Televised Thai action returned on Wednesday this week in a bit of an oddity (that we expect will be repeated next week with a show on Tuesday) unfortunately, though some what expectedly, we did struggle to get the names of the fighters at the time.
Loei, Thailand The shows main event saw the world ranked Mike Tawatchai (33-7-1, 21) successfully defending his IBF Asia Super Bantamweight title against Filipino journeyman Boy Dondee Pumar (10-6-3, 4). The fight, which ended in a 7th round technical decision, was the second defense of the title by Tawatchai whilst it was the 4th loss in 5 fights for Pumar. Despite having only won just over half of his professional bouts Pumar is actually better than his record indicates. As well as Twatchai's victory there was 3 other contests on the card including a second round stoppage for Japan's Takamori Akita (8-4-1, 6) who over-came Thailand's debuting Ratchasri Sithsaithong (0-1). Another bout from the under-card saw Patomsuk Pathompothong (27-2-1, 17) over-coming Filipino Jose Ocampo (17-8-1, 12). When we consider that Ocampo was once scheduled to fight WBO Lightweight champion Ricky Burns this is a rather notable victory for Patomsuk saying that however it was Ocampo's third straight loss. The only other bout on the show saw Maxsaisai Sithsaithong (13-4, 3) taking a decision over the previously unbeaten Patomsith Pathompothong (7-1, 3). Although this was a minor upset we can't really imagine Maxsaisai going too far in his career.
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It's rare to have good boxing on a Monday but that's what we had this week with a Japanese show featuring two title bouts and 7 bouts in total. Tokyo, Japan The show, at the Korakuen Hall kicked off with a relatively uninteresting under-card in which Mamoru Takeuchi (4-5-2) narrowly defeated Kazumichi Ishizawa (2-4) and Mamori Hasebe (1-0) took a decision over fellow debutant Tomoya Kubo (0-1). Although both bouts were competitive neither would have done much to put bums on seats. The one bout on the lowest part of the card that was interesting saw Kenta Yamada (2-0, 2) stopping the previously unbeaten Ibuki Kitade (1-1) in a bout between prospects. It'd be nice to see Yamada stepping up slightly again next time out but at just 19 years old there is no rush at all for the hard hitting youngster. After the bottom of the card was done we had two interesting contests in the middle of the card. Unfortunately one of these middle of the card bouts ended in serious disappointment with Moon Hyun Yun (14-4-2, 2) fighting to a 3rd round technical draw with Kuninobu Shimamura (16-3-1, 11). We expected this bout to be really interesting but unfortunately the premature ending robbed us of the contest. The other 8 rounder on the card saw Ryo Takenaka (10-2-1, 5) taking the decision over Filipino visitor Rene Bestudio (16-6-4, 5) in a competitive match up that saw neither man really asserting dominance over the other. Although one judge scored it 79-74 we'd suggest it was closer. In the co-feature the very highly touted Rikki Naito (9-0, 5) put on an impressive showing as he dominated the experienced Hiroyasu Matsuzaki (22-7-2, 11) to claim the Japanese Super Featherweight title. Naito was simply too quick and too skilled for Matsuzaki who was tagged by southpaw right hooks time and time again. After 8 rounds Matsuzaki's corner pulled their charge from the bout saving him any further punishment. The main event saw the highly talented Shingo Wake (16-4-2, 9) successfully defending his OPBF Super Bantamweight title. Wake, fighting against Japanese based Filipino Jovylito Aligarbes (10-3, 4), controlled the bout from the opening round and whilst Aligarbes, otherwise known as Jovy Katsumata, tried his best he was simply unable to cope with the power or skills of Wake who dropped him twice. The second knockdown was one Jovy couldn't recover from and he stayed down for the count. We do need to wonder what Aligarbes was doing in the ring with Wake but credit to the Filipino for putting up the best fight he could even though he was significantly smaller than Wake. Boxing in Korea isn't what it once was, we can't argue with that because everyone knows just how weak Korean boxing is right now. This Sunday however saw one of the most interesting Korean shows in a very long time with two title bouts and the possible emergence of the next Korean star. Chuncheon, South Korea The card, which featured 11 bouts in total, featured 8 bouts with novices a solid under-card bout and the two title bouts. We'll start with those title bouts. The main event was the only world title bout on the show as South Korea's Su-Yun Hong (9-1, 5) was in action. Hong, attempting to defend her unbeaten record and WBO female Minimumweight title was made to look like a novice by Japanese teenager Mako Yamada (7-0, 2) who announced herself on the world stage in fine form. Yamada, a former kick boxing star, may only be 19 years old but it's going to be very hard to see her dethroned. We had thought that Yamada was stepping up too fast too soon but she's proven that she really is as good as hyped and may well become one of the truly elite female fighters. Interesting she wasn't just the first Japanese female to win a world title in Korea she was also the first Japanese female to claim a WBO title and the first Japanese female teenager to win a world title! Yamada wasn't the only new champion crowned, or the new young star to have a break out performance. The other man who burst on to the scene is Korea's very own Ja-Ik Goo (3-0, 3). Goo, a former amateur stand out, stepped up massively in class and really impressed as he defeated the experienced Taek-Min Kim (15-7, 10) in a performance that saw Goo claim the Korean Light Welterweight title. Kim, who was defending his title for the first time, was left cut to the point of being stopped and although he has been a tough fighter through his career one must wonder just how long he has left in the sport. This was Kim's 3rd stoppage loss in 4 bouts and although he's only 28 it may well be the end of the line for him. Whilst it's too early to crown Goo as the new shining light of Korean boxing he, and Min Wook Kim, certainly has the potential to add excitement and help get more fans interested in the sport. The top under-card bout, and a contest that was originally scheduled to be another title bout, saw Jong-Min Jung (4-7-1, 1) defeated by Ye-Joon Kim (7-1-2, 2). Jung, the reigning Korean Bantamweight champion, was expected to have his title on the line here so we've got to admit that we're unsure why Kim isn't the new champion. Going in to this bout we expected the contest to be a distance fight so we're very impress with the fact Kim stopped Jung in what is by far the best victory on his record so far. Given the fact that we had stoppages in 2 of the 3 big fights on the card it may be a bit of a surprise to hear that we only had 3 stoppages from the 8 under-card bouts. The quickest of which came in just a round as Light Welterweight prospect Jae-Hoon Lee (3-0, 3) stopped Bum-Hyun Kim (2-2) at the 3 minute mark. It wouldn't be a huge shock if we saw Lee mentioned as possible opponent for Goo in what would certainly be a bout expected to finish inside the distance. The second quickest under-card stoppage came as Hyun Sunwoo (3-3-1, 2) stopped the previously unbeaten Sang-Keun Han (1-1, 1) in just 2 rounds. This was just a round quicker than the stoppage scored by the previously win-less female Bo-Ra Kim (1-2, 1) who stopped the debuting Da-Eun Hong (0-1) midway through round 3. Of the bouts that went the distance the most competitive was the one between Gyung-Mo Yuh (1-4-1) and Joo-Young Kim (1-0-1, 1) which ended in a majority draw. We weren't that far from a second draw as Min-Joon Park (3-0, 2) narrowly squeezes past In-Kyoo Lee (2-1, 1) in a very competitive match up. Unfortunately the remaining 3 bouts were hard competitive at all. These saw Sun-Kyoo Park (1-1) clearly defeat the debuting Hee-Joon Joo (0-1), Dong-Young Gang (1-0) take a clear decision over fellow debutant Seung-Yub Jun (0-1), despite a very rare 40-38 scorecard, and Tae-Il Kim (4-0) nearly shutting out Min-Suk Choi (0-1) who another losing debutant. When Chris John lost to Simpiwe Vetyeka we were expecting Indonesian boxing to be on it's last legs. This past Saturday however proved that the sport is alive, even if it is just at a low level. We all know that it could take a long time for the country to develop their next star but this weekend seemed like it was the first step towards finding the next Indonesian boxing icon. Jakarta, Indonesia Whilst the card in Jakarta, Indonesia, was only a small one with just 6 total bouts it was one that caught out eye with several interesting results coming from it. The highest profile result was a small upset with Gaspar Ampolo (2-21-2, 1) scoring his first win in over 8 years. Ampolo, who had gone 0-17-2 in his last 19 bouts, managed to out point Madit Sada (5-13-15, 1). Sada, whilst not a great fighter himself, had mixed in great company and it was expected that his high level of experience would help him over come Ampolo, instead however it seems that Sada is a man who may be looking at calling it a day on his career. Whilst Ampolo/Sada was the biggest profile bout of the card it was far from the only one taking place. One of the others on the show saw Johnny Purba (1-0, 1) making a debut to remember as he stopped Marius Mabel (1-2). On paper this looked a decent meeting but Mabel had been inactive since 2009 and Purba's victory probably said just as much about Mabel's ringrust as anything else. Purba was one of 6 debutants in action and one of just 2 to record as stoppage. He was joined by Adrian Owfen (1-0, 1) who took his victory in an all debutant contest against Ocol Speed (0-1). Speed and Purba were joined by Azril Wenda (1-0) as fighters who won on their debut. Wenda mamanged to take a split decision in his contest defeating Simon Tadeus (0-1) who was yet another debuting fighter. Another debuting fighter in action was Eben Selmetan (0-1) who was beaten, via a majority decision, by novice Silem Serang (1-1). The only other bout in Indonesia saw Vincent Olin (2-3-1, 2) stopping the previously unbeaten Mohammed Harun (1-0-1). Tashkent, Uzbekistan As well as the action in Jakarta there was also fights in the Uzbekistan capital city of Tashkent. The main event of this show saw Sherzod Husanov (19-0-1, 8), pictured, in action. Husanov, whose only set back came in a very controversial draw in Russia to Timur Nergadze, managed to record his 6th straight victory as he out pointed Carlos Adan Jerez (38-17-3, 18). With this victory Husanov claimed the previously vacant IBF International Light Middleweight title and may well find himself rewarded with an IBF ranking when the organisation next do their updates. Husanov's bout was one of 7 contests on this card, though was easily the stand out contests in terms of what the bout means on the wider boxing world. To open the show we had a 4 rounder which saw the debuting Farruh Faiziev (1-0) score a solid victory over Mohir Yuldashev (3-2). This was swiftly followed by more under-card action including a bout for novice professional Uktamjon Rahmonov (2-0) who managed to over-come the much more experienced James Onyango (16-9-1, 14). Although Onyango had the edge in experience he was no match for Rahmonov, who reached the quarter finals in the 2012 Olympics. We'd really advise fans to keep his name in their memory for the future. Although Rahmonov failed to score a stoppage several other bouts did fail to go the distance. These included Isroil Qurbonov's (8-8-1, 3) bout with Abror Oripov (4-4-2, 1), which saw Ourbonov stopping his rival in 4 rounds, Aik Shakhnazaryan's (10-0, 3) contest with George Owano (11-10-1, 2), which saw Owano stopped in 2, and the very exciting looking contest between Ravshan Hudaynazarov (17-0, 13) and Mustafa Katende (9-1, 7) which saw Hudaynazarov scoring a 4th round TKO. The only only other bout on the show saw Bahyt Abdurahimov (11-8, 5) getting upset by the less experienced Ruslan Berchuk (8-2, 4) over the 8 round distance. Davao del Sur, Philippines Over in the Philippines we had more Asian action, some of which featured the very recognisable name of Pacquiao. The main event here saw Marlon Tapales (24-2, 10) defeating Indonesian Galih Susanto (7-3, 1) in what looks to have been a bit of a mismatch. Susanto was a late replacement for Tapales though he never really had much of a chance to win the contest against the very talented, and world ranked, Tapales. In the co-feature we had a much more competitive contest as Rey Las Pinas (18-8-5, 11) twice picked himself off the canvas to score a draw with Jhon Gemino (10-2-1, 4). The bout, at it's core, proved that Pinas was nothing great and doesn't have much in terms of a chin despite having only been stopped twice. We had expected the unbeaten "Golden Boy" Jack Tepora to be on the card. Unfortunately it seems Tepora was pulled out prior to the contest, though in it's place we got an absolute thriller as Edward Mansito (9-1-2, 5) narrowly beat Kenny Demecillo (6-2-1, 3). We had expected Tepora to take care of Mansito but instead we got a genuinely special bout with Demecillo being dropped twice, Mansito being dropped once and looking out of it before mounting a remarkable comeback. Brilliant contest! The only other result bout from this card that we have featured Pacquiao. No, not Manny Pacquiao but his nephew Joneil Dapidran Pacquiao (3-0, 1) who swiftly took care of Jhofel Camo-Camo (4-6, 2) to extend his winning record and record his first stoppage. We're not sure on how much actual potential there is with Pacquiao but with his name and uncle it's fair to say that he will be getting extra attention and will be under additional scrutiny. Sometimes boxing favours those fighting at home due to the judging and refereeing. That is almost accepted in this sport and we see it time and time again. What we don't often see is the way the arena conditions can take a toll on a fighter or even both fighters Unfortunately today saw conditions taking their toll on almost every fighter on one Thai card with only 1 fighter, who was in a mismatch, actually looking anywhere near their physical best. Bangkok, Thailand The card, at the Bangkok University, Thonburi Campus in Bangkok may well have been one of the worst venues for fights that we've ever seen televised. The conditions were nothing short of brutal with every fighter feeling the effects of what seemed a stuffy, humid and over-ly hot venue. Despite the conditions, which really did seem detrimental to the fighters, we did get plenty of action. This included a genuine slug fest that kicked off the televised broadcast. This bout, between Thewa Tor Surat (4-0, 1) and Saksri Petchtwin Gym (3-9), told the story of the day. After just a few rounds both men were covered in sweat, their arms dropping unusually frequently and their feet stationary. It may have resembled a fight outside of a night club but it was incredibly entertaining despite both visibly showing how much they felt the conditions. If Thewa and Saksri felt the conditions over 6 rounds then it made total sense that Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym (25-0-2, 10), pictured, and Jay-ar Estremos (10-6, 4) felt it over 12 rounds as they battled for the WBO Oriental Flyweight title. Kwanpichit, a world ranked fighter, seemed to feel the conditions from very early on and the Filipino challenger knew it as he threw everything, including the kitchen sink, at his much more established opponent As with the opening show from the broadcast, the title fight was a slugfest. Both men seemed to ignore defense in the hope that they could stop the opponent before the venue stopped them. Amazingly both Kwanpichit and Estremos managed to see out the 12 rounds though unfortunately the decision was a poor one with Kwanpichit defending his title with a majority decision victory. It was a victory that everyone seemed to know he didn't deserve and one that suggested he'd never be ready for a world title fight. It was only the final show on the broadcast that didn't see conditions destroying the fight. Unfortunately it was a huge mismatch with former world title challenger Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (49-1, 32) swiftly stopping the debuting Harry Utagalang (0-1) in just 3 rounds. Chonlatarn, a talented fighter, showed his class and took out Utagalang with a devastating body shot that seemed to leave Utagalang in no hurry to get up. For fans of body shots this was a beauty. As well as the 3 televised bouts we also believe there was a female bout between Nonggift Onesongchaigym (6-1-1, 1) and Maimuang Sitkhurusian (1-4-1) which ended in a 6 round draw. We didn't see this one though would suspect that both fighters were, once again, feeling the draining effects of a venue that seemed to be unsuitable for boxing. Laguna, Philippines Thankfully not every venue is unbearable and the Binan City Town Plaza Gymnasium was a much more suitable venue for a deep Filipino show. As with the Thai card this one featured a title bout, though it was a female title bout as the talented and popular Gretchen Abaniel (14-5, 5) stopped Thai novice Nongnun Mor Krungthepthonburi (2-1) in 9 rounds and claimed the previously vacant WIBA Women's International Boxing Association Minimumweight title. This was Abaniel's first bout since being beaten in a WBA Atomweight title fight last year by Ayaka Miyao and she showed that she still belongs in the mix with the top females at 102lbs and 105lbs. Abaniel's stoppage was one of two from the selection of 10 rounders on offer. The other saw former world title challenger Ardin Diale (23-8-3, 10) stopping Thai visitor Kaichon Sor Vorapin (25-12, 9) in just 2 rounds. Although the bout went into round 2 Kaichon was dropped twice inside the opening stanza and it was clear he couldn't cope with Diale's power. Kaichon has now been stopped 9 times in his 27 contests. As well as the stoppages the 10 rounders gave us a genuinely shocking upset as Geboi Mansalayao (9-16-4, 3) defeated the more experienced Ryan Bito (22-14-3, 8). Bito, although not a world beater by any stretch of the imagination, usually beats this level of opponent whilst losing to the prospects and contenders so a loss, albeit by majority decision, is a bit of a surprise. The only other 10 round on the show saw Eranio Semillano (9-5, 3) taking a very narrow split decision victory over Rey Juntilla (17-4-2, 10). This result, another upset, saw neither man taking control of the contest and as a result it was competitive. A rematch, whilst perhaps not hugely likely, wouldn't be a bad thing considering how close they were. Whilst half of the bouts scheduled for 10 went the distance none of the 2 bouts scheduled for 8 went the scheduled. In fact they didn't even go 8 between them. The 8 rounders included a 96 second blow out by Renerio Arizala (9-0-1, 4), who swiftly took care of Joan Imperial (9-4-6, 4) and a second round stoppage by Eduard Penerio (16-2, 11) against the usually durable Pit Anacaya (8-23-2, 1). The stoppages in the 8 rounders weren't alone as we also saw a third round victory for PABA Super Middleweight champion Ben McCulloch (13-0, 10) who, fighting in a none-title fighter, dismantled Gavad Zohrehvand (13-1) in a scheduled 6 rounder. Zohrehvand was dropped in rounds 1 and 2 before being stopped in the final round. The 6 rounders also saw Richard Claveras (6-0-2, 6) stopping Anferne Palarca (3-1, 1) in 2 rounds and Rey Ramos (6-4-2, 3) forced a 3rd round retirement of Cris Leon (6-9-4, 3). In the other two 6 rounders we saw Lester Abutan (5-1-1, 2) out pointing Miko Sacro (3-2) in a near shut out and Jestoni Autida (3-1, 1) over-coming Marlon Arcilla (3-2, 1), with Arcilla being dropped in round 1. With the stoppages that laced the card it may come as a surprise to hear that neither of the 4 rounders saw a stoppage. Instead these saw Jon Jon Estrada (2-1-1, 1) out pointing the debuting Clark Antonio Olisa (0-1) and the unbeaten Toto Landero (2-0, 1) over coming Rommel Berwela (0-1). Cebu, Philippines The Laguna show wasn't the only one in the Philippines as the Dalaguete Sports Complex played host to 7 bouts, including a couple of domestic title fights. The most notable name on the show was recent world title challenger Vergilio Silvano (19-3-1, 10). Silvano, who lost last year to Katsunari Takayama in an IBF title fight, defeated hard hitting domestic rival Mark Anthony Florida (8-4, 7) to claim the Philippines Boxing Federation (PBF) Light Flyweight title. Silvano was one of two newly crowned PBF champions alongside new Super Flyweight title holder Jhaleel Payao (8-0, 6) who stopped the experienced Dondon Jimenea (28-22-4, 14) in the show's co-feature. Unfortunately the two title bouts were the only contests of note on the show. The other bouts saw mostly novices in action with just two stoppages. One of those saw Jerry Castroverde (1-0, 1) scoring a debut stoppage over Junie Villacrucis (0-3) whilst the other was for Charlie Pucdol (6-2, 5) who halted Junny Salogaol (4-7-4, 4), who had never previously been stopped. In bouts that went the distance Jhon Kenan Villaflor (3-0-2, 1) fought to a draw with Richard Rosales (6-2-2, 2), Gary Rojo (2-6) scored a rare victory over-coming Michael Kaibigan (1-2, 1) whilst Carlo Demecillo (2-0, 1) defeated the debuting Prex Cabilla (0-1). This past Thursday may not have any cards in Asia but that didn't mean that Asian boxing fans were lacking fighters to follow and support. In fact we were lucky enough to have 2 fighters that we were supporting action, both in Hollywood.
California, USA The first of the fighters that interested us was Japanese debutant Minju Shin (1-0). The Lightweight, based in the Wildcard Boxing Club, didn't look sensational though did get his career off with a victory a he narrowly out pointed fellow debutant Devo Donaldson (0-1). The men, who were very even through 3 rounds, saw the fight decided with Shin dropping Donaldson in round 4 to snatch a victory from what was likely to be a majority draw. The other Asian in action was Urmat Ryskeldiev (7-3-1, 5) from Kyrgyzstan. Ryskeldiev managed to dominate Moses Alvizo (3-7-1) in what was his second US bout. Although Ryskeldiev may not have a great record he is promising and seems to be improving. We won't go as far as to suggest he'll ever be a world title contender but we'd not be shocked to see him in an ESPN card somewhere down the line, even if he is an "opponent" It's not often the boxing world turns it's attention to China though that's exactly what happened today with the only genuinely notable action of the day taking place over their. Unfortunately for Chinese fighters it was a day to forget whilst for critics from the West it was a day to celebrate as they seemed to get their way. Haikou, China The main event on the card, televised by CCTV5 in China, saw the unpopular Xiong Zhao Zhong (22-5-1, 12) dethroned as the WBC Minimumweight champion. Zhong, China's first male world champion, became the first Chinese male to lose a world title courtesy of the bigger and stronger Osvaldo Novoa (12-5-1, 8). Whilst Zhong was never the premier fighter at 105lbs he had never been stopped before so the fact Novoa defeated him in 5 rounds is impressive though sadly the fact China no longer has a world champion could see the country almost relying on Zou Shiming for an injection of life. Novoa's victory does leave us with some interesting match ups including a bout between Novoa and WBC #1 challenger Wanheng Menayothin though for now we expect Novoa to make an easy defense at home whilst Zhong ponders his future in the sport. Zhong wasn't the only Chinese fighter on the card to lose. Another who lost was the inexperienced Yang Xing Xin (6-3-2, 4) who was defeated by Thai veteran Sirimongkol Singwancha (76-2, 48). This victory, the 33rd straight victory for Sirimongkol, saw the Thai defending his WBC Asia Council Continental Welterweight title for the 3rd time. Although some of the home fighters did lose, it wasn't all bad for Chinese boxers. The one shining light was Qiu Xiao Jun (11-2, 4) who unexpectedly defeated Australian visitor Jason Cooper (8-2-1, 4). Although the scoring did leave a bit too be desired it's fair to say that China needed a victory and Jun, who defended his WBC Youth World and WBC Asia Council Continental Super Bantamweight titles, could well become a Chinese fighter to keep an eye on. Of course he will need some developing but there is some decent foundations there to build on if he can catch the eye of a top quality trainer. Another shining light was female fighter Xu Chun Yan (4-3, 1) who managed to take the scalp of the highly regarded Lindsay Garbatt (8-7-2, 3) and claim the International female Featherweight title in the process. We're unsure how the bout went though a victory, even if it was a little suspect, over Garbatt is a big deal and could land Yan another major fight somewhere down the line It's not often that we get fights of note around the world but today was one such case with fights in Japan, the Philippines, Russia and Monaco.
Tokyo, Japan The earliest action of the day was in Tokyo courtesy of a brilliant domestic card that was headlined by a national Light Flyweight title fight. The aforementioned Japanese title fight saw Yu Kimura (13-2-1, 2) narrowly defeating Kenichi Horikawa (25-13-1, 4) in a split decision. The bout, Horikawa's 3rd national title fight, was one that could easily have gone either way and sadly for Horikawa it went against him just like his previous 2. Although Horikawa lost we'd love to see him getting one more chance, even if it's in a rematch with Kimura, because of how close he has been, not just in this attempt but in prior bouts to Ryuji Hara and Akira Yaegashi. In the co-feature the well liked Yasutaka Ishimoto (24-6, 7) made light work of Indonesia's Zun Rindam (9-4-1, 4) stopping him early on. After the bout Ishimoto said he wanted to win titles this year and appeared to mention the OPBF title which is currently held by Shingo Wake which is a bout we'd love to see made as a world title eliminator. Two of the three 8 rounders on the card went the distance with Masanobu Nakazawa (14-1-1, 5) out pointing Kazumasa Kobayashi (8-4-1, 5) the closest of the two bouts whilst Jun Hamana (9-1, 3) beat Kosuke Saka (8-2, 5) in what was, on paper, a very competitive looking contest. The third however was never going to complete the scheduled as Yuichi Yokoyama (13-2, 12) managed to force a retirement of Koichi Ito (9-2-2, 8) in what was, on paper, the least likely bout of the day to go the scheduled distanced. In the opening bouts, both 4 rounders, Ryuya Kaji (1-0, 1) scored a debut win stopping Koichi Nagatsuka (3-2, 1) mid-way through round 2 whilst Regent Kusumoto (1-0) fought hard to claim a victory over Takahiro Yoneshige (0-1) in an all debutant contest. Metro Manilla, Philippines Whilst we'll admit that the Japanese card, above, and the Monaco card, below, were the two that had our interest there was also a notable card in Metro Manila with several title fights and a number of notable fighters. The biggest fight on this show saw Dennis Laurente (47-5-5, 28) stopping the over-matched Thai Singdet Nonpitayakom (11-16-1, 8) in a successful defense of the WBC Asian Boxing Council Light Middleweight title. The experienced Laurente sent Singdet down for the count with a devastating body shot. Laurente was one of two men who retained his title asJuan Martin Elorde (15-1-1, 7), the grand son of Flash Elorde, retained his WBO Asia Pacific super Featherweight title courtesy of a disappointing technical draw with Chaiyong Sithsaithong (32-12-4, 24). The bout was unfortunately ended when Elorde was cut on the temple from a clash of heads. The Elorde/Chaiyong fight wasn't the only one which ended early due to a clash of heads as Randy Braga (12-0-1, 2) also suffered a cut from a clash of heads as he took on Jonel Alibio (16-17-5, 8). As with the Elorde fight this was ended in the second round. Braga wasn't the only man keeping his unbeaten record on this show as the talented Giemel Magramo (9-0, 6) scored a 3rd round KO over Rey Morano (8-39-1, 1), Jay Loto (7-0) took a hard fought decision over Dexter Dimaculangan (3-4-5, 1), JK Elorde (3-0, 3) stopped the debuting Juanito Paderes (0-1) and Roderick Flores (2-0-1, 1) narrowly kept his 0 with a draw against the win-less CJ De Tomas (0-1-1). The other bouts on the show saw Diomel Diocos (2-1-2, 2) fighting to a draw with Fidel Cuyno (1-2-2), Robin Langres (1-0) scoring a debut victory over fellow debutant Raul Luba (0-1) and Wilbert Berondo (1-0) also took an all debutant victory over Jomar Manlangit (0-1). Chelyabinsk, Russia As well as the shows in Japan and the Philippines we also had a small one in Russia courtesy of Ural Boxing Promotions. The main contest here sa Murat Gassiev (15-0, 9) out pointing teak tough veteran Ismail Abdoul (51-28-2, 19) to claim the vacant IBF East/West Europe Cruiserweight title. Although Gassiev was taken 12 rounds, for the first time in his career, it's unlikely he expected anythign less with Abdoul being one of the toughest men in boxing. In a Welterweight contest on this show Konstantin Ponomarev (23-0, 11) managed to over come Ramon de la Cruz Sena (16-10-2, 9), who we believe was a late replacement opponent. The only other bout on this show saw Heavyweight hopeful Murad Khalidov (10-0, 5) take an easy stoppage over the very limited Sedrak Agagulyan (1-27-1) who had previously been stopped 16 times. Monte Carlo, Monaco The biggest show of the day in Monaco as we got the excellent "Monte Carlo Boxing Bonanza" and thankfully for us it included a number of fighters of major interest to ourselves. In the shows first contest we had a bout of interest to us as Russian born-German based Welterweight Roman Belaev (13-0, 10) defeated the gutsy but out classed Dean Byrne (17-3-1, 6) and claimed the WBA Continental Welterweight title. The fight, the biggest of Belaev's career so far, really saw him shining as he beat up and broke down Byrne. Whilst it was a good win for Belaev, who was impressive and looked very strong from the opening round to the final round, we will admit that there are faults to be picked with his performance. Firstly Belaev's lack of a jab could have been costly against a better opponent than Byrne, secondly he doesn't really seem willing to throw combinations too much and thirdly his understanding of distance is questionable. With those things said however he does look very promising and very entertaining. Although Belaev was the more impressive man we do need to give a lot of credit to Byrne who proved to be very tough, very game and the fact he lasted the distance was genuinely shocking considering how many hard shots he took. The second bout on the show was another one of interest to us as Filipino Rey Loreto (18-13, 10) took on South African Nkosinathi Joyi (24-3-0-1, 17) in a battle for the IBO Light Flyweight title and scored one of the biggest upsets of 2014. The fight started competitively with Loreto showing not fear of the highly regarded Joyi. It seemed obvious that Loreto knew he belonged at this and wasn't there to be intimidated despite the reputation of Joyi who was once regarded as being on the fringes of the pound-for-pound lists. The confidence of Loreto was obvious again in the second round as he landed a number of solid counter punches, including one that seemed to rock Joyi on the bell. Knowing he had hurt Joyi in round 2 Loreto jumped on his opponent to start round 3 and within a minute of the round he had dropped Joyi hard with one of the best shots he will ever land. Joyi, with his eyes closed, was out for the count and Loreto deservedly celebrated his second major win in a row having beaten Pornsawan Porpramook last time out The key thing that needs saying about Loreto's win is "what an upset!" The third bout on the show was a Cruiserweight contest that saw the very highly ranked Ilunga Makabu (16-1, 15) stopping the previously unbeaten Ruben Angel Mino (20-1, 20) in 2 rounds. It wasn't a bout with an Asian interest per se but it was still an interesting result that was worth mentioning, like wise the same could be said of Jarrod Fletcher's (18-1, 10) victory over Max Bursak (29-2-1, 12). In the main event we saw Gennady Golovkin (29-0, 26) successfully retain his WBA Middleweight title in an entertaining, though thoroughly one sided, bout with Ghana's tough Osumanu Adama (22-4, 16). Golvokin managed to drop Adama in rounds 1, 6 and 7 before the referee finally waved the bout off as Adama's knees buckled. It wasn't the most impressive performance from Golovkin but it showed what he was about as he methodically broke down and beat up a game and brave opponent. At the end of the day however it was a mismatch with Adama having nothing to bother the Kazakh destroyer who took the challengers best shots and kept coming forward. We're hoping that Golovkin gets a fight with a big name in the US in April, the rumour seems to be that he'll be facing James Kirkland next though from our view Daniel Geale would make for a much better contest. Whoever he fights it'll be a major day with the boxing world already in love with the man known as "Triple G". This past Friday, as with most Fridays, saw action from Thailand courtesy of Channel 7. As with the usual shows from Thailand there was title action as the headline action, in fact there was double title action.
Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand The most noteworthy fighter in action on the card was surprisingly not involved in a title fight of any variety. That was Oleydong Sithsamerchai (51-1-1, 18), the former WBC Minimumweight champion, who scored a 4th round KO over the out classed and inexperienced Sandeep (0-3) who was there more to keep Oleydong rust free than to really challenge him. World ranked by both the WBO (#10) and WBC (#2) Oleydong does seem like a man awaiting another world title fight and wins like this are more about staying active than improving any part of his game. It may not seem to make sense to many but it's keeping money in his pocket and that's the key to these mismatches. In the title fights we saw 2 WBC youth title fights. One of these saw Kongfah CP Freshmart (4-0, 2) retain his Light Flyweight title, courtesy of a 10 round victory over the previously unbeaten Iranian teenager Mosayeb Teimoorikia (2-1). The other saw the amazingly well named Knockout CP Freshmart (5-0, 3) retaining his Minimumweight title against a debutant. Sadly we're unsure about this debutants name which appears to be just Amid (0-1). Texas, USA Over in the USA Korean-American Abraham Han (21-1, 13) managed to score his second successive victory since suffering his sole loss. Han, fighting the massively over-matched Daniel Gonzalez (9-30-2, 3) took an expected victory though left few wondering what his future will really bring. |
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