Some days are busy with great fights, other with mismatches. Today however we get a day of title fights with 3 world titles and various other regional titles on the line Baja California, Mexico The most notable bout of the day is in Mexico where Thai veteran Terdsak Kokietgym (53-4-1, 33) battles Mexican veteran Orlando Salido (41-12-2-1, 28) in a really interesting bout for the interim WBO Featherweight title. The bout might only be for an "interim" belt but the two two men will know that a win here will really boost their profile and their chances of fighting for the proper WBO title next year. It's sadly a bout that Terdsak will not be expected to win, though in the past he has shown his ability to be competitive in high profile bouts, most notably his world title bout with Takahiro Ao. This is a tough ask but looks to be a great bout. Osaka, Japan It's not just in Mexico that we get a world title bout and in fact we get a brace of them in Osaka, albeit female world title bouts. The first of those will see veteran Nao Ikeyama (14-3-1, 4) defending her WBO Atomweight title against former foe Masae Akitaya (9-4-3, 2) in what looks to be a competitive contest between two fighters who have already fought in a competitive bout. For Ikeyama this will be a chance to defend her belt and at 44 years old she'll be all too aware that a loss could send her into retirement. For Akitaya this bout isn't just about the title and realising a dream of being a world champion but also about revenge for the fact she lost the first meeting between the two women back in 2010. The second world title bout on this show will see Kumiko Seeser Ikehara (5-1-1, 3) battle Filipino visitor Gretchen Abaniel (15-5, 6) for the vacant WBO female Minimumweight title that was given up a few weeks ago by Mako Yamada who decided to retire from boxing to focus on other things. We'll be honest, we think Yamada would dominate both of these fighters, likely on the same night, though against each other they should make for interesting contest. Neither is great though neither is awful and at 105lbs we expect to see a more impressive Abaniel than we saw against Ayaka Miyao last November. This could be a really decent fight. A third contest on this show will be another female contest as Kai Johnson (5-5-3, 2), fresh off the back of her win over Tomomi Takano, takes on Tamao Ozawa (6-2, 2) in a second meeting between the two women who fought this past March. In the first meeting between the two Johnson scored a 2nd round KO over Ozawa and we'd not be hugely shocked to see Johnson score her third successive stoppage victory here. Tashkent, Uzbekistan In Uzbekistan we expect to see yet another title fight as Sherali Mamadjanov (10-1, 5) climbs in to the ring to take on domestic rival Hokim Karimov (3-1, 2) in a bout for the Uzbekistan Middleweight title. The bout is an inaugural title fight and although it's a low profile one it is the main event on a small domestic card in the Uzbek capital city. Knowing that Uzbekistan has a strong amateur line up we hope that shows like this can lure some of the amateurs over to the professional game. Sadly it's not looking likely to happen too much, though we can hope. Arizona, USA In the US we get the chance to see the promising Russian prospect And Konstantin Ponomarev (24-0, 12) battle against Mexican veteran Cosme Rivera (37-18-3-1, 25). This looks to be a good step forward for Ponomarev who will develop a lot from just fighting in the US in bouts like this. Although Rivera isn't the fighter he once was he should still have enough to test the unbeaten Russian. (Image courtesy of Notifight)
0 Comments
Whilst we won't go as far as to say this Friday is an amazing day in Asian boxing it is certainly a notable day with plenty of exciting and interesting fighters in action.
Sara Buri, Thailand The biggest name in action is destructive Thai Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (27-4-1, 25) who will be attempting to claim a WBC regional title as he battles Zoren Pama (6-10-3, 3). For Srisaket this will be his first bout since he lost his world title in Mexico to Carlos Cuadras in a relatively disappointing bout that failed to live up to our expectations. Hopefully an impressive performance here will help Srisaket get another world title bout though his risk-reward isn't the sort of thing that makes him an attractive fighter, despite how exciting he is to watch with his power and seek and destroy mentality. We expect the co-feature here to be a bout between the unbeaten, and highly touted, Nawaphon Por Chokchai (22-0, 16) and Indonesian visitor Hendrik Barongsay (26-18-3, 15). Nawaphon is a very interesting fighter and one we suspect could be claim a world title somewhere down the line. As for Barongsay this will see him looking to end a 2 fight losing streak and score a shock win, just as he did in 2012 against Tabthong Tor Buamas. For what it's worth this card will be televised on Channel 7 in Thailand. Metro Manila, Philippines In the Philippines we have a relatively interesting domestic card though one that won't get much, if any, international attention. The headline bout will see the exciting Rogelio Jun Doliguez (19-1-2, 14) take on fellow Filipino Dennis Tubieron (18-3-1, 8) in a really interesting 10 rounder. We love watching Doliguez though know he can be out boxed by anyone able to take his power. We don't think Tubieron will be able to with stand the brute force of Doliguez though if he can he could find himself boosted into the fringes of a world ranking. Big opportunity for Tubieron but certainly a difficult ask. In another bout scheduled for 10 rounds we see another Filipino hopeful in action as the talented but light hitting Jetro Pabustan (23-2-5, 6) takes on the limited Angelito Merin (7-4-2, 1) in what should be an easy win for Pabustan though one that he will probably see him go the distance. Not blessed with power Pabustan is skilled and both of his losses have been via split technical decision. Sadly for all his skills he is involved in a lot of headclashes with an astonishing 9 technical decisions in 30 bouts. Merin has lost his last 2 though has the ability to make life difficult for Pabustan, we do however only see one winner. Sadly 2 other 10 rounders on this card look like complete mismatches with prospects taking on opponents that they are supposed to defeat without any issues. Thankfully however we do get an interesting 8 rounder as Roberto Gonzales (23-2, 14) battles the criminally under-rated Allan Tanada (13-2-3, 5) in what genuinely looks to be the show's outstanding contest. Gonzalez is a talented fighter though not one was good as his record suggests whilst Tanada is a former OPBF Super Featherweight champion who famously stopped Rikiya Fukuhara, almost 4 years ago to the day! This is a really good all-Filipino fight and one that we'd suggest could be the most competitive. As well as the trio of bouts mentioned we're expecting a further 9 bouts in a very deep card that is pretty full of mismatches, unfortunately. Hopefully we'll see some upsets but it's unlikely that make of the fights won't go as expected. New South Wales, Australia Another Filipino in action will be journeyman Roman Canto (8-4-2, 3) who will be taking on the unbeaten, and very talented, TJ Doheny (7-0, 5). We never like down playing fighters like Canto who will fight anywhere any time, though unfortunately he has gone 0-4-2 in the last 2 years including losses to Hikaru Marugame, fighting for just the second time as a professional, and the limited Ruben Manakane. Doheny shouldn't have any problems taking home a win with the question merely being the manner of the win. Phayao, Thailand
There is only one Asian card on September 18th, though it will be televised by Channel 11. The main event will see the touted and heavy handed Chalermpol Singwancha (9-0, 7) attempt to defend his Asian Boxing Federation Welterweight title as he takes on win-less Indonesian Didi Panzer (0-5). This should be an easy defense for Chalermpol though we've got to admit we are not sold on him at all and in fact we tend to feel he's actually a loss waiting to happen. It may seem harsh to say but we think his team know his limitations and that is why he's being matched easily here. Among the support bouts will be a contest featuring Fapetch Manopchaigym (1-0) who we have been told will be fighting a rematch against Yodkwan Bangmod Sport (0-1). If we're being honest the under here is very weak though we have been told there will be a total of 4 bouts on it. New York, USA The only bout outside of Thailand with an Asian involved this Thursday takes place in the US as the unbeaten Dimash Niyazov (6-0-2, 4), originally from Kazakhstan, looks for his third win of the year. The Dmitry Salita promoted Niyazov will be fighting against the limited but tough Jamell Tyson (3-11-2-1, 1) who has suffered just a sole stoppage loss from his 11 defeats. This looks like a mismatch on paper though we'd not be surprised to see Niyazov actually forced to work to get the win. Tokyo, Japan The Tokyo action continues this Wednesday with an interesting though relatively low profile show that features some notable Japanese domestic talent though fighters who are well under the radar of the world stages and the wider boxing scene. The main man of the show will be OPBF ranked Featherweight hopeful Akihiko Katagiri (14-7-2, 5) who will be fighting against Yudai Koizumi (11-7-2, 4) in an 8 rounder. The 28 year old Katagiri is a talented fighter though one who lacks the power needed to really progress beyond his current domestic contender type of level, though is significantly better than his record suggests and a lot of his losses have been narrow to say the least. In 23 fights Katagiri has been stopped just once, in 4 rounds by the monstrously hard hitting Jhonny Gonzalez, a current world champion and one of the heaviest handed fighters in world boxing. As for Koizumi he's a 34 year old who has lost 5 of his last 8 and probably needs a win to continue his career, especially when you consider he has only scored 3 wins in the last 4 years. We only see one winner here. The chief support bout will see the return to the ring of former world title challenger Masayuki Kuroda (21-5-3, 13). Kuroda is known for his wide loss in a WBA Flyweight bout against Juan Carlos Reveco as well as his reign as the Japanese Light Flyweight champion however having gone 0-2-3 in his last 5 bouts he needs a confidence builder. He should be getting that easy win as he takes on a Thai opponent that we don't currently have the name of, suggesting a patsy to blow away and get a win against. In the secondary support bout fans will get the chance to see the world class Kimika Miyoshi (9-7-1, 4) fight against Emika Himuro (3-1-1, 1). Miyoshi fought for the IBF female Bantamweight title last year and although she clearly lost she has proven to be a tricky foe to beat and should be too good for the inexperienced Himuro however Himuro has gone 3-0-1 since losing on her debut back in 2010 and will have belief in her self going into this bout. As well as the 3 contests mentioned this show will feature 5 other low level bouts. These include a bout for the media friendly, and photogenic, Riyako Goshi (1-2) and a bout for the debuting Kohei Kashino (0-0) who has been creating headlines due to the fact he is very highly educated. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) Tokyo, Japan The last 12 months have been mixed for the Ioka Gym. At the very end of last year we saw Ryo Miyazaki suffer a huge upset loss to Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr and a few months later we saw Kazuto Ioka suffer a loss to Amnat Ruenroeng. Those two disappointments have been lessened in a way by the success of Masayoshi Nakatani, who has claimed the OPBF Lightweight title, and Sho Ishida, who was recently crowned the Japanese Super Flyweight champion. The gym have gone from 2 world champions to 0 yet neither lost their belt in the ring. Thankfully however those men are still young, young enough to mount serious career revivals, revivals that begin this week. For former 2-weight world champion Kazuto Ioka (14-1, 9) his return to the ring comes on the fringes of world level as he battles the world ranked ranked Colombian hard man Pablo Carrillo (15-2-1, 8) and comes just a few short months after his decision loss to Amnat Ruenroeng in a battle for the IBF Flyweight title. In that bout Ioka used the wrong game plan and was made to look technically inferior to his Thai foe. This time he's facing a much less technically able fighter in a bout designed to let Ioka get some experience at Flyweight with out risking another loss. It shouldn't be a problem for him to win, though he will be aware that Carrillo is a tough fighter and trying to blast him out would be a mistake. For Ioka this bout needs to see him working mentality to fight to has advantages, using his skills, movement and speed to take a win. Anything but a convincing win may put him down the queue for a world title bout later this year. As for stable mate Ryo Miyazaki (20-1-3, 11) he'll be facing a real soft touch as he goes up against Indonesian journeyman Ichal Tobida (10-12, 8). Having been out of the ring all year this is the perfect bout for Miyazaki to look good in though we do expect him to easily see off Tobida who is very limited and shouldn't be given any chance of taking home the victory. A third notable bout on this show, though one not featuring an Ioka fighter, will see Japanese based Filipino fighter Malcolm Tunacao (34-3-3, 20) battle against Ryuta Otsuka (14-6-2, 4). Tunacao is a former WBC Flyweight world champion who has, in recent years, given Shinsuke Yamanaka one of his hardest bouts. Aged 36 the Filipino knows his career is coming to and end but he still has enough in the tank to be a fringe contender, at least for now. Otsuka on the other hand is a 28 year old Japanese fighter best known for his loss in a Japanese Super Flyweight title bout last year against Teiru Kinoshita. This is one of the shows most appealing match-ups though we do favour Tunacao who has the advantages in experience, power and skills. As well as the three bouts mentioned this card will feature a further 3 bouts, albeit none with much in terms of "name value". Those bouts do feature one possibly interesting contests and two bouts that, on paper, look like mismatches. With the main trio however it'll be easy to enjoy the talent on offer even if the fights aren't the best. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) Cotabato del Sur, Philippines
The only show in Asia this coming Saturday is in the Philippines and is only a small, relatively low profile card though one that does feature some of the most promising youngsters fighting in the Philippines today. The most notable of those prospects is the unbeaten Harmonito Dela Torre (13-0, 8) who will be defending his WBF interim Super Featherweight title against Indonesian journeyman Isack Junior (22-5-2, 8). Junior has proven to be less than stellar when he's stepped up and in his last 6 fights he won just 2 of them whilst being stopped in 3 of them, including an opening round blow out defeat earlier this year to Albert Pagara. Dela Torre is really promising but he really should be stepped up beyond this level in coming fights as he is beyond the level of Junior and will learn nothing from this bout, sadly. Another unbeaten Filipino prospect in action on this show is John Vincent Moralde (10-0, 6) who will be hoping to claim the WBF international Super Bantamweight title when he takes on Indonesia's Jason Butar Butar (16-13-1, 12). Butar Butar is probably better known by western fans than Moralde, after all he has been featured on one of the Macao shows, incidentally fighting Dela Torre on that show, though he is a limited fighter and shouldn't prove any sort of a challenge for Moralde who's looked good in almost everyone of his bout so far. A third prospect in action is the once beaten Jake Bornea (6-1, 3) who will be hoping to bounce back from his loss, last time out to Raymond Tabugon, as he takes on the tough but incredibly limited Renante Suacasa (6-12, 1). Bornea is just a teenager though some have tipped him to go all the way and despite the early career set back it's clear he has got potential to be something special. Suacasa is tough but shouldn't do much more than lose a clear decision here. Whilst fans in the west will be talking about the action from the rematch between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Marcos Maidana there will actually be some pretty interesting and notable bouts taking place out East with two Japanese shows. Osaka, Japan The most interesting of the two Japanese cards is at the Bodymaker Colosseum and features a trio of Japanese fighters all looking to put a recent loss behind them and move towards bouts of redemption. The most well known of those 3 fighters is Light Middleweight-come-Heavyweight Nobuhiro Ishida (25-10-2, 10) who continues his Heavyweight campaign with a bout against Frenchman David Radeff (5-7-2, 2). For Ishida this will be his first bout since his controversial loss to Japanese Heavyweight champion Kyotaro Fujimoto earlier this year. When Ishida first announced plans of campaigning at Heavyweight many thought he was crazy though it seems that he has the intentions of winning the national title come hell or high water. A win here will set him up for a title bout likely to be on New Years Eve. Whilst Ishida's loss was controversial and competitive the same cannot be said of the loss suffered last time out by former Japanese Bantamweight champion Kohei Oba (35-3-1, 14), who was dominated and then stopped by American-Nicaraguan Randy Caballero in an IBF Bantamweight title eliminator. Oba's return to the ring will see him matched easily as he takes on domestic foe Keigo Soma (6-10-1, 3) in what appears to be a confidence building bout following the stoppage loss to Caballero. As for Soma he has lost 4 of his last 5 and this is likely to be little more than another clear defeat on his record. The third man returning to the ring following a loss is Yu Kawaguchi (20-6, 9) who suffered his loss in a technical decision defeat to Kentaro Masuda for the then vacant Japanese Bantamweight title. Although Kawaguchi was a clear loser on the cards his team haven't wrapped him in cotton wool here and instead of taking on a no hoper he'll be up against Seizo Kono (14-6-1, 9). Kono is no world beater though he's certainly a capable fighter on the domestic scene and could give Kawaguchi a solid work out here. The rest of this card will feature 5 other bouts, all scheduled for 4 rounds. Osaka, Japan A second Osaka show will feature the Rookie of the Year West finals. This show was scheduled to see 12 bouts though we've seen 2 of the contests, bouts at Super Featherweight and Lightweight both aborted. From the 10 bouts left on the show 4 of them have been scheduled for 5 rounds whilst the other 6 will be 4 rounders. The winners will be expected to make a name for themselves and compete, at some point, for a Japanese or OPBF title. Hyogo, Japan Whilst the bouts in Osaka are the most interesting we also have a meaningful bout in Hyogo as former world title challenger Atsushi Kakutani (14-4-1, 7) battles Thailand's Dawut Manopkanchang (0-1) in what is thought to be a warm up bout before an OPBF title challenge. On paper the bout is a mismatch though the only recorded bout for Dawut saw him battling against Kohei Kono on last New Years Eve, he lost that one by TKO in 3 but Kono is a much more imposing fighter than Kakutani and shouldn't be beaten that easily. Kakutani, best known for his fight with Adrian Hernandez, should over-come Dawut with out too many problems though he'll know that a bout with OPBF Light Flyweight champion Jonathan Taconing won't be an easy one and this may not be the best warm up for that bout. This show will feature a further 5 bouts, the most notable of which will be an 8 rounder between Yuichi Arai (8-8-1, 2) and Thai visitor Saensak Sithvarunee (0-1). On paper this looks like a stay busy fight for Arai though it's hard to be certain and with a lot of these Thai's it's hard to really know just how correct their records are. What we do know about Saensak is that he's fought in Japan before, losing a wide decision to Ken Achiwa and probably should lose here given that result. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) Samut Prakan, Thailand
The only Asian action down for this coming Friday is in Thailand. Although there isn't a lot of action it does feature some notable names, including one of Thailand's boxing gems. That boxing gem is the unbeaten and heavy handed Paipharob Kokietgym (25-0, 20) who will be trying to claim the currently vacant PABA Light Flyweight title. In the opposite corner to Paipharob we will find the limited Indonesian fighter Faris Nenggo (8-5-3, 2) who will be looking to bounce back from a loss to Ryuji Hara back in June. We really don't see anything but a demolition job by Paipharob who looks genuinely world class. We're hoping that Paipharob can step up to the world level soon though as we all know Thai fighters can have very frustrating careers if their backers can't get them top level opponents. On the under-card we're expecting to see former world title challenger Pigmy Kokietgym (52-7-2, 22) fight against Indonesia's busy journeyman Samuel Tehuayo (18-24-2, 3) in what will be Tehuayo's 8th bout of the year, unfortunately for him he has only won 1 of the previous 7 bouts. For Pigmy this will be his first bout since being stopped by Hekkie Budler in a WBA world title bout in June. Another Thai Vs Indonesian bout will see Fonluang KKP (20-1-1, 9) battle against Boido Simanjuntak (18-21-1, 7). This will be a second meeting between the two and just over a year ago Fonluang took a 6 round decision over the Indonesian journeyman who is in terrible form with 4 straight losses. September 10th-Amant Vs Arroyo and Fujimoto Vs Kotatsu II highlight a very interesting Wednesday9/8/2014 This coming Wednesday is one of the most significant mid-week days in boxing this year with several major bouts ranging from domestic title fights all the way up to a world title bout. Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand The most significant bout of the day will be in Thailand as the talented and unbeaten IBF Flyweight champion Amnat Ruenroeng (13-0, 5) defends his belt against mandatory challenger McWilliams Arroyo (15-1, 13). This bout looks incredibly interesting as Arroyo has monstrous power, as shown in his win over Froilan Saludar, whilst Amnat is a slick and tricky boxer who will do his best to neutralise that power. As we saw against Kazuto Ioka the Thai is genuinely talented and is going to be the favourite going in though Arroyo's power is a real threat here. Fantastic bout and one we're really looking forward to. On the undercard of this show we will get to see the world ranked the world ranked Mike Tawatchai (33-7-1, 21) fighting against Filipino journeyman Cristian Abila (11-13-3, 3). It's a shame Tawatchai isn't facing a better opponent though this will be his first fight in 7 months and it's a real shame that he's been so inactive recently. A second undercard bout will see Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr (24-3, 15) taking on Tatsuya Fukuhara (13-4-4, 4). Whilst Fahlan is well known for his upset win over Ryo Miyazaki he also has something in common with Fukuhara, both men have been beaten by Takuma Inoue. Sakkreerin has won one bout since his loss to Inoue though that win was at a very low level. Fukuhara however has fought twice since his loss, beating Prabpram Sithsaithong and scoring a 7 round technical draw with Akiyoshi Kanazawa. Tokyo, Japan Action in Japan comes from the Korakuen Hall as we get a much anticipated rematch between Japanese Heavyweight champion Kyotaro Fujimoto (9-1, 5) and former challenger Kotatsu Takehara (10-9-3, 4). When the two men met last year Fujimoto was fortunate to retain his title with a tight win though one that he did deserve. By the time of the final bell however the champion was exhausted and the challenger seemed to know that he could have won had he not started so slowly. As well as the title fight we expect a trio of 8 rounders which are being given an extra little incentive. Dubbed "KO challenge bouts" the fighters will be trying to win bonuses for winning the bout inside the distance. The prizes are staggered so that if a fighter scores a quick they are rewarded with a bigger payment than if they score a late win. The first of those KO challenge bout will see the Japanese ranked Daisuke Sakamoto (8-8-1, 4) battle against the light punching Shiro Saito (7-4-1, 2). Although the bout is a KO challenger contest we think the promoter may have been mischievous with this bout likely to go the distance considering neither guy is a big puncher and neither has looked that frail so far into their career. Another KO challenger bout will feature recent Japanese Featherweight title challenger Yuki Ogata (19-1-1, 3) taking on Kentaro Yamada (8-4-1, 6). Ogata is the better boxer and proved his toughness by going into the 10th round last time out against the heavy handed Satoshi Hosono. Yamada might get stopped if Ogata really is driven by the incentive of the bonus though we'd not be shocked to see Ogata cruising to a clear decision win. The final KO challenger bout is a rematch between Kenji Kubo (4-2-1, 2) and Kota Sato (9-5-2, 4). The two men fought to an 8 round draw in January in a very competitive contest though neither will be hoping to hear the final bell this time around considering the KO bonus on offer. Prior to the KO challenge bouts fans will see former OPBF title challenger Yuki Nasu (23-8, 16) battle against Filipino visitor Jonathan Ligas (8-5-1, 1). Nasu is coming in to this bout on the back of back-to-back defeats, including one against Rocky Fuentes in an OPBF title bout, though has fought at a much higher level than Ligas, who has won his last 4 at a very low level. Minsk, Belarus Another of note takes place in Belarus as Kazahkstan's heavy hitting Zhanat Zhakiyanov (22-1, 15) takes on unbeaten Georgian Gagi Edisherashvili (7-0, 6) for the vacant WBC Eurasia Pacific Boxing Council Bantamweight title. Zhakiyanov was last seen knocking out Karim Guerfi with a thunderous shot back in April and we'd expect something similar here though we don't know a great deal about the Georgian. (Image courtesy of Kadoebi.com) Cotabato del Sur, Philippines
The only show of note this Tuesday is a small one in the Philippines at the Polomolok Gym. In the main event of the card we'll see former world title challenger Jether Oliva (21-2-2, 10) taking on a yet to be named foe in an 8 round bout set to take place at Flyweight. Oliva has blown hot and cold and looked very good against Moruti Mthalane last year though looked terrible against Wilber Andogan in May of the year, his most recent bout. Although his opponent has not yet been named we're hoping for a complete performance from Oliva rather than one that sees him over-looking his opponent and under-performing. In the chief support bout Engelbert Moralde (7-2, 5) will be battling against the very limited Paul Apolinario (10-11-2, 6) who should be problem for Moralde. Although not a world beater Moralde isn't a bad fighter at all and his 7-2 record is somewhat misleading considering who he has lost to. We expect another 2 bouts on this card though neither will get much attention internationally with none of the men involved being more than domestic Filipino fighters unlikely to make a mark above the domestic level. |
Categories
All
Archives
October 2022
|