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.
0 Comments
This coming Friday is a hectic day with 5 title bouts taking place in Japan. Kobe, Japan In Kobe we get an OPBF quadruple header, with the card looking, at least on paper, like one of the most notable Oriental cards of the month. The bouts might not be 4 brilliant match up, but they will help establish the OPBF scene as we enter 2017, and at least 2 of the bouts look like they could be very interesting match ups. The “main event”, well the final of the 4 main events, will see OPBF Super Bantamweight champion Shun Kubo (10-0, 7) defending his title, and unbeaten record, against Korean visitor Jin Wook Lim (8-4-5, 2). This was the first bout on the card to be known about and although it looks like a mismatch it could, potentially, be a good test for Kubo who will be looking for stiff competition next year. Lim, although having a sketchy record, is a former Korean champion and holds a draw with touted Korean prospect Ye Joon Kim, giving him some legitimacy as a challenger here. In a bout at Lightweight we'll see Masayoshi Nakatani (12-0, 7) defending his title against former OPBF Super Featherweight champion Allan Tanada (14-5-3, 6). The bout will be Nakatani's 6th defense and will see him looking to build on wins against the likes of Ricky Sismundo, Accel Sumiyoshi and Tosho Makoto Aoki. For Tanada , who has actually lost 3 of his last 4, the bout sees him attempting to score his biggest win since his 2010 shock upset over Rikiya Fukuhara. Sadly for Tanada he's gone 4-5-3 since his win over Fukuhara almost 6 years ago and it's hard to imagine this being a win for the Filipino. Arguably the most interesting bout on the card sees OPBF Bantamweight champion Takahiro Yamamoto (18-4, 15) defending his title against Japanese based Filipino Mark John Yap (24-12, 10). On paper this might not look like a great bout but the reality is that the contest is brilliantly well matched and puts an exciting and hard hitting champion up against a talented and tough young veteran. For Yamamoto the bout will be his third defense, but is a huge step up from his previous 2, whilst Yap will be looking to extend a 5 fight winning run which has included a notable upset over Tatsuya Ikemizu. Another intriguing bout will see former world champion Merlito Sabillo (25-3-1, 12) battle with rising prospect Ryuya Yamanaka (12-2, 3) in a bout for the OPBF Minimumweight title. For Sabillo the bout sees him returning to Japan for the first time since his May loss to Riku Kano, which was for the OPBF interim title, and it's fair to say that the Filipino cannot afford another set back after going 2-3-1 in his last 6 bouts. Aged 21 Yamanaka knows that a win will open doors for potential world title bouts, but this bout is by far the toughest of his career and it's clear that he will need a career best performance to defeat the Filipino veteran. Tokyo, Japan The 4 title bouts in Kobe won't be the only title action in Japan, in fact we also have a world title bout in the country, featuring the longest reigning active world champion, and the one with the most defenses of their current title. That world champion is WBA Atomweight champion Momo Koseki (22-2-1, 8) who looks to record her 17th defense of the title. In the opposite corner to Koseki will be the little known Chie Higano (6-4, 2), who will be making her first title challenger. On paper this looks like a mismatch and it's, unfortunately, hard to see anything but a win for Koseki, possibly by stoppage in the early rounds. In an interesting supporting bout we'll see the unbeaten Takeshi Inoue (7-0-1, 3) take on Korean puncher Chan Ho Lee (5-1, 4). Inoue already has his next bout booked, a contest in January with Akinori Watanabe, has impressed and is being tipped as a potential Japanese title contender, but this is a bout against a live under-dog. Lee is unknown outside of Korea but has impressed on the domestic scene and scored a good win over Young Sub Han this past June. Although Inoue will be favoured this could be a good test for the Japanese fighter before the Watanabe bout. In another Japan Vs Korean bout we'll see the brilliantly exciting and fast rising Kazuto Takesako (4-0, 4) battling against Kyung-Joon Ahn (6-3-1, 5). Takesako has taken out his first 4 opponents in just 7 combined rounds and will be looking to extend that run here. Ahn on the other hand is looking to bounce back from a stoppage loss to Shoma Fukumoto, from almost 3 years ago. On paper this looks like a decent test for Takesako but in reality it should be a bit of a mismatch and an early blow out for the Japanese prospect. Osaka, Japan There is also a Japanese card in Osaka, in what is a busy day for Japanese fans. This is however this is a much smaller and less interesting card than the other two. In the main event we'll see Middleweights clash as Ryuji Kanza (7-2, 5) takes on Japanese based American Brandon Lockhart Shane (7-5, 6) in what should be a really intriguing contest. Both guys are limited but both can bang and we'd not be shocked to see this one be a bit of a wild slugfest that lacks quality but is fun to watch. In a supporting bout we'll see Yuki Takahashi (6-1, 2) take on Indonesian visitor Adam Alap Alap (0-1), who we've been informed is a top 15 ranked Indonesian Lightweight suggesting his record is incomplete Shanghai, China There's also action in China where we get the next League of Fists show. The main event here is a brilliant match up between unbeaten men, as Zhi Quan Xie (4-0-3, 1) battles against Yelieqiati Nihemaituola (7-0-1, 1). The bout is a really intriguing one and should tell us a lot about both men, and their potential to go further in the sport. Iowa, USA In the US fans will be able to see hotly touted Filipino hopeful Harmonito Dela Torre (18-0, 12) fight for the second time on US soil. At the moment his opponent is an unknown but it's unlikely to be too much of a test for Dela Torre. New South Wales, Australia In Australia fans will see two Asian fighters fighting in New South Wales. One of those is China's Yong Zhang (5-5-1, 1), who faces a yet to be named opponent, whilst the other will be Korean Jeong Jin Park (1-5), who faces the unbeaten Michael Hall (3-0, 3) in what looks like a mismatch against the Korean. After a few quiet days, without much in terms of action, we suddenly get a burst of activity with a host of title bouts and name fighters in action. Saitama, Japan The most notable in Asia comes from Saitama where we get two world title bouts, along with a champion in a stay busy non-title bout and a really promising prospect. The most notable of the bouts on this card will see IBF female Light Flyweight champion Naoko Shibata (15-3-1, 5) face off against old foe Maria Salinas (11-4-3, 4) in a mouth watering rematch. These two fought to a split decision draw last November, with Shibata recording her 4th defense of the title, but Salinas will be coming in looking for revenge. Salinas hasn't fought since the first meeting whilst Shibata scored a stay busy win earlier in the year, despite that Salinas will have stayed sharp in the gym and will be very hungry here. In another title bout on the same show Yunoka Furukawa (7-1-2, 5) will be battling Satomi Nishimura (9-2, 1) for the currently vacant WBA Atomweight title. Coming in to this one Furukawa is on a 6 fight winning streak following a peculiar 1-1-2 start to her professional career. The best of those 6 wins was a 4th round TKO over Aiko Yamagishi. Nishimura is 3-2 in her last 5 but has mixed with very good fighters like Asemi Hanagata and Ayaka Miyao, who she challenged for this very same title back in October 2010. Having mentioned the WBA Atomweight title it's worth noting that former champion Momo Koseki (21-2-1, 7) will be in action on the same show. Koseki gave up the title to focus on keeping her WBC title, and will be in a stay busy bout on this card against a Thai opponent. A really good prospect on this card will be the former amateur stand out Kazuto Takesako (3-0, 3) who takes on Hiroshi Ohashi (7-9, 3) in an 8 rounder. The touted Takesako will be expected to beat Ohashi, who hasn't scored a win in over 6 years, but will perhaps need to do more than just win to be impressive. Notably Ohashi was stopped in 6 rounds by Koki Tyson in 2014 and that will likely be the target to beat for the unbeaten 25 year old. Osaka, Japan Staying in Japan there will also be a show in Osaka, featuring an impressive 12 bouts in total. The main event will see world ranked Atomweight Masae Akitaya (10-6-2, 3) face off against Thai visitor Sornsawan Sarakarngym (0-2) in what looks like a stay busy bout for the OPBF Atomweight champion, and mutli-time world title challenger. Sadly whilst the card does have 12 bouts it's hard to find some that are actually worth noting, with the only 8 rounder being a bout between Kazuma Fukuyama (6-6-3, 1) and Shohei Kanemoto (9-11-1, 3). This should be an interesting 8 round but certainly nothing brilliant. Victoria, Australia The action isn't just in Japan with several Asian's fighting in Australia. One of those is the tough Hurricane Futa (20-6-1, 11) who will be up against Will Tomlinson (25-2-1, 13) in what looks likely to be an action packed bout for the WBA “Interim” Oceania Lightweight title. Although both men are flawed both come to fight and it should be one of those all action wars between guys who enjoy having a tear up. Another Japan Vs Australia bout will see Japanese visitor Kimika Miyoshi (13-8-1, 5) battle against Shannon O'Connell (12-4-1, 7) for the WBC Silver female Super Bantamweight title. O'Connell will be looking to make the first defense of her title but is 1-1-1 coming in to this bout whilst Miyoshi is in the form of her career and has won two OPBF titles this year, to become a 3-weight OPBF champion. This could be another really good match up. On the same card Thailand's Tabthong Tor Buamas (14-4, 12) will be up against the unbeaten Qamil Balla (8-0-1, 3), in a bout that we suspect Balla will be the favourite for. Tokyo, Japan Ohashi gym see some of their fighters return to the ring this Thursday on an interesting card which features a couple of title bouts, including a long awaited unification contest. In the main event fans will see former world title challenger Satoshi Hosono (28-2-1, 20) defending his Japanese Featherweight title against the tough and gutsy Takuya Watanabe (26-5-1, 12), who is best known for his bloody war with Jaesung Lee. Hosono, who only defended his title a few weeks ago against Tatsuya Otsubo, will be hunting his 4th defense and will be hoping to get another world title fight before his career is over. For Watanabe this is a great opportunity to announce himself domestically though it's hard to see him beating the heavy handed Hosono. In the co-feature but we'll see world titles unified as WBC Atomweight champion Momo Koseki (20-2-1, 7) puts her title on the line against WBA champion Ayaka Miyao (20-5-1, 4). For both fighters this will be their first unification bout, but both are well established at world level, in fact for Koseki this will be world title fight #19. The rough and tough WBC champion will be hoping to extend her long unbeaten run, of 18 bouts, however WBA champion Miyao has really grown and will not be there to just make up the numbers. This really could be an outstanding match up. On the under-card the world ranked Ryo Matsumoto (15-0, 13) will be facing Thai visitor Saensak Sithvarunee (0-2) in what looks like a stay busy fight for Matsumoto. It's thought that a win here for the Japanese youngster will be followed, later in the year, with a big bout, possibly in December. (Image courtesy of www.boxmob.jp) Tokyo, Japan For a second day running we get to see notable name fighters at the Korakuen Hall. On Wednesday it was the highly regarded Ryosuke Iwasa whilst on Thursday it's going to be a pair of female world title bouts in what appears to be a great day for fans of female boxing. The main event will see IBF female Light Flyweight champion Naoko Shibata (13-3, 4) defending her belt for the third time as she takes on fellow Japanese fighter Saemi Hanagata (9-5-2, 4). Hanagata, a former OPBF title holder at 105lbs, is stepping up in weight for this bout and it could be that she's better suited to Light Flyweight than Minimumweight, Shibata however has been improving in recent bouts and her win over Ana Arrazola last time out was certainly her best so far. The co-main event will see WBA Atomweight champion Momo Koseki (16-2-1, 6) attempting to record her 15th world title defence as she takes on the frankly hapless Aisah Alico (5-4, 4). We do like Koseki and think she's a fantastic fighter but bouts like this don't do her any justice and Alico won't be expected to last more a few rounds, at best. As well as the two title bouts there is also an interesting under-card. One of the bouts featured on that will see Takashi Sakamoto (6-3, 1) fight against Tatsuya Otsubo (6-6-1, 3). Although neither of these look great we have seen Otsubo begin turning his career around and he has won his last 4 bouts as he has begun to enter his physical prime. Sakamoto has the better record but should be viewed as the under-dog here. Possibly an even better under-card bout however will see Takeshi Inoue (1-0-1) battle against Japanese ranked Kota Oguchi (10-13, 1). Inoue has been tipped by those in the know as "one to watch" and with Oguchi being ranked at 140lbs by the JBC this is a major opportunity for Inoue to score a statement win so early in his career. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) Some times we get days that are ridiculously busy, and we mean ridiculously busy! This Coming Saturday is one such day with more action and more fights that we are used to seeing on a single day! New Jersey, USA The most notable of the fights will feature former WBC Asian Boxing Council Light Heavyweight champion and current WBO Light Heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev (24-0-1, 22). Kovalev will be defending the WBO title for the third time since winning less than a year ago. The unfortunate man to share the ring with the "Krusher" will be the unbeaten, but light hitting, Blake Caparello (19-0-1, 6) who is almost certainly going to be the next victim of Kovalev's thudding power and vicious assaults. Going in to this bout Kovalev has stopped his last 8 opponents in a combined 31 rounds! The general view seems to be that Caparello won't last more than 3 or 4. New York, USA Kovalev isn't the only Russian in a world title fight and in New York Anton Novikov (29-0-0-1, 10) will be challenging for the WBA Light Welterweight title currently held by the unbeaten Jessie Vargas (24-0, 9). Vargas, who beat Khabib Allakhverdiev back in April, will be making the first defence of his title but the challenger, a former WBC Asian Boxing Council Welterweight champion, will be looking to upset the once touted American fighter. This bout certainly looks more competitive than the Kovalev fight and looks a bit like a coin toss right now. Tokyo, Japan As well as title action in the US we also get a female double in Japan in one two Tokyo shows. The female double header will be held at the Adachi Ward Sogo Sports Center and will be headlined by female IBF Light Flyweight champion Naoko Shibata (12-3, 3) who will be seeking the second defence of her title. Unfortunately for Shibata she's in a very tough one with the experienced Ana Arrazola (20-9-2, 13). Arrazola has been in with some of the best around and will be expected to give Shibata an incredibly hard fight here and we'd not be shocked by the title changing hands in what is truly a hard bout to call. Although Shibata/Arrazola is the main event we dare suggest that the other female title fight, between long reigning WBC Atomweight champion Momo Koseki (18-2-1, 5) and former Muay Thai sensation Denise Castle (2-0, 2). Castle really was tremendous in Muay Thai though this will be a big test of ho those skills transfer over. For Koseki we'd like to see her box more than usual, like she did against Maria Jimenez, as opposed to using the billy goat tactics that she has used through her career. If Koseki gets into a war this is anyone's fight whilst if she boxes she should win with out too many issues. In the chief support bout fans will get the chance to see two debutants in action in a 6 round bout at Welterweight. From what we understand this contest will see Takeshi Inoue (0-0) fighting Daishi Nagata (0-0). It's rare for debutants to collide in 6 rounders but both guys are B Class licensed fighters are have shown that they are capable meaning that this is a seriously tough way to start their careers. Tokyo, Japan The other Tokyo show will be at the Korakuen Hall and feature several interesting fighters and match ups. The most interesting of the fighters is former WBA Super Featherweight world title challenger Daiki Kaneko (20-3-3, 13) who will be hunting his second win since losing his world title bout to Takashi Uchiyama. Kaneko will be fighting the limited but tough Filipino visitor Cirilo Espino (19-13-3, 12) who has only suffered a controversial stoppage loss in his 35 fight career. Disappointingly Espino as beaten last time out by Ryota Kajiki a man who Kaneko stopped back in December 2012 and with that in mind we can't see anything but a win for Kaneko. The question here is just how long can Espino last with the heavy handed Kaneko. Whilst Kaneko is the most interesting fighter on the card he's not in the most interesting fight. That honour belongs to Ryo Akaho (23-1-2, 16) and Masaaki Serie (25-6, 10) who get it on in a potential fire cracker. Akaho goes in to this bout hunting a second world title tilt though, as shown in his fight with Jacker Buhawe, he will need to tidy up his boxing if he wants to have any chance of winning a world title. Serie is probably past his prime but has the toughness, experience and skills to make life very difficult for Akaho here. Batangas, Philippines The most interesting of 2 Filipino shows will take place in Batangas an will feature two title fights. The most interesting of these is a bout between the unbeaten JR Magboo (15-0-2, 7) and the the promising youngster Virgil Puton (14-3, 7). The men, who battle for the vacant IBF Pan Pacific Super Bantamweight title have been matched up very well here and the winner will likely earn an IBF ranking position next month meaning there is a lot to gain by wining this all Filipino clash. Unfortunately the other title fight is a mismatch to say the least as the talented and unbeaten Ben McCulloch (13-0, 10) defends his PABA Super Middleweight title against the very limited Yodkhunsuk Mor Poowana (3-1-1, 1). There is little one can say to defend this type of match up though we do question why the PABA would allow this contest to go ahead. Although there are 5 other bouts on the card there was only one that really stood out and that was the contest between Roberto Gonzales (23-2, 14) and the exciting and under-rated Allan Tanada (13-2-3, 5). Gonzales won his first 20 fights but has gone 3-2 in his last 5 with both of those losses coming by stoppage as he career has began to falter. Tanada is best known for his upset win over Japan's Rikiya Fukuhara for the OPBF Super Featherweight title though he has struggled himself since then and this should prove to be a very important cross roads fight for both men. Cebu, Philippines The second of the Filipino cards seems to be more of a prospect show than one one with really interest contests. It does however have 2 bouts of note. One of those will see the unbeaten Ardie Boyosi (10-0-1, 7) taking on the experienced and tough Richard Betos (20-8-1, 7). Boyosi has won his last 10 bouts including 6 successive T/KO wins whilst Betos has proven toughness having only been stopped once in his 29 fights. Sadly Betos's has lost 3 of his last 4 and is likely on a slide physically. Boyosi should win but we'd expect this to be a good test for the hard hitting prospect. The other bout of note will see the unbeaten Neil John Tabanao (7-0, 6) battling against against Jhon Gemino (10-2-1, 4). Tabanao has looked good so far but this should be considered a step up for the unbeaten youngster who will be facing an opponent coming to win as opposed to someone with little self belief. California, USA Back in the US we're expecting to see Filipino slugger Drian Francisco (24-2-1, 19) in action though his opponent has yet to be named. Francisco has been out of the ring for more than a year following his loss to Chris Avalos though he will be expecting to win here in an attempt to restart his career. Quintana Roo, Mexico In Mexico we will get to see Filipino Adones Aguelo (21-9-2, 13) battling against former world title challenger Sergio Thompson (29-3, 26). Thompson, best known for his thriller with Takashi Miura, is hoping to earn himself a second world title fight but will likely need to do more than just beat Aguelo here to secure a rematch with Miura, the current WBC champion. Aguelo will know that this is a huge opportunity for him to throw his name into the mix but he won't be expecting to over-come the tough and heavy handed Thompson. (Image courtesy of http://boxenplus.com) Female fighters in Europe and the US tend to often get over-looked. If you go into Latin America however there is plenty of fights involving female boxers. Like Argentina and Mexico, Japan also does female boxing and when it does it well it's arguably the best in the world. On March 3rd Japanese people celebrate "Hina Matsuri", or "Dolls Day". To coincide with that boxing promoters have really jumped on the celebration and this year we have a genuine showcase of Japanese female boxing at close to it's best with a fantastic 6 fight card where all 6 bouts feature only females. Japan, Tokyo The show, dubbed "G Legend 6" features not only 6 bouts but also 3 world title bouts and one of the most dominant Japanese world champions in history, in fact one fighter, if she wins, will tie a national record for must successful world title defenses in history! Lets start with that fight. It features WBC Atomweight champion Momo Koseki (17-2-1, 4) who has already defended her world title 12 times. That's one behind the national record of 13, set by the ever popular Yoko Gushiken. To tie the record Koseki will need to at least manage a draw with the currently perfect Thai Angor Onesongchaigym (5-0, 3). Although inexperienced Angor is a former Muay Thai fighter and will take a lot of confidence with her unbeaten record meaning we may have a very good fight on our hands. On the other hand Koseki is a very tough and rough woman and with Angor being just a youngster she may well end up roughed up a bit too much and eventually worn down in the later rounds. Koseki isn't the only Asian woman with an Atomweight title, the other is Ayaka Miyao (16-5-1, 1) the current WBA Atomweight champion. Whilst our dream fight would have been Koseki against Miyao it seems the promoters had other ideas and instead Miyao will be fighting Angor's stablemate Buangern OnesongchaiGym (10-4-1, 1) in what is the show's main event. As with the other Atomweight bout we struggle to see a way in which the Thai wins, though it is for totally different reasons. Whilst Koseki is a rough, tough type Miyao is like a whirlwind and we feel she will simply our work Buangern. The other world title fight on the show will see IBF Light Flyweight champion Naoko Shibata (11-3, 3) defending her title for the first time. Shibata has, on paper, the easiest task as she takes on the limited Guadalupe Martinez (6-5, 3). Although limited Martinez is the naturally bigger fighter and we do think she may be stronger than Shibata so could well prove to be a very tough opponent for the Japanese fighter who won her world title on her third attempt. Although the 3 world title bouts are the stand out contests there is an under-card fight that has caught our eye. That bout sees Tamao Ozawa (6-1, 2), the #2 ranked OPBF Super Flyweight, fighting against Kai Johnson (3-5-3) in what we imagine will be a lot more competitive than the records suggest. |
Categories
All
Archives
October 2022
|