Tokyo, Japan Whilst we all know that New Year's Eve is a date to always mark down on your boxing calendar for the action from Japan we have also got a special show on December 29th as Ohashi follow up their very successful FES 2014 with FES 2015, another festival of boxing with big names and the backing of Fuji TV. The main event of the card sees the return of the hugely popular Naoya Inoue (8-0, 7) who defends his WBO Super Flyweight title for the first time since he won it last December. Inoue, who really impressed a year ago when he blitzed Omar Andres Narvaez, has been out of the ring with a hand injury, suffered in that bout, and gets thrown straight into the deep end once again as he faces big punching Filipino fighter Warlito Parrenas (24-6-1, 21). The bout has got attention due to it beign Inoue's return however Parrenas is a serious threat and despite having 6 losses, 4 by stoppage, he has really impressed in recent bouts, including a controversial draw in Mexico with David Carmona. The pressure is on Inoue to impress, though Parrenas will know that this is a huge opportunity to make a name for himself and become a fixture on the world scene. The Inoue Vs Parrenas bout is one of two world title bouts with the other being a really exciting looking Light Flyweight bout between former 2-weight world champion Akira Yaegashi (22-5, 12) goes up against IBF champion Javier Mendoza (24-2-1, 19). For Mendoza this will be his second defense, following a controversial technical decision win against Milan Melindo earlier this year and this is a great chance for him to make a name for himself. Sadly for the Mexican he is going up against one of the most popular Japanese fighters in Yaegashi, who will have the whole venue behind him. Yaegashi is looking to become the third Japanese man to become a 3-weight world champion and will know that this is a must win if his career is going to continue at the world level. The two world title fights are joined by both an OPBF and a Japanese title fight. The OPBF title fight sees Naoya's younger brother Takuma Inoue (5-0, 1) defending the OPBF Super Flyweight title against under-rated Filipino Rene Dacquel (15-5-1, 5). This is Takuma's first defense of the title, that he won back in July when he out pointed Mark Anthony Geraldo, and is another tough match up for the talented youngster. The speed Inoue will be up against a man who is in good form having recently beaten both Melvin Gumban and Thembelani Nxoshe. This is a really good match up, but one that will get over-looked given the two main events. The Japanese title fight is a genuinely thrilling match up as Japanese Featherweight champion Satoshi Hosono (29-2-1, 20) takes on former world champion Akifumi Shimoda (30-4-2, 13) in as good of a domestic title bout as you could make. Hosono is hoping to secure a 4th world title fight in 2016 though will need to impress against Shimoda, whilst also recording his 5th defense of the title that he won in April 2014. For Shimoda, who is best known for suffering KO of the Year type losses to Rico Ramos and Marvin Sonsona, will know that a win here could help him get a title fight, though will be aware that another eye catching KO loss will be the end of his career. On the under-card, in non title bouts, we have two notable fighters. The highest profile of those is former OPBF champion, and current world ranked contender, Ryo Matsumoto (16-0, 14) who faces under-rated Filipino Jestoni Autida (9-3, 4). On paper this looks like a stay busy bout for Matsumoto, who is likely eyeing a world title fight in 2016, however Autida cannot be over-looked and in 2015 he has already upset Ratchasak KKP and pushed Petch Sor Chitpattana very close, with both of those bouts taking place in Thailand. This is a genuine test for Matsumoto. The other notable fighter is the debuting Koki Inoue (0-0), the cousin of Naoya and Takuma. Koki, a former amateur stand out himself, will be up against Indonesian fighter Arif Maud (1-2, 1) in a 6 rounder. The promising Inoue is a 23 year old southpaw who will be looking to make a name for himself at 140lbs and could potentially be a third member of the Inoue family to become a star.
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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) August 20th-Hosono defends Japanese title on a show that features Matsumoto, Yaegashi and Hara!8/18/2015 Tokyo, Japan The Japan fans get a treat this coming Thursday with a good looking Ohashi Gym card headlined by a national title fight though also featuring other notable names. The main event will see former 3-time world title challenger Satoshi Hosono (27-2-1, 20) defending his Japanese Featherweight title against under-rated challenger Tatsuya Otsubo (8-6-1, 3). On paper this is a horrible mismatch but the realist is that Otsubo is better than the numbers suggest and he's fantastic form, form that really does shows his potential. Hosono will be the favourite but we don't expect this to be as one-sided as the record suggest. In a solid support bout fans will see former OPBF Super Flyweight champion Ryo Matsumoto (14-0, 12) battle against world ranked foe Luis May (17-8-1, 7). On paper this is the most significant bout of the card and if Matsumoto wins there is talk of him getting a potential title fight by the end of the year. That'd be a big ask for the unbeaten youngster but he was very impressive in 2014 and he does deserve a chance more than some other recent title challengers. The third notable bout on this card features former 2-weight world champion Akira Yaegashi (21-5, 11). Yaegashi will be facing Said M Said (2-2, 1), who was the 4th man scheduled to face Yaegashi. This looks like a mismatch, and should be one, though it seems that Yaegashi's team are still trying to see what he has left in the tank before putting him in another tough match up, especially considering that 2014 saw him suffer back-to-back stoppage losses. Also in action on this card will be former Japanese and OPBF Minimumweight champion Ryuji Hara (19-1, 11) who is to take part in an exhibition bout with Kenichi Miyazaki (9-1-1, 2). Hara was supposed to fight Said though it seems he has signed a deal to fight Katsunari Takayama in September and as a result will only feature in an exhibition here. Although the Takayama bout hasn't yet been announced the rumour is that it will be announced in the ring following this exhibition. For fans interested, a portion of this card will be aired on Fuji TV this coming weekend. (Image courtesy of Ohashi Gym) March 5th-Knockout battles Rachman, Hosono Vs Fukuhara II and Ryo Matsumoto also gets a work out3/2/2015 Chonburi, Thailand The most notable bout of the day comes from Thailand where a young and unbeaten fighter takes on a true veteran of the sport. The youngster involved here is the WBA interim Minimumweight champion Knockout CP Freshmart (9-0, 5) who attempts to defend his belt against Indonesian veteran Muhammad Rachman (65-11-5, 35). For Rachman this is a chance to become a 3-time “world champion” and become a title holder at the advanced age of 43 whilst for Knockout it's a chance to defend the title he won last October, when he narrowly out pointed Carlos Buitrago. The biggest name fighter on the undercard will be Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym (43-2, 25) who will be defending his PABA Bantamweight title against Filipino challenger Mateo Handig (13-8, 7) in what appears to be a horrible mismatch. Handig was world ranked not too long ago, and does hold a major win over Katsunari Takayama, but is a Minimumweight jumping up to Bantamweight and Panomroonglek will simply be too big and too strong for his challenger. Another support bout will see Flyweight contender Noknoi Sitthiprasert (52-4, 30) put his 51 fight winning streak on the line against Filipino journeyman Donny Mabao (21-24-1, 4). Noknoi, who is unbeaten since 2005 and brings the longest active winning streak into the ring, sadly however Mabao has lost his last 4, including an OPBF Minimumweight title bout to Ryuji Hara and a WBC Asian Boxing Council Flyweight title bout against Nawaphon Por Chokchai. Another notable fighter on this card will be former WBA interim Flyweight champion Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep (34-3, 20) who makes his return to the ring for the first time since losing a WBA Flyweight unification bout against Juan Carlos Reveco last year. Yodmongkol has had a trio of hard fights coming into this bout and is now expected to face a very low level opponent. The final bout we've been made aware of will feature the very exciting Chanachai Cp Freshmart (2-0, 1), who currently holds the WBC Youth Minimumweight title. Chanchai will be battling fellow unbeaten Chatpetch Por Pakdee (2-0) in a non-title bout that comes just weeks after Chanachai defended his belt with a clear decision against Wilber Andogan. Chanachai is fun to watch and we're fans though we know that he's being matched in a way to make him look good stylistically and this should be another bout like that. Tokyo, Japan Japanese fans have seen March kicking off with a swathe of nationally ranked fighters in action. Now they get the chance to see a trio of champions as the month really moves up a gear and Ohashi gives us their first show of the new year. Technically the highest level of champion is a world champion and this shows sees a world champion in action. Sadly however it's WBA Atomweight champion Ayaka Miyao (19-5-1, 4) who fights in a non-title bout scheduled for 6 rounds with Momoko Kanda (8-6-2, 2). On paper this a great contest and it should prove to be a hit with the fans however as a female bout we suspect some fans, especially those in the West, will ignore this one. The second tied of champion is a continental champion and we get one of those in action on this show as the sensational Ryo Matsumoto (13-0, 11) kicks off his year. Matsumoto, who won the OPBF Super Flyweight title at the end of last year, will be taking part in a bout contracted at 54KG's as he takes on Thai visitor Thanuthong Chor Kangwal (0-0). This bout is a complete mismatch on paper though we suspect it's hinting at a possible move to Bantamweight for Matsumoto who has always appeared to be a very big Super Flyweight. Although neither Miyao or Matsumoto are defending their titles it doesn't mean there won't be title action on this show. The title action comes in the main event as Japanese Featherweight champion Satoshi Hosono (26-2-1, 20) battles against former foe Rikiya Fukuhara (30-7-1, 22) in a second meeting between the two men. The heavy handed Hosono, best known for a trio of failures at world level, stopped Fukuhara back in 2012 and will be hoping to do the same here whilst Fukuhara looks to become a 2-weight Japanese champion, adding the Featherweight title to a previous reign at Super Bantamweight. As well as the three bouts featuring a champion the card also features some other recognisable fighters. One of those is former Japanese Super Featherweight champion Seiichi Okada (18-5, 11) who essentially battles for his career after 4 stoppage losses in his last 6 bouts. Okada should be safe here as he takes on the very light hitting Masaki Saito (11-10-4, 3). On paper this another mismatch but Okada is looking very much like a shot fighter whilst Saito has gone 5-2-1 in his last 8 bouts, dating back almost 3 years. Former Japanese Featherweight title challenger Toru Suzuki (24-4, 8) is also in action as he takes on Tatsuya Yanagi (10-2, 4). This is an intriguing contest with Yanagi trying to bounce back from back-to-back losses, including a wide decision to the excellent Johnriel Maligro, whilst Suzuki tries to rebuild after going 2-3 in his previous 5, including a stoppage loss to Hisashi Amagasa. For both men this is a must win bout. One notable under-card bout will see Kenichi Miyazaki (7-1-1, 2) attempt to record his 3rd straight win as he takes on Takuro Habu (11-9-2, 3). On paper this looks like a horrible match up however Habu has fought much, much better competition than Miyazaki and has suffered losses to the likes of Amnat Ruenroeng and Yu Kimura. This is one of those bouts which is likely to be much better than the records of the fighters suggest. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) Tokyo, Japan The end of year run in begins this coming Tuesday with a show that may well be the best and most packed show this year. It features many of those who are regarded the future of Japanese boxing, 3 world title bouts and a very good OPBF title bout. All in all it's the sort of show every fight fan should have an interest in, even if they can't actually watch it. The show kicks off with the world ranked Takuma Inoue (3-0, 1) battling against former world title challenger Nestor Daniel Narvaes (20-2-2, 9). For Inoue this is his biggest test so far though is, in some ways, only a small step up from his biggest win so far, a decision victory over Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr back in April. Narvaes may be remembered by Japanese fans for giving Toshiyuki Igarashi a very tough test back in 2012 though since then the Argentinian has fought just twice and not looked great in either of those bouts. It is a step for Inoue but one he should pass if he's as good as touted. In the second bout on the show we see another heavily touted Japanese prospect in action as Ryo Matsumoto (12-0, 10) attempts to claim his first professional title. Matsumoto, a former amateur standout, will be hoping to claim the OPBF Super Flyweight title as he battles against the world ranked Rusalee Samor (25-5-2, 11) of Thailand. Samor will be best known to many fans for his tight loss to Rex Tso in Macau and if he fights like that here we could be in for a great contest. Saying that however we expected Matsumoto to struggle against Denkaosan Kaovichit though took him early doors and he may be able to do the same here against Samor with his devastating body shots. We go from one title fight to another, and the show's third bout will see former 2-weight world champion Jorge Linares (37-3, 24) attempt to claim the WBC Lightweight title as he takes on the limited, but heavy handed, Javier Prieto (24-7-2, 18). The bout looks like a mismatch and it's hard to see how Linares loses unless he does something stupid, sadly however we have seen Linares do something stupid in the past and he may well get caught here. For Linares this is a great opportunity to win a a 3rd divisional and we really can't see him getting a better chance any time soon. The next bout will see 2012 Olympic Middleweight champion Ryota Murata (5-0, 4) in action as he battles against American Jessie Nicklow (24-4-3, 8). This is Murata's 4th bout of the year and his first since being take the distance by Adrian Luna Flores in September. Although Murata did go 10 rounds last time out we struggle to see Nicklow coping with the power or pressure of the Japanese fighter for long here and this could be over relatively early if Murata is in the mood to make a statement. In the chief support bout fans are in for a treat as the always exciting Akira Yaegashi (20-4, 10) battles against Mexico's Pedro Guevara (23-1-1, 15) for the vacant WBC Light Flyweight title. This bout is a great opportunity for Yaegashi to become a 3-weight world champion though Guevara is talented himself and will not be flying around the world to just pick up a paycheck. Potentially this could be the fight of the night, and in fact we'd not be surprised if this was a very late contender for FOTY. The main event will see Japanese youngster Naoya Inoue (7-0, 6) attempt to become a 2-weight world champion in just his 8th professional contest. Inoue will battle against Argentinian veteran Omar Andres Narvaez (43-1-2, 23) with Narvaez attempting to make the 12th defense of the WBO Super Flyweight title. The fight is intriguing to say the least and could end up being the passing of the torch from the 39 year old Narvaez to the 21 year old Inoue or, alternatively, it could a veteran proving that there is still life left in his legs despite his advanced age. The only thing that is clear about this bout is that it's going to answer a lot of questions about both men involved in it. (Image courtesy of Ohashi Gym) It's not often that the Asian fight scene has every knowledgeable boxing fan actually being excited but this Friday is an exception as we get several top prospects in action, a top pound-for-pound fighter, two world champions and two of the sports most exciting fighters all in action on the same day! Tokyo, Japan The biggest show of the day, in fact one of the biggest shows of the year, takes place today at the Yoyogi #2 Gymnasium in Tokyo. The show is one of those we've been looking forward to since it was announce and featured 4 bouts we're really excited about and 1 other bout of note. We'll start with that bout of note which will see rising teenager Takuma Inoue (2-0) taking on Thai debutant Chanachai Sor Siamchai (0-0). From our point of view this is a big step back for Takuma who looked great in his recent win over Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr though it seems like he's just getting some experience under his wings before moving up to title level, something we expect to see him doing in the next 12 months. Although Takuma is taking a step backwards we're glad to see the unbeaten Ryo Matsumoto (11-0, 9) take a huge step up to fight former world champion Denkaosan Kaovichit (63-4-1, 26). Matsumoto did seem to struggle slightly in his last notable bout, against Hiroyuki Hisataka, though he has been groomed for stardom from his debut and will have had serious work on his stamina between that fight and this one. As for Denkaosan this could be his last fight if he loses, ending a long career. Last time out the Thai over-came Gaspar Ampolo though that was a gimme after an 8th round KO at the hands of Kohei Kono earlier this year. We're not going to suggest that this will be one sided but Matsumoto is bigger, faster and younger and needs to be favoured. Another man taking a step up, albeit it a small one, is Ryota Murata (4-0, 4) who will be battling Mexico's Adrian Luna Flores (17-2-1, 11). We're unsure if this is really a step up from Murata's previous bout with Jesus Angel Nerio but we're expecting a similar result with Murata stopping Flores in the middle of the fight. Flores does come into this bout as the Mexican champion though he's clearly not the top Middleweight in Mexico, in fact he's a million miles away from the likes of Marco Antonio Rubio who really is world class. Following those 4 bouts we then move on to the two world title bouts. The first of those will see WBC Light Flyweight world champion Naoya Inoue (6-0, 5) fighting for the first time as a world champion. Inoue, a former Japanese and OPBF champion, will be defending his WBC world title against Thailand's little known Samartlek Kokietgym (17-4, 5). Sadly like his brother it appears that Naoya is taking a huge step backwards here, especially considering the way he disposed of the then champion Adrian Hernandez last time out. Samartlek is a PABA champion and does hold wins over Muhammad Rachman and Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr though this is clearly a huge step up in class for him and easily his toughest bout to date. For Inoue however it's likely to be little more than an easy day at the office. The main event is "The Fight" we've been looking forward to all year as WBC Flyweight champion Akira Yaegashi (20-3, 10) defends his title for the 4th time. In the opposite corner to Yaegashi is the exceptional Roman Gonzalez (39-0, 33) who should prove to be the most talented foe that Yaegashi has faced to date. This is one of those real lower weight super clashes between two men who are both viewed very highly and although they are different types of fighters, with Yaegashi being a speedy boxer and Gonzalez being a destructive pressure fighter, we expect the styles to gel marvellously. Do not be shocked if they turns out to be one of the true fight of the year candidates and helps enhance the winner into the mythical "pound for pound top 10". Amazing bout on paper and hopefully it will live up to expectation. Dubai As well as the big card in Tokyo we also have an historic card in Dubai as Filipino promotional powerhouse ALA Promotions take their show on the road and go to the World Trade Center in Dubai for "Pinoy Pride 27". This show features a trio of notable Filipino fighters in action in 3 very interesting bouts. The "least significant" of the three major bouts will see the popular Rey Bautista (35-3, 25), a former world title challenger, take on Mexico's aggressive Juan Jose Martinez (19-1, 15). Although the bout is "less significant" it promises to be a thriller with both men being aggressive and both men often hunting the stoppage victory. This could really be all action for as long as it lasts. Following the Bautista fight we then get two world ranked Filipino's in seperate bouts. One of those is the very hotly tipped Genesis Servania (24-0, 10) who puts his unbeaten record and world ranking on the line against former world title challenger Jose Cabrera (22-4-2, 10). Servania will start as a clear favourite here though we're hoping to see him tested, unfortunately Cabrera was stopped last time out and hasn't looked impressive since fighting to a draw with the then unbeaten Daniel Rosas almost 3 years ago. The other unbeaten and world ranked Filipino is Arthur Villanueva (25-0, 14) who puts his ranking and record on the line against Nicaraguan puncher Henry Maldonado (19-3-0-1, 14). Villanueva looked very poor last time out as he was given a rough time by Fernando Aguilar who was stopped in 6 rounds by Maldonado just a few weeks back and it's fair to say that the Nicaraguan fighter won't be coming to play with the Filipino fighter. This one has the potential to be a fire cracker if Maldonado has his way though Villanueva is better than he looked last time out. Nonthaburi, Thailand We also have a televised show in Thailand with titles on the line and some of the most exciting young fighters in Thailand courtesy of Channel 7. The main event here will be the latest PABA Welterweight title defence by Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (26-0, 20). Teerachai, a world ranked 22 year old power house from Burriram, will be battling fellow 22 year old Nelson Gulpe (8-2, 3) from the Philippines. Interestingly Gulpe is 0-2 outside of the Philippines and has lost his last 2 bouts, including a Lightweight contest to Japanese novice Accel Sumiyoshi. Needless to say Teerachai will be strongly favoured here. On the under-card we will get the chance to see Inthanon Sithchamuang (22-7, 13), best known for his loss in Macau to Jerwin Ancajas, battling against Heri Amol (34-18-4, 14) of Indonesia. For what it's worth this is Amol's first bout since being beaten by Japanese debutant Ken Shiro at the start of August and we suspect he'll be no match for the Thai here. The card will also feature one of our favourite Thai prospects Eaktawan Mor Krungthepthonburi (4-0, 3) who will be putting his unbeaten record on the line against professional loser Safwan Lombok (1-25-1) of Indonesia. Although Lombok will pose no threat at all to the talented Thai the question is whether or not Eaktawan will be able to stop Lombok who has proven to be a relatively sturdy opponent with only 7 stoppages losses in 25 total losses. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Out side of the Asian shows we have some smaller profile fight cards as well. One of those is in Burkina Faso as Filipino slugger Silvester Lopez (22-7-2, 16) battles against the once beaten Alexis Boureima Kabore (22-1, 6) in an attempt to claim the WBC International Super Bantamweight. This bout was meant to take place several weeks ago though Lopez had travel issues and the bout had to be rescheduled at late notice. We're suspect that Lopez will need a KO to get the win though Kabore has certainly not shown world level ability and Lopez should be seen as a "live under-dog". Lombardia, Italy Another lesser bout takes place in Italy as the Japanese born Swiss based Aniya Seki (24-3-2, 2) takes on journey-woman Claudia Ferenci (8-35-5, 3). The bout appears to be a clear mismatch though the 35 year old Seki was shocked last time out when Judith Rodriguez blasted her out in 2 rounds in another bout that looked like a mismatch on paper. (Image courtesy of Ohashi Gym) A new week kicks off instantly with notable fighters and a major domestic Japanese fight as the action continues to roll with big fights. Not only do we see great action to begin this week but actually the whole week is action packed with some fantastic shows and great fights. Tokyo, Japan The show to kick off the week sees a return to the ring for a number of Ohashi Gym stable as Ohashi put on their first show since since star student Naoya Inoue claimed the WBC Light Flyweight title back on April 6th. Although Naoya isn't on this show several men who were on that show, ring "Ring of Diamonds" do return this week on the "49th Phoenix Battle". The most notable of those fighters is Satoshi Hosono (25-2-1, 19) who will defending his Japanese Featherweight title for the first time. Hosono, who won the title when he stopped Yuki Ogata on "Ring of Diamonds", will be facing his second successive unbeaten opponent as takes on Gosuke Seki (15-0-2, 3). Seki is stepping up massively for this fight but will have the confidence of an unbeaten fighter and will be hoping to join fellow Kadoebi Houseki Boxing Gym fighters Yoshitaka Kato, Hiroki Okada, Suyon Takayama and Kyotaro Fujimoto in becoming a Japanese national champion. Hosono isn't the only reigning champion on the show and fellow Ohashi gym fighter Ryuji Hara (17-0, 10), the current OPBF Minimumweight champion, will be facing Indonesia's Faris Nenggo (8-4-3, 2) in a stay busy fight. We expect that Hara will be trying to move on to world title fights later this year and that this bout will be little more than a formality for the talented youngster. Another unbeaten prospect from the Ohashi gym who will be in action is the very highly regarded Ryo Matsumoto (10-0, 8) who will be battling late replacement Zun Rindam (11-4-1, 5). Matsumoto was supposed to be fighting Benigno Nino (1-1-1) but Nino was replaced just over a week before the fight by his compatriot who looks a more testing opponent for the rising youngster. Despite being a better test for Matsumoto we still only see this going one way. Also on this card is former Japanese Super Featherweight champion Seiichi Okada (17-4, 10) who will be facing domestic journeyman Shunsuke Sato (7-15-2, 4) in what should be little more than a mismatch. Okada, ranked #14 in Japan at Super Featherweight, has lost 3 of his last 4 by stoppage and is certainly on the slide but will be hoping to resurrect his career with a string of wins. It's unlikely he'll ever get to challenging the likes of Rikki Naito again but he will be hoping to get at least 1 more major fight before his career is over. One other Ohashi fighter on this show will be Junpei Hara (13-5-2, 8) who will be putting his OPBF ranking on the line against Tomoya Yamada (11-4, 3) in the first of the 5 main contests. In terms of how good this bout is we'd suggest this was the most even of the bouts even if the fighters aren't the most well known. As well as the 5 main bouts the show is expected to feature a further 2 bouts on the undercard on a show that really shows just how to put on an solid domestic level card. (Image courtesy of Ohashi Gym) We know in Japan that the best shows really are amazing shows whilst the smaller ones can, in some cases, be very poor. This Sunday gives us both of those distinctly different levels of shows as we get a few domestic cards as well as a show which can only be described as a super show. Tokyo, Japan We'll start with the obvious "Super Show", a show dubbed "Ring of Diamonds". This show, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Ohashi Gym is one of the most out standing cards, from top to bottom, that will be put on this year and it really shows in the match ups. The kicks off with some extremely aggressive match making as young novice Takuma Inoue (1-0) takes on world ranked Thai Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr (23-2, 15). Takuma Inoue, the younger brother of Naoya Inoue, did say he wanted to win a Japanese title in his 3rd professional contest however if he beats Sakkreerin here there is every possibility that he could challenger for a world title next time out and tie the long standing record of Saensak Muangsurin. Of course the Thai is no push over and stopped former world champion Ryo Miyazaki at the end of last year in a big upset victory. The second bout on the show is again aggressive match making as the unbeaten, and highly touted, Ryo Matsumoto (9-0, 8) takes on multi-time world title challenger Hiroyuki Hisataka (22-11-1, 10). This is a big step up for Matsumoto though he should be the favoured fighter here with some viewing him as a nailed on Super Flyweight world champion somewhere down the line. In the show's third contest we get the first of 3 title bouts. This one, a Japanese Featherweight title bout, will see former world title challenger Satoshi Hosono (24-2-1, 18) fight against the unbeaten Yuki Ogata (19-0-1, 3) in what we feel is a fantastic match up between power puncher and skilled boxer. It's hard to imagine Hosono not connecting on Ogata though if the unbeaten man can take the power of Hosono we may see another star break out of this show. Breaking up the three title fights is unbeaten Nicaraguan sensation Roman "El Chocolatito" Gonzalez (38-0, 32) who will be partaking in a show case bout against Filipino opponent Juan Purisima (11-4-1, 1). This is as much a mismatch at it looks on paper though for Gonzalez this bout is all about getting his face back out there in Japan ahead of a bigger bout later this year. The bigger bout that Gonzalez is expected to be in is against Akira Yaegashi (19-3, 9) the current WBC Flyweight champion. For Yaegashi to get the Gonzalez fight however he'll need to be successful on the same card as he takes on Mexican challenger Odilon Zaleta (15-3, 8). For Yaegashi this is his third successive Mexican opponent and whilst we do expect he'll win he does need to make sure that he's focussed on Zaleta and doesn't think too much about Gonzalez. In the main event fans will see rising young star Naoya Inoue (5-0, 4) attempt to lay down the marker for other top young prospects. The 20 year old Inoue, Takuma's older brother, will be looking to set a Japanese national record as he battles WBC Light Flyweight champion Adrian Hernandez (29-2-1, 18). A victory for Inoue here would see him becoming the fast Japanese fighter to win a world title and would also mark him down as potentially the #1 fighter at 108lbs. Although this is clearly a huge test for the youngster he is actually favoured to win and few would back against him going on his recent performances. At least the two world title fights from this show will be televised on Fuji TV with studio guests reportedly being Takashi Uchiyama and Ryota Murata. Aichi, Japan As well as the Tokyo show we also have two in the Aioi Hall. The first of these is a 9 fight card promoted by Yakushiji Promotions. Although their are 9 fights on the show only one really sticks out as being worthy of making a note of and that's the main event. In that bout the #11 Japanese ranked Lightweight Daiki Koide (20-6-2, 9) will be fighting against Filipino visitor Jose Maxian (9-3, 7). The bout isn't great but is meant to be a return to the ring for Koide who lost last time out. The second Aioi Hall card is promoted by Midori (Green)and will be headlined by a fight between Japanese ranked Light Welterweight contender Kazuya Maruki (15-2, 10) who faces Filipino RJ Ano-os (8-5-1, 2), who is ranked by the OPBF, in a 10 round contest. As well as the Maruki/Ano-os bout this card also features former Japanese Heavyweight title challenger Kotatsu Takehara (9-9-3, 4) who battles Frenchman Cyril Leonet (6-7-2, 1) in an interesting Heavyweight bout with an international feel. Although neither man has a great record we do feel this could be an entertaining scrap and Takehara is certainly better than the numbers indicate. Okayama, Japan One of the lesser shows, in the Mimasaka Bunka Center, will see 7 bouts in total. For this card the main event will see Hirohito Fukuhara (16-8-9, 8) battling against Filipino foe Adones Aguelo (29-9-2, 12). Both of these men are ranked in the top 15 of their respective domestic divisions though we're going to go with the naturally bigger Fukuhara to come out on top. Another interesting looking bout on this card will see Japanese ranked Lightweight Kazuhiro Nishitani (12-2, 6) take on the big punching Gabriel Royo (9-8-2, 8).Although limited Royo could certainly give Nishitani issues if he can connect. Fukuoka, Japan The remaining card is in the Kokura Kita Gym and will feature 5 bouts. The only real bout of note on this show is Yoshihiko Matsuo's (16-5-5, 3) fight with Yudai Matsumoto (8-8-3, 1) and this is only notable due to the fact Matsuo is ranked by both the JBC and OPBF. (Image courtesy of Ohashi Gym) |
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