The top 5 Indonesian prospects

Traditionally the Indonesian boxing scene hasn't been that impressive, with only 4 fighters from Indonesia ever winning world titles. Despite that the country has been able to generate some buzz, and has actually given us a few fighters of note, along side the world champions. They include Daud Yordan, who really should be regarded as the biggest boxing star in Indonesia by quite some distance.

​Despite Yordan being the Indonesian face of boxing the country does have some interesting fighters rising through the ranks right now and we could, potentially, be on the verge of a golden era for Indonesian boxing.

Tibo Monabesa (18-0-2, 8)
If Yordan is the face of Indonesian boxing then Tibo Monabesa is the big hope of the country. The 28 year old Light Flyweight is not only unbeaten but also world ranked, holding top 15 rankings with the WBA, WBO and WBC at 108lbs and has a chance to take a huge step towards a world title fight on September 25th, when he faces former IBF Minimumweight champion Hiroto Kyoguchi at the Korakuen Hall.

Monabesa made his debut back in May 2012 and since the the southpaw has claimed a number of titles, including the Indonesia Professional Boxing Commission Minimumweight and Light Flyweight titles, the Indonesian Boxing Association Light Flyweight title, and the WBC International Silver Light Flyweight titles. He has not only racked up titles but done so whilst facing some pretty notable opponents, including Rene Patillano and Lester Abutan, both of whom he beat over 12 rounds.

Footage of Monabesa shows a pretty intelligent boxer, who's patient and counters well. There is perhaps a bit of a “diamond in the rough” feel to him, but he gauges distance well, is defensively responsible and has solid power, despite his relatively 

low stoppage rate. Offensively here's a little on the wide side, but with time that can certainly be sorted. Sadly though his next bout, with Kyoguchi, does look to be a touch too much too soon. But we'll see for sure in September.

Hebi Marupa (12-0, 9)
The aforementioned Yordan is currently chasing a Lightweight title fight, but he's not the only Lightweight of note in Indonesia, with 29 year old Hebi Marupa making waves of his own. Not only is rising up the ranks but he's also doing so at an impressive pace, having made his debut less than 3 years ago. Since debuting in October 2015 Marapu has already claimed the Indonesian Boxing Association Super Featherwieght title, the Indonesian Professional Boxing Commission Lightweight title and the WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Lightweight title.

Powerfully built with an imposing presence Marupa is less refined in the ring than Monabesa but fights almost with the style you'd expect him to fight with from looking at him. He's a fighter who will bring pressure, looking to land bombs and has genuinely vicious power. There is a very clear wild trait to him but he's very fun to watch and certainly looks to entertain the fans whilst trying to destroy his opponents. Can look ungainly at times, and certainly needs to tidy up his style, but he is insanely exciting to watch.

To date his best win as been a 9th round KO win against Phutthiphong Rakoon, and

it was a performance that saw him certainly show some flaws, but it was the performance that sees a fighter instantly make new fans, whilst the body shot to finish the fight was one of the most brutal body shots we've seen this year. Win or lose Marupa is going to be a lot of fun to follow.

Ari Agustian (7-0, 7)
Indonesian fighters have long been taken off to Thailand, Japan and the Philippines to pad a fighters record rather than to offer a real threat. Earlier this year Chinese fight fans got a rude awakening when Ari Agustian failed to read the script and destroyed Chinese hopeful Baolin Kang in inside a round to put himself on the boxing map and claim the WBC Asian Boxing Council Youth Featherweight title. Prior to that bout little was known about Agustian but the 23 year old went from unknown to one to keep an eye on. He instantly took the fight to Kang and mixed up his head shots, counters and body shots wonderfully well whilst showing genuine power and frightening killer instinct.

Although he had gone into that bout with Kang as an unknown he really shouldn't have been given that he had competed on the amateur scene for a number of years and even competed at the 2015 President's cup, losing to Japan's Mikito Nakano in a preliminary round. He had been a notable on the Indonesian amateur scene before making his debut in April 2017 and looks like he could be on a relatively fast track for an Indonesian fighter.

Aside from the win over Kang there is little to get too excited about on Agustian's record but he does hold a second round win over the once serviceable Zun Rindam, in a bout that saw Agustian pick himself off the canvas to stop Rindam in 2 rounds.

Ongen Saknosiwi (5-0, 5)
Ongen Saknosiwi, like Ari Agustian, has a perfect KO record though is somewhat lacking in that one stand out performance. Despite lacking a big win the Featherweight prospect, dubbed the “Hawk”, looks like a genuinely exciting talented. From the footage available he's a pressure fighter, but looks to be a lot more controlled than the wild pressure of Marupa. He closes the distance well, loves going to the body and has very smart movement for such a novice. Added to hid movement is, of course, his power which seems to be a bludgeoning type of power at this level, and his left hook to the body is wonderfully crisp.

For  a fighter with just 5 bouts under his belt, and 13 professional rounds, he is looking very solid and well rounded but still needs work and his defense could do with some tweaking, which we suspect will happen when he steps up in class. Sadly though there could be issues with his hunger and desire, and he's not been very active given he debuted way back in December 2016 or been stepped up in class.

We're hoping to see a lot more of Saknosiwi, he's perhaps the fighter on this list that has the most complete skill set, but yet has faced the weakest competition. 

He looks legitimately like a rough diamond who just needs polishing, and if his team can do that then they'll have a real talent on their hands and someone who can help put Indonesian boxing on the map. The problem however is that if he only fights twice a year he's not going to develop as he should or get the opportunities he deserves.

Jon Jon Jet (8-0, 6)
The Super Flyweight division is one of the toughest in professional boxing right now, but it's the one that 27 year old Yohanis Mau Fatin, aka Jon Jon Jet, looks to make his name. Interestingly it is also the division that Indonesia's first world champion Elly Pical claimed his 3 IBF world titles in, back in the 1980's. Few will expect Jet to have the success of the “Exocet” but there is some potential for Jet to make an impact on the international scene, if he can make some pretty obvious improvements to his boxing.

At the moment he's a rangy Super Flyweight, who looks like he could fill out his frame a bit. There's a touch of fragility about the way he looks in the ring, and although he appears to take a shot pretty well at domestic level we do wonder whether that will carry up at a higher level. Offensively he doesn't appear to be a crisp puncher, instead he looks to push his punches quite a bit. From his record one would assume can hit quite hard, but that may say more about his competition than about him. But if he can add that snap to his shots he could be very dangerous, especially given his size at the weight.

Of the fighters on this list we suspect Jet might be the least likely to succeed internationally but may be the easiest to match, with managers from through out Asia potentially looking to match Jet against one of their prospects. And as a result he may find himself getting more opportunities than some of the other, more talented fighters listed.  

​Other prospects from Indonesia perhaps worth following include 22 year old Light Flyweight Andika D'Golden Boy (14-0, 7), Light Welterweight southpaw Rivo Kundimang (4-0-1, 1), Super Flyweight hopeful Patrick Liukhoto (7-0, 5) and Flyweight novice Ken Neparasi (1-0, 1). Sadly a lack of footage have prevented us from really talking in depth about any of these men like we have with the 5 above.