Tokyo, Japan There was more action in Japan this past Thursday as fans at the brilliant Korakuen Hall had the chance to see yet another great show. Fans in Hyogo have certainly had a week to remember. On Wednesday they saw two of their local stars, Kota Tokunaga and Shohei Omori, retain their Japanese national titles, with both men stopping local foes. That success seems to have bred more success and just a day later we saw another Kyoto fighter became a Japanese champion. Here it was the turn of the highly experienced Kenichi Horikawa (30-13-1, 7) who claimed a Japanese title in his 4th attempt and scored a career defining victory over former world title challenger Shin Ono (18-7-2, 2). Horikawa set off trying to force the pace and tempo and in round 6 had Ono ready to go before the bell saved the Watanabe man. Ono however couldn't survive the 7th round as Horikawa completed what a fairytale rise to climb to the top of Japanese scene after several razor thin losses. Sadly for the new Japanese Light Flyweight champion it does seem likely that he will have Ken Shiro sniffing around his new title in early 2016. Whilst the main event saw a new champion being crowned the chief support bout saw a former begin his climb back up the mountain. Here it was the turn of Kentaro Masuda (22-7, 11), who was fighting for the first time since losing the Japanese Bantamweight title to the aforementioned Omori. Masuda, who had been in damaging back-to-back fights managed to be given a good 8 round work out here by the under-rated Wataru Miyasaka (9-4-1, 2), who's record really doesn't show what a good test he is. For Masuda this win will have shook off some rust, before a November showdown with Hideo Sakamoto whilst Miyasaka should have kept himself in the proverbial “shop window” to have another notable fight next time out. Another supporting bout saw the once touted Kazuma Sanpei (12-2, 4) take a razor thin win over Ribo Takahata (11-5-1, 3). Sanpei, who had won his first 11 bouts, came into this one following back-to-back stoppages and the 20 year old may well have waved good bye to the sport with a third successive loss, and he was lucky to avoid that fate. Takahata, a 36 year old veteran, will likely feel aggrieved by the judging but the competitiveness may lead to a rematch in 2016. It's a shame to Sanpei looking a shadow of the fighter that some thought he'd have become by now. Yet another intriguing support bout saw the talented, but light hitting, Jo Tanoka (12-2-3) take a clear win over the limited but gutsy Mako Matsuyama (7-10-2, 3). Tanoka, a genuinely promising young talent, ran a clear winner on the cards but it's likely he'll fall short when he steps up given his lack of power. As for Matsuyama he'll be involved in some exciting fights down the line but is unlikely to be more than a fun-to-watch loser. In another 8 round Sho Kimura (8-1-2, 2) took a 6th round TKO win over Ryo Narizuka (7-6), with Narizuka retiring at the end of the 6th round. On the under-card there were two more bouts. In a 6 rounder Masaya Kohama (6-2-1, 3) took a razor thin decision win against Shogo Yonenaga (6-3, 3) whilst in a 4 rounder Kazunori Yorimasa (2-1, 2) scored a 2nd round win over the debuting Kosuke Hasegawa (0-1). (Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)
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Some days are amazing with great fights all over, others are merely interesting. We would suggest that this Thursday was certainly an interesting day for Asian boxing fans. Tokyo, Japan Probably the most notable card of the day was in Japan where Ohashi Gym promoted "Phoenix Battle 50". The show it's self wasn't a mind blowing card but it did feature a number of notable fighters, the most notable of which was WBA Atomweight champion Ayaka Miyao (18-5-1, 3) who was in the main event and defeated Thailand's still win-less Yokfah Mor Krungthepthonburi (0-7). As you may assume from the records this was a clear stay busy fight for Miyao who stated she'd be back in action in October to defend her belt. Another major name on this card was Shin Ono (18-6-2, 2) who, like Miyao, was in a stay busy fight as he out pointed Petchnamchai Sor Sakulwong (1-1, 1). This was Ono's first bout since his loss to Katsunari Takayama in an IBF Minimumweight title fight and from what we've been told this bout was certainly not a memorable affair. As well as the bigger names on his show there were 7 other bouts with them all featuring either novices or young hopefuls. One of the young hopefuls was Kenichi Miyazaki (6-1-1, 1) who took a 6 decision win over the more experienced but less talented Naoto Takanashi (4-8-2, 3) and another was the heavy handed Yoshimichi Matsumoto (6-1, 5) who blasted out the completely over-matched Petchjah Sithphasean (0-4) inside a round. In terms of the bouts with novices there was a quintet of 4 rounders. These included an all debutant affair between Ryoji Suzuki (1-0) and Masayoshi Yamazaki (0-1) which Suzuki won via clear decision. Another debutant to pick up a win was Reo Watanabe (1-0) who out pointed Rasher Aoki (1-2) in a competitive contest. The only other man to secure a win on the undercard saw Kentaro Endo (4-4, 3) struggle to a majority decision win over Kensuke Sakamoto (3-6, 1). The two remaining bouts both resulted in draws as judges struggled to split Shin Tomitaka (1-0-1) and Yo Takekawa (1-0-1, 1), in what was a split decision draw, or Daigo Yamamoto (0-1-1) and Takaya Tsuji (1-3-1, 1) which was a 38-38 draw across all 3 cards. Bangkok, Thailand In Thailand we had another notable show, even if it was a short one with just 3 contests on it. One of those bouts saw the very promising Kongputorn CPFreshmart (3-0, 2) take a clear 10 round decision over Zhu Yuan Kai (0-1) to claim the WBC Youth Flyweight title. Kongputorn again showed off the traits that have caught the eye since he made his boxing debut back in June though did fail to see off his Chinese foe which may some question just how good the Thai really is. In honesty however you just need to watch Kongputorn to see his potential and if you've not yet seen him we have got the video of this bout here. The other notable bout on this show saw the much touted Palangpol CP Freshmart (4-0, 4) continue his stoppage run and successfully defend his WBA Asia Light Flyweight title as he over-came Filipino Joan Imperial (9-5-6, 4) to defend his WBA Asia Light Flyweight. For Imperial this was his 5th loss in 7 bouts and it seems that his 9-0-4 start to professional life is now well behind him. As with Konputorn's bout we managed to get the video of this bout here for those interested in giving it a watch. A third bout on this show saw Petchmai Chor Sungnork (1-0, 1) score a debut blow out victory over Kwanpichit Twinsgym (0-1). Barranquilla, Colombia Another bout of interest took place in Colombia as the heavy handed Light Middleweight contender Kanat Islam (18-0, 15) defeated the experienced Fidel Monterrosa Munoz (32-10-1-1, 26) in the 5th round. Munoz had come out to attack early on and made a good start but Islam never looked in any danger and managed to turn the tables when he went on the offensive with his heavy artillery being far too much for Munoz. Hopefully Islam's next bout will be a step up towards a world title as this is enough of him wasting time on opponents that aren't capable of really challenging. (Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp) Osaka, Japan The highlight of this boxing week was in Osaka as an Ioka promoted show attracted the attention of fans around the world courtesy of two world title fights, an OPBF title fight and one of the most out standing Japanese prospects. The aforementioned prospect was Sho Ishida (16-0, 9), the first of the notable fighters on the show. Ishida, one of most exciting Super Flyweight prospects, made light work of limited Thai foe Brukluk Kor Narong Service (0-1). Ishida may not be a major name, yet, but his potential is special and with his speed, skills, size and under-rated power it's going to take a very special fighter to stop his rise. Following Ishida's victory fans in the venue got to see the unbeaten OPBF Lightweight champion Masayoshi Nakatani (8-0, 5) defending his belt for the first time. The talented and rangy Nakatani was a clear winner as he out pointed a spirited challenger from Japanese based Filipino Ricky Sismundo (26-8-1, 12). We're surprised that Sismundo, who has been stopped in 4 of his previous losses, went the distance but a second successive 12 round distance fight for Nakatani will do him the world of good. Following those two bouts of note we then moved on to the first world title fight which saw IBF Minimumweight champion Katsunari Takayama (27-6-0-1, 10) defending his belt for the second time. Takayama, known as the "lightning kid", was given some issues from the straight lefts of challenger Shin Ono (17-6-2, 2) though was the busier, better and more effective champion, as shown when Takayama dropped Ono in rounds 10 and 12 to secure a clear decision victory over the game Ono. The second world title fight saw a genuine upset as Thailand's Amnat Ruenroeng (13-0, 5) successfully defended his IBF Flyweight title with a victory over the previously unbeaten 2-weight world champion Kazuto Ioka (14-1, 9). Ioka, attempting to become the quickest 3-weight world champion was unusually gun shy though the biggest talking point was the atrocious scorecard of Polish judge Pawel Kardyni, who some how managed to score the bout a shut out out to Ruenroeng leaving questions about whether or not he was even watching the action. Prior to the big bouts the card had 5 other bouts on it. The most notable of those saw Takahiro Yamamoto (13-3, 10) blasting out Thailand's Jakaratlek Sor Wankaew (0-2) in 3 rounds of a scheduled 8 rounder. In the sole 6 rounder Tomoya Itosu (5-2, 3) stopped Takeshi Nakayama (3-5-2, 1) in 2 rounds. The card opened with trio of 4 rounders. These saw Tesu Kanayama (1-0) scoring a decision victory on debut as he over-came Ryusuke Hosoki (3-5-1, 1), Takeru Kamikubo (2-0, 1) scoring his first stoppage victory as he stopped Takuya Sumiyoshi (0-4-1) in the second round and, in a female bout, Aiko Yamagishi (3-0-1, 1) stopped Tomomi Kida (1-1, 1) in 3 rounds. (Image, courtesy of boxingnews.jp, shows Takayama throwing a jab at Ono) Boxing through February was a bit disappointing if we're all being honest with ourselves. Thankfully it seems like March is going to be exactly the opposite and it kicked off in style this past Saturday with major cards held in both Japan and the Philippines. Metro Manila, Philippines The bigger of the two major Asian cards of the day was "Pinoy Pride XXIV" and took place in the Philippines. On paper it looked like their was a few good bouts on it though the surprise bout of the day was one of the contests that looked like a mismatch proved to be the fight of the day. The main event on the show saw the unbeaten Genesis Servania (24-0, 10) continuing to impress as he stopped former 2-time WBA Super Flyweight champion Alexander Munoz (36-6, 28). Servania dropped Munoz several times and although he was cut himself he was dominant, sharp and showed off all the traits that have Filipino fans so excited about him. Although Munoz showed off his toughness he was stopped in round 12 with the referee deciding enough was enough and giving the young Servania his 4th stoppage victory in 5 bouts. Servania's impressive performance in the main event came fellow prospect "Prince" Albert Pagara (19-0, 13) put on scintillating performance to stop Indonesia's Isack Junior (22-5-2, 8) inside a round. The fight, which ended with a devastating body shot, hardly saw Junior throw a punch before crumpling to the canvas in absolute agony. It was little surprise that Junior stayed down for the full 10 count and he'd have been happy for the referee to count to 100 and remained on the canvas. The one fight that was supposed to be a mismatch turned out to be anything but as "King" Arthur Villanueva (25-0, 14) was dragged in to an all out war with late replacement Fernando Aguilar (9-7, 1). Aguilar, a late replacement for the injured Juan Hernandez, forced the action through out and although he was bloodied he refused to ever believe he was beaten in a bout that can only be described as a war. Unfortunately for Aguilar fighting away from his native Mexico likely cost him a draw in a bout that should serve as a real wake up call for Villanueva whose world rankings didn't reflect the skill he displayed here. On the undercard the very promising and highly touted Mark Magsayo (5-0, 4) recorded a 6th round knock out over Roy-Roy Sumugat (9-10-1, 3) to continue his impressive winning streak. Going in to this bout Magsayo had never been beyond 4 rounds so will have been very pleased to have gotten a few rounds under his belt. The unbeaten fighters really were on a role through the under card with Melvin Gumban (16-0, 8 KOs) stopping the limited Dino Lelis (10-12-2, 5) in round 5 and Cuba's Reymi Castellano Aleye (4-0, 1) easily out pointed Diover Mangaya-ay (1-4) in what proved to be a mismatch. Amazingly only a single fighter with a loss actually managed to score a victory as the much touted Vic Saludar (3-1, 3) over-came the previously unbeaten Philip Luis Cuerdo (3-1, 1), who in turn was the only unbeaten fighter to suffer a loss on the card. Tokyo, Japan As well as the show in the Philippines there was also a big show in Tokyo. This card was headlined by the much anticipated rematch between Akio Shibata (22-8-1, 9) and Daisuke Nakagawa (22-4-2, 17). The bout, which pitted the OPBF Middleweight champion against the Japanese Middleweight champion saw Shibata recording his second decision victory over Nakagawa who was just a bit too slow for the accurate and light hitting Shibata. With the victory Shibata unifies both the Japanese and OPBF Middleweight titles and bounces back well following his loss last year to the then debuting Ryota Murata. The Shibata/Nakagawa bout wasn't the only Japanese Middleweight bout on the card. Another, on the undercard, saw Hikaru Nishida (10-6-1, 3) upset former world title challenger Makoto Fuchigami (20-9, 11). Nishida, who was just 6-6-1 (1) a year ago has really turned his career around in very impressive fashion with not just this victory but also one over Kazuhiko Hidaka and probably deserves a fight with Shibata, even though he would clearly be the under-dog. As for Fuchigami he's fallen a long way from fighting Gennady Golovkin less than 2 years ago. A third notable bout on this show saw the world ranked Shin Ono (17-5-2, 2) taking a 5th round technical decision over the massively over-matched Takumi Suda (10-10-2, 2). This was Ono's second bout since suffering a major tendon injury and whilst he clearly won this fight we are curious as to whether or not he's confident in himself to take on a more competitive opponent. In one more notable match up the hard hitting Kenichi Ogawa (11-1, 9) stopped Indonesian Yon Armed (11-5-1, 6) in just 2 rounds. The bout was a mismatch with the power puncher simply having far to much for the visitor. On the undercard Hisashi Owada (5-8) narrowly over-came Kenichi Ohara (4-8) in an excellent 6 round match up that was about as even as they come. It may have been a "throw away" match for many though this sort of competitive match making is what makes Japanese boxing so good. The show also saw Shinya Ito (1-1) defeat Takumu Kawano (0-2) via decision and Kensuke Sasaki (1-1) stopping Thai visitor Yodradab Jor Perm Thongmak (0-2) in 3 rounds. Victoria, Australia "Down under" we saw Ibrahim Balla (4-0, 3) score his third successive victory over a Thai opponent as he took out Thongtaeng Muangsima (5-4) in just 2 rounds. Whilst this was Balla's third victory against a Thai it was his fourth straight against a fighter from Asia. (Picture of Shibata landing a punch on Nakagawa is courtesy of http://boxingnews.jp) |
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