Tokyo, Japan Attention turns to Tokyo again this coming Thursday, ending a few days of quietness for the sport in the Land of the Rising sun. The main event of the card will see the heavy handed Keita Obara (17-2-1, 15) take on Thai visitor Saddam Kietyongyuth (26-2, 21) in a bout for the WBO Asia Pacific Welterweight title. For Obara this will be his first title bout since losing in a world title fight to Eduard Troyanovsky last September. It will also confirm that he is now a full time Welterweight, finally letting his body ditch the crippling limits of Light Welterweight. For Saddam this looks like a really tough contest, with the Thai scoring 3 low key wins in the last 6 years. Losses to Alisher Rahimov and Cole Smith don't bode well for Saddam and we suspect Obara will break him down in the middle rounds. In the co-feature we'll see Japanese Light Middleweight champion Takeshi Inoue (10-0-1, 5) making the first defense of his title, as he takes on fellow unbeaten Riku Nagahama (7-0-1, 3) in a really mouth watering clash. Coming in to this Inoue is riding a 9 fight winning run, including notable wins over Chan Ho Lee, Akinori Watanabe and Koshinmaru Saito, who he beat for the title earlier this year. The champion is an exciting fighter who can box, or brawl, and is looking to make a statement by taking on such a tough challenger in his first defense. As for Nagahama, the #1 ranked contender, he comes in on a 7 fight winning run, including victories over Brandon Lockhart and Hideo Mikan, with his last 3 by stoppage. Given the recent performances by both men this should be a really fan friendly contest. The most notable of the under-card bouts will see the fast rising Shuichiro Yoshino (4-0, 2) take on Thai visitor Katika Saithonggym (0-1), in what is a stay busy fight for the Japanese fighter. Yoshino will know that he's supposed to win here with not issues, but can't over-look the Thai as he has got a Japanese title eliminator bout with Spicy Matsushita lined up for October. If Yoshino suffers a cut here he will be kicking himself, so expect to see the talented youngster show some caution, but see off the visitor relatively early. In another supporting bout we'll see the unbeaten Yoshimitsu Kimura (7-0, 3), who claimed the Rookie of the Year crown at Featherweight last year, take on Kanehiro Nakagawa (4-4, 3) in what looks like a decent for the unbeaten 20 year old. Nakagawa is a very beatable fighter, but he does have plenty of sting on his shots and should give the unbeaten man a chin check, at the very least.
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Tokyo, Japan Next Thursday we see another notable card from the Korakuen Hall, and this one really is a rather exciting one with a number of notable names features. The main event of the card will see the criminally under-rated Masayuki Ito (20-1-1, 8) defending his WBO Asia Pacific Super Featherweight title against big punching Filipino title challenger Lorenzo Villanueva (32-2-0-1, 28). For Ito the bout will be his first defense, since he claimed the title at the very end of 2016, and he should be looking to extend a current 4 winning run which which includes really good wins over Shingo Eto and Takuya Watanabe. For the Filipino the bout is his first outside of the Philippines since his thrilling 2012 loss to Daud Yordan in Singapore. The challenger will have the big edge in power, but he's up against a very talented boxer, and will need to show more than just brute force to over-come Ito. In a major supporting bout we'll see former world title challenger Keita Obara (16-2-1, 15) take on Indonesian Larry Siwu (24-7, 20) in a Welterweight bout. For Obara the contest will be his first since losing in a world title bout to Eduard Troyanovsky last September. The talented Obara is taking off the shackles of making Light Welterweight and it seems likely that he will be continuing his career at 147lbs going forward. Although Siwu is a decent fighter he really shouldn't have anything to really test Obara, who will be looking to shake some ring rust and make a statement. Arguably the most intriguing match up on the card will see former Japanese and OPBF Lightweight champion Yoshitaka Kato (30-7-2, 9) take on touted former amateur standout Shuichiro Yoshino (3-0, 2) in what looks like a must win for the veteran and a potential coming out party for the novice. Although now a faded force Kato, who is more than 2 years removed from a win of note, is tough, skilled and a nightmare for fighters who look to have a war. If Yoshino can avoid a war and rely on his amateur skills then he could announce himself as a serious play on the Japanese scene at 135lbs, but this is a huge step up for the 25 year old. Another former champion on this card is former 2-time Japanese Bantamweight champion Kentaro Masuda (26-7, 14), who vacated his title around the start of the year. The world ranked Masuda will be up against Filipino visitor Romel Oliveros (8-3-1, 3), who is fighting in Japan for the third time. The talented Masuda is hunting a world title bout later in the year and this is clearly a stay busy bout for him, but one that should help him get some rounds under his belt. Oliveros has been stopped in 2 of his last 3 bouts, being stopped in 2 rounds by Daigo Higa and in 5 rounds by Jonas Sultan, and it's hard to see him lasting the distance here against Masuda. Yoshino isn't the only touted novice on this card as former amateur star Motoki Osanai (1-0) returns to the ring for his second professional outing, and takes on fellow unbeaten Takeshi Kaneko (4-0-1). The talented Osanai turned professional last year, along with Hiroto Kyoguchi and Masataka Taniguchi, but has failed to shine like those two and will be looking to make up for lost time here. As for Kaneko he is unbeaten, but his 0 has certainly come under challenger during his career and it'd take a career best performance to keep that 0 here. Moscow, Russia The coming weekend is huge for boxing fans, in fact it may well be the biggest boxing weekend of the year with major fights on two continents. The weekend however kicks off a day early, on the Friday, as Japan's heavy handed Keita Obara (16-1-1, 15) challenges the unbeaten Eduard Troyanovsky (24-0, 21) for the IBF and IBO Light Welterweight titles. The bout, an IBF mandatory, will be in Russia with Obara fighting outside of Japan for the second time, following last year's horrendous draw with Walter Castillo, and it will be his first world title bout with many fans expecting real fireworks here between two big punchers. Chelyabinsk, Russia Staying in Russia fight fans will also be able to see unbeaten Filipino hopeful Rimar Metuda (10-0, 5) battle against the once beaten Kazakh Mirzhan Zhaksylykov (9-1, 4) in a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Super Featherweight title. On paper this is a brilliant match up, though Zhaksylykov, a former PABA champion, has fought just once in 6 years, losing in a 4 rounder to Shavkat Rakhimov. Talking about Tajik born Shavkat Rakhimov (5-0, 3) he will himself be in action as he takes on the experienced Farhod Oripov (11-12-1, 5) in a 6 rounder. Shanghai, China There will also be action in China. The headlined bout here will see Tao Ji (10-6-2, 2) face Xinghua Wang (12-13-1) for the vacant WBA China National Bantamweight title. Ji has gone 0-1-2 in his last 3 and is far from outstanding himself. Another interesting bout from the card in China will see the unbeaten An Bi Liang (3-0, 2) battle against the heavy handed Andrey Kalyuzhnyy (11-2, 9) in what looks like a really serious test for the unbeaten man. Tokyo, Japan April is a great month for Japanese fight fans with a host of notable shows through the month. One of the most notable come on April 14th where we see a number of bouts with notable fighters. One of those bouts is a Japanese Light Flyweight title bout between unbeaten champion Ken Shiro (6-0, 3), who looks to make his first defense, and mandatory challenger Atsushi Kakutani (17-4-1, 10). The youngster won the title late last year, when he over-came Kenichi Horikawa in a brilliant bout, and will be looking to notch a win over a world title challenger. For Kakutani however this is a long over-due shot and one that could make or break his career. Another title bout on this card will see OPBF Featherweight champion Ryo Takenaka (13-3-1, 7) defending his title against Akira Shono (9-7-2, 5). This match up is somewhat hard to get excited about, with Shono seemingly stepping up in a huge way, though it does need to be noted that Takenaka has been in active since August, when he won the title courtesy of a 5th round TKO win over Vinvin Rufino. On paper this is an easy first defence for the champion, but one that he will be hoping he'll be expected to shine. In a very notable non-title bout fans will see Keita Obara (15-1-1, 14) in a stay busy bout against Petchdam Tor Buamas (0-1). Although a huge mismatch the aim of the bout is for Obara to shake some ring rust as he looks to build towards an IBF Light Welterweight world title fight with unbeaten Russian Eduard Troyanovsky. This will be Obara's first bout since his controversial draw against Walter Castillo and it should be a very easy show case for the heavy handed Japanese fighter. In another under-card bout fans will see Japanese Rookie of the Year Tsubasa Koura (6-0, 3) kick off his 2016 by facing Thailand's Yai Phuket Topteam (0-0). The 21 year old Koura impressed last year with 5 wins, and won the All Japanese Rookie of the year. He'll be hoping to continue to build on his promising career this year, though should be up against better tests than Yai before the year is over. This coming Saturday is an amazing day for Asian fight fans who will get the chance to see some of Japan's hardest hitters, two of which will be in action in the US! Nevada, USA The most notable of those two US debut's for Japanese fighters comes in Nevada where Olympic gold medal winner Ryota Murata (7-0, 5) risks his unbeaten record against Gunnar Jackson (22-6-3, 8). On paper this is a step up Murata however the bout is more about getting the US fans interested in him rather than really testing himself against world level opposition. A win for Murata would likely see him return to the US next year for a more notable bout, perhaps against a former champion or world title challenger. Florida, USA We see another Japanese fighter make their US debut as the heavy handed, and genuinely fun to watch, Keita Obara (15-1, 14) takes on Nicaraguan warrior Walter Castillo (26-3, 19). For Obara this is a chance to prove himself internationally and move towards a potential world title fight, with this bout serving as an IBF eliminator, however Castillo is himself a man who knows that a win will change his career. We expect this one to be fun and full of heavy handed action but it will be a serious test for Obara. On the same card we will also see Kazakhstan's 154lb contender Kanat Islam (19-0, 16) who battles 34 year old Alexis Camacho (21-5, 19) in what looks like a bout unlikely to go the distance. This will be Camacho's first bout in more than a year and he really hasn't beaten anyone close to Islam's level, in fact he's best known for a loss to Carlos Molina than anything else. Although it looks good on paper this really should be a mismatch. Monte Carlo, Monaco More fighters fighting away from home will land in Monte Carlo where we have two Asian fighters in action. One of those fighters is Kazakh Bantamweight Zhanat Zhakiyanov (25-1, 18) who faces WBA interim champion Yonfrez Parejo (17-1-1, 8) in what looks like a very good match up on paper. Of the two men it's the defending champion who looks like the more accomplished boxer however the Kazakh challenger certainly has the edge in power and will be looking to knock out out foe. For “ZZ” this could be his first, and last, chance at a world title and it's clear that his training will have been stepped up for this opportunity, however it is still a tough ask. The other fighter of note is WBC Super Bantamweight silver champion Qiu Xiao Jun (18-2, 8) who defends his title against light punching Frenchman Amor Belahdj Ali (14-3-1, 2). On paper this looks well matched though the Chinese fighter has certainly been in good form recently and although he's crude he is powerful and is more proven than the Frenchman, who doesn't have names like Jonathan Baat and Silvester Lopez on his record. We were also hoping to see Japan's Yosuke Kirima on this card but it appears that that bout is now off. Dublin, Ireland Staying in Europe for a moment, we will also Indian star Vijender Singh (1-0, 1) put his unbeaten record on the line as he faces 33 year old Dean Gillen (2-0) in a 4 rounder. Tokyo, Japan The major show in Asia comes from the Korakuen Hall where we get two bouts of note, including the first defense of a WBC Youth crown. That youth defense comes at Flyweight where the all action Daigo Higa (7-0, 7) looks to defend his title against the under-rated Renren Tesorio (15-6-3, 4). For Higa, who won his title in Thailand this year in a thriller with Kongfah CP Freshmart, this is a great home coming and if he wins it's likely that he will move onto a Japanese or OPBF title fight next year before a potential world title bvout in the near future. For Tesorio it's a chance to win his most notable title and to get a win in Japan, following last year's narrow defeat to Toshiyuki Igarashi. The other bout of interest here sees former Higa foe Cris Alfante (11-5, 4) return to Japan to face unbeaten teenage Ryuto Maekawa (10-0, 6) in what looks likely to be a tough test for the unbeaten man. This is a bout where we suspect the records don't really tell us the full story and Alfante is certainly the more proven fighter, despite losing to Higa, Florante Condes, Kongfah and Knockout CP Freshmart. This really could be the show stealing bout and has the potential to be an “upset”. Shanghai, China The only other Asian show is in China here Top Rank and SECA put on the next of their novice shows. The show, at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, is another in Top Rank's attempt to create a thriving boxing scene in the Chinese mainland. Sadly not of the bout really have much to talk about though it does seem like an idea with genuine potential. Tokyo, Japan There are a lot of Japanese shows during August but, for our money, the stand out one comes on August 10th as fans get a trio of interesting bouts as well as a show case contest for a man who is one of the hardest punchers in Asia. The pick of the match ups is an OPBF Super Featherweight title bout between the once beaten Masayuki Ito (16-1-1, 7) and fellow contender Dai Iwai (17-3-1, 6), who will be trading blows in a bout for the vacant title. The bout doesn't promise a knockout, far from it in fact, but it does promise high quality action from two men who are both very well schooled and who are both looking for the biggest win of their career. Ito enters on the back of a controversial loss to Japanese champion Rikki Naito whilst Iwai enters on an 8 fight winning streak. This really could be a stand out bout with an emphasis on high speed chess. Another notable bout on this card will see OPBF Featherweight champion Vinvin Rufino (37-16-3, 16), a hard nosed veteran from the Philippines, defending his title against local favourite Ryo Takenaka (12-3-1, 6). This will be Rufino's first defense and although his record is “blotchy” to say the least he is a very good fighter and will be looking to continue his reign of champion. For Takenaka this is his second bite at the OPBF apple having come very close last year against Hisashi Amagasa, when he was stopped in the final round whilst ahead on the cards. This should be a really exciting and competitive 12 round bout between two men who simply cannot afford to lose. Another highlight on this card is youngster Ken Shiro (3-0, 2) who looks to move a step towards a Japanese title fight as he takes on Takashi Omae (13-4-5, 1). Coming in both men are ranked by the JBC but it's fair to say that this is supposed to be “one final test” for Ken Shiro who looked sensational last time out, when he stopped Katsunori Nagamine. Omae hasn't been stopped in his 22 fight career so a stoppage win for the 23 year old prospect would be a huge statement before a title fight, possibly in December. The show case fight here sees OPBF Light Welterweight champion Keita Obara (14-1, 13) fight in a non-title bout against Thai visitor Khompetch Sithsaithong (5-5, 5) in what should be no more than an easy win for the world ranked Obara. From what we understand this bout is being fought between the Light Welterweight and Welterweight limits with the intention being for Obara to gradually make a move to 147lbs, possibly by the end of this year. As well as the 4 bouts mentioned this card will feature 2 others making it perhaps the best “non-world title” show in Japan this year. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) Tokyo, Japan April is a busy month for Japanese boxing fans this year with bouts at every level, from Rookie of the Year qualifying bouts to world title bouts featuring some real stars of the sport. One of the best shows is this coming Monday at the Korakuen Hall, despite the fact there is no world title on the line. In total the show will feature 6 bouts. And although the first couple won't grab the attention of many fans they are both expected to be interesting 8 rounders. The first will feature Kyosuke Sawada (2-2, 1) taking on a Thai visitor whilst the second will see Yosuke Kawano (8-4-1, 3) face Hiroyuki Sagehashi (7-7-2, 1). We won't pretend these bouts are worth getting too excited about but they are just you're standard under-card bouts. The third bout however sees things stepping up as former OPBF Featherweight title challenger Ryo Takenaka (11-3-1, 6) takes on Junki Sasaki (13-2, 5). Takenaka, who gave Hisashi Amagasa all sorts of problems last October, will be fighting for the first time since losing his biggest bout to date. In that bout he showed a lot of ability and befuddled Amagasa for the better part of 12 rounds before being stopped with less than 2 minutes to go. Sasaki on the other hand is relatively unknown southpaw who will come in to this bout knowing that a good win will really move career onwards. We think this is a really well matched bout. The 4th bout on the card will see a bout between ranked fighters as Dai Iwai (16-3-1, 5) battles against Noriyuki Ueno (17-12-5, 5). Ueno is the more well known of the two men having come up short in 4 titles bouts, 3 Japanese and 1 OPBF, and is better than his record indicates. Unfortunately for Ueno he is now 33 and didn't look his best last time out, losing a decision to Kazunori Takayama. Iwai on the other hand is looking to get a shot at either a national title or a regional title after having previously held a WBC Youth belt, back in 2012. At the moment Iwai is on an excellent 7 fight winning streak though it does appear his lack of power may be an issue down the line. On paper this is an excellent match up, despite the fact it probably won't be the most exciting. On paper the stand out bout, by a long way, is the Japanese Bantamweight title bout between defending champion Kentaro Masuda (21-6, 11) and the unbeaten Shohei Omori (13-0, 8). For Masuda this is the 3rd defence of the title that he won exactly a year ago and since winning the title he has looked fantastic blowing away the charismatic Konosuke Tomoiyama in 3 rounds and then having an enthralling 10 round war with Tatsuya Takahashi. Aged 32 however it's time for Masuda to record a statement win then move towards the next level. Unfortunately for the champion this one won't be an easy win as he goes up against the wonderfully talented Omori who we view as one of the best prospects in Japan. Omori is a wonder-boxer puncher who scored his break out win last year when he stopped Christian Esquivel and the 22 year old southpaw is a viewed as a fighter with the potential to go all the way. Brilliant match up between two men who are on the fringes of world class, despite only fighting for the Japanese title. The final bout on the card will see the heavy handed Keita Obara (13-1, 12) defending his OPBF Light Welterweight title against the horribly over-matched Yuya Okazaki (14-7-1, 4) in a match up that appears disgustingly one sided. We like Obara and we understand he wants to make the move to Welterweight shortly though in all honesty he should have just made the move instead of defending his title against Okazaki who isn't fit to step in to the ring with him. Sadly Okazaki is one of the worst OPBF title challengers in recent memory and we'd be shocked if he managed to really give Obara any sort of a fight. Gauteng, South Africa In South Africa fans get the chance to see promising Kazakh Roman Zhailauov (13-0, 8) risk his unbeaten record against Luyanda Jako (9-9-2, 4). The 18 year old from Astana has recently signed a promotional contract with Golden Gloves in South Africa and this will be his first bout under that contract with the hope of developing him into a Welterweight contender. If Zhailauov wins here then it's expected that he will be put him on a Hekkie Budler undercard in June. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) This Sunday isn't a huge day in Asian boxing but there is very interesting card in Tokyo featuring several fighters of interest. Tokyo, Japan The action from Japan keeps coming now that we're in December and today we get several notable and interesting fighters in action with one national champion defending his belt and one of the hardest punchers, pound-for-pound, in Asia stepping up a division. We'll start with that title bout which will see Japanese Bantamweight champion Kentaro Masuda (20-6, 11) returning to the ring for his second defense of the title. Masuda, who won the title earlier this year with a technical decision over Yu Kawaguchi, looked genuinely sensational last time out when he made light work of Konosuke Tomiyama and he'll be hoping to do the same again here as he takes on the relatively unproven Tatsuya Takahashi (18-5-3, 13). On paper this looks a better bout than it's likely to be though we are big admirers of Masuda who is in great form and has improved markedly in recent years. In the chief support bout of this show we get to see OPBF Light Welterweight champion Keita Obara (12-1, 11) test the water at Welterweight as he puts on 7lbs and fighters against Filipino journeyman Rodel Wenceslao (8-9-1, 2). We'd have like to have seen Obara in with someone more testing than Wencelsao though with it being a clear test of a new weight class we understand why the monstrously hard hitting Obara isn't really in a test here. In another support bout the Japanese and OPBF ranked Dai Iwai (15-3-1, 5) will be up against the hard hitting Takumi Koyama (9-2-1, 7). Iwai enters this bout on a 6 fight winning streak but Koyama is better than many, if not all, of those 6 beaten foes of Iwai. This could prove to be a very interesting bout and a great test of Iwai's credentials before any possible title fight. As well as the bouts mentioned for this card there will be a further 3 bouts on the same show. Texas, USA As well as the action in Japan there will also be a bout involving Kyrgyzstan's Timur Shailezov (17-4-1, 8). Unfortunately for Shailezov this is going to be a very tough ask as he goes up against the unbeaten and highly touted Ivan Morales (26-0, 15) in what we suspect will be a painful night for Shailezov. (Image courtesy of http://www.kadoebi.com) Tokyo, Japan Every so often a special card comes along that fight fans really are unfairly denied the chance to see. This coming Monday has one such as card Japanese fans get one of the best double headers of the year and amazingly there isn't a world title in sight, a strange occurrence now a days with more world titles than there are top contenders. The headline bout is the more exciting of the two and is, potentially, the fight of the year. That's because we have the monster punching Keita Obara (11-1, 10) defending his OPBF Light Welterweight title against the aggressive and heavy handed Shinya Iwabuchi (23-4, 19). Between them the men have 29 KO's from 39 fights and if you've never seen them in action you've been missing out big time. Obara is the bigger puncher and has devastatingly heavy hands, as shown in wins over the likes of Kengo Nagashima, and it's very possible that he's the hardest puncher, pound-for-pound, in Japan right now. Whilst Obara is a brutal puncher Iwabuchi combines heavy hands with speed, combinations and a real killer instinct, as seen clearly in his win over Shamgar Koichi. Not only is Iwabuchi an aggressively fun to watch fighter but he's also tough as old boost, as shown in his war with Min Wook Kim. We can't emphasise this enough but this fight will be something very special. Whilst the main event on the card has "FOTY written all over it the chief support bout isn't too bad either as Japanese Super Flyweight champion Yohei Tobe (8-1-1, 5) looks for the first defence of his title. Tobe, who holds a stoppage win over former world champion Wandee Singwancha and an 8 round decision over Kohei Kono, will be battling against the unbeaten Sho Ishida (16-0, 9). This bout isn't quite as good as the other one in terms of styles but with both men coming to the contest with world rankings it's possibly more important in the grand scheme of things. Although it is a big step up for Ishida he does have criminally under-rated power and shot selection, including some lovely body shots as shown in his fight with Petchbarngborn Kokietgym last year. With two amazing bouts on the show it probably goes without saying that it's not a long one and the under-card features just 4 bouts. Surprisingly 2 of them are very solid under-card bouts. The first will see Yuki Ozawa (10-3, 2) attempting to end a 3 fight losing streak as he takes on Ryo Takenaka (10-2-1, 5). On paper the men are very matched and although Ozawa is on a bad run he has faced some good fighters such as Masaaki Serie and Koji Aoki, the big question for him however is how he will cope with a bout being fought at 131lbs and we think the weight will be the difference and will certainly favour Takenaka. The second of the interesting under-card contests will see the heavy handed Taiki Minamoto (9-3, 8) put his Japanese Bantamweight ranking on the line against the tough and experienced Yukinori Hisanaga (15-5-2, 9). Hisanaga has been inactive for a year though did give Japanese Super Bantamweight champion Hidenori Otake a very tough fight last time out. Minamoto is starting to develop into a very good fighter but this is a major test for him and a win if not a given at all despite his edge in power. (Image courtesy of danganboxing) The brilliant weekend that we've just had could very well have survived as a stand alone day in the boxing world. Thankfully however the action continues through to Monday when fight fans in Tokyo get the chance to see a title double header with both OPBF and Japanese title action in what appears to be the perfect send off to a long boxing weekend. Tokyo, Japan The card, Dangan 99, is Asia's only notable card and features 6 bouts. The action kicks off with an all debutant fight in the Bantamweight division with the men competing in the first round of the C class tournament though it's the two headline bouts that of real interest. The first of those is a Japanese Super Flyweight title bout as the once beaten Yohei Tobe (7-1-1, 4) battles the big hitting Taiki Eto (12-2, 9) battle for the vacant belt. On paper this is a bout we love the look of and we're genuinely licking our lips in anticipation of what is potentially a humdinger between defensively naive fighters. Unfortunately for Tobe we feel his relative lack of power will be an issue here though expect the bout to be great fun for as long as it lasts. Following on from the Japanese title fight we then step up a level and move on to a bout for the OPBF Light Welterweight title. Whilst we're really really excited about the Japanese title fight we've got to admit we're even more excited about this bout as the big punching Keita Obara (10-1, 9) goes to war with Filipino banger Jay Solmiano (17-2-1, 3). This bout could finish at any moment and with both having power it really is an exciting and mouth watering match up that should genuinely excite the fans As well as the two title bouts we'd also advise keeping a close eye on the contest between Shingo Eto (12-2-1, 8) and Filipino Ryan Sermona (16-4, 9) in what should be a thrilling under card bout. (Image courtesy of http://danganboxing.com) |
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