have seen the audiences they can draw. Those numbers dwarf the numbers that DAZN reportedly have in terms of subscribers, worldwide. The issue for DAZN could get even more tricky if prediction #5, NHK becoming a major force in Japanese boxing, comes true. If that happens DAZN will struggle to make a mark post Tokyo 2020 in terms of signing up Japanese Olympians. The prediction here is simple, but one that really seems obvious. DAZN Japan will struggle to make a mark in the Japanese boxing scene, in 2020 and 2021. In fact it could be a very, very long time before this changes. As we head towards a new year we've decided to look into our glass balls, our tea leaves and our palms to come up with 20 predictions which will be posted over the coming weeks for what we think will happen in 2020. So far our predictions haven't been the best though they've not all been wrong. In 2013 we predicted that Naoya Inoue, his brother Takuma and Kosei Tanaka would all win world titles. Between them they've won a few world titles, though Takuma has yet to win a proper world title. That same year we also predicted a growth in Chinese boxing, and this arguably happened despite the fact the Macau side of things has died off. We also predicted a growth in Asian fighters making a name for themselves in the US, this was before Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue or Kazuto Ioka had fought on US soil, and before the wave of Uzbek's had began to attract US attention. Unlike the past, where we have made all of our predictions in 1 article, we'll be spreading these ones out with 1 prediction per article, and going more in depth than we have in the past.  Prediction number 5 - NHK to become a major player in boxing
Way, way back in Japanese boxing history national broadcaster NHK were a major broadcaster of the sport, showing many of the early champions of Japan. As the years went on domestic commercial TV put money into the sport and repelled NHK from the market place, with the channel rarely showing professional boxing afterwards. They weren't totally done with the sport, but they had quickly gone from a major player to a minor player, showing occasional amateur tournament finals and little else, in fact only a few days ago they showed the the 89th All Japan Boxing Championship on their BS1 service. Things began to change in 2019 when NHK showed 8K coverage of the WBSS Bantamweight final between Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire, and they will repeat the 8K experiment in December when they show Ryota Murata's bout with Steven Butler, also on their 8K channel BS8K. The WBSS Bantamweight final was the first ever bout to be shown live in 8K and whilst that was partly a gimmick it did come with suggestion to the media that NHK would be getting back into the boxing game properly in 2020. If that happens, and we now have every reason to believe it will, then TV boxing in Japan is set to have a massive change. Unlike every other TV channel in Japan NHK is publicly funded, similar to how BBC is run in the UK, and has notable international arms, with their NHK World service. They also run both terrestrial TV, NHK General and NHK Educational in Japan, and satellite TV, NHK BS1 and NHK BS Premium, also with ultra high definition channels NHK BS4K and NHS BS8K. Their service, potentially, offers a fighter a chance to appeal right across the country in a way no other service does. If a fighter can fight on NHK General they are instantly going to be given the largest potential audience of any fighter in the country. When we already know that Naoya Inoue and Ryota Murata can draw multi-million viewer audiences in Kanto, we can only begin to imagine what a fighter could, potentially, draw on NHK from across Japan. Two other things also help back up the prediction of NHK becoming a major player. One is that they have certain high ranking officials who now believe sports can be a major part of their programming. The other is much bigger and more obvious. They have the Tokyo 2020 rights, and can obviously help a young fighter from the Olympics roll that momentum into professional success. If a fighter wants to make an immediate, national impact after the games then NHK are surely the way to go, and they could quickly become a massive force for good for Japanese boxing. Our prediction is that by the end of 2020 NHK will have shown professional boxing on both a terrestrial channel and a satellite channel, as well as their amateur boxing content, which will include the 2020 All Japan Championship and the Olympics. As we head towards a new year we've decided to look into our glass balls, our tea leaves and our palms to come up with 20 predictions which will be posted over the coming weeks for what we think will happen in 2020. So far our predictions haven't been the best though they've not all been wrong. In 2013 we predicted that Naoya Inoue, his brother Takuma and Kosei Tanaka would all win world titles. Between them they've won a few world titles, though Takuma has yet to win a proper world title. That same year we also predicted a growth in Chinese boxing, and this arguably happened despite the fact the Macau side of things has died off. We also predicted a growth in Asian fighters making a name for themselves in the US, this was before Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue or Kazuto Ioka had fought on US soil, and before the wave of Uzbek's had began to attract US attention. Unlike the past, where we have made all of our predictions in 1 article, we'll be spreading these ones out with 1 prediction per article, and going more in depth than we have in the past.  Prediction number 4 - GGG gets stopped!
For years Gennady Golovkin looked invulnerable to punches. They bounced off him and it was as if Golovkin was Hulk Hogan in the 1980's when he was "Hulking up", shaking off everything thrown his way. More recently however Golvokin has began to look like a man who has been in a lot of fights, and has taken accumulated punishment. He still looks solid, but their are cracks forming and we've seen him backing off more, and even seen him hurt once or twice. Our prediction is that in 2020 he will fail to hear the final bell, with his body finally taking too much punishment to go. Sure we haven't even seen Golovkin getting dropped yet, but in 4 of his last 6 bouts, the Danny Jacobs, the two bouts with Saul Alvarez and the recent contest with Sergiy Derevyanchenko he has taken heavy shots and has likely been given more punishment in those 4 bouts combined than his other 36 bouts combined. With natural ageing, slowing reflexes, and accumulative damage it seems only a matter of time before one fighter finally drops him, breaks his heart and forces "GGG" to say no more. There was several times when in the October bout with Sergiy Derevyanchenko where Golovkin was wincing, showing real discomfort, and like a man who was battling through pain. This wasn't the same Golovkin we had seen earlier in his career. This was a Golovkin who looked like he was in a war he didn't want to be in, he wanted to box, whilst Derevyanchenko wanted to fight. With his 38th birthday coming in April and several fights left on his huge DAZN contract we really do see Golovkin going on too long, in fact he may already have gone on too long. If he lands the much talked about third bout with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez we genuinely see Golovkin being taken out by body shots. That wouldn't be too bad, in the grand scheme of things, but the reality is that if he fights just 2 or 3 times more it could be someone much less notable that gets to him at just the right time. Golovkin's next bout is likely to be against Poland's Kamil Szeremeta, a bout that shouldn't be too problematic for the Kazakh, but after that there will be sharks swimming looking to get at him, and the first stoppage loss of Golovkin's career will come to one of those sharks. As we head towards a new year we've decided to look into our glass balls, our tea leaves and our palms to come up with 20 predictions which will be posted over the coming weeks for what we think will happen in 2020. So far our predictions haven't been the best though they've not all been wrong. In 2013 we predicted that Naoya Inoue, his brother Takuma and Kosei Tanaka would all win world titles. Between them they've won a few world titles, though Takuma has yet to win a proper world title. That same year we also predicted a growth in Chinese boxing, and this arguably happened despite the fact the Macau side of things has died off. We also predicted a growth in Asian fighters making a name for themselves in the US, this was before Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue or Kazuto Ioka had fought on US soil, and before the wave of Uzbek's had began to attract US attention. Unlike the past, where we have made all of our predictions in 1 article, we'll be spreading these ones out with 1 prediction per article, and going more in depth than we have in the past. Prediction number 3 - A dome fight in Japan
At one point in 2019 it seemed like we were going to see the WBSS Bantamweight final between Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire take place at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka. The rumours all lead that way before the Saitama Super Arena was select to host the contest, but it put the idea in motion for boxing to return to one of the Japanese domes, most notably either the "Big Egg" in Tokyo or the smaller Kyocera Dome, aka the Osaka Dome. Neither of which have hosted boxing in years, with Osaka Dome last hosting a fight in 1999 and the Tokyo Dome not being used since 1990. Whilst it's been a long, long time since either dome was used Japanese fighters are now getting enough to attention for at least 2 of them to draw a sizeable audience to one of the two domes. Both Inoue and Ryota Murata, with the right opponent, could make it worth whilst and it certainly seems like there is desire to return to a dome for a big show. Whilst there are other domes, the Fukuoka Dome, the Sapporo Dome and the Nagoya Dome, it would appear much more difficult to draw a big enough audience to any of those to make it worth while, but the Osaka and Tokyo venues are certainly viable for the right fights. We predict that by the end of 2020 we will see a Dome fight, potentially the much talked about showdown between Ryota Murata and Gennady Golovkin. If that Middleweight clash doesn't land in Japan it may take a Monster showdown with Inoue and another global name to fill up a Dome, or... ...a third potential way to sell out a dome would be for Bob Arum, who actually promoters both Inoue and Murata, to double deck the show and put both of the stars on the same card, for a bumper show in Japan. It would allow him to spend less on the opponents for the two men and could well be sold as the biggest Japanese boxing event of the 21st century. Of course scheduling issues in regards to time may cause issues with this possibility, but we see the demand for a Dome fight being enough for Arum to potentially put on an historic show in either of the aforementioned domes. As we head towards a new year we've decided to look into our glass balls, our tea leaves and our palms to come up with 20 predictions which will be posted over the coming weeks for what we think will happen in 2020. So far our predictions haven't been the best though they've not all been wrong. In 2013 we predicted that Naoya Inoue, his brother Takuma and Kosei Tanaka would all win world titles. Between them they've won a few world titles, though Takuma has yet to win a proper world title. That same year we also predicted a growth in Chinese boxing, and this arguably happened despite the fact the Macau side of things has died off. We also predicted a growth in Asian fighters making a name for themselves in the US, this was before Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue or Kazuto Ioka had fought on US soil, and before the wave of Uzbek's had began to attract US attention. Unlike the past, where we have made all of our predictions in 1 article, we'll be spreading these ones out with 1 prediction per article, and going more in depth than we have in the past.  Prediction number 2 - Boxing continues to Shrink in Thailand
One of the big disappointments in recent years has been the shrinking appeal of professional boxing in Thailand. We've gone from Thailand being one of the busiest, most active and interesting scenes to one which has been dying, slowly but surely, over the last few years. It's still alive, but appears to have gone backwards, significantly, with fewer televised cards, fewer noteworthy prospects, and fewer stay busy fights from champions. Whilst we have seen things like WP Boxing and The Fighter series both making their mark it does feel like the Thai scene has continued regressing, and the once weekly Channel 7 cards feel like they are a distant memory from the past. They were always the ones to watch, with a mix of established talent, rising hopefuls and fringe contenders. Although they were typically matched easily they were a building ground to creating a fighters name and buzz. With Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Wanheng Menayothin both on the wrong side of 30, and Knockout CP Freshmart failing to shine and now having a target on his back from a number of fighters including Hasanboy Dusmatov and Ginjiro Shigeoka, there's a chance Thailand will not have a single world champion by the end of 2020. It's also hard to see who will become the next Thai world champion, with fewer and fewer promising fighters breaking through the rankings. The countries scene isn't dead, but it does need a shot in the arm. Had Thai boxing boomed on the back of Srisaket's success in America we could have been looking at things very differently, but the reality is that the country failed to capitalise on having a global star when they did and although Srisaket may well go on to become a 3-time champion it very much feels like his wins over Roman Gonzalez were a missed opportunity to boost the Thai fight scene in a way that could have carried a generation of Thai's. Instead of have a growing Thai scene we predict that the current downward trend will continue, and we could be years away from Thailand having it's next exciting star that can inspire the country's youngsters to care about the sport. Some possible boxers may look else where for a combat sport career, others may simply avoid fighting for pay. Either way boxing will suffer. As we head towards a new year we've decided to look into our glass balls, our tea leaves and our palms to come up with 20 predictions which will be posted over the coming weeks for what we think will happen in 2020. So far our predictions haven't been the best though they've not all been wrong. In 2013 we predicted that Naoya Inoue, his brother Takuma and Kosei Tanaka would all win world titles. Between them they've won a few world titles, though Takuma has yet to win a proper world title. That same year we also predicted a growth in Chinese boxing, and this arguably happened despite the fact the Macau side of things has died off. We also predicted a growth in Asian fighters making a name for themselves in the US, this was before Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue or Kazuto Ioka had fought on US soil, and before the wave of Uzbek's had began to attract US attention. Unlike the past, where we have made all of our predictions in 1 article, we'll be spreading these ones out with 1 prediction per article, and going more in depth than we have in the past.  PREDICTION 1 : Ginjiro Shigeoka to win a world title in 2020 The Minimumweight division has long been a maligned weight class, where casual western fans are happy to turn their nose up at the action, despite it's quality and excitement. Despite that we do have a lot of talent in the ranks at 105lbs and 108lbs. Among the talent there is young super stud Ginjiro Shigeoka, who we are predicting to win a world title in 2020. At the time of writing Shigeoka is 4-0 (3) but has impressed so much in those 4 fights that a world title fight as early as summer isn't out of the realms of possibility, though we suspect it will be later in the year. It does however depend on how he looks on New Year's Eve when he faces former world title challenger Rey Loreto, in what is a very good test for the youngster at this stage in his career, and if he can stop Loreto he may well end up with a world title shot as early as Spring. The former amateur standout, who went 56-1 in the unpaid ranks, would likely be the under-dog against any of the 4 world champions if he faced them tomorrow. However with another bout or two, including the Loreto bout, under his belt, and if Watanabe could secure him home advantage, we could see the odds swing his way very quickly. If we were guiding the youngster the only champion we would advise Ginjiro away from is IBF champion Pedro Taduran, who looks a stylistic nightmare for the youngster, but the likes of Wanheng Menayoythin, Knockout CP Freshmart and Wilfredo Mendez shouldn't be seen as unbeatable, and Shigeoka may well be ready for any of that trio sooner rather than later. The talent is there, the power is there, the aggression is there, the style is there. The only thing lacking at the moment is the experience, but that will come through the year, and a world title being over Shigeoka's shoulder wouldn't be a surprise at all by the times the bells ring on December 31st 2020. (Image courtesy of Watanabe Gym) |
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