One of two female world title bouts that take place this coming Saturday will see Japan's sensational Momo Koseki (18-2-1, 5) attempting to set a national record. Koseki, the long reigning WBC Atomweight champion, will be looking for her 14th defence of her world title, a defence that would put her ahead of Yoko Gushiken's long standing Japanese national record of 13 world title defence. Of course female and male boxing are different but it would still be an incredible achievement for the rough and tumble champion. It's not a given however that Koseki will retain her title this time around as she battles Britain's Denise Castle (2-0, 2). On paper it's a clear mismatch but in actuality this could very easily be the toughest bout Koseki has ever been involved in. Castle may be a pro boxing novice but she is a former Muay Thai legend who turned to boxing earlier this year in search of a new challenge. As a Muay Thai fighter Castle was a WBC champion and it appears that her aim in professional boxing is to do the same. Koseki is a tough, rough, nasty and mean fighter. She lacks KO power but is very much a fighter with a street fighters mentality. In fact pound-for-pound it's hard to think of a tougher female boxer than Koseki but in Castle we have an equally tough and proven competitor. Although this is a very tough bout Koseki does hold numerous advantages over her British opponent. At 42 Castle is an old fighter, she's very fit but has had a long athletic career having been a runner before turning to combat sports. Koseki will also be fighting at home and there is sure to be support for the Tokyo fighter who is fighting at home. Also Muay Thai and boxing are different sports and Koseki has the clear edge in boxing experience, not just in rounds and fights but also quality of experience having previously fought Samson To Buamas, Nao Ikeyama, Masae Akitaya and Nora Cardoza amongst others. To date Castle has fought no boxers of note. For both fighters this is a huge bout. For Castle it's a chance to leap to the top of the boxing world in her division and replicate her Muay Thai success. For Koseki it's a national record and further proof of her dominance at 102lbs. It's a really great fight. We do favour the champion here but we know she's in for a very, very tough contest. (Image courtesy of Boxmob.jp)
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Fans in Japan get to see the first ever WBO Atomweight title fight as Pagaduan takes on Ikeyama!5/12/2014 When we talk about history we can split it in to two things. Those things that are remembered and spoken about as something great or memorable, and those things that only a hardcore fan has any interest in. We imagine this Saturdays WBO Atomweight title fight will belong in that second column, despite being the first ever WBO Atomweight title fight. The WBO, following in the footsteps of the WBA and the WBC, have now started to recognise the 102lb Atomweight division. It's a division which has given us champions like Momo Koseki, Ayaka Miyao and Mari Ando and this weekend we see Jessebelle Pagaduan (6-0, 4) and Nao Ikeyama (13-3-1, 4) attempting to become the latest Atomweight world title holder. The unbeaten Pagaduan,from the Philippines is an ambitious 29 year old looking to win a world title in just her 7th professional bout. Sure that's not a record for female boxing it's still ambitious and a sign that she knows she has to make up for lost time, especially considering that she's not the most active of fighters with just 6 bouts in 2 years from her debut. Fighting from the southpaw stance Pagaduan is naturally heavy handed. Sure her competition, so far, has been poor but she's far from a poor fighter and in fact he biggest problem so far has been with the with the 102lb weight division as opposed to any of her opponents thus far. Whilst the Filipino is unbeaten and in her physical prime the same cannot possibly be said of Ikeyama who 44 years old, has fought just once in the last 3 years and last scored a win of note 4 years ago when she defeated Masae Akitaya. Sure she has the more proven record and the more notable victories but she's certainly a fighter a long way removed from any of those big wins. At her best Ikeyama was world class and her opponents read like a who's who of the Atomweight division. Momo Koseki, Ayaka Miyao, Akitaya, Ji Hyun Park. Unfortunately we can't possibly think she's even a shadow of the fighter she once was. In fact if anything she's probably "even older" in terms of boxing years than her 44 actual years, especially considering she has to make 102lbs, an incredibly low weight for this fight. Ikeyama has always been tough, and she'll need to be tough again here to see out the distance though unfortunately for her we don't see her legs holding out for 10 rounds against a younger, bigger more energetic fighter in the form of Pagaduan who we think will either take a wide decision or a very late stoppage with father time being too much for Ikeyama. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) Although WBC Atomweight champion Momo Koseki is the most dominant fighter in the history of the 102lb division she isn't the only world champion there. She is joined by WBA champion, and fellow Japanese fighter, Ayaka Miyao (16-5-1, 1) a fighter who has arguably faced better competition than Koseki in recent contests. Miyao, who fought in Japan several times before the JBC recognised female boxing, has had an outstanding career after a wobbly start between. She debuted way back in 2004 and although she lost 4 of her first 9 contests she has since become one of the real forces in Japanese female boxing, especially in the last 3 or 4 years. Over the last 6 and a half years Miyao has gone 12-1 (1) and generated some real name value for herself under the guidance of Hideyuki Ohashi and the Ohashi gym. It's been under the Ohashi banner than she has claimed the WBA Atomweight title, defeating the rugged Mari Ando and defended it 3 times. In her defenses Miyao has over come a trio of accomplished and talented fighters. They have included Ando, for the second time, Masae Akitaya and most recently Filipino Gretchen Abaniel. This trio is probably better than what Koseki has been beating in recent defenses. On March 3rd we get to see Koseki and Miyao on the same card together. Although not fighting each other we do know that comparisons will be made. Koseki, defending her title for the 13th time, will be fighting against the unbeaten Angor Onesongchaigym whilst Miyao will be taking on Angor's stable mate Buangern OnesongchaiGym (10-4-1, 1) in what we think is the more competitive match up. Miyao is a busy fighter. She lacks power, as do most Atomweights, but her work rate is incredible and when she gets going she is really like a whirlwind inside the ring. As well her work rate she is tough, experienced and having been in the Ohashi gym she is well schooled and knows how to fight. That's not to say she's perfect, far from it, but she is very hard to beat and may well prove, one day, to be the best 102lb fighter on the planet. In Buangern we have a fighter who is just 20 years old and so young and hungry. Sadly however Buangern is also limited and came unstuck in 5 rounds against Su-Yun Hong in her only previous world title fight. Whilst that bout was a Minimumweight and this is at Atomweight we don't think the slight size difference will really help the Thai challenger. What we expect to happen here is that Buangern will start with confidence though she will quickly be swamped in the work of Miyao which will see the Japanese champion retaining via a clear decision. It'll be competitive for a few rounds but by rounds 4 or 5 the action will have swung almost entirely in the direction of Miyao. Whilst we thing Miyao v Buangern is more competitive than Koseki v Angor that's more down to the fact so little is known about Angor and it's always impossible to favour a complete unknown fighting against a dominant champion like Koseki. This bout will be part of "G Legends 6" a show on "Doll's Day" which features only female fighters. When we talk about dominant female world champions few can match the dominance of Japan's Momo Koseki (17-2-1, 4) pictured. Koseki, the WBC Atomweight world champion, hasn't lost a fight since since November 2007 and has not become a world champion but become a dominant one defending her title an impressive 12 times since August 2008. Yes you read that right, Koseki has defended her world title 12 times in less than 6 years and what's more impressive is that she's been doing it against some top opposition such as Teeraporn Pannimit Masae Akitaya and Saemi Hanagata. Tough as old boots, aggressive and well schooled Koseki is a nightmare to fight. She can go to war with you, she can rough you up or she can box with her well schooled skills. Their are flaws in her style, of course there are, but they tend to revolve around the way she comes in with her head as opposed to things that would make it easier to beat her. She's a really tough opponent and she has experience to go with her skills. Attempting to prevent Koseki from her 13th title defense on March 3rd will be unbeaten Thai Angor Onesongchaigym (5-0, 3) who we believe is a teenager. Angor may not have the record of an experienced fighter though we're of the belief that she is a highly established former Muay Thai fighter with more than 60 wins. Whilst it's true that not all great Muay Thai veterans become great boxers there is enough of a track record to suggest that Angor may be a very, very good fighter and the sort of fighter who could be a real banana skin for someone like Koseki. Unfortunately it's very hard to be too sure about Angor with details on her being difficult to find. As with many lesser known Thai's footage of her is scarce and our recollection of fights of her that we've seen have all been her against very limited foes. She has looked decent admittedly but against the opponents she's been up against it's hard to really say anything about how she copes when hit back or what she does against more skilled foes. With Koseki having a track record at world level, a long unbeaten run, plenty of footage out there and a very strong amateur background it's hard to suggest anything but another successful defense for the reigning champion. We do expect this to be a hard one, top Muay Thai fighters are known for their toughness and fighting ability, but we think that Koseki may just have too much boxing knowledge for Angor. We're hoping that the winner here fights the WBA champion in a major Atomweight unification bout. Unfortunate that's something we've wanted to see for a while so aren't expecting it despite really wanting to see it. Having seen Momo Koseki recently defend her WBC Atomweight title against Nora Cardoza it now seems we have just one stumbling block before a possible all-Japanese WBA-WBC Atomweight title unification. That stumbling block is Filipino Gretchen Abaniel (13-4, 4) who challenges Japan's WBA champion Ayaka Miyao (15-5-1, 1) for the WBA title on November 28th. Abaniel, who comes in to this bout highly regarded and with the reputation of hitting harder than her record indicates, is a real banana skin for someone like Miyao. Aged 28 and stood at 5'1" the Filipino challenger is younger, taller and rangier than the champion. As well as those physical advantages she has proven to be a credible world level fighter having previously shared a ring with Cho-Rong Son, Samson Tor Buamas, Katia Gutierrez and Teeraporn Pannimit. Whilst Abaniel is 0-3 is world title fights recognised by "the big four" she has previously won a secondary title, the WIBA Minimumweight title, suggesting she has the ability to be a world champion in the future and in all honesty "on her day" she could possibly beat anyone at 102lbs. Japan's Ayaka Miyao is, at 30 years old, probably coming into the later years of her prime physically. Whilst some female fighters have managed to find success in their later years, such as Naoko Fujioka who is almost 40 yet looks to still be improving, it's fair to say most are beginning to slow by their 30's, especially in in the smaller divisions. Although not a big puncher Miyao has proven to be tough, talented and a fighter who has improved massively since she began her career. Saying that it is worth noting that Miyao began her career 4-4-1 before going 11-1 in her following 12 as she went from talented but inexperienced fighter to world champion. Those 12 fights that Miyao has fought in since her poor start have included 8 straight victories. These have seen her claiming the WBA Atomweight title and subsequently defending it twice and she's become another notable member of the Ohashi stable which also over-sees the careers of Naoya Inoue and Akira Yaegashi. For us this bout comes down to two things. Can Miyao get the respect of Abaniel with her light punching? If she can't, does she have the skills to out boxing Abaniel? We feel that Miyao won't be able to get Abaniel's respect but will have the skills to win enough rounds to win a decision. It won't be decisive and dominant but the right woman will win for use. Thankfully for Abaniel we don't think this will be her last chance. Of course no matter who wins we would love to see the winner fighting Koseki in a major unification bout. It would, of course, be bigger if it was an All-Japanese bout though even if it wasn't it would still be a major bout and the most important in the Atomweight division's history. Note-This bout is the headline contest from Ohashi gym's "47th Battle Phoenix" which also features a contest between Kayoko Ebata and Nancy Franco. One often made complain about boxing is that we have too many divisions. Whilst we won't disagree with that claim it's worth noting that female boxing actually one additional weight class, the Atomweight division. With a weight limit of 102lbs the Atomweight division is the lowest in professional boxing and one only competed in by female fighters. In fact more interesting than just that is that only the WBA and WBC seem to really recognise the division and even Boxrec don't seem that willing to recognise it's existence. Of the two recognised Atomweight champions it's the WBC champion Momo Koseki (16-2-1, 4) that has the longest and most defined reign. Since winning the title in 2008 with a stoppage over Winyu Paradorn Gym of Thailand, Koseki has defended her title an impressive 10 times. She now looks for defense #11. In the opposite corner to Koseki is Mexico's Nora Cardoza (8-4-2, 4), a fighter fighting in her first world title fight and a fighter looking for her first serious victory. With 16 fights on her record Cardoza hasn't faced too many "name" fighters, and when she has, she's lost. This has seen her being stopped by Jessica Chavez and being out pointed by Jasseth Noriega, her only two high profile opponents. If we compare Cardoza's record to that of Koseki things are very much one sided. Koseki has more world title fight victories than Cardoza has total victories and whilst they haven't come against great names they have come against credible opponents. Not only has she stopped Winyu Paradorn Gym but she has also beaten Nao Ikeyama, Teeraporn Pannimit, Saemi Hanagata and most recently Eun-Young Huh, all around the same "proven" level as Cardoza. What's more impressive than Koseki's record is her skill level. She is incredibly talented. Sure she has two losses on her record, coming in her 4th and 5th contests, but both were narrow losses away in Thailand, both in bouts that many felt Koseki was robbed of. She's talented, tough, has great work rate and shows that female fighters can be genuinely skilled. Something that we can't really say about Cardoza. With what we know about both fighters we really favour Koseki, arguably the best 102lb fighter on the planet to not only defeat Cardoza but also look to force a stoppage. It may come, it may not but there is every chance that Koseki will look to make a statement with WBA champion Ayaka Miyao defending her title just a few weeks after this contest. |
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