West Midlands, United Kingdom This coming Saturday is a pretty notable day for Asian fight fans, with the most notable bout coming in the UK as Englishman Khalid Yafai (21-0, 14) defends his WBA Super Flyweight title against Japanese challenger Suguru Muranaka (25-2-1, 8). The unbeaten champion won the title last year, when he outpointed Luis Concepcion, and will be making his first defense here. The champion will be strongly favoured here but Muranaka is unbeaten in over a decade and has beaten notable fighters like Takuya Kogawa, Masayuki Kuroda and Hiroyuki Hisataka. This could be a very exciting bout, despite the general view of it being a mismatch in favour of Yafai. Hong Kong S.A.R., China In Hong Kong we'll see DEF Boxing put on a show, featuring a number of talented fighters from across Asia, including a number of genuinely notable fighters. The main will see OPBF female Super Bantamweight champion Ayumi Goto (6-0, 4) battle against Thai foe Sumanthar Baenkham (1-2), in what looks set to be a total mismatch. Goto won't be defending her title here but her appeal as a championship level draw has helped her get a major spot on this card, and seemingly help begin a working relationship between DEF boxing and Goto's promoter Watanabe. Another Watanabe gym fighter on this card will be Mako Matsuyama (8-11-2, 3), who famously had a 2014 FOTY contender with DEF's star Rex Tso. The limited but fun to watch Matsuyama will be up against Filipino foe Crison Omayao (21-13-4, 7). On paper this has the potential to be something very, very fun. Neither guy is great but both are exciting and together they should make for a very fan friendly contest here. Another notable name on this card is the teak tough Takuya Watanabe (31-7-1, 16), who is a former WBO Asia Pacific Super Featherweight champion. The tough Watanabe, best known for his bloody war with Jaesung Lee, will be fighting in Hong Kong for the second time and will be strongly favoured to beat Thai puncher Tabthong Tor Buamas (15-6, 12), in a bout scheduled for 8 rounds. Another bout where a Japanese fighter will be favoured against a Thai will feature the once beaten Sho Kimura (13-1-2, 6), who faces off with Suphakit Khampha (6-3, 3) in another bout scheduled for 8 rounds. Australian Capital Territory, Australia In Australia fight fans will see Felipe Ferreira (5-2, 2) take on Australian based Indonesian trial horse Aswin Cabuy (19-60-4, 7) in a bout for the New South Wales State Super Middleweight title. The 42 year old Cabuy is unlikely to pick up the win here but rarely does he just lie down and he could give Ferreira a good test here.
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Hong Kong, China The most notable card this coming weekend comes from Hong Kong of all places. The headline bout on the card will see three secondary titles being unified as local star Rex Tso (20-0, 12) takes on former 2-time world title challenger Hirofumi Mukai (13-4-3, 3) in a bout that both men will see as a must win. The aggressive Tso will be favoured here, especially given the home advantage, but Mukai has impressed recently and stopped Inthanon Sithchamuang in 2 rounds back in November. The bout will be brawler against boxer and could a very compelling contest. In an all Filipino support bout we'll see the talented, but currently struggling, Mark Anthony Geraldo (33-7-3, 15) take on countryman Kenny Demecillo (12-3-2, 7) in a bout for the WBO Oriental Bantamweight title. Coming in to this Demecillo is on a solid 5 fight fight unbeaten run with two wins against Daryl Basadre and another win against Jestoni Autida. That run will fill Demecillo with a lot of confidence but it's fair to see that Gerlado will come into this knowing he needs a win. The experienced man has lost 3 of his last 5 and desperately needs to steady the ship. In a Philippines Vs Japan bout we see big punching Filipino Rey Megrino (23-20-4, 20) take on Japan's Yuki Strong Kobayashi (10-6, 5). Megrino has gone 8-0-1 (7) in his last 9, with notable wins against Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Myung Ho Lee and Ernesto Saulong, and will be expecting to continue that rich vein of form here. Kobayashi has struggled in recent fights, going 2-3, but has mixed at a good level with losses to Ye Joon Kim and Takahiro Yamamoto and will be looking to use those experiences against Megrino. Another bout with a metropolitan feeling will see Japan's teak tough Takuya Watanabe (30-7-1, 16) take on Thai veteran Khunkiri Wor Wisaruth (24-18-2, 16). The bout should be a mismatch in favour of Watanabe, though the Japanese fighter will be looking to make a statement following a wide loss to Masayuki Ito at the end of 2017. Queensland, Australia There will also be action in Queensland featuring some Asian fighters. One of those bouts will see local fighter Steve Spark (4-1, 4) take on Chinese fighter Zhen Yang Cai (4-2-1, 2). On paper this looks really well matched, though it should be noted that Cai has gone 1-2-1 in his last 4 and has never fought outside of China prior to this contest. Another bout pitching a local against a Chinese visitor will see the unbeaten Brent Rice (5-0, 2) take on Li Fu Hu (4-2, 2), with Hu taking on his biggest test so far. The Chinese fighter, has proven to be limited and shouldn't pose many questions for Rice, but will be a trier and certainly will come to test the local It's also worth noting that Hero Tito (22-12-2,8) and Jack Asis (35-19-5, 18) as both set to fight on this card, against different opponents, but neither man has had their foe named as of yet. The final day of 2016 is one of the most notable on the boxing calendar as Japanese TV promoters, and TV channels put on a number of shows. This year we get three shows, each with multi-ple title bouts and notable prospects. Kyoto, Japan The most notable of the three shows takes place in Kyoto and will be aired on TBS as part of their huge end of year celebrations. The headline bout here will see the WBA regular and interim titles at Flyweight being unified. The bout sees regular champion Kazuto Ioka (20-1, 12) battle with unbeaten interim champion Stamp Kiatniwat (15-0, 6) from Thailand. The bout is an interesting match up with Stamp's team showing confidence in their man, who seemed to believe he was travelling to Japan to stop the champion. The experience Ioka will be looking to show that experience is key here and will likely be looking to prove he's the best Flyweight on the planet in 2017, after getting this mandatory defense out of the way. A second world title fight on this card will see IBF Super Bantamweight chamion Jonathan Guzman (22-0-0-1, 22) defending his title for the first time. The heavy handed Dominican will be up against once beaten Japanese challenger Yukinori Oguni (18-1-1, 7), who is looking to add a world title to his collection which already includes a Japanese and OPBF title. Guzman, who won the title in Japan with a stoppage win over Shingo Wake, has looked relaxed but some have felt that he is over-looking Oguni who has started to find his own power in recent bouts. Sadly an IBF Bantamweight title bout between Lee Haskins (34-3, 14) and Shohei Omori (17-1, 12) was cancelled in the weeks leading up to the bout, as Haskins suffered an injury that forced him out. Omori's team, who are promoting the show, managed to find their man a solid late replacement in the former of multi-time world title challenger Rocky Fuentes (32-8-2, 20). The bout isn't a bad one given the short notice but it should be noted that Fuentes is best known for his run at Flyweight and will be dwarfed by Omori who is around 5” taller than the Filipino. Another bout pitting a Japanese fighter against a Thai will see the unbeaten, and world ranked, Sho Ishida (22-0, 11) up against the hapless Petchnamnung Sor Thiebkhun (0-10). The Thai has been stopped 8 times in his 10 defeats and will be unlikely to test Ishida who has made it clear that he's wanting world title fights in 2017. A bout like this won't prepare him for world class opposition but serves the task of keeping him busy and ticking him over whilst looking for a big fight. Another Ioka gym hopeful on this under card is the unbeaten, and exciting, Super Flyweight Masayoshi Hashizume (11-0, 8). Hashizume won the Rookie of the Year in 2014 and although we had hoped to see him in notable fights since he actually this year facing unknown Thai Chatpetch Saithonggym (0-0). Hopefully 2017 will be a better year for the Osaka man who hasn't progressed like some had hoped. Tokyo, Japan Another notable multi-title show will come from Tokyo and be promoted by Watanabe promotions, who continue their association with TV Tokyo. The headline bout of this is the “revenge or repeat” bout between Panama's tricky Jezreel Corrales (20-1-1, 8) and Takashi Uchiyama (24-1-1, 20). Earlier this year Corrales blitzed Uchiyama in 2 rounds to give “KO Dynamite” his first professional defeat and to claim the WBA Super Featherweight “super” title and shocked the boxing world. Now the champion will be looking to repeat the feat as he returns to a Japanese ring whilst Uchiyama will be looking to prove the result was an anomaly. At 37 years old however the view is that Uchiyama is several years removed from his prime and will likely be over-whelmed by the speed and movement of Corrales once again. The second of the world title bouts on this card will see WBA Light Flyweight champion Ryoichi Taguchi (25-2-1, 11) defending his belt against unbeaten Venezuelan puncher Carlos Canizales (16-0, 13). On paper this looks like a good defense for Taguchi but in fairness Canizales hasn't yet fought anyone of any name recognition and it's hard to know how good he really is. He could be the next gem of a talent from Venezuela or he could be a crude domestic fighter, as the footage suggests, either way we'll see questions answered about him, even if we don't learn anythign new about Taguchi. Arguably the most interesting bout of the whole day is an OPBF / WBO Asia Pacific Super Featherweight title unification bout as the once beaten Masayuki Ito (19-1-1, 9), the current OPBF champion, takes on the teak tough and criminally under-rated Takuya Watanabe (30-6-1, 16), the current WBO Asia Pacific title holder. This bout is one for the hardcore but is something we expect to actually leave the fans the happiest with. Both men are incredibly talented, have under-rated power and skills and the winner really does deserve some other major bouts in 2017. We think Ito is the more proven but Watanabe is always a handful and appears to be getting better with every fight. One of the hottest young talents in Japanese boxing will be looking to secure his 5th straight stoppage win. That is the wonderfully aggressive Hiroto Kyoguchi (4-0, 4), who will be up against Filipino visitor Junuel Lacar (7-3-3, 5). The bout should be a test for Kyoguchi but the reality is that he has made supposed tests, like Kenichi Miyazaki and Michael Camelion, look poor courtesy of his speed and power. A win here could see Kyoguchi begin to fight for titles in 2017. Another fast rising prospect on this card is the really exciting Masataka Taniguchi (5-0, 4), who is looking to build on his recent win over Dexter Alimento as he takes on Vicent Bautista (5-5-3, 1) in what looks like a straight forward bout for the much fancied Taniguchi. It's thought that 2017 will see Taniguchi battle for titles and this could be his final bout before he gets to wear his first strap. For those interested in final 3 bouts mentioned here they will be features on tape delay as part of the Boxingraise service. Gifu, Japan A third show, in fact the first of the three, takes place in Gifu where Hatanaka will be promoting a card. The main event of this will have a legal stream broadcast world wide for fans interested. The main event of this card will see former WBO Minimumweight champions collide as Kosei Tanaka (7-0, 4) takes on Moises Fuentes (24-2-1, 13) for the vacant WBO Light Flyweight. For Tanaka this is a huge chance to match Naoya Inoue's Japanese record of becoming a 2-weight world champion in 8 bouts however it's a tough bout against a very talented Mexican who many feel should should have scored a win a win over Donnie Nietes in his first bout with the talented Filipino. On paper this is probably the most interesting of the bouts from the day, at least at world title level. At Japanese title level we'll see Shota Hayashi (28-5-1, 17), making his first defense of the Japanese Featherweight title, taking on former world champion Akifumi Shimoda (31-5-2, 14). For Hayashi, who won the title back in September, a win here would legitimise his reign and prove him to be a worthy champion. For Shimoda this is a second shot at this title following a narrow loss to Satoshi Hosono last year. In a supporting bout we'll see former Japanese Bantamweight title contender Yushi Tanaka (18-1-3, 12) face off with Takuya Taniguchi (6-9-2, 1). For Tanaka this is a chance to record a third straight win following his March loss to Kentaro Masuda for the Japanese title. The little known Taniguchi will be looking to score his biggest win, though he has gone just 1-3 in his last 4 bouts dating back more than a year. Another supporting bout will see Kento Hatanaka (1-0, 1), the son of former former world champion Kiyohi Hatanaka, battle against Yukihiro Asahara (2-4, 1). The 18 year old Hatanaka will be seeking to score his second win in the space of just 5 weeks! On his debut Hatanaka score a quick blow out over an over-matched foe and will be looking to do the same again here. Tokyo, Japan Action again hits A-sign on Wednesday as we get a title double header from the Korakuen Hall. The main event of the card is a 10 round Middleweight bout between reigning Japanese champion Hikaru Nishida (15-8-1, 7) and former world title challenger Makoto Fuchigami (23-11, 14), with the two men not only fighting for the Japanese title but also the WBO Asia Pacific title, making it the third WBO Asia Pacific title bout to be fought for in Japan. This will be the third bout between these two, with Nishida winning their first two, and a loss for Fuchigami will probably be the end of his career. The other tile bout is another WBO Asia Pacific title bout and comes at 130lbs as the teak tough Takuya Watanabe (29-6-1, 15) face Thai puncher Amin Sor Wangmoo (14-1-2, 11). The Thai, making his international debut, has gone 12-0-1 (9) since suffering his sole loss however this ius a big step up for the visitor. The local fighter is as tough as they come and has featured in some great wars, with his bout against Jaesung Lee being a particularly bloody affair, and we're expecting a real fun bout here. In the only notable under-card bout we'll see former world title challenger Masayuki Kuroda (24-7-3, 14) essentially fight for his career. The former Japanese Light Flyweight champion is 3-4-3 in his last 10 but will be hoping to over-come Masashi Odaira (6-6-2, 2) and get some career traction going, Odaira has gone Tokyo, Japan To end the month Japanese fans in Tokyo get another show. The card isn't a big one but it does end a relatively quiet month for Japanese fight fans. The main event will see the really exciting Tsuyoshi Tameda (12-1-2, 10) battle against limited Thai visitor Nongbeer Sor Bangkru (1-6). Tameda comes in to this one on the back of a career best victory over Mark Bernaldez and although the bout is a step back for the 22 year old prospect it does keep him ticking over whilst he moves towards a Japanese title fight. For Nongbeer, who is supposedly ranked in Thailand, this is a 4th visit to Japan where he is currently 0-3. In the co-feature the extremely tough, and criminally under-rated, Takuya Watanabe (27-6-1, 13) will be in a stay busy bout against Katsunori Imai (5-6-3). Although this is a mismatch, and Watanabe's second in a row, we do understand him wanting to stay active and this is his 6th bout in 12 months, including his very competitive Japanese title bout with Satoshi Hosono last October. A win here will keep Watanabe in the running for another Japanese title bout later this year. One other bout on this card worthy of some attention sees Sho Kimura (9-1-2, 3) battle against Takayuki Teraji (6-9-1, 3). Kimura will be risking an OPBF ranking in this bout, and whilst he will be favoured he doesn't actually have anything on his record to suggest he's anything special. Teraji may have a scrappy record but his competition has been around the same as Kimura's and he is a live under-dog in this one This coming Sunday is certainly not a day to remember for Asian fans, despite shows across the continent. Bangkok, Thailand On paper the best show, by far, is in Thailand where we see a Japan Vs Thailand card that features a number of notable names. The main event will see Japan's Cobra Suwa (16-11-2, 8) travel to face Khompetch Sithsaithong (5-6, 5) in a bout for the PABA Light Middleweight title. On paper neither fighter looks like much, however Suwa is a talented fighter who has fought for the OPBF and JBC titles, however claiming the PABA title would be his biggest achievement to date, and see him claiming a second professional title. Another notable name on this card is the very tough Takuya Watanabe (26-6-1, 12), who fights for the first time since losing a Japanese Featherweight title fight against Satoshi Hosono. The under-rated Watanabe will be expected to pick up a win here as he takes on Singnuor Lookchaomaesaithong (0-0) in an 8 round bout. Another 8 rounder will see former Japanese title challenger Yosuke Kirima (21-5-2, 14) take on Thailand's Tiendaen Chaiyonggym (0-0), in what should be an easy for Kirima who was beaten last time out by Yuto Shimizu. A final bout of note is a female title bout that will see Satomi Nishimura (8-2, 1) battle against Namphaya Sakpracha (5-2, 4) for the PABA female Light Flyweight title. Osaka, Japan The second most notable of the shows comes from Japan's second city and is a low level show with just a single bout of note. That bout is the main event and sees the promising Takuya Uehara (7-0, 4) putting his unbeaten record on the line against the more experienced Hiroki Yoshimura (7-12, 4). On paper this looks like a huge mismatch, the unbeaten hopeful against the experienced loser. In all honesty however it's Uehara who stepping up, in a big way, to take on a fighter who has mixed with fighters like Shota Hayashi and Kento Masushita. It is worth noting that Yoshimura has lost his last 7, but he is still a big step up from the novices that Uehara has been beating so far. Metro Manila, Philippines In the Philippines fans get the chance to see a number of bouts, though only one, again, seems notable. That is the main event, a 12 round bout between Eranio Semillano (10-7-1, 3) and the highly experienced Edison Berwela (13-32-8, 3). The bout isn't great on paper, but the winner will get a shot at the lightly regarded EPBC Bantamweight title, with this being an eliminator for that bout. Yunnan, China In China fans get a third successive day of action in Yunnan, though as with the previous two days the action certainly isn't particularly notable. 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 The Korakuen Hall really is a busy venue this month and on August 5th we get a 4th show there in the space of 5 days! Thankfully it appears to be a much better card than some of the others this month and the main event really is one of the best match ups of the month, as two young, promising punchers face off in a mouth watering encounter. That main event will see unbeaten Filipino Mark Vincent Bernaldez(15-0, 10) put his record on the line against the once beaten local favourite Tsuyoshi Tameda (11-1-2, 9). Bernaldez has been tipped as a Filipino prospect to keep a real eye on whilst Tameda has himself been tipped as a future champion at domestic level, at the very least, and is currently rising a 4 unbeaten run of 8-0-1 (6). This bout will set the lose back whilst pushing the winner on considerably, however it will not be the end for either guy with both being very young fighters. This is one of those rare match ups that really should excite fans yet will likely get over-looked due to the fact neither man is a big name, yet. Another another contest here will see Takuya Watanabe (25-5-1, 12) battling against Shun Shimazaki (6-6-1, 1). On paper this is an easy win for Watanabe who will be hoping to get a better bout in the near future. Although not an incredible fighter we've been fans of him ever since his blood bath with Jaesung Lee and wish him all the best after that gutsy and bloody effort on route to his loss to the Korean. Coming in to this one Watanabe will be risking Japanese and OPBF rankings. One other bout that caught our interest is a Featherweight bout between the well matched pairing of Shingo Kusano (9-4-1, 4) and Kenta Takahashi (10-9-3, 3) who are both 26 year old southpaws. On paper Kusano looks the favourite but Kusano's record is littered with losses to top domestic fighters such as Gosuke Seki, Yuki Ogata and Yusaku Kuga whilst Kusano has been matched easier than his foe. This one could be a lot better than the records suggest. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) April 24th is a strangely active day with notable fights taking place all over the place. The bouts range from relatively small contests to a “world” title fight in China. Despite the action the day will likely go under the radar for many fans, at least in terms of the Asian fighters. Beijing, China The biggest bout of the day will be in the Chinese capital at the “Capital Gym” and will see WBA “interim” Light Flyweight champion Randy Petalcorin (22-1-1, 17) defending his belt against unheralded Chinese challenger Ma Yi Ming (12-5, 7). Coming into the bout Petalcorin is a relatively known quantity and looked very good in his title victory last August, when he stopped Walter Tello in 7 rounds. As for Ming this is a relatively undeserved challenge but the Chinese fighter is a lot better than his record indicated will come to fight, possibly leaving himself open to Petalcorin's fast and accurate shots. This could be a potential banana skin for the talented Petalcorin who should move onto bigger fights if he's successful here. On the same card Qu Peng (6-1-1, 4) will be battling against Australian fighter Dane Campbell (3-2, 2). This will be Peng's first bout since losing to Andrew Robinson in Macau last November. Tokyo, Japan In Japan we get a low level card which doesn't leave us too exciting but it does feature some notable fighters, sadly all of which are in relative mismatches. The main event will see the Japanese and OPBF ranked Akihiko Katagiri (16-7-2, 7) facing off against the over-matched Tatsuya Otsubo (7-6-1, 3). Katagiri comes into this bout unbeaten in 5, following a 4th round TKO loss to Jhonny Gonzalez, and will be hoping to continue that type of form as he edges towards a title fight. Whilst Otsubo has a similar run, with 5 straight wins, he has been fighting at a much lower level and this is a massive step up in class for him. In the chief support bout we'll see former OPBF and Japanese Middleweight title challenger Hikaru Nishida (11-7-1, 3) facing off against the debuting Kungsuk Sor Sompong (0-0. Although we know little about Kungsuk we do know that Nishida is a lot, lot better than his record indicates and should have enough in the tank to beat his foe here. A second support bout will see female fighter Kimika Miyoshi (9-8-1, 4) battle against a Thai foe. Miyoshi, who is ranked in the top 10 by the IBF and the WBA at Bantamweight will be hoping to move towards a world title fight though she's unlikely to be able to beat any of the current world champions in or around 118lbs. As well as the 3 bouts mentioned here there will a further 5 bouts. One of those bouts will see Takuya Watanabe (24-5-1, 11) fighting a Thai foe in a 6 round bout. Watanabe, the IBF Asian Featherweight champion, shouldn't have any issues here in what looks like a stay busy fight for a man facing his 5th straight Thai foe. Other bouts will involve qualified accountant Kohei Kashino (1-0, 1) and risique model Riyako Goshi (3-2) who are both involved in 4 rounders with domestic opponents. Thailand In Thailand fans will get the chance to see former WBA "interim" Flyweight champion Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep (35-3, 20)* fight for the second time since being beaten last year by Juan Carlos Reveco. Yodmongkol is set to fight Jopher Marayan (7-5-2, 3) in a bout for the WBA Asia Flyweight title. Whilst other bouts will be on this show we've not been informed of what they are, yet. What we do know is that this show will be aired on Thai channel 7. Metro Manila, Philippines In the Philippines we're expecting to see WBO #1 ranked Super Flyweight Warlito Parrenas (23-6, 20) facing off against Thailand's Kaichon Sor Vorapin (25-13, 9) in a 10 round bout. It seems Parrenas's bout with Jamie Conlan has been cancelled for a second time and Parrenas has decided to stay busy and take a fight at home instead of waiting on the side lines. In the co-feature Recky Dulay (8-1-0-1, 5) will be facing Warren Mambuanag (7-5-2, 3) in what should be a straight forward victory for Dulay who does look like a promising prospect despite already suffering a loss. Others on this bout include the talented Michael Dasmarinas (19-2, 12), who will be in a 6 round bout against a TBA and Jenel Lausa (3-0, 2), who is facing Benjie Baron (2-1) in a 6 rounder. South Africa We get more Filipino action as a couple of Filipino fighters take to South Africa in the search for IBO titles. One of the Filipino's in action is unbeaten Featherweight Randy Braga (15-0-1, 3) who battles the heavy handed Macbute Sinyabi (24-4, 19) in a bout for the IBO Inter-Continental Featherweight title. For Braga this a very risky assignment but at 27 years old it seems the time is now or never to step up. Sinyabi is a vicious puncher but his power doesn't quite seem to have the same effect in recent bouts as it did earlier in his career and if Braga can take his power there maybe a title heading to the Philippines. The other bout is even trickier for the visitor. This one will see Renz Rosia (11-2, 5) battle against the much touted Makazole Tete (12-0-1, 9) in a bout for the IBO Inter-Continental Flyweight title. Tete is the young brother of current IBF Super Flyweight champion Zolani Tete and is said to be better than Zolani, if that's true then Rosia is on to a beating here. On paper Rosia is on a great run with 9 straight wins but he's stepping up massively for this bout and we suspect he'll come up very short against a very good South African. Accra, Ghana Staying in Africa we will also see the heavy handed Joebert Delos Reyes (13-4-1, 10) taking on Emmanuel Tagoe (22-1, 9) in a bout for the WBA Inter-continental Lightweight title. Tagoe will be fighting for the first time in 20 months and whilst his record looks good he has had some luck, including a debatable decision against Ronald Pontillas. Reyes might not be a star in the making but he really can bang and he'll be hoping to show that power here. *Boxrec are missing Yodmongkol's most recent bout against Pongpan Pattanakarngym. Tokyo, Japan For the second day running we get action from the Korakuen Hall with an under-rated yet interesting show which features a number of ranked fighters and several genuinely meaningful bouts. The opening bout on the show is a 6 rounder which will see the 2014 All Japan Rookie of the Year winner at Featherweight, Reiya Abe (8-1, 4) battle for the first time since he claimed the Rookie title. Abe will be, on paper, in his toughest bout to date as he battles against Shingo Kusano (8-4-1, 4) who will be entering the bout in search of his biggest win, since he won the East Japan Rookie of the Year crown, also at Featherweight, in November 2013. Interestingly coming into this fight Abe is ranked #15 by the JBC at 126lbs. In a contracted 80KG bout fans will see Thai debutant Kompayak Sithacharnkom (0-0) battle against former OPBF Super Middleweight title challenger Shintaro Matsumoto (10-4, 8). Matsumoto has lost his last two bouts by stoppage, including a 4th round TKO loss to Yuzo Kiyota last time out, though we know next to nothing about his Thai opponent, other than the fact he shares a “first name” with a former Minimumweight world champion. An interesting Featherweight bout will see the hard hitting Tsuyoshi Tameda (10-1-2, 8) battle against Takenori Ohashi (11-3-1, 7) in a genuine well matched bout. We need to favour Tameda here though only just and Ohashi's draw against Mikihito Seto last June was an impressive result that he may build on here. A second Japan Vs Thailand bout comes at Super Featherweight where IBF Asia champion Takuya Watanabe (23-5-1, 11) fights a hastily arranged bout with a Thai foe Sam Saknarong (1-1). Although this bout was relatively short notice Watanabe had been training for a bout on March 1st and should be in great shape for this non-title bout. The show's co-feature will be one of the most significant bouts of the week as Quaye Peter (6-5-2, 3), an OPBF and JBC ranked fighter, battles against JBC ranked foe Ryoji Tanaka (8-2-1, 2). Outside of rankings this may not mean much, especially for fight fans outside of Japan, though it could well see the winner move on to a national title fight and that is significant. Peter, a Ghanaian born fighter who has fought solely in Japan, scored his biggest win last time out, taking a clear decision over Kazuya Maruki in a major upset. That win was Peter's first in more than 2 years and saw him ending a 5 fight win-less streak. On the other hand Tanaka enters this bout on a 5 fight winning streak including a notable win over Dai Taoka in the 2013 Rookie of the Year final at Welterweight. Possibly the pick of the bouts will see Filipino visitor Alie Laurel (12-3, 8) battle against the heavily experienced Nobuhisa Coronita Doi (29-14-8, 11). Doi has come up short in a couple of Japanese title fights, including a 2013 clash with Hidenori Otake, and knows another loss could be the end of his career. As for Laurel he made a name for himself last year when he shocked the then unbeaten Tiger Tor Buamas in 5 rounds to claim the WBO Oriental Bantamweight title. Although Lurael has got defeats on his record his is a brilliant and dangerous little fighter who has been unlucky in all 3 defeats. We suspect Laurel could well end Doi's career here in a very, very interesting match up. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) |
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