With a huge weekend coming up we suspect that a bunch of fans really just can't wait for this week to end however we do have some interesting, and we'll admit we use that term liberally, bouts this Thursday.
Sanaa, Yemen Probably the most notable bout of the day comes from the new infamous Yemeni Boxing Gym in Sanaa where unbeaten KO machine Ali Raymi (23-0, 23) puts his unbeaten record on the line in an attempt to claim the UBO Light Flyweight title. Raymi will be fighting fellow Yemeni fighter Prince Maz (9-3, 7) in what will be their 4th contest this year. Raymi claimed the lightly regarded IBI Minimumweight title with a 9th round retirement of Maz in October and it seems both men are stepping up a division for a bout that we believe will be aired on Yemeni national TV. We've got to admit that the rivalry between the two men is becoming farcical. Surat Thani, Thailand A more serious show comes from Thailand where we see two unbeaten Thai's in regional title fights whilst a former world title challenger is also featured in action. The main event here will see novice professional Petchmanee Kokietgym (3-0) battle against fellow unbeaten Ardi Tefa (4-0, 3) in a 12 round contest for the currently vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Minimumweight title. Petchmanee will be stepping up to 12 rounds for the first time after scoring solid wins for a novice over the likes of Domi Nenokeba and Wilber Andogan. For Indonesian fighter Tefa this will be his first bout outside of of his homeland and appears to be a big step up for the 28 year old dubbed the "Predator". On paper this looks genuinely interesting though we do suspect the Thai will be too well schooled for visiting opponent. In the other title fight fans will see the unbeaten Saenganan KKP (9-0, 5) defending his WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Light Flyweight title against Indonesian southpaw Demsi Manufoe (9-3, 6). This will be the first defense from Saenganan who won the title in August when he defeated Filipino Wilber Andogan in what was a less than stellar bout. We're expecting a win from the Thai here though we're unsold on him overall following his less than impressive performance Domi Nenokeba earlier this year. The aforementioned world title challenger on this card is the highly experienced Sod Kokietgym (63-3-1, 28) who will be fighting for the first time since his opening round loss to Guillermo Rigondeaux back in July. At the time of writing his opponent has yet to be named.
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Not every show in Japan is big of course and this Tuesday's show is certainly nothing special as Kaneko boxing put on a show will won't catch the attention of many though should act as a nice warm up for the promotional outfit before a major weekend for them. Tokyo, Japan The show will, in total feature 7 bouts and will be headlined by #3 ranked Japanese Super Bantamweight Gakuya Furuhashi (16-5, 6) who was, earlier this year, set to fight Hidenori Otake in a Japanese title fight. On that occasion Otake was forced to pull out with a rib injury and Furuhashi was supposed to get a rescheduled date with Otake. Of course Otake has since vacated the title and instead Furuhashi will face a Thai journeyman on this show in a stay busy fight before getting a title shot next year against the winner of the December 6th bout between Yukinori Oguni and Yasutaka Ishimoto. In the co-feature #10 ranked Japanese Welterweight Shusaku Fujinaka (10-4-2, 6) will be battling against Yusuke Konno (7-2, 3) in what looks like a competitive domestic clash. Fujinaka has gone 2-3-1 in his last 6 bouts and appears to be testing the water at Light Welterweight for this bout which has been made at a contracted 65KG, around 143lbs. Konno will be fighting for the first time in over a year though was competitive in his last bout against the much more experience Kazuyoshi Kumano in September 2013. As well as the 2 bouts mentioned the card is scheduled to feature a further 5 bouts all scheduled for 4 rounds. Originally this show was set to include the aforementioned Otake however, as we all know, Otake will now be fighting this coming Saturday in a WBA Super Bantamweight world title fight against Britain's Scott Quigg. That appears to be a huge test for Otake but it's great to see him getting the opportunity all the same considering the alternative was likely a stay busy fight on this card against a limited foe as he marked time. The eagle eyed among you may actually spot Otake with the Japanese title on the poster. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) Tokyo, Japan A new week kicks off on Monday with a Japanese domestic card that may not inspire many fans around the world but it has caught out eye due to the fact several interesting fighters will be featured on it and we suspect that several fights will be worth talking about after the show. Sadly the main event isn't likely to be one of those more interesting bouts despite the fact it features the biggest name on the card. That name is Akihiro Kondo (19-4-1, 8) the former Japanese Lightweight champion who is rarely in a poor fight will be expected to pick up an easy win here as he takes on Thailand's Kaewkla Chaiyonggym (0-1) who was stopped in 2 rounds by Burning Ishii back in August. We like Kondo and suspect that this is a stay busy win before chasing a big fight in 2015 and can excuse him for an easy one after his war with Nihito Arakawa last time out. The chief support bout will see Japanese #3 ranked Middleweight Yasuyuki Akiyama (9-4-1, 7) risking his ranking against Kazuaki Irisawa (8-5, 5) in an intriguing 8 rounder at Middleweight. We wouldn't suggest either man has a chance against Japanese champion Akio Shibata but against each other they should make for a very interesting contest. Another interesting bout comes at Lightweight where the much touted Kenta Onjo (3-0, 3) pits his #13 Japanese ranking on the line against the more experienced and heavy handed Kazuya Soma (7-5-2, 6). We suspect a win for Onjo will move him towards a national or OPBF title fight in 2015 however this is not a gimme and Soma has the power to hurt Onjo if the young prospect fights foolishly. Unfortunately for those wanting to see the touted Onjo in action footage is scarce with only his debut against Thiland's Tanut Sitmanopchai being currently being available. As well as the 3 bouts announced there will be a further 6 contests with one of them featuring WBC regional title holder Momoko Kanda (7-6-2, 1). (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) The action keeps coming this weekend and on Sunday we get a small Japanese show from Kochi, the show won't blow fans away or get them hugely excited and with just 5 bouts on it it's not a show that will really even occupy fans for a full afternoon however it could still be interesting for fans in attendance. Kochi, Japan The main event is by far the most notable bout of the show as the unbeaten, talented and young Tatsuya Ikemizu (11-0, 4) attempts to extend his winning record and move another step towards a national title fight. In Ikemizu's way this Sunday will be the more experienced but limited Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi (8-6-1, 4). For Yamaguchi this is a great chance to record his biggest win to date and bounce back from a close defeat last time out to Yuji Shimizu however Ikemizu does appear to be a very talented youngster and it's clear that his unbeaten streak is going to be difficult to break. For those who haven't seen Ikemizu we have footage of his most recent bout, a contest with Satoshi Niwa, here. In the chief support contest Takaaki Kitagawa (4-3, 2) will be battling against Yusuke Sekido (8-10-2) in what looks to be a less than enthralling contest. Sadly this is the second highest profile bout on the card. In total the show will consist of 5 bouts with the main event being the only 8 rounder whilst the co-feature is scheduled for 6 rounds. It's a shame there isn't something a little bit more interesting on the card but still there s fights and that's the key even if they are just low level ones. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) Cebu, Phillipines The biggest show of the weekend this Saturday comes from the Philippines as ALA Promotions put on the 28th show in their "Pinoy Pride" series and, we've got to be honest here, it looks like a great one even if the main event is likely to feel like a let down, thankfully however there are 4 or 5 other interesting bouts on the card and several notable names. The aforementioned main event will see WBO Light Flyweight champion Donnie Nietes (33-1-3, 9) return to the ring in an attempt to record the 5th defense of his title. We say attempt though he shouldn't really struggle as he takes on the exciting but limited Carlos Velarde (26-3-1, 14). We don't think Nietes will be given a real test here but we do suspect the fight will be fun to watch as Velarde always brings action to the ring, as he did prior to getting stopped by Ryo Miyazak in a WBA Minimumweight title bout last year. Whilst the main event looks somewhat predictable the two main support bouts both look interesting to say the least. One of those will see former world title challenger Milan Melindo (31-1, 12) drop down to Light Flyweight to take on Mexico's Saul Juarez (20-3, 11) in an IBF world title eliminator. The bout was put together after Juarez missed out on the world title shot that Velarde has and we suspect that Melindo will be given a good work out here even if he does make it look relatively easy. The other major support bout will see the unbeaten Albert Pagara (21-0, 15) battle against tough Mexican Raul Hirales (22-3-1, 11). This will be Pagara's first defense of the IBF Inter-Continental Super Bantamweight title and appears to be a great step up for the Filipino who has blitzed his last 3 foes in a combined 5 rounds. It's a big step up but Hirales has looked very ordinary in his 3 losses and we suspect Pagara will manage to make him look poor as well. In the most interesting of 3 bouts scheduled for 10 rounds we will see unified Minimumweight champion Francisco Rodriguez Jr (16-2, 11) battle against Jomar Fajardo (14-5-1, 7). Rodriguez will be fighting for the first time since he unified the IBF and WBO titles with his stellar victory over Katsunari Takayama this year in a FOTY contender and we suspect that this will be his last bout before making a permanent move to the Light Flyweight division, which appears to be set for a memorable 2015. Another of the 10 rounders will see former Rodriguez foe Merlito Sabillo (23-1-1, 12) battle against the limited Faris Nenggo (8-6-3, 2). This will be Sabillo's first bout since being stopped by Rodriguez in March whilst for Nenggo it'll be his first bout since back-to-back defeats to Ryuji Hara and Paipharob Kokietgym. It should be an easy win for Sabillo but it's hard to judge what his confidence will be like after the battering he suffered at the hands of Rodriguez. The third 10 rounder will see former world title contender AJ Banal (31-2-1, 22) battle against recent OPBF Featherweight title challenger Maxsaisai Sithsaithong (15-5, 4). We assume this could be fun to watch but Banal, for all his talent, appears to have a knack of letting us down. We wouldn't be shocked for him to take out his Thai foe early nor would we be shocked to see him struggle to a relatively limp and unexciting decision win. Lower down the card in an 8 rounder we will see Mark Magsayo (8-0, 6), one of out favourite Filipino prospects, battle against South Korean visitor Moon-Sun Jung (2-3-3). We imagine Magsayo will see off Jung though hopefully he'll get some rounds in the bank before closing the show. Nakhon Nayok, Thailand Whilst the Filipino show is clearly the most important of the day we do have shows across Asia with one of them taking place in Thailand. This show will be headlined by a regional title bout between unbeaten fighters as Petchchorhae Kokietgym (8-0, 5) attempts to make the first defense of his WBC Asian Boxing Council silver Flyweight title. The man trying to stop the Thai is unbeaten Indonesian Rizky Pratama (2-0) who we really don't know about. Hopefully this will be competitive though we suspect the Indonesian will be blown away relatively quickly in a mismatch. In a clear mismatch fans will get the chance to see former world title challenger Terdsak Kokietgym (53-5-1, 33) take on Indonesia's Yacob Ton (4-10, 2). This is a mismatch and few will defend it however it will be Terdsak's first bout since his thrilling encounter with Orlando Salido a few months ago and hopefully Terdsak won't damaged good following that fight which was extremely damaging for the Thai. A third bout on this card will see Petchnamchai KKP (1-0, 1) risking his unbeaten record against the debuting Ricardo Sithsaithong (0-0) in what looks like an even match up on paper though is unlikely to be even at all given what we know about boxing in Thailand. Tokyo, Japan A small show in Japan, featuring 9 bouts in total, looks to be a forgettable one with only 2 bouts even worth mentioning. The main event, an 8 rounder, will see Keita Nakano (11-9-3, 2) fight against Takaaki Ishikawa (10-5, 5) in what appears to be a competitive match up though a sub-domestic level one that won't get fans, even domestic ones, excited in the slightest. Although not a great bout both men do need a win and will likely put it all on the line to take home a W. The only other bout worth noting is a 6 rounder that will see Ryuto Araya (6-2-1) taking on Tsubasa Mochizuki (6-4, 2) in a bout we suspect will go the distance considering neither guy has much power on their shots. Daegu, South Korea In South Korea we get another domestic level card though one that features 2 relatively weak looking title fights. At Super Middleweight we will see Eun-Chang Lee (7-4, 3) attempt to defend the Korean Super Middleweight title for the first time since winning the title in March. Lee, who lost in Macau to Esquiva Falcao last time out, will be battling against Young-Kyoon Lee (1-13-1) who really shouldn't be in any sort of a title fight given that he has won just 1 of 15 professional bouts. Sadly the other title bout on the show, a South Korean Super Featherweight bout, is almost as bad as Ik Soo Han (6-3, 1) takes on Jong-Won Won (7-13-1, 3) for the vacant belt. Han last fought 19 months ago, losing a 6th round TKO to Junta Sekimoto in Japan whilst Won hasn't won a bout since July 2009! We understand that titles can interest fans but this is farcical for a title bout. A third bout on this card will see former female world title challenger Hye-Soo Park (3-7-1, 1) fighting against win-less Thai Dorkmaipah Kiatpompetch (0-3) in what should be a clear mismatch, despite the fact Park isn't a great fighter herself. Gauteng, South Africa In South Africa we will see two Russian's in action in interesting looking bouts. At Light Heavyweight we will get the chance to see Denis Grachev (13-4-1, 8) take on the unbeaten, and freakishly tall, Thomas Oosthuizen (22-0-2, 13). It's fair to say the loser here will have to forget any dreams of being a world champion whilst a win will likely help them move into contention for a belt. With the stakes so high this could a very good bout however both men have looked poor in recent contests and they may again fail to inspire here. The other bout will see the heavy handed Roman Belaev (14-0, 10) fighting former world title challenger Ali Funeka (35-4-3, 29) in a bout for the IBO Welterweight title. Belaev has generally impressed us with his power, aggression and style and we suspect he'll show those same traits here against the 36 year old Funeka who we thing could be ready for his first stoppage loss. (Image courtesy of ALA Promotions) This coming Friday isn't one of the biggest days in Asian boxing boxing but we do have several interesting bouts including a bout that could help change the life of a popular and exciting Filipino slugger. Hato Rey, Puerto Rico The biggest bout involving an Asian fighter today comes all the way from Puerto Rico as former world title challenger Michael Farenas (39-4-4, 31) battles against the unbeaten Jose Pedraza (18-0, 12) in an IBF Super Featherweight final eliminator. The bout is biggest bout of the night and promises to be a very exciting one with on the line. For Pedraza it's a huge opportunity to put himself in line for a title fight whilst for Farenas it's a chance to put a frustrating year behind him. We all thought Farenas was going to get an IBF title shot following his victory over the previously unbeaten Mark Davis, instead however he got told to have another eliminator which then saw various opponents avoid him and sadly leaving him out in the cold before Pedraza got the call. Hopefully the frustration won't have got to Farenas too much as this could open up a very good chance for him to become a world champion in 2015. Tokyo, Japan In Tokyo we get a 9 fight card courtesy of Noguchi gym who are putting on a relative small show headlined by Japanese ranked Featherweight contender Daisuke Yokoyama (15-5-1, 6) who will be hooping to retain his #2 domestic ranking as he battles journeyman Keita Ito (8-18-2, 4) in what looks to be little more than a stay busy fight. Yokoyama enters the bout 1-1-1 in his last 2 bouts dating back more than 24 months though the one loss was a close one in a Japanese title fight against Hisashi Amagasa and we suspect he may be looking to get another title fight in 2015. In the co feature we will see another ranked Featherweight in action as Noriyuki Ueno (17-11-5, 5) battles against Kazunori Takayama (19-8-4, 4) in a 6 rounder. Although Ueno's record is poor on paper he is one of those fighters with a misleading record and has lost in 3 Japanese title fights. This bout will see Ueno risking his #9 OPBF and #4 JBC rankings against against Takayama who returns to the ring after more than 3 years out. Another interesting 6 rounder will see Takeshi Inoue (0-0-1) battle against Samson Por Thitima (0-1) in a very interesting bout despite the fact neither man has a win on his record, according to boxrec.com. Inoue fought to a 6 round draw with fellow debutant Daishi Nagata back in August whilst Thitima's only recorded bout saw him being stopped by the debuting Ryo Okayama back in November 2009, as with many Thai's however we do suspect his record is inaccurate given that 5 years between bouts in extraordinary. A third 6 rounder that we feel is worth noting will see Kyohei Tsunashima (4-4, 3) battle against Takashi Sakamoto (5-3, 1) in a very evenly matched contest. It's not a bout that will have fans cramming into the Korakuen Hall but we suspect the fans there will enjoy this one whichever ways it ends up going. Of the two men Tsunashima is the bigger puncher but also the less durable whilst Sakamoto takes a shot better but delivers a much less punch himself. Osaka, Japan A second Japanese show comes form Osaka where OPBF #3 ranked Minimumweight Jetly Purisima (19-13-4, 5), from the Philippines, battles against Japan's Yuki Takemoto (16-18-2, 7) in a very interesting looking main event. Neither guy will be confused for a world class fighter but both should act as a fantastic foil for the other in what is likely to be one of the best contested bout of the day and with Pruisima's OPBF ranking on the line neither man will be happy to lost this one. In the chief support bout Koichi Ogawa (10-4-1, 5) will battle against Japanese based Brazilian Cristiano Aoqui (8-3-2, 4) in what appears to be another really good contest that could be easily over-looked. Neither guy is likely to win a title at any point but both should again make for a good fight together. One other interesting bout from this 6 fight show will see Ryo Kosaka (8-3-1, 4) battling against the more experienced Hiroki Yoshimura (7-10, 4). Yoshimura enters the bout on the back of 5 straight losses and desperately needs a win to end his bad run however Kosaka isn't as good as his record indicate and this could end up being a bit of an upset if Yoshimura has any confidence left. New South Wales, Australia In Australia we're expecting a very interesting contest as Thailand's Padjai Yongyuthgym (17-1-2, 12) takes on Chad Bennet (34-4-3, 25) in a bout for the WBC Eurasia Pacific Boxing Council Light Welterweight title. The Thai, a former PABA Featherweight and Super Featherweight champion, is a big puncher and probably should be unbeaten in all honesty, though we do wonder how he will do up at 140lbs. If his power is as good as we believe then Padjai does have half a chance here. New South Wales, Australia On a second show in Australia we will have an all-Asian bout as Australian based Filipino Aswin Cabuy (17-48-4, 7) battles with Australian based Chinese fighter Zhang Yong (2-4-1, 1) in a contest for the WBF Asia Pacific Middleweight title. The bout will be the second between the men this year after they fought to a 4 round draw in March. We suspect Cabuy will know too much for the Chinese fighter but Cabuy himself isn't a great fighter and his own flaws could make this interesting. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) District of Columbia, USA For a second successive week we get world title action in a mid-week bout as Filipino puncher Mavin Mabait (19-2-2, 13) gets a huge, and unexpected, opportunity against WBC Super Flyweight champion Carlos Cuadras (30-0-1, 24). Going into this bout Cuadras will be defending his belt for the second time since defeating Srisaket Sor Rungvisai for the title back in May with a technical decision. Sadly for Mabait however nothing has quite gone his way this year having been stopped by Alejandro Hernandez earlier in the year and, having only got this fight on 2-weeks notice, the Filipino is being given little chance against the Mexican champion. It's worth noting that until last week we all suspect that it would Sonny Boy Jaro battling against Cuadras and not Mabait and it's going to a bit question as to whether or not Mabait is ready for a fighter as good as Cuadras California, USA On a second US show fans will get the chance to see Chinese Heavyweight giant Taishan Dong (1-0, 1) return to action as he battles against the win-less Michael Lane (0-3). Dong, who looked a very imposing figure on his debut earlier this year, will be hoping to add Lane's name to that of Alex Rozman who he stopped in 2 rounds. Lane has never been stopped but has also been inactive in recent years with just one fight in the last 36 months. This should be easy for Dong in all honesty though we do wonder how far he really can go, even with his formidable size he will need to develop his skills to become any sort of a contender. Tokyo, Japan In Japan we get the next Dangan show, Dangan 115. The card will feature a total of 12 bouts, all of which will be 4 rounders and feature novices with 4 all debutant contests. The names, as with many of these 4 round shows, isn't really important as the key is the action which comes thick and fast with one fight start almost as soon as the previous bout ended. These are great for fans even if the fighters don't seem to get much attention Sanaa, Yemen In Sanaa we see our favourite Yemeni fighter in action as the charismatic Hani Ansi (7-0-1, 6) battles against the once beaten Muhamad Fikri (3-1, 1). If you've not seen Ansi in action you've missed out on someone who seems to channel the spirit of Emmanuel Augustus and fights in a very peculiar yet interesting manner. We've got to admit however we don't know much about Fikri who may end up being a good test for Ansi here. (Poster courtesy of notifight.com) After a busy Saturday comes a busy Sunday with the next set of Rookie of the Year contests among many other bouts! Osaka, Japan The first of 3 Japanese shows this Sunday is possibly the most important despite not featuring any ranked fighters. That's because the show is the second of this year's Rookie of the Year Finals with the show deciding the 12 fighters who will compete in the All-Japan Rookie of the Year finals against the Eastern representatives who were decided last week. Rather than breaking down the 12 bouts here we've done a full feature on the fights and fighters involved on this show which can be seen here for those interested. The feature also features some links to some footage of some of the fighters involved in the show including the undefeated Yuki Beppu (6-0, 6) and Takahiro Shinoda (1-0, 1) who are both very fun fighters from what we've seen of them. Osaka, Japan A second show in Osaka, in fact a second show at the Bodymaker Colosseum, looks to very interesting in it's own right, even if it's not a show that promises a lot of excitement. This show will be headlined by the controversial Hiroshige Osawa (24-3-4, 14) who upset the JBC in 2012 when he fought in a bout they hadn't sanctioned in South Korea. The JBC banned him for that for a year and unfortunately during that time he was stripped of the OPBF Featherweight title and effectively saw his career hit a brick wall. Thankfully he returned to the ring late last year and strung together two wins since his comeback. Sadly weekend's bout is a mismatch with Osawa battling against Thailand's Nongdear Sor Bangkhru (0-4). Hopefully this will be Osawa's last "gimme" before he steps up a level and starts fighting people who are OPBF or JBC ranked. The co-feature is a very interesting 6 rounder which will see hard hitting Ioka prospect Takeru Kamukibo (6-0, 4) return to the the ring for his 7th bout this year. Kamikubo, who debuted back in February, will be taking on Masaki Hirai (4-11-3, 2) in what is a major step up for the 18 year old Kamikubo. We're unsure how good the youngster is but that level of activity is insane for a teenager so we suspect Ioka gym have seen something in him to develop quickly. We suspect the limited but tough Hirai will see out the scheduled 6 rounds but we'd be shocked if he really tested Kamikubo who does appear to have a lot of potential. One of the more competitive bouts on this show will see Tetsuya Nishinaga (11-9-1) battling against Kosuke Saka (8-3, 5) in an 8 round bout that we like the look of despite know that neither guy is is an outstanding fighter. We favour Saka, despite back to back losses to Jun Hamana and Hiroshige Osawa, though we will admit this a really interesting contest between two men who both need a win. In a female bout on this show fans will see the OPBF ranked Kai Johnson (5-6-3, 2) battle against the unbeaten Terumi Nuki (4-0, 2) in an intriguing 6 rounder. Johnson is experienced, tough and much better than her record would suggest whilst Nuki is relatively untested and this will be a great test for her. We've got to say that this is a fantastic match up. Hiroshima, Japan A third Japanese show comes from Hiroshima and this one is a much smaller show which is no more than a domestic card, though it is being held as a charity show. The main event here will be an 8 rounder between Koji Itagaki (12-9-2, 5) and Yamato Uchinono (5-2-5, 3) in what is a very weak main event. Itagaki is based in Hiroshima though has won just 1 of his last 8 bouts and it's hard to see him scoring his first win in more than 3 years. Interestingly however his first win did come against the now touted Palangpol CP Freshmart, who was making his debut in that bout. Uchinono began his career a very odd 1-1-5 but has since won 4 of his last 5 and we suspect he'll score another win here, despite being the visiting fighter. In the chief support bout fans will see ranked Light Welterweight Yuya Okazaki (10-7-1, 3) risking his OPBF and JBC rankings as he battles Shinichi Tsukahara (8-6-3, 3). We don't think this is a major bout though it could be a very competitive one and their is something to fight for for with Okazaki wanting to keep his ranking and Tsukahara wanting to claim a win over a ranked contender. A third bout of some note here will see Ryuji Ikeda (7-2-1, 3) fighting against Thailand's Eaksayarm Mor Krungthep Thonburi (0-1). On paper it's a mismatch but it will be Ikeda's second bout since being stopped by the talented Kenta Onjo in April and there could still be mental doubts in Ikeda's mind about how good he is. Seoul, South Korea In South Korea we get an interesting card headlined by the very interesting Ye Joon Kim (9-1-2, 4). Kim, the WBC Youth Super Bantamweight champion, is the shining star of Korean boxing right now and although he's not a Ja Ik Goo or Min Wook Kim he does look like the guy to get behind if you want to support Korean boxing. With that said he has been matched easily here as he battles Japanese visitor Yoshiyuki Takabayashi (8-4, 3) and should be able to score an impressive looking victory. In the chief support bout we will see another Japan Vs Korea bout as Nak-Yul Park (4-2, 2) battles against Kentaro Endo (4-4, 3) in an under-card bout that really doesn't interest like the main event does. Notably this card is down on boxrec as an unsanctioned show despite our main Korean source listing it as being sanctioned by the KBF, which has been formed from the remains of the KBC. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) Some days are insanely busy and today is one such day with more fights of note than almost any other day this year, and better yet they are spread all over the globe form the Philippines to the US, from Germany to Mexico. It really is a great day to look forward to. New Jersey, USA The most important bout for many fans this Saturday is in the US where destructive Russian Sergey Kovalev (25-0-1, 23) attempts to unify his WBO Lightweight title with the WBA "super" and IBF titles currently held by Bernard Hopkins (55-6-2-2, 32) in a bout that appears to have every boxing fans interested , even those that typically hate watching Hopkins. Kovalev, a destructive puncher, has been a on a real role recently wiping out decent contenders on a regular basis, often with out breaking sweat. Hopkins on the other hand has been the same old Hopkins we all know, lulling opponents to sleep en route to winning wide decisions. We suspect this bout could be over early if Kovalev hits as hard as we think, or could end up being a long and slow night if Hopkins can hypnotise Kovalev, like he has to many previous opponents. That's what makes this bout so interesting, who will manage to instill their natural game plan on the bout? On the undercard we have another Russian, Andrey Sirotkin (4-0, 1), risking his unbeaten record against the limited Michael Mitchell (3-4-2, 1) in what should be a straight forward 6 round affair for Sirotkin. Baden-Württemberg, Germany Whilst the main event in New Jersey is undeniably the biggest bout of the day it's very easy to pick the biggest female bout of the day as unbeaten Japanese boxing queen Naoko Fujioka (12-0, 6) attempts to become the first Japanese female fighter to become a 3-weight world champion. Unfortunately for Fujioka she will be up against her toughest challenge yet, Germany's popular Susi Kentikian (33-2-0-1, 17), the current WBA female Flyweight champion. The bout is a tough one on paper and it's made even tougher by the fact Fujioka is on the road traveling to Germany for the bout against on of Europe's most popular female fighters. México, Mexico A second very good female bout comes from Mexico as former WBA female Minimumweight champion Etsuko Tada (13-1-2, 3) attempts to regain the title and avenge her sole defeat. That however will see her needing to over-come Mexico's very own Anabel Ortiz (15-3, 3) who claimed a controversial split decision in Japan over Tada last year. We suspect this could be a better bout that the Fujioka/Kentikian one though in our eyes the other is slightly more significant considering that Fujioka is attempting to carve her place in history. We'll admit with this being a rematch we're hoping for something a bit special. On the same card in Mexico Ryuji Yokoyama (11-1-1, 3) will be looking for the biggest win of his career as he takes on the world class Jesus Silvestre (25-9, 21) in a very big test for the Japanese fighter. Pennsylvania, USA Back in the US we see the next bout of the talented Vasily Lepikhin (16-0, 9) who attempts to build on his excellent victory over Robert Berridge last time out. This time Lepikhin will be battling big punching Brazilian Jackson Junior (15-1, 13), was was last in the US about 20 months ago being taken apart by Cuban Umberto Savigne. We suspect that Lepikhin will have a very easy night with the Brazilian who isn't as dangerous as his record would indicate. Texas, USA In a third US bout fans will see Olympic gold medal winner Egor Mekhontsev (5-0, 5) take the next step on his way to a world title. Mekhontsev has had things all his own way so far but we wouldn't be shocked to see him struggle, at least a bit, with the extremely heavy handed Jinner Guerrero (7-2, 6). Guerrero is limited but what he hits, he hurts. Guerrero comes in with 2 losses in his last 3 but he is insanely heavy handed and if Mekhontsev gets caught or gets reckless this could get very interesting. Queensland, Australia A bit closer to "home" is a card in Australia that strikes us as interesting but not great with two bouts of note. The main event here will see world ranked Bantamweight puncher Zhanat Zhakiyanov (23-1, 16) battle against Filipino journeyman Roberto Lerio (16-20-1, 6) in what appears to be little more than a stay busy fight for the highly regarded Kazakh puncher. This will be Zhakiyanov's third bout of the year and will see him building on two stoppage wins, including an eye catching 1-punch KO over Karim Guerfi back in April and we'd be shocked if Lerio managed to take him the distance here. The other bout will see the always entertaining Filipino slugger Romeo Jakosalem (15-8-1, 8) battle against the fast rising Cameron Hammond (10-0, 4) in what is likely to be a painful night for the Filipino. Jakosalem comes into this bout with 4 losses in his last 5, including a 2nd round TKO loss to Min Wook Kim back in May 2012, though did win last time out against Elmer Legaria and, if he's on form, he could make life difficult for Hammond. Odds are however Jakosalem isn't going to be close to his best unfortunately and will instead be dominated by the talented Australian. Davao del Sur, Philippines Having just mentioned some Filipino's it makes sense to mention some more as we go to the first of two Filipino cards. This one in Davao del Sur involved two interesting bouts with the co-feature being the better of the two, at least on paper. That bout will see the heavy handed but limited Drian Francisco (25-2-1, 20) battle against former world title challenger John Mark Apolinario (17-4-3, 4). Having seen Apolinario struggle to survive against Koki Kameda last year we believe Francisco will stop him, though we do know that Francisco can be out boxed by a speedy fighter and that could prove to be an issue here. The main event looks like a total mismatch as the talented Adones Cabalquinto (17-0, 10) continues to toil and waste away his career. The talented Filipino Light Welterweight will be battling against Thai visitor Pankorn Mor Poowana (3-1-1, 1) in a bout for the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Light Welterweight title and we can't help but think he really should bite the bullet, take a risk and go for the OPBF title with a fight against Keita Obara, as was once arranged earlier this year. Metro Manila, Philippines The other Filipino show comes from Metro Manila and is a much deeper card. Sadly due to just how busy the day is we're only going to talk about a few of the bouts on the card. The main event will see the thunderously hard hitting Richard Claveras (9-0-2, 9) attempting to defend his WBC Asian Boxing Council Light Flyweight title against the limited but tough JC Francisco (6-8-3, 2). Francisco has won just 1 of his last 4 and we don't see it changing here but we do suspect that Claveras will be forced to work hard to get the win considering that Francisco has never been stopped so far. A second interesting bout on here will see Ardin Diale (24-9-3, 11) attempt to defend his his GAB Flyweight title against the heavy handed Jenny Boy Buca (9-1, 9). Diale is better than his record suggests though we're unsure how good Buca is. If Buca has got skills as well as power he may manage to upset Diale who has had a very hard year considering his slugfest with Koki Eto was just 5 months and he has already had a very hard fight with Renerio Arizala since then. This is going to be a tough year for the Filipino who needs a win here to remain relevant. Klimovsk, Russia In Russia we have yet more Filipino's in action with two Filipino's fighting in the Russian town of Klimovsk. At Lightweight we will see Rey Labao (26-5, 17) attempting to claim the PABA title as he takes on the unbeaten Roman Andreev (15-0, 11), a man attempting to make the first defense of his title. Labao's record may not make him look like a killer but he's a very good fighter and his only loss in his last 8 bouts came against Yoshitaka Kato in an OPBF title fight. As for Andreev this is a tough defense but advantage will likely help him some what against a testing opponent though one who is perhaps less rounded and skilled than Andreev is. The other bout comes at Bantamweight where Jason Canoy (21-4-2, 15) fights against Nikolay Potapov (12-0, 6) for the WBA Asia Bantamweight title. This bout, like the other one, looks really interesting and although we again suspect the unbeaten is more skilled we cannot rule out the Filipino fighter who we suspect will go to Russia with an upset on his mind. Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand One final show scheduled to take place is in Thailand where we have one interesting bout and one other bout worth noting, albeit a total mismatch. The interesting bout will see WBO Asia Pacific Super Flyweight champion Petchbarngborn Kokietgym (28-7-1, 11) defending his belt against the once beaten Filipino hopeful Macrea Gandionco (10-1-1, 6). We suspect Petchbarngborn will be too big for the Filipino however it's a bout we're interested in and hope that Gandionco will be comfortable at the weight. The other bout that interests us, despite it being a disgusting mismatch, will see Fonluang KKP (21-1-1, 9) take on journeyman Falazona Fidal (25-41-1, 8). This is an awful mismatch though it's nice to see Fonluang staying busy and this will be his 5th bout this year, a big change from 2012 in which he was completely inactive. (Image courtesy of Golden Boy Promotions) This Friday has sever interesting Asian bouts with shows across the continent. Tokyo, Japan The biggest of the Asian bouts this Friday come from Japan where Watnabe put on an interesting domestic card with several fights which are genuinely worth making a note of, even if the fighters aren't on the domestic title scene as of yet. We'll start with the main event which will see two ranked Japanese contenders colliding in what looks likely to be the standout bout of the show. This bout will see Jo Tanooka (9-1-3) battle against Hiroki Sato (8-4, 5). On paper we suspect Tanooka will be favoured, in reality however he enters as the #14 ranked Japanese Flyweight whilst Sato is ranked #6 and of the two it's certainly Sato who who has been matched harder, having suffered losses to having fought Suguru Muranaka and Tetsuma Hayashi. This is a great contest and one that should help move the winner towards a national title fight. The chief support bout will see another Japanese ranked contender in action as the #3 ranked Super Featherweight Koji Umetsu (22-14-3, 10) battles against novice Yusuke Nakagawa (6-3-1, 4). Umetsu, a former Japanese Featherweight champion has been in tough during his career with very competitive performances against Hiroyuki Enoki, Takahiro Ao and Seiichi Okada and at 38 is on the slide. Nakagawa will know this is a huge chance for him whilst Umetsu knows he will need a win to stay relevant. Another very interesting contest will see Masaki Saito (11-10-3, 3) battle against Tsuyoshi Tojo (12-13-3, 2) in what looks like a very even match up. This may not be a clash between top contenders but it should still be a fantastic bout between two guys putting it all on the line to try and make a name for themselves. This is the sort of bout that makes the Japanese scene so interesting with neither of the men here really being journeymen per se, just lesser level domestic foes. From what we under-stand there will also be debutant, Daisuke Watanabe (0-0), in 6 round action against Toru Kudo (4-3-2, 1). Although boxrec.com have Watanabe listed as a 3-4 (2) fighter we believe it's a case of being different fighters with the same name. Seoul, South Korea From South Korea we're expecting an interesting looking card with a very international feel to it. The main event is being advertised as an IBF Asia Pacific contender bout between Bong-Joon Suk (7-1-2, 1) and Filipino fighter Vergel Nebran (12-8-1, 8). This bout, on paper, looks interesting but it also seems off that it's not being listed by anyone but the KBF who appear to be making a point of advertising this card. The reason the KBF may be advertising the card could be the fact their Lightweight title is being fought for on the show with Sa-Ya Lee (5-2, 3) defending his belt against former OPBF title challenger Sung Tae Kim (5-9-1, 2). This will be Lee's first defense and Kim's first bout in over 3 years making this a very strange bout. A third bout advertised for this show will be between a local fighter and Thailand's Fahsang Singmanasak (0-1) in what looks like a clear bottom level match up, despite the fact we're unsure on the record of the Korean, who has been named as Hyun Woo Yoo. Thailand We have also been informed of a Thai show which is set to feature two Japanese fighters. Sadly all we know about this card is that will feature Takuya Watanabe (21-5-1, 9), fighting his third one the road this year, and and Thai based Japanese fighter Masaaki Kurishima (1-0, 1). For Watanabe this fight will come just shy of 8 months following his blood bath with Jaesung Lee and if you've not seen that one you've missed out on the bloodiest bout of the year. Sadly we've not got the names of either of the Thai's that the Japanese fighters will be up against, nor do we have details on the television coverage or the specific venue. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) |
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