The middle part of April promises a lot, despite having had some bouts fall through. We'll see prospects, title fights and must win cross road bouts over the coming week or so.
 
April 11th-
Tokyo, Japan

• Shuichiro Yoshino (9-0, 7) Vs Accel Sumiyoshi (11-4-3, 3) -Tokyo, Japan

Unbeaten Japanese Lightweight champion Shuichiro Yoshino seeks his next defense, as he takes on under-rated mandatory challenged Accel Sumiyoshi. On paper this looks like a mismatch, especially given how good Yoshino is, but we are expecting it to be much more competitive than the records of the men suggest, with Sumiyoshi having a very misleading record. A win here for Yoshino will likely see him begin to chase regional titles to go alongside the Japanese belt.
 
April 12th-

• Janibek Alimkhanuly (5-0, 2) vs Cristian Olivas (16-4, 13) - Los Angeles, USA

Unbeaten Kazakh prospect Janibek Alimkhanuly looks to continue his rise through the ranks, as he takes on Cristian Olivas. This should be a really good test for Alimkhanuly, with Olivas behind tough and heavy handed, though should be a test that he can pass and a test that he's taking at the right time, given that Olivas has lost his last 2 bouts. The aggressive match making of Alimkhanuly is exciting and hopefully we continue to see the development of his professional career here.
 
April 14th-

• Musashi Mori (8-0, 5) Vs Richard Pumicpic (21-9-2, 6) II - Kumamoto, Japan

Last year we saw Japanese youngster Musashi Mori claimed the WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight title, with a technical decision win over Filipino foe Richard Pumicpic. The inconclusive ending left both wanting a rematch, and we now get to see them go at it again, with the unbeaten Mori looking to make his first defense of the regional title. This should be a very compelling and interesting bout, much like their first.
 

• Ginjiro Shigeoka (2-0, 2) Vs Joel Lino (10-1-1, 3) - Kumamoto, Japan

Touted Japanese teenage Ginjiro Shigeoka is taking a major step up in class here as he takes on once beaten Filipino Joel Lino in what will be Shigeoka's first professional bout in Kumamoto, where he was born. Lino is a very good opponent and this should be a real test for Shigeoka, but a win will really put him in the mix for a title fight before the end of the year and could see him being moved onto huge fights in 2020/2021.
 

• Seiya Tsutsumi (4-0, 3) Vs Ryan Rey Ponteras (22-13-3, 11)- Kumamoto, Japan

The all action Seiya Tsutsumi takes a step up to take on experienced Filipino Ryan Rey Ponteras, in what is a major test. Tsutsumi is an aggressive, exciting fighter who has real belief in his pressure style and heavy hands however Ponteras is tough, tricky and could be a potential banana skin for the unbeaten youngster.
 

• Yuko Kuroki (17-6-1, 8) Vs Nao Ikeyama (18-5-3, 5) - Kyoto, Japan

In a must win bout fans will see former world champions Yukio Kuroki and Nao Ikeyama face off. Both have lost world titles in recent bouts and have suffered 2 recent losses, with neither able to bounce back from a third in such a short amount of time. Kuroki, the younger and naturally bigger fighter, will be favoured bu Ikeyama will know her career ends if she loses again here, given she is now 49 yars old.
 

• Shione Ogata (10-6, 2) Vs Charimae Salvador (4-1, 1) - Kyoto, Japan 

The in former Shione Ogata, a double regional champion, will be looking to take the OPBF Female Light Flyweight title as she takes on once beaten Filipino Charimae Salvador. Ogata really has been in good form and will know that a win here could open up a potential world title fight later in the year. Salvador is in deep here, and she was beaten last time out.
 

• Tamao Ozawa (15-5, 6) vs Hye Soo Park (5-7-1, 1) - Kyoto, Japan

In an historic match up we'll see the JBC and KBM female Flyweight titles both being fought for, thanks to a new rule change from the OPBF. The rule change allows fighters from any OPBF nation to fight for the national title of any other OPBF national, and that's going to be the case here as Japanese and Korean titles are up for grabs. Despite the unique status of the bout the winner is expected to vacate one of their titles almost immediately after the bout. The idea of the change is to increase depth in divisions, but we then get weird and unique situations like this.
 
April 18th-

• Yuta Saito (11-9-3, 8) Vs Hayato Kimura (28-10, 19) -Tokyo, Japan

The Japanese Bantamweight title gets unified here as regular champion Yuta Saito takes on interim champion Hayato Kimura, in what will be a really key bout for the division on the domestic scene. In 2018 the Japanese Bantamweight title seemed to be cursed, with a number of issues befalling fighters including Saito, and this bout here will hopefully end the curse. Saito is the puncher but Kimura is the younger man, and given their styles we are expecting a great fight with a real gelling of styles.

The second half of November is fast approaching and it's set to be a busy one for fans who follow Asian boxers. We have a nice mix of Youth, world, regional and female title fights coming up over the next 2 weeks or so

November 16th- 
Tetsuya Hisada (32-9-2, 19) Vs Akihiro Toya (8-4, 1) - Japan
We kick off the second part of the months with a Japanese Light Flyweight title bout, as defending champion Tetsusya Hisada seeks his 5th defense, and takes on the unheralded Akihiro Toya. On paper this should be a mismatch, in favour of Hisada who is approaching a world title fight, but he can ill afford any sort of set back right now. The champion is now 34 and will know that even a serious cut here could end his dreams of a world title fight. For Toya this will be an unexpected chance, given he has lost 2 of his last 3, but he could pull out the upset if Hisada over-looks him.

November 17th-
Chaoz Minowa (6-1, 5) Vs Ibeth Zamora Silva (29-6, 12) - Mexico
On November 17th we'll see Japanese fighter Chaoz Minowa challenge Mexico Ibeth Zamora Silve, for Zamora's WBC Female Flyweight title. This will be Minowa's second shot t a world title, and another loss really will harm her hopes of ever winning a world title, despite her strong amateur credentials. Silva won the title earlier this year, and this will be her first defence, though she is a world class fighter and had a prolonged reign at Light Flyweight. A win for Silva will establish her reign, though she'll likely be looking for bigger and more notable fights, if she can over-come the aggressive but flawed Minowa.

November 18th-
West Japan Rookie of the Year Finals​- Japan 
The All Japan Rookie of the Year finals gets the second set of fighters as the West Japan representatives are decided on. The show's winners will be back in action just before Christmas as they take on their East Japan representatives in the crucial All Japan final. The regional final has a number of really good bouts on it, and if they manage to claim bot only the West crown but the All Japan one they will be expected to be moved into title fights in the relatively near future. This is a key show on the Japanese calendar, and is a very significant show for fans on the domestic scene.

November 19th- 
Ryuto Oho (11-4-1, 3) Vs Yuta Nakayama (6-1-1, 3) - Japan
Just a day after the West Japan Rookie final we see youngsters colliding in a Japanese Youth Light Flyweight title bout. The bout will see 2013 All Japan Flyweight Rookie of the year Ryuto Oho making his first defense of the Japanese Youth title as he takes on the once beaten Nakayama, who is riding a 5 fight winning streak into this bout. Oho won the title back in April, stopping Tetsuya Tomioka, and looks to be a better fit at 108lbs than he was at 112lbs. Nakayama on the other hand looks to be stepping up a level, and may well face his stiffest test to date in what looks like an excellent match up.

November 20th- 
Ayaka Miyao (22-7-1, 6) Vs Nao Ikeyama (18-4-3, 5) III - Japan
It's not often that we support WBA "Interim" title bouts but with WBA “regular” Atomweight champion Monseratt Alcaron suffering an injury we can't help but support an “interim” title here as Ayaka Miyao and Nao Ikeyama face off in an excellent rematch. The first bout between these two came in 2016, when Ikeyama beat the much younger Miyao due to a nasty knee injury that kept Miyao out of the ring for over a year. That win for Ikeyama was her last victory, and she would lose the WBO Atamweight title this past July. Aged 49 a win for Ikeyama would be a massive statement whilst a win for Miyao would see her getting revenge for the loss a few years ago. A brilliant match up, and a rare example of the WBA using their “interim” titles properly!

November 22nd- 
Kudura Kaneko (8-0, 5) Vs Toshio Arikawa (15-5, 13) - Japan
Not every great match up needs a title, and we can't help but get very excited about the Japanese Welterweight bout between rising youngster Kudura Kaneko, a Japanese-Afghan prospect, and former champion Toshio Arikawa, fighting for the first time since losing the title. Both of these men have real belief in their power and this could end up being a shoot out, as well as a potential passing of the torch on the Japanese domestic scene. The bout won't get much attention globally, but that doesn't take away from the interest the bout has from us, and Japanese domestic fans.

November 24th- 
Dmitry Bivol (14-0, 11) vs Jean Pascal (33-5-1-1, 20) - USA
Outside of Asia the biggest fight with an Asian as we get towards the end of the month will see Kyrgyzstan born Russian Dmitry Bivol defending his WBA Light Heavyweight title against Canadian based Haitian Jean Pascal. The talented Bivol, now widely regarded as one of the top Light Heavyweights on the planet, had looked at other opponents but due to various issues ended up with the 36 year old Pascal. The Canadian regularly makes for exciting bouts, due to his style, and he is still popular but he is 4-3 in his last 7 and has twice been stopped by Sergey Kovalev in the last 4 years. This should be fun, but comfortable for the champion.

November 25th-
Richard Pumicpic (21-8-2, 6) vs Musashi Mori (7-0, 5) - Japan
Filipino fighter Richard Pumipcic makes it 3 in a row in Japan as he returns to defend his WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight title against teenager Musashi Mori. Pumicpic won the title when he defeated Hisashi Amagasa in Tokyolast year. His only defense of the belt saw far saw him defeat Yoshimitsu Kimura, in a clear but competitive bout, and now he returns to take on one of the country's best teenager. Mori has impressed, winning the All Japan Rookie of the Year, but this is a monstrous step up in class and if he wins he could find himself on the verges of the world rankings. It's a big risk with a huge reward for the challenger, but he is clearly the under-dog.
 
November 28th- 
Knockout CP Freshmart (18-0, 7) Vs Byron Rojas (25-3-3, 11) II - Thailand
The final bout of note for the month comes from Thailand, as WBA Minimumweight champion Knockout CP Freshmart defends the WBA title against former champion Byron Rojas, the man he actually beat for the belt back in back in June 2016. Since beating Rojas we've seen Knockout make 5 defenses, including wins over Shin Ono, Rey Loreto and Xiong Zhao Zhong, but he's failed to really impress on a consistent basis. He's a solid champion, but one who doesn't seem to look spectacular. Rojas is 8-0 since the loss to Knockout, but has only been fighting at the Nicaraguan domestic level and it's a little bit unclear on how good he's been since losing the belt. In saying that however he's incredibly hungry for this bout and does seem determined to take the title back to Nicaragua. This could be a great way to end what looks to be a fantastic month of action.