Bangkok, Thailand
In Bangkok fight fans will get the chance to see a number of fights involving visiting Japanese fighters. Sadly their opponents, all of which are locals, are un-named at the present moment, but the show is worthy of note due to the quality of the Japanese fighters. The main event will see the hotly tipped Hinata Maruta (5-1, 4) fight for the first time since he lost in an OPBF title fight against Hidenori Otake. The bout is expected to be a simple confidence builder for Maruta who will likely be seeking a rematch with Otake in 2018. Despite the loss last time out he's still one of the most naturally talented young fighters on the planet and it would be a huge shock to see anything but a win here from Maruta. Maruta's stablemate Naoto Iwai (3-2, 1) will be on the show, and will be trying to end a 2-fight skid. The talented Iwai once looked like a prospect on his way through the ranks but losses to Ryosuke Nasu and Kenya Yamashita have slowed the 20 year old down. He'll be hoping for a win here and then a step up back in Japan in 2018 as he looks to rebuild his career as quickly as possible. One other fighter of note on this card is former Japanese title challenger Takumi Sakae (17-2-1, 12). The talented Sakae has won his last 3 by stoppage but did have a frustrating 2016, in which he went 1-2-1, and will clearly be trying to string together another win before the start of 2018, as he continues to chase a second title fight.
1 Comment
This coming Wednesday we'll not see a lot of action,but what we will get is pretty meaningful all the same.
Bangkok, Thailand In Bangkok we get a world title eliminator, as Thai veteran Mike Tawatchai (44-10-1, 27) takes on Australian based Irishman TJ Doheny (17-0, 13) in an IBF Super Bantamweight title eliminator. Originally Doheny had been scheduled to take on former world champion Evgeny Gradovich, though Gradovich pulled out and we'll instead see Doheny face Tawatchai. The bout will be Doheny's first in Asia, though if he wins he would likely need to return to face IBF champion Ryosuke Iwasa. For Tawatchai this unexpected eliminator is rather undeserved, especially given recent losses to Tomoki Kameda and Yukinori Oguni, but he will know that a win does open the door to another big fight. Interesting if Tawatchai wins he'll likely be looking to fight Iwasa anywhere but Japan, as he has an unflattering 1-10 record in the Land of the Rising Sun. Bohol, Philippines In the Philippines we'll get the chance to see road warrior Ricky Sismundo (32-10-3, 14) on Jason Redondo (11-5-2, 7). The under-rated Sismundo has been fighting in Japan, Canada and the US in recent years and other than his last bout, against Boyce Sultan in August, he hasn't fought in the Philippines since 2014. This is a nice chance for locals to get behind one of their most over-looked fighters and hopefully he will get another big opportunity, despite having proven himself to be a nightmare against the likes Jose Felix Jr, Dierry Jean and Ghislain Maduma. Tokyo, Japan On the final Tuesday before Christmas Japanese fight fans get a really good looking Kadoebi promoted card from the Korakuen Hall, with several bouts of genuine significance. The most important of the bouts is the main event of the show, which will see the unbeaten Hiroki Okada (16-0, 11) take on the highly experienced Jason Pagara (40-2-1, 25) for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Light Welterweight title. The Japanese local knows that a win here will almost certainly be followed by a world title eliminator next year, with Okada having been ordered to face Ivan Baranchyk in an IBF eliminator however Pagaea is no push over. Interestingly Pagara, who is the WBO #8 ranked fighter at 147lbs, comes into this bout on the back of a FOTY contender against James Onyango, a bout that showed Pagara's faults and heart as he narrowly came away with a draw. This could be a very entertaining fight, and is a very significant one for both men involved. The chief support bout will see touted former amateur star Ryota Yamauchi (1-0, 1) take a huge step up in class to face off with Lester Abutan (12-6-3, 6). The talented and touted Yamauchi impressed on debut and will now be tasked with facing someone who really is a very tough opponent for a second bout and is ranked in the top 15 by the OPBF. For Abutan the bout sees him returning to Japan for his second bout in the country, with the first being a loss in an OPBF title fight to Ken Shiro. It should be noted that Abutan hasn't just faced off with Ken Shiro but also fought to a split with Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr and is a really still test for Yamauchi A third bout pitting Japan against the Philippines will see Yuta Nakagawa (21-5-1, 12) take on Markquil Salvana (13-4, 7). We last saw Nakagawa involved in a thrilling contest with Yasutaka Ishimoto, in a Japanese title eliminator, with Nakagawa losing the split decision in that bout. That loss to Ishimoto saw Nakagawa ending a 12 fight unbeaten run, and he'll be looking to get back to winning ways here. Salvana was once 9-0 (3) but has gone 4-4 (4) in his last 8 bouts, including losses in Japan to Takuya Uehara and Shota Hayashi, and has interestingly never won outside of his homeland. In an all Japanese bout fans will see Japanese ranked Light Welterweight Yusuke Konno (11-4, 5) take on Welterweight puncher Kazuya Maruki (20-5, 13). The 32 year old Konno was last in the ring back in June, when he lost in a thriller against Koichi Aso for the Japanese Light Welterweight title. That bout showed that Konno really could fight, and he'll be looking to put in a similar performance here. The naturally bigger, and younger, Maruki has gone 3-3 in his last 6, including 2 losses in his last 3 bouts, but will likely feel his edge in youth and natural size advantage will be enough. It's hard to not excited about this bout given that both are flawed, aggressive and exciting fighters. One other fighter of note on this card is Japanese Youth Bantamweight champion Wataru Takeda (11-1-1, 5), who will be facing off with a Thai opponent. Takeda has won his last 2 by stoppage following a close loss to Ryohei Takahashi in October 2016 and it does seem like his team have got big plans for 2016, with this bout serving as just a stay busy fight before Christmas. This coming Sunday is an interesting day for Asian fight fans. We get a world title fight, several interesting prospects, and a recent world title challenger all in action. Fukuoka, Japan The biggest bout for the day, by some margin, is in Fukuoka and will see WBC female Minimumweight champion Yuko Kuroki (17-4-1, 8) take on long reigning WBC Atomweight queen Momo Koseki (23-2-1, 9). The bout will see Koseki move up in weight after an incredible 9 year reign as the Atomweight champion, which has seen her defend the title an incredible 17 times. For Kuroki the bout will be her 6th defense, and if she wins here she really will continue to build her reputation as the rising force in the division, perhaps even solidifying her place as the division's #2 fighter behind Anabel Ortiz. Another notable female bout on this card will see Sana Hazuki (6-2, 2) battle Nanae Suzuki (5-2, 1) in a bout to decide the mandatory challengers for the Japanese female Atomweight title. On paper this is a real 50-50 fight with both being beatable but decent fighters, at least at domestic level. Coming in Suzuki has won her last 4, including a notable win over Chie Higano last time out, whilst Hazuki has gone 2-2 in her last 4, but has fought a slightly higher level of competition. Ishikawa, Japan We get a trio of notable fighters in Ishikawa, unfortunately all three look like total mismatches on paper. The one possible saving grace of this show is a Japanese female title bout. The main event of the card sees the entertaining Hurricane Futa (22-7-1, 13) take on Thai novice Detanan Rongriankila Korat (1-1, 1), in what looks set to be an easy ring return for Futa following a 5th round TKO loss to Ernie Sanchez in April. The tough Futa had never previously been stopped, so this bout will be all about how he is mentally following that defeat. Another man returning to the ring following a loss last time out is Genesis Servania (29-1, 12), who put in a solid showing en route to a loss against Oscar Valdez in a WBO Featherweight title fight. The Japanese based Filipino stepped up and impressed against Valdez and will fighting a stay busy bout against a Thai here, before potentially moving towards a second world title fight in 2018. The third mismatch featuring a fighter of note will see OPBF ranked Super Bantamweight Takashi Igarashi (11-3, 4) face off with Satopet Saithonggym (0-2). Coming in to this Igarashi has won his last 4, and will be looking for a third win of the year here. Satopet will be fighting for the third time this year, and in his previous bouts of the year he was stopped, with both bouts coming in Japan. It'd be a surprise to see the Thai avoid a third straight stoppage loss. Arguably the one bout of real intrigue here is a Japanese female Featherweight title fight, as Asami Jinnari (5-2, 2) takes on Wakako Fujiwara (4-2-1, 2) for the vacant title. The 33 year old Jinnari has won her last two, following a 2016 loss to Ayumi Goto, whilst the 36 year old Fujiwara is aon a 3 fight winning run and appears to have the moment coming in to this one. Tokyo, Japan In Tokyo fight fans get the chance to see a couple of notable fighters, but sadly they are both in mismatches. One of those fighters is the really promising and very much in form Reiya Abe (15-2, 7). Abe has had a really great few years and is riding a 7 fight winning streak with notable wins against the likes of Ryo Hino, Hikaru Marugame, Tsuyoshi Tameda and Satoshi Hosono. Given that level of competition that Abe has been facing we can't begrudge him an easy bout, but it's still disappointing that he's not being moved more aggressively towards a title fight of some kind. In another bout fans will see 2016 Super Featherweight Rookie of the year Yuji Awata (9-4, 3) in action. Sadly, like Abe, he's up against a Thai visitor and is not expected to get much of a test here. Cotabato del Sur, Philippines In the Philippines there's a small but relative intriguing card. The main event of the card looks likely to be a genuine entertaining contest as the once beaten Genisis Libranza (13-1, 9) takes on the often exciting Michael Enriquez (13-8-1, 9). The talented Libranza has notched up two wins since suffering a loss in April to Moruti Mthalane and will be favoured here against his more experienced foe. On paper Enriquez looks limited and he's lost 6 of his last 9, however he has been in thrillers with Rex Tso and Stamp Kiatniwat and we suspect this could also be a very entertaining contest, and Enriquez is likely to put up a better than his record suggests. In a notable step up we'll see 20 year old Vincent Astrolabio (10-0, 7) take on former world title challenger John Mark Apolinario (18-11-3, 4). The unbeaten youngster stopped 7 of his first 8 but has gone the distance in his last 2 bouts and will likely feel he's proven his stamina in those two bouts. Apolinario foiught for the WBA Bantamweight title way back in 2013, losing a wide decision to Koki Kameda. Since that loss he has gone 2-8 and it's likely to become 2-9 here, with Apolinario having shown little desire since the loss to Kameda. One really interesting bout here will see 19 year old Vince Paras (12-0, 10) risk his unbeaten record against fellow unbeaten Aldren Moreno (3-0, 2). The bout really could be very exciting. Both fighters are young, punchers who are being given an opportunity to prove themselves here. On paper Paras's extra experience will likely serve him well here, but Moreno was a former amateur stand out and his team wouldn't throw him to the wolves unless they believed he could win. This coming Saturday is set to be a hectic day with a lot of action as we continue to race towards Christmas! Tecamac, Mexico In many ways the most significant bout to include an Asian this coming Saturday comes from Mexico where former world champion Nana Yoshikawa (7-2, 4) resurfaces, to take on the limited Delia Lopez (10-6-2, 5) for the WBC Female interim Flyweight title. For Yoshikawa a loss is likely to be the end of her career, and it would be a huge disappointment given her amateur background. Lopez however is a less than great opponent and should pose little threat for the Japanese fighter. Hyogo, Japan Staying on the theme of Japanese fighters there is also a low key card in Hyogo, thanks to Senrima Kobe. The main event of the card will see 2-time world title challenger Teiru Kinoshita (25-2-1, 8) take on a Thai foe in what is expected to be little more than a confidence builder for Kinoshita. The Japanese fighter was last seen in action this past July when he was stopped by Jerwin Ancajas in Australia, and it's clear that he's not going to win a world title. Despite that it's good to see him back in the ring, and hopefully he'll be moved towards an OPBF title fight in 2018. Another notable Japanese fighter on this card is Ryoki Hirai (9-4-1, 4), who sadly will also be facing a less than testing Thai foe. The talented Hirai has a misleading record, and is much better than the numbers suggest, as shown by recent wins over Takumi Sake and Ryoya Ikema. Although this bout is a step backwards for Hirai it should be noted that he was injured earlier in the year and this looks like an easy run out to test how he's recovered. The most interesting bout on this card will see Japanese ranked fighters collide as Giraffe Kirin Kanda (10-2, 6) battles Mitsuyoshi Fujita (10-3, 3). Coming in to this Kanda is on a 4 fight winning streak, including a big win over Ukyo Yoshigai, and looks to be slowly but surely working his way to a domestic title fight. Whilst Kanda is in good form the same can't be said or Fujita, who was stopped last time out by Koki Inoue, though prior to that loss he had been on an 8 fight winning run and is a live fighter here in what looks like a genuine 50-50 match up. Zhongshan, China For a second day running there will be action in Zhongshan, with several titles on the line. One of those titles will be the WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Super Featherweight title, which will see Filipino Joe Noynay (12-2-1, 4) battle against Chinese fighter Yongcai Liu (6-4-3, 3). Noynay was last seen losing in a very competitive contest to Reiya Abe, in what was his second loss in 4 bouts, but he should be favoured here. The local has won hist last two against veterans, but a win here would be a surprise given that he is stepping up quite notably here. A second bout for a WBC Asian Boxing Council title will be at Super Middleweight and will see once beaten Chinese puncher Ainiwaer Yilixiati (11-1, 9) take on Georgian foe Tornike Gikashvili (15-7-1, 3). For Yilixiati this bout will be his second since losing to OPBF champion Jayde Mitchell back in August, and it's hard to see anything but a win for the aggressive Chinese slugger. The 20 year old visitor has gone 1-5 in his last 6, including 4 stoppage losses, and it's hard to imagine him lasting the distance here. Another bout at Super Middleweight will see Zulipikaer Maimaitiali (9-1-1, 7) take on Pavel Semjonov (21-7-2, 8), in a non-title bout. The exciting Maimaitiali will be fighting for the second time since his very close loss to Vijender Singh in August and he will be looking to make a statement here. The visitor, from Estonia, may be recognisable to European fight fans, as he has fought a variety of notable fighters, but regularly comes up short in performance that show his toughness. We're expecting to see Maimaitiali win, and if so we can hopefully move towards a bout between him and the aforementioned Yilixiati. Metro Manila, Philippines The most significant of three shows in the Philippines takes place in Metro Manila and features a trio of title bouts, along with a scattering of other notable fighters. One of those title bouts will see the promising Ernesto Saulong (21-2-1, 8) battle against countryman Renan Portes (10-5, 6) for the IBF Pan Pacific Bantamweight title. Coming in to this Saulong has won his last 3, and rebuilt well following his 2015 loss to Lwandile Sityatha. On paper Portes looks the much lesser fighter, and his loss to Hayate Kaji earlier this year does show he can be blasted out, but Portes will know this is a big opportunity and hopefully he looks to take it with both hands. A second title bout, for the OPBF Silver Light Flyweight title will see the once beaten Ivan Soriano (16-1-1, 8) take on the upset minded Jaysever Abcede (15-7, 10). Coming in to this Soriano is riding a 12 fight winning run, dating back to 2010, though he has taken a significant break from action during that run and has fought only 4 rounds in the last 4 years. Abcede is best known for a 2015 upset win over Pigmy Kokietgym, though has only gone 5-4 since then and lost to the likes of Tsubasa Koura and Wanheng Menayothin. This could be a really intriguing match up, though it does look like one that Soriano should pick up the win in. A third title bout, and by far the weakest on the card, will see Danny Tampipi (7-8-2, 4) battle Noel Adelmita (13-11-2, 2) for the PBF Super Bantamweight title. We'll be honest and admit we really are struggling to get excited about this one with both fighters being out of form and neither likely to really shine here. Other fighters on this card include Mark Anthony Barriga (7-0, 1), Jerald Daniega (11-0, 8), Richard Claveras (18-3-2, 15) and AJ Banal (34-2-1, 23), all of whom are expected to pick up straight forward wins against over-matched foes. Barriga and Daniega are two real prospects with genuine potential, whilst Claveras and Banal are both aggressive and exciting and aggressive fighters who should be looking to make statements. Metro Manila, Philippines A second Filipino show in Metro Manila will take place, though to much less fan fare than the one above. The most notable bout on the card is a huge mismatch between Cris Paulino (14-3, 4) and Roy Lagrada (3-18-1, 3). The talented Paulino is the much better fighter here, despite losing successive bout to Koki Eto and Vic Darchinyan, though has taken 2 years out of the ring and will be looking to ease himself back into action against the over-matched Lagrada. This show will also feature the once beaten Giemel Magramo (19-1, 15), who looks to secure his third win since a close and competitive loss to Muhammad Waseem back in November 2016. Sadly at the time of writing Magramo's opponent hadn't been announced. Cebu, Philippines There will also be a small card in Cebu. The main event of the card will see the heavy handed Jayar Aliasot (6-1, 5) take on domestic foe Carlo Demecillo (8-4, 2). Aliasot is stepping up big time here, but will feel his power can do a number on Demecillo, like Satoshi Shimizu's did last December, and that he can get the lighter punching man out of there. As for Demecillo the game plan will be able dragging his man into the later rounds, and out working him, showing the toughness that gave Hisashi Amagasa problems in October 2016. Also on this card is a very interesting looking match up between 32 year old Clyde Azarcon (10-1, 4) and 21 year old Royder Lloyd Borbon (5-1-1, 5). Coming in to this Azarcon has won his last 9, but the competition during that run tells us very little about how good he is and none of the opponents had records to suggest they were really going to be tests. Borbon on the other hand will come in on the back of 3 stoppages, and will be looking to score his best win to date here. This should tell us a lot about both men. Brovari, Ukraine In Ukraine we see a Filipino fighter go to the Lion's den to face one of the more over-looked Ukrainian fighters of recent times. The Ukrainian in question is the outstanding Denys Berinchyk (7-0, 4), who was a Silver medal winner at the 2011 World Amateur championships and the 2012 Olympics. In the opposite corner to the Ukrainian will be once beaten Filipino Allan Vallespin (11-1, 8), who was stopped in his only bout outside of the Philippines by a thunder bolt from current Japanese Super Featherweight champion Masaru Sueyoshi. Vallespin could test Barinchyk but it's hard to imagine him getting a win here. Hauts-de-Seine, France We have another bout involving a Filipino in France, as local prospect Nordine Oubaali (12-0, 9) takes on the highly experienced Filipino Mark Anthony Geraldo (34-7-3, 15) in a bout for the WBC “Silver” Bantamweight title. The talented Oubaali is a 2-time Olympian who was once tipped for big things, but at 31 years old it does seem like now or never for him. Aged 26 Geraldo has been able to be a busy professional and has shown real touches of brilliance, but has never quite managed to put on a full performance at the higher levels. Coming in to this Geraldo is 3-3, including a loss to Takuma Inoue, and although he could give Oubaali a good test, it would be regarded as a real upset if Geraldo picked up the win. Quebec, Canada In Canada we see one of the most exciting prospects from Kazakhstan in action. That man is the heavy handed Batyrzhan Jukembayev (10-0-0-2, 9), who takes a credible step up in class to take on 22 year old American Wilberth Lopez (20-8, 14). The hard hitting Jukembayev does look like a destructive force and is carving out a promising career in Canada but does need to win here to continue that run. Lopez will come in as the opponent but he will be a very live one. He has gone the distance with decent prospects, like Alex Saucedo, Ivan Baranchyk and Juan Ruiz, whilst also proving he can score the odd upset, as he did against Jose Roman. This is not likely to be a walk in the park for the Canadian based Kazakh. Zhongshan, China
This coming Friday fight fans in Zhongshan will get a relatively low key card, but one with a few interesting looking bouts. One of those bouts will see Filipino Engelbert Moralde (10-5, 6) take on unbeaten Chinese fighter Yelieqiati Nihemaituola (10-0-1, 2). The visitor has lost 3 of his last 5, including losses in a couple of visits to Japan, and has never won outside of the Philippines. Although not a notable name in Chinese boxing, yet, Nihemaituola has been building a bit of a reputation and looks like a potential hidden gem for Chinese boxing, especially given that he's only 23. A win here won't turn the Chinese fighter into a star but will help to enhance his reputation as a genuine Chinese prospect. In a battle for the WBO China Zone Featherweight title fans will see Yu Che Li (3-1-1, 2) take on Da Xu (3-0, 1). Neither of these man have much name value, but both will be up for a fight as they both seek their first professional titles. Li, from Taiwan, claimed his most notable victory back in September when he scored a TKO win over Richard Garcia and will be looking to build on that. Aged 18 Xu is a boxing baby but does seem to be slowly developing and has done well since debuting just over 13 months ago. Interestingly Xu's last bout was also a TKO win over Garcia, and prior to that he had claimed two majority decisions. This isn't going to make waves, but could be a very interesting match up A second WBO China Zone title fight comes at Light Flyweight, as the unbeaten pairing of Rongguo Wu (4-0-2, 1) and Lemen Chao (6-0) face off for the vacant title. So far in his career Wu has had struggles in almost all of his bouts. He scored a stoppage on debut but has gone the distance in his 5 subsequent bouts, with 4 of them being very close, including his two draws. It's hard to get a read on those results, given they all came against fellow Chinese novices. Chao has never scored a stoppage, and like Wu has some close wins, but does clear advantages in being the much taller man and a southpaw. This could be a very fun fight or a very frustrating one. One other bout of interest here will see former world title challenger Noldi Manakane (32-23-2, 18) battling against unbeaten Chinese prospect Zhong Liu (10-0, 3). Liu has been impressive and won the Major League Boxing tournament at 122lbs earlier this year, and should see this as a chance to claim a win against a man with some name value, even if Manakane is way past his best. Ekaterinburg, Russia Russian fans will get the chance to see a number of Asian fighters in action, in bouts of various significance. The most important bout of the card will see Russia's Magomed Kurbanov (12-0, 9) take on Japan's Akinori Watanabe (35-6, 30) in about for the WBO International Light Middleweight title. The Russian enters the bout as the WBO #1 ranked fighter at 154lbs and although highly ranked has got a lot of questions to answer before getting a world title fight. It's unlikely that the 32 year old Watanabe will be able to ask too many questions of Kurbanov, but the power of Watanabe could see the Russian being given a chin check, if nothing else. A second bout of some interest will see Tajik born Russian based Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov (9-0, 6) battle against the very experienced Filipino Jaime Barcelona (40-61-1, 10). The unbeaten Yaqubov has stopped his last 3, including Daiki Ichikawa and Ernie Sanchez, and does look like a fighter with the potential to go places. Aged 40 Barcelona is unlikely to pose a serious threat to Yaqubov, but he is an upset minded fighter and comes into this on the back of a huge shock win over Eden Sonsona and is a very tough fighter, capable of giving decent fighters tough nights. Another bout featuring a Filipino and an unbeaten fighter will see Roberto Gonzales (27-3, 17) take on Russia's Zaur Abdullaev (6-0, 4). Although this looks good on paper the reality is that Gonzales is very limited and has been stopped in all 3 of his losses, likely to become 4 here. Abdullaev is stepping up, in a pretty big way, but hasn't come close to losing yet and is unlikely to really be tested here. Eastern Cape, South Africa We also get a bout of note in South Africa, as in form South African Lwandile Sityatha (23-3-1, 7) v looks to extend an unbeaten 8 fight winning run as he takes on Filipino Jake Bornea (12-2, 6). Sityatha has been a thorn in the side of Filipino boxing in recent times, with wins over Edrin Dapudong, Michael Dasmarinas and Ernesto Saulong and it's unlikely that the naturally smaller Bornea will be able to change that here. Tokyo, Japan The biggest card, at least for us, this coming Thursday is a doubler header at the Korakuen Hall, with a WBO Asia Pacific title fight and a Japanese domestic title fight, along with a supporting bout involving a former Japanese champion. The main event will see former world title challenger Keita Obara (18-2-1, 16) defending his WBO Asia Pacific Welterweight title against the exciting Shusaku Fujinaka (16-7-2, 11). The bout will be Obara's first defense of the title, which he won earlier this year when he stopped Saddam Kietyongyuth, and should be a relatively straight forward one, against a limited but aggressive Fujinaka. The challenger is best known for a his 2015 loss to Randall Bailey and has shown a questionable chin, with 3 stoppage losses. Saying that however he's an exciting warrior and his recent bout with Moon Hyun Yun is one of the best Japanese fights of 2017. We expect action and excitement, but a clear win for Obara here. The other title fight will see Japanese Light Welterweight champion Koichi Aso (22-7-1, 15) taking on exciting challenger Valentine Hosokawa (21-6-3, 9). The bout is set to be one between two men who simply like to fight. They have styles that should gel, they have mentalities that should be made for each other, and it's hard to see how this bout will fail to be anything but thrilling. Aso, defending the title for the second time, is a high octane pressure fighter whilst Hosokawa is a bit more of a swarmer and the bout should be a balls to the wall war. One other bout on this card worthy of note will see former Japanese Light Flyweight champion Kenichi Horikawa (33-15-1, 7) fight for the 50th time! The 37 year old veteran will be up against a limited Thai foe, and will be expected to pick up a win to mark his half century of bouts. Quebec, Canada In Canada we'll see a couple of talented fighters from Central Asia. One of those will be heavy handed Canadian based Kazakh Ablaikhan Khussainov (6-0, 5), who faces off with Mexican Jesus Silveira (8-4-2, 3). The talented Kazakh has quietly gone about business and looks like a real talent but does still need some seasoning and it looks like that's the purpose of this bout. Silveira's record might suggest that he's a very limited fighter but but he's mixed with quality fighters, like Jose Zepeda, and no one has managed to stop him yet, suggesting he'll be a durable foe for Khussainov. A second Canadian based Kazakh on this card will be Nurzat Sabirov (3-0, 3), who will be looking to record his 4th win in just over 6 months. The talented 23 year old has just needed 6 rounds to dispose of his first 3 opponents and if he keeps ripping through low tier foes it won't be long until they push him into bigger and better bouts against stiffer competition. New York, USA There will also be some central Asian interest in the US, courtesy of American based Uzbek fighter Hurshidbek Normatov (4-0, 2), who risks his unbeaten record against fellow unbeaten Nicklaus Flaz (5-0, 4). So far through his short career Normatov has impressed, not losing any of his 13 professional rounds, and looks like a potential one to watch. However the 25 year old born in Andijan hasn't really faced a notable test and this bout with Flaz should serve as a test of sorts. Puerto Rican puncher Flaz is a 22 year old with genuine bang, having stopped his first 4 opponents in a combined 5rounds, but was taken the distance last time out by Elie Augustama and may be biting off more than he can chew here. Queensland, Australia
There isn't much Asian action this Wednesday, but fans will be able to see a very under-rated Filipino fighter taking on an unbeaten Australian. The unbeaten man is the touted 29 year old Paul Fleming (24-0, 16), who was a stand out amateur before turning his hand to the professional code more than 9 years ago. The Australian will be up against Vergil Puton (17-8, 8), and on paper this looks like a total mismatch, however Puton has one of boxing's most misleading records and has posed real questions of fighters like Shuya Masaki, Ye Joon Kim and JR Magboo. Fleming should, rightfully, be regarded as the favourite, but this is not going to be an easy night for the unbeaten man. Ekaterinburg, Russia
There's not much Asian action this coming Tuesday, but there are some Asian fighters in action in Russia. Arguably the most notable of those is Kyrgyzstan born Russian based Super Featherweight Akzhol Sulaimanbek uulu (8-0, 4), who will be looking to extend his unbeaten record as he takes on the experienced Andrei Isayeu (30-11, 9), of Belarus. So far we've been unconvinced by the potential of Sulaimanbek uulu but he should have too much for Isayeu, who has lost 6 of his last 7. Also on this card fans will see unbeaten Russian Vladislav Krasnoshein (2-0, 1) take on Uzbek fighter Sharobiddin Jurakhonov (2-3, 2) in a 6 rounds. The Uzbek, who is 1-3 in Russia, will be the under dog, though it's worth noting that this will be his 6th straight bout against an unbeaten fighter. As for the Russian this will be his first contest scheduled for more than 4 rounds, and we're expecting to see Krasnoshein being tested here. Another fighter worth noting on this card is Kazakh novice Stanislav Kalitskiy (2-0, 2), who will be lookingto extend his unbeaten run and scored a third straight opening round win, as he takes on Rezvoni Safarzoda (1-1, 2), who is a Russian Tajik fighter. December 11th- Funai and Kawaguchi headline, Onaga and Kudaka support in Super Flyweight double!12/5/2017 Tokyo, Japan This Monday sees a pretty decent card coming from the Korakuen Hall, thanks to Dangan who will be putting on a Japanese title fight, a Japanese title eliminator and the return of a former national and OPBF champion. The returning champion is the always to watch Takuya Kogawa (28-5, 13), who was last seen earlier this year losing his title in a rematch to Masayuki Kuroda. That bout seemed to show that Kogawa was on the slide, but he has had such a hard career, and his bouts against the likes of Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Suguru Muranaka, Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep, Hiroyuki Kudaka and the aforementioned Kuroda were all very entertaining and pretty damaging to the Tokyo man. Given the big bouts Kogawa has been in we can't begrudge him an easy one, and it does look like he has a very easy one here, as he takes on Naoto Fujimoto (9-7-1, 4), who is 2-4 in his last 6, and shouldn't pose any threat to Kogawa, unless the wars have really caught up with the former champion. The chief support bout of the card will be a Japanese title eliminator, as the experienced pairing of Go Onaga (28-3-3, 19) and Hiroyuki Kudaka (25-17-1, 11) face off, in what really has the potential to be the Japanese fight of the year. Onaga is 1-1-1 in his last 3, and at 37 knows it really is now or never. He's seemingly obsessed with winning some sort of title before he ends his career and with the end coming fast he really needs a win here to remain relevant. Kudaka on the other hand is one of the rare fighters you watch just because of how entertaining he is. Kudaka is a 4-time world title challenger, and he has racked up a lot of losses, but rarely has he been in bouts that weren't thoroughly entertaining and well worth the price of admission. On paper this looks like a mismatch, but with youth on side we wouldn't be surprised if Kudaka managed to win a genuinely brilliant and action packed bout, and earn a shot at the Japanese title in 2018. Talking about a title fight the main event of the card is a Japanese Super Flyweight title fight, and the winner is likely to face the winner of the Onaga Vs Kudaka bout. This contest will see defending champion Ryuichi Funai (28-7, 19) take on Shota Kawaguchi (21-8-1, 9). For the champion this will be his second defense, and he will likely be hoping to move towards a world title fight in 2018. For Kawaguchi this is a second title fight, following a loss in an OPBF title fight to Rene Dacquel earlier this year. Kawaguchi is a good challenger at this level, but is likely to look a level below Funai, who is a very capable fighter, with the potential to mix at a much higher level than just domestic title level. |
Categories
All
Archives
October 2022
|