Tokyo, Japan In Tokyo Japanese fans had a bit of a treat with with some matched bouts, at least on paper, and some big name fighters. In one of the two main events fans saw former world champion Akifumi Shimoda (30-4-2, 13) beat Filipino Jerry Nardo (21-7, 11) in 5 rounds. This was one of Shimoda's best performances and he looked sharp from the opening bell. Whilst it's hard to see him winning another world title we really couldn't fault his performance. The other main bout was a total mismatch and saw Yoshihiro Kamegai (26-3-1, 23) make very light work of Nelson Gulpe (8-6, 3) with a 3rd round KO. This bout was a mismatch, there's no two ways about it, however it was Kamegai's return to Japan after 3 bouts in the US. On of the better matched bouts saw Kenya Yamashita (8-1, 5) score a 6th round TKO win against Musashi Suzuki (11-4, 4). Coming into this one Suzuki was ranked by the JBC and Yamashita had lost his previous bout, so this result will shake up the domestic rankings. Another bout that looked good on paper saw Junki Sasaki (14-3, 5) take a shut out win against Yuki Ozawa (10-5, 2). This one looked good on paper but proved to be one-sided. Another 8 rounder on this card saw the promising Masaru Sueyoshi (10-1, 6) take a clear win over Roman Canto (10-8-2, 5), with Filipino visitor Canto doing enough to survive but failing to win a round. On the under-card Ryota Toyoshima (3-1-1, 2) defeated Kazumichi Ishizawa (3-6, 1) with a near shut out over 4 rounds whilst the debuting Yamato Hata (1-0,1) stopped Thailand's Muangpol NP Boxing Gym (0-1) in the second round. Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand In the main event fans saw the talented Paipharob Kokietgym (31-0, 24) continue staying active with a 2nd round win against out-matched Filipino Jopher Marayan (7-8-2, 3) in a bout that saw Paipharob retain his PABA Light Flyweight title. Also on this card fans saw former world champion Kompayak Porpramook (54-5, 38) continue his career with a 4th round TKO win over Indonesian journeyman Ichal Tobida (12-17, 8). Although not the fighter he once was Kompayak still has far too much for fighters like Tobida. Also on this card fans saw the unbeaten Manachai Banchamek (8-0-1, 6) extend his perfect record with a decision win against Boonmieng Laos PDR (0-1). California, USA In the US fans saw popular Filipino Mercito Gesta (29-1-2-1, 16) claim a narrow run over Miguel Angel Mendoza (22-7-2, 21). Gesta was dropped early in the fight and was said to have been fortunate to get the decision here. New South Wales, Australia In Australia fans had a chance to see a number of Thai's in action, sadly however it wasn't a good day for them. The most notable of those Thai's was former world champion Denkaosan Kaovichit (63-6-1, 26) who was stopped in 5 rounds by the fast rising TJ Doheny (13-0, 9), who has seemingly shown that he's heading to bigger and better things than a PABA title, one of which he defended here. Another was Mongkolchai Lookmuangkanch (12-5, 7) who was stopped by another former world champion, Vic Darchinyan (41-8-1, 30) in just 2 rounds. Despite the fact Darchinyan was 39 this always seemed like a serious mismatch. Another man who picked up a loss was Denkamon Pakdee Gym (22-7, 13) who was stopped by Olympian Cameron Hammond (14-0, 8). Interestingly this result was originally reported wrong in what would have been a huge upset. (Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)
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This past Friday was an amazing day of boxing in Asia with a number of major cards through Asia and a lot of very notable bouts. Tokyo, Japan Although there was 3 notable cards today there was only 1 standout card, the Ohashi promoted "The Fight" card in Tokyo. The card not only had the best fights on it but also the best prospects. The show, which had several televised bouts, began off TV with a number of bouts of varying levels. The least significant bout on the show saw Kazuki Sanpei (3-2, 1) score his first stoppage with a 2nd round TKO over fellow unknown novice Genji Ishida (1-4). The bout really was a preliminary bout but it was the only contest on the card that didn't excite us in one way or another. The first of the 5 significant bouts on the show saw Takuma Inoue (3-0, 1) score his first stoppage as he beat Thai debutant Chanachai Sor Siamchai (0-1) in 2 rounds. The contest was by far the easiest of Takuma's young career though it was still an impressive performance by the 18 year old who is tipped to go a very long way in the sport. It's a shame this bout was such a huge step backwards from his last fight, an 8 round decision win over Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr, though it seems likely that Inoue will take a big step up in his next bout with a possible title fight looming. Following Takuma Inoue's win fans then saw the highly touted Ryo Matsumoto (12-0, 10) blow away Thai veteran Denkaosan Kaovichit (63-5-1, 26). Kaovichit, a former Flyweight world champion and an interim world champion at Super Flyweight, was supposed to be a good test for Matsumoto though the touted Japanese fighter dropped the Thai in the opening round and then crumpled him in round 2 with a devastating body shot. After the fight it was strongly hinted that Matsumoto would be challenging for the Japanese Super Flyweight title currently held be fellow unbeaten prospect Sho Ishida. The first televised bout, at least in Japan, was a Middleweight contest between Olympic champion Ryota Murata (5-0, 4) and Mexico's Adrian Luna Flores (17-3-1, 11). The bout saw Murata score a clear 10 round decision over his Mexican foe though look less than impressive with serious questions be asked about his stamina late in the contest. The Mexican looked ready to go in round 10 though Murata was out of gas and had to coast the final round. The official cards were all in favour of Murata, 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 though it's clear that he has a lot more work to do before stepping up to world level. After just 5 fights however no one will begrudge Murata more developmental fights. Murata's bout was followed, at the venue and on Japanese TV, by the first of two world title fights. This contest saw Japanese star Naoya Inoue (7-0, 6) in action defending his WBC Light Flyweight title against Thailand's limited but tough Samartlek Kokietgym (17-5, 5). Inoue was in control through out the bout though he looked more flawed than he had in his previous 6 bouts. Fighting with the intention of putting on a show Inoue neglected his defensive duties more often than not as he loaded up with big shots, devastating combinations and some very eye catching offence. At the end of the day however it was a clear case of Inoue trying to entertain the fans and post-fight he admitted that it was a "garbage fight", an honest admission from a young fighter who is chasing genuine greatness. Whilst it was a poor bout it was Inoue's final one at 108lbs and he's now going to be moving to Flyweight where bouts against Juan Francisco Estrada and Amnat Ruenroeng were both mooted. Another man who Inoue could fight is Roman Gonzalez (40-0, 34) who over-came Inoue's friend and stablemate Akira Yaegashi (20-4, 10) to claim the WBC Flyweight title in one of the best bouts of the year. The fight started slowly though quickly heated up with both Yaegashi and Gonzalez trading combinations through out the fight. Unfortunately for Yaegashi his warrior's mentality let him down in the end and he was eventually stopped after being dropped for the second time in the bout. Prior to the stoppage he had began to look exhausted and it was clear that he wasn't going to last the course against arguably the #1 offensive fighter in the sport. Unlike many fighters these two showed respect to each other before and after the bout knowing that the fight sold it's self on paper and didn't need hyping. In the ring both were warriors and both gave their all, though for Yaegashi he was simply up against a better warrior with bigger weapons. Nonthaburi, Thailand In Thailand fans got the chance to see a low profile show headlined by the very promising Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (27-0, 21) who retained his PABA Welterweight "super" title once again. Teerachai became the first fighter to stop Filipino Nelson Gulpe (8-3, 3) who has now lost 3 successive bouts though never has been bossed around as he was here. Sadly it's a shame that Teerachai still isn't stepping up when he has the potential to be so much more than he is showing. We understand there is a lack of Welterweights in the Orient though he needs to find someone better than Gulpe to fight next time out. Another prospect ready to step up is Eaktawan Mor Krungthepthonburi (5-0, 4) who continued his winning run with an easy stoppage over Indonesian visitor Gaspar Ampolo (2-25-2, 1). Eaktawan didn't look great but didn't really struggle struggle. Like Naoya Inoue however it seemed that Eaktawan ignored his defensive responsiblities in the aim of entertaining fans. A third bout on this show saw Inthanon Sithchamuang (23-7, 13) defeat the always game Indonesian journeyman Heri Amol (34-19-4, 14). Unfortunately for Amol this was his 5th straight loss and comes just a month after he was defeated by Japanese debutant Ken Shiro. Dubai In Dubai fans saw the international debut of ALA who took their "Pinoy Pride" shows on the road for the first time and saw their trio of fighters all come back with victories. The first of those Filipino's to notch up a victory was the popular Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista (36-3, 25) who took a 7th round technical decision over Juan Jose Martinez (19-2, 15). The fight was entertaining with both men loking for the knockout and although Bautista did score a knockdown in round 5 he was badly cut from a punch. The fight however came when the cut was worsened by a headclash that left the doctor with no decision but to take the fighters to the cards early where Bautista took a majority decision for the win. One of the two co-features saw the unbeaten Arthur Villanueva (26-0, 14) claim the IBF International Super Flyweight title with a very narrow split decision win over the heavy handed Henry Maldonado (19-4, 14). The bout, refereed by British veteran Mickey Vann, saw an amazing second round which featured a knockdown against Villanueva though again saw many questioning Villanueava's world class potential. On the back of this fight and Villanueva's narrow win over Fernando Aguilar we're starting to think that he's either not as good as advertised or really struggling at Super Flyweight. Whatever it is, something is going to stop "King Arthur" from reaching the heady heights expected of him. In the other co-feature we saw the ultra-talented Genesis Servania (25-0, 11) successfully retain WBO Inter-Continental Bantamweight title with a retirement victory over Jose Cabrera (22-5-2, 10). Cabrera had been dominated through out the early portion of the fight and had been dropped in round 2 and battered in rounds 3 and 4 though the bout swung in round 5 and Servania became hesitant after feeling the power of his Mexican foe. From round 8 the bout swung back in favour of the Filipino and Cabrera was eventually pulled between rounds 9 and 10 to give a relatively disappointing ending to the contest. Prior to the bouts with the Filipino star trio there was a trio of under-card bouts. One of these saw another Filipino, Larry Abarra (3-2-1, 2), take a decision victory over Thailand's limited Chatpayak Sithkopon Nuengkawkawhok (2-8, 1). Another of the undercard bouts saw Dubai based Ugandan Deo Kizito (1-0) take a very narrow decision win over the previously unbeaten Anusher Abdullaev (4-1, 4). The remaining bout was a 1-sided beat down as Mohammad Akram (2-0-1, 1) dominated Thailand's Kong Windy Sports (1-6) to record a 2nd round victory. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Another title fight took place in Burkina Faso as Filipino Silvester Lopez (22-8-2, 16) attempted to claim the WBC International Super Bantamweight title. Sadly for Lopez he suffered a wide loss to Alexis Boureima Kabore (23-1, 6). Lopez, now fighting way above the division that he first made his name, really is too small for Super Bantamweight and should be looking to move back down to Bantamweight, at the highest. Of course however he'll fight where opportunities arise. Lombardia, Italy In Italy fans saw the return to the ring of Japanese born European based Aniya Seki (25-3-2, 2) who took a decision over journey-woman Claudia Ferenci (8-36-5, 3). This was Seki's first bout following her stoppage loss to Judith Rodriguez a few months back and although Seki won here few will feel she will be a world champion before she calls it quits on a long career. (Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp) The month of July has certainly started slowly though on Friday we did see some notable names in action, sadly however none of them were in genuinely interesting match ups. Phichit province, Thailand The most notable action of the day was in Thailand where the world ranked, and very promising, Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (26-0, 20) successfully defended his PABA Welterweight title. Teerachai, ranked #5 by the WBA, had no problems despatching of over-matched Kazakh Kanat Kartenbayev (10-8-2, 4) who has now lost 5 successive bouts. Whilst we'd love to see Teerachai in a meaningful bout we really can't see him facing anyone of note until the WBA force someone to fight him in an eliminator type of fight. Whilst the Teerachai contest was most important bout on the show it was one of 5 bouts on the show which also included a contest for former world champion Denkaosan Kaovichit (63-4-1, 26) who over-came the very limited Indonesian visitor Gaspar Ampolo (2-23-2, 1). Ampolo managed to show his toughness by lasting 6 rounds with Denkaosan, but his record does some up his ability level and he was never likely to give Denkaosan any real issues. Also on the card was the unbeaten Stamp Kiatniwat (8-0, 4). Stamp, one of the most promising young Thai's out there, stopped the atrocious Johan Wahyudi (9-29, 5) who has now been stopped 15 times in 38 bouts. In another bout Inthanon Sithchamuang (22-7, 13), best known for losing to Jerwin Ancajas in Macau, stopped Saengchai Sithprayoon (0-1) and Amin sor Wangmoo (7-1-1, 5) stopped Fahsang Singmanasak (0-1). Queensland, Australia In Australia we saw a trio of Asian's in action, including two who faced each other. The all Asian bout saw Australia based Filipino Jack Asis (31-18-5, 16) score a surprisingly quick victory by blasting out Indonesia's Rivo Rengkung (32-20-5, 12) inside a round. We had expected this to actually be a very competitive bout though with Rengkung being blasted out this quickly we do wonder about his future. The other Asian in action was Eddy Comaro (27-21-5, 11) who was stopped in 4 by Australian based Brit Darren Askew (11-6-1, 3). This was the 6th straight loss for Comaro who needs to seriously think about his future in the sport. (Image, of Teerachai, courtesy of boxrec.com) This past Wednesday was the clear highlight of the midweek boxing in a week that has been more packed than an average week. That was because of a really interesting world title fight in Japan as a Japanese fighter and a Thai fighter collided in a really good looking bout. Tokyo, Japan That bout in particular saw former WBA Super Flyweight champion Kohei Kono (30-8, 13) clashing with Thai veteran Denkaosan Kaovichit (62-4-1, 26) for the vacant title that Kono had once held. The fight, a rare mid-week world title fight, saw both month signalling their intentions to win in the week of the fight. For the Thai it was a promise to his 6 kids for Kono it was his chance redefine his career and to move towards a Japanese super fight with the always controversial Koki Kameda. As it turned out it seems likely that Kaovichit's children may be slightly disappointed. He tried as hard as he could and was often out working the Japanese fighter but at the end of the day power is the great neutraliser and Kono simply had too much sting on his punches for Kaovichit who was dropped in round 4 and then stopped in round 8 as Kono reclaimed his old title. As well as the world title fight this same show also gave fans a chance to see several Japanese ranked fighters. One of those was Tatsuya Takahashi (16-5-3, 11) who made light word of the limited Hiromu Tamura (6-22-1, 2) with a 3rd round TKO. Whilst Takahashi had an easy day's work with his opponent, another Japanese ranked fighter Konosuke Tomiyama (24-6-1, 8), was forced to work exceptionally hard for his. Tomiyama, best known for his losses to Nobuo Nashiro and Genesis Servania, was expected to easily breeze past Kanae Onogi (6-6-1, 3) though instead he laboured to a 6 round majority victory. The card also saw Toshimitsu Goto (12-10-1, 5) score a relatively rare stoppage as he defeated Takahisa Nayuki (11-10, 2) in 3 rounds. This loss for Nayuki ended a short 2 fight winning streak. In one other 6 rounder fans saw Takahiro Kinoshita (5-3-1, 2) take a hard fought decision over Takahiro Iida (4-4-1, 2). The show, of course, started with the 4 round under card bouts and these saw a trio of debutants. The only debuting fighter on the show to win was Tameji Ito (1-0, 1) who stopped fellow debutant Hiroki Arakawa (0-1) in 135 seconds. Arakawa's loss was copied by Yudai Yamato (0-1) who was stopped in the 4th round by the previously win-less Masato Motohashi (1-1, 1) (Photo courtesy of boxingnews.jp) |
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