This coming Sunday is a busy day in Asia with a trio of notable cards in Asia.
City Sogo Gym, Hirakata, Osaka, Japan For us the most interesting of those cards is the Green Tsuda gym, that features a really nice mix of youngsters and notable names, along with the retirement ceremony of former Japanese Welterweight champion Ryota Yada (20-8, 17). The most notable bout on the card is an all Japan contest between rising youngster Toshiki Shimomachi (14-1-2, 10) and the hard hitting Takuya Mizuno (17-3-1, 14). The talented Shimomachi is best known for winning the All Japan Rookie of the Year in 2017, and since then has gone on to win the Japanese Youth Bantamweight title and slowly move towards a bout for a senior title. He comes into this on the back of 5 stoppage wins, including ones against Hiroki Hanabusa and Jerry Castroverde. Mizuno on the other hand is a noted puncher, but has struggled recently, losing his last 2 bouts and is without a win in the last 3 years. If Mizuno has ambition he should give Shimomachi a genuinely test here, but it's hard to know what hunger he has after being out of the ring for almost 2 year. Shimomachi's stable mate Jinki Maeda (9-0, 4), also a former All Japan Rookie of the Year winner, will be looking to continue his winning run as he takes on hard hitting Filipino Jhunriel Ramonal (17-10-6, 10), in a really tough step up bout. The talented Maeda is a very nice boxer-puncher, who has gone under the radar with fans outside of Japan, and he'll know that he needs to step up to make a buzz on the regional scene. On paper Ramonal shouldn't be a test, but records don't fight and Ramonal has proven to be a nasty puncher and a really dangerous fighter, with notable KO's against the likes of Yusaku Kuga and Shingo Wake. If Maeda isn't careful here he could well find himself on the receiving end of a shock KO. At Welterweight we'll see the always entertaining Aso Ishiwaki (9-5-1, 7) take on hard hitting Thai visitor Achariya Boonmoh (12-0, 11). Although not the best fighter out there Ishiwaki is a very fan friendly warrior, with an aggressive style and a real will to win. He will however need to show some real resolve here as the 21 year old Boonmoh is a nasty puncher, who has stopped his last 11 foes, in a combined 31 rounds. Notably the Thai is stepping up, massively here and hasn't faced anyone of any real note, but will feel confidence given how he has been destroying opponents so far. Another Thai puncher on this card is Sitthisak Simsri (12-0, 12), the younger brother of Thanongsak Simsri, who will be risking his WBA ranking against the once beaten Toshiki Kawamitsu (6-1, 3). The 20 year old Simsri has never faced anyone of any note so far, but has been taking out his limited opposition in quick fashion, with his bouts lasting less than 3 rounds on average. As for Kawamitsu, he has been inactive since being stopped in 2 rounds last year by Ginjiro Shigeoka, and it's hard to know what his hunger will be like, and what his confidence will be like against someone as hard hitting as Simsri. The Flash Grand Ballroom of the Elorde Sports Complex, Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines The more notable of two Filipino cards comes from Metro Manila where we see a number of notable fighters in action. The most notable bout on the card sees unbeaten hopeful Charly Suarez (11-0, 7) take on veteran Mark John Yap (30-16, 15), with Suarez looking to defend his WBA Asia Super Featherweight title. The unbeaten Suarez was touted for big things when he turned professional, but now aged 33 he really is running out of time if he's to land a major international fight. As for Yap he was once a very good Bantamweight, and a legitimate top level regional fighter. Now a days however it's hard to know what to expected from him and he is 1-4 in his last 5 dating back 4 years. He has lost his last 3 and we don't think moving to Super Featherweight will be a good move for him here. In a really solid match up we'll see Al Toyogon (12-6-1, 8) take on Allan Villanueva (11-2, 8), in what is a pretty even looking match up. Toyogon has lost 4 of his last 6, but they include defeats to the likes of Ryo Sagawa, Shuya Masaki and Jorge Linares, and he has notched wins in his last 2 bouts. As for Villanueva he has lost his last 2, but they have come to very solid domestic opponents. The winner of this will claim the WBF Asia Pacific Lightweight title, a very low quality title, but something that both men will be fighting hard for, given their opportunities for bigger titles will be limited. Another WBF title fight, this time for their International Minimumweight title, will see the criminally under-rated Lito Dante (18-11-4, 10) take on Clyde Azarcon (17-4-1, 6). On paper Azarcon should be the favourite here, but the 27 year old has a very padded record, and has been stopped in the opening round of 2 of his last 4 bouts. As for Dante his record is underwhelming in terms of numbers, but he has some very solid wins including a TKO over future world title challenger Tsubasa Koura. Over 10 rounds Dante is a total nightmare, and it's hard to imagine him losing here to Azarcon. Sibonga, Cebu, Philippines A second Filipino card will be held in Sibonga, where we see two notable bouts. The most notable of the bouts on this card will see once beaten fighters collide, as April Jay Abne (9-1, 5) takes on Christian Bacolod (14-1, 10). For Abne the bout will see him look to score his third win since a shock December 2021 loss to Garen Diagan, and he will feel he has the tools to deal with Bacolod. As for Bacolod he has won two in a row since a hotly contest 2019 loss to Thanongsak Simsri, though they have come at a very low level and this is a notable step back up in class for him. This has a genuine 50-50 feel and is the type of bout we really want to see more of in the Philippines. The other notable bout on this card will see Bryan James Wild (8-0, 6) look to continue his winning run, as he takes on limited veteran Mateo Handig (15-21, 9). Wild struggled past Jason Dogelio back in May and with that in mind it's little wonder he's facing someone who has no ambition or drive to win, such as Handig here. At his best Handig was a solid Minimumweight fighter, and he holds a controversial win over Katsunari Takayama, however since then he has gone 2-16-1 and moved through the weights with a complete lack of success
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EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
This coming Sunday is a busy day for Japanese fight fans with 3 shows taking place across the country. For us the most interesting of the 3 comes in Osaka City, and is being promoted by Green Tsuda, with a genuinely excellent prospect headlining the card. The prospect headlining this card is the slippery and awkward Toshiki Shimomachi (13-1-2, 9), who hasn't made a lot of nose but is quietly putting together a solid record, and developing his reputation as one of the most skilled hopefuls in Japan. The talented Shimomachi has stopped his last 4 opponents, including Kenta Nomura and Hiroki Hanabusa, and will be desperate to show what he can do here, after more than a year out of the ring. The man looking to stop Shimomachi's run is Filipino Jerry Castroverde (10-7, 5), who has lost his last 3, but been matched hard and certainly has some higher level experience to call upon in an attempt at slowing Shimomachi's momentum In the chief support we'll see the out of form Ryosuke Nasu (12-8-3, 2) take on Hiroki Yajima (9-10-3, 4), with Nasu looking to turn things around and end a 3 fight losing run. Sadly for Nasu things really have gone down hill for him following a solid 8-2-3 (2) start to his career as a professional fighter. Aged 26 Nasu is still young enough to turn things around, but he does need to start finding his groove sooner rather than later. As for Yajima it does seem like his career is going nowhere and he is 1-5 in his last 6, dating back to 2017, and at 31 his role in the sport seems to be less about moving his own career forward and more about giving talented prospects and hopefuls some rounds. We should see Nasu take a win here, and fingers crossed he gets to boost his confidence and move onwards and upwards in the coming years. Sangyo Shinko Center, Sakai, Osaka, Japan Staying in Osaka prefecture, though travelling to Sakai City, we get another card, and this one could be a bit more interesting despite only one of the fighters on the card being particularly notable. The most notable bout on this card will be a clash between two 24 year olds, as Daiki Tomita (16-2, 5) takes on Yoshiki Yamashita (8-3-1). The talented Tomita is now two bouts removed from a TKO loss to Kenichi Horikawa, and has got the tools to be a fixture on and around the domestic and regional title scene. Although talented Tomita is still a work in progress, and we can't help but feel he's not yet grown into his man strength, or his body, and it could be a year or two before we see the best of him. Yamashita on the other hand doesn't seem like a fighter going places, but he should be game and he should do enough to test Tomita, without being a real threat. In an interesting and well matched supporting bout we'll see the hard hitting Toshiya Yokogawa (12-12-2, 10) take on Daichi Matsuura (7-6-2, 3). Yokogawa is limited as a boxer, but in the ring he's dangerous and with his power he does have a genuine chance against better fighters, as we've seen in recent wins against Takashi Igarashi and Glenn Medura, but he also has a questionable chin, having been stopped in 4 of his 12 losses. Matsuuura on the other hand has lost 3 of his last 4, though did show his toughness in 2019, when he went 12 with the hard hitting Chainoi Worawut. Yokogawa should be favoured, but this one could be tough, rough and if Matsuura can take hi power for a few rounds it could be a very competitive bout. Kokura Kita Gym, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan Over in Fukuoka we'll see former amateur standout Kiyotaka Horita (0-0) make his professional debut, as he takes on the hard hitting Ukyo Yoshigai (6-4, 5) in a scheduled 6 rounder. As an amateur Horita had 58 bouts and game 5th in the All Japan Championships and at 29 we suspect he'll be looking to moved quickly and aggressively. Yoshigai on the other hand won the All Japan Rookie of the Year back in 2016, but has gone 1-4 in his last 5 and hasn't fought since 2019. Yoshigai has power, but we wonder about his confidence and hunger coming in to this one. This coming Sunday is set to be a busy day in Japan with a solid card from Green Tsuda along with two different Rookie of the Year shows. Whilst we're not getting any sort of "massive" bout we are getting the chance to see some talented prospects in action and a lot of rookies!
EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan The most notable card of the day is a Green Tsuda card and Masaya Motishi really is giving his prospects a chance to grow, with two very notable prospects on this card. One of those prospects is 2019 All Japan Rookie of the Year winner Jinki Maeda (6-0, 4), who impressed in his Rookie triumph and then proved himself with two solid performances in 2020. The talented 24 year old southpaw is progressing well as a fighter, and doing so without too much fuss and noise. Here we'll see him up against a fellow southpaw, as he clashes with 31 year old Yushi Fujita (9-8-4, 2), who is a credible opponent. We suspect Maeda will be too good, too sharp, and too young for Fujita, but this is a genuine test for the unbeaten youngster. The other notable prospect on this show is former Japanese Youth Super Bantamweight champion Toshiki Shimomachi (12-1-2, 8), who really does look like a very special young fighter. The talented and slippery Shimomachi will be looking to kick off his 2021 as he takes on Thunder Teruya (7-8-1, 4), in what is again a very legitimate test. The talented Shimomachi won the All Japan Rookie of the Year in 2017, and since then has gone from strength to strength and scored notable wins against Kenta Nomura and Hiroki Hanabusa and will be strongly favoured here. Teruya looks very limited given his record, but he's no push over and he gave the very highly regarded Rentaro Kimura a decent test last year. Teruya is decent, despite his record, but we suspect he will be made to look very limited by the excellent Shimomachi. One other bout worthy of some attention on this show is a match up between Ryosuke Nasu (12-6-3, 2) and Sonin Nihei (9-5-2, 1), who are both ranked in the top 20 at Super Flyweight by the Japan Boxing Commission. The 25 year old Nasu is looking to bounce back from a loss to fast rising novice Ayato Hiromoto, and he really can ill afford another loss here given he is 4-4 in his last 8, after a 5-1-2 start to his professional career. Whilst Nihei is struggling, his struggle pale compared to Nasu's, with Nasu going 1-4 in his last 5 and he has seen his record completely fall apart after losing just 1 of his first 11 bouts. Despite that he has fought at a decent level and Nasu has shown a fair bit of ability. We don't expect this to be a huge exciting fight, but it should be a very competitive one. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan Staying at the same venue as the Green Tsuda card there will be a second event at the EDION Arena Osaka, with this one taking place after the Green Tsuda show. This one is very different and will be the first set of bouts in this year's West Japan Rookie of the Year. This show has 9 bouts scheduled for it, between Minimumweight and Light Welterweight, with 11 of the 18 fighters being debutants. In fact every bout on the show has a debutant on it and two of the bouts being all debutant affairs. One of the most interesting looking bouts on this card will see Ren Nishimura (2-2) take on 19 year old Shui Kawato (0-0). Nishimura impressed us last year in the Rookie of the Year, and gave eventual All Japan Rookie of the Year winner Sora Fukunaga a real test in November 2020. He will go into this bout as the favourite. Kawato on the other hand will be a hungry 19 year old desperate to take a victory to begin his career, and we suspect this could be a fantastic bout. Of all the fighters on this card with previous bouts to their name, only one is unbeaten and that's 22 year old Minimumweight Daiki Fujimoto (2-0-1) who looks to return to the ring after 2 years odd inactivity. He will be up against 24 year old debutant Yuki Yamamoto (0-0) and although we're not expecting an instant classic here, Fujimoto did prove he was a decent fighter before his absence from the ring and it'll be interesting to see what he's like here after such a long lay off. Sun Rise Park Gym, Saga, Saga, Japan As well as the action in Osaka there will also be a very small Western Japan Rookie of the Year card in Saga. This card is so small it features just 3 bouts, and is sadly a sign of what boxing is like in Western Japan. Despite only being a small card it is worth noting that two of the bouts on this show will be Welterweight bouts, with the two winners set to battle on June 20th in the Western Japan final. One of those bouts will see 29 year old Ryoji Matsumoto (0-1) battle 23 year old Rintaro Shiojiri (0-1). Matsumoto made his debut all the way back in 2016, losing to Sho Yasuda in a bout around the Lightweight limit, and has been away from the ring for well over 4 years. Shiojiri on the other hand debuted in 2019 and hasn't fought since losing on debut to Hiroya Nojima. With both men looking for their first win, and a place in the Western Japan Rookie of the Year final we expect to see an entertaining bout here. But if we're being honest neither man has much of a future, and it would be a massive surprise if they managed to become the West Japan representative at the All Japan final. The other Welterweight bout here will see 33 year old Taiki Henzan (1-1, 1) battle 29 year old Tomotaka Noda (2-3), in what is a rematch of a clash these two had last September. When these two men first fought Henzan stopped Noda in 2 rounds, and he'll be looking for a repeat result here. Noda on the other hand will be looking to avenge the loss, and get back to winning ways. Interestingly he had won back to back bouts before that loss. Amazingly all 4 of the Welterweights on this show lost their last bout, a rather peculiar stat. This coming Sunday is a great one for fight fans in Osaka Prefecture, with two shows in both Osaka City, thanks to a stacked Green Tsuda show and Rookie of the Year show.
EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan We'll start with the Green Tsuda card, which features 5 bouts we want to talk about and is the card with the name value. The main event here will see former Japanese Welterweight champion Ryota Yada (20-6, 17) take on veteran Yuichi Ideta (13-15-1, 7) in an 8 round Welterweight bout. Yada, is eying up an OPBF title fight in the new year, and will be looking to shine here in what should be an easy win for the "Nanaiwa Terminator". For him this will be his second bout since his 2019 epic against Yuki Beppu, which saw Beppu climb off the canvas numerous times to stop Yada in round 10 of a thriller. The 36 year old Ideta really isn't expect to be much of a threat here, especially given that he has gone almost 10 years without a win, going 0-12-1 in his last 13. This is a clear showcase for Yada to shine in. Another former Japanese champion expecting to pick up an easy win here is former Japanese Super Flyweight champion Takayuki Okumoto (23-9-4, 11), who lost the title in 2019 to Kenta Nakagawa. The 29 year old Okumoto will be looking to bounce back from that loss as he takes on 22 year old Akio Furutani (8-4, 3). At his best Okumoto is a solid fighter, not spectacular but a very solid one, and one we expect to be hovering in and around the domestic title scene for a while. Furatani on the other hand is something of an unknown quantity. He back his career 4-4 but he really kicked on since a 2018 loss to Yoshiki Minato and has won his last 4 in a row, and looked progressively better, especially last time out with Keisuke Nakayama. This could be, potentially, a banana skin for Okumoto. One of our favourite Japanese prospects will be on this card defending his JBC Youth Super Flyweight title, in what will be his last defense before he stops being considered a "youth" fighter. That man is defending champion Toshiki Shimomachi (12-1-2, 8), who looks to defend his title against 23 year old challenger Satoru Hoshiba (7-4, 2). We have been really impressed by Shimomachi in recent performance and he has become a wonderfully talented boxer, with a counter puncher's mindset, and we expect to see him fighting for senior titles in the next year or two. Hoshiba on the other hand hasn't impressed in the same way, but has been getting valuable rounds recently and his last 2 bouts will have prepared him well for this bout. Interestingly these two men fought in the 2017 Rookie of the Year, with Shimomachi taking a majority decision over Hoshiba, and Hoshiba will clearly be wanting to avenge that loss as well as taking the title from Shimomachi. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Shimomachi looks to make final defense as he takes on Hoshiba for the second time! Arguably the standout bout on the show will see former multi-time world champion Katsunari Takayama (31-8-0-1, 12) clash with former world title challenger Reiya Konishi (17-2, 7). Originally we were supposed to see this bout in November, before it cancelled due to Konishi receiving a positive Covid19 test and then he paid for testing himself which stated that he wasn't infected. Sadly the issues with Covid19 delayed the bout, before the teams quickly re-organised it and the bout got added tot his show. Given the styles of the two men, who are both high energy fighters who throw a lot of leather, this should be a spectacular battle of wills, though we do wonder what's left in the tank of the 37 year old Takayama. An easy one to over-look on this show will be a match up between the touted Jinki Maeda (5-0, 3) and the once beaten Kaito Okubo (5-1, 2). The unbeaten Maeda won the All Japan Rookie of the Year in 2019, beating Kyonosuke Kameda in the final, and impressed back in August when he stopped Arashi Iimi in 2 rounds, in what was a very impressive and eye catching performance. Okubo on the other hand is a 23 year old who is very tall and rangy and has some momentum of his own coming into this bout, with back to back stoppage wins. We rate Maeda highly, but this certainly looks like a genuine test for the unbeaten 24 year old. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan In Osaka we'll find out who will represent West Japan in the All Japan final next year, as we get the penultimate bout in this year's Rookie of the Year. In total there are 12 bouts scheduled for the event, but as is typical with Rookie of the Year we've picked a handful of the most interesting match ups to look at. At Featherweight we'll get a good looking bout between 22 year olds as Kakeru Mio (5-2, 3) clashed with Hikaru Fukunaga (7-1, 4). Coming in to this it's easy to feel that Fukunaga should be favoured, but he's certainly not looked unbeatable on his route to becoming the Western Japan champion earlier this year and his competition has, for the most part, been very inexperienced. Mio on the other hand has lost 2 of his last 4 but is dangerous and will likely look to jump on Fukunaga at the first sign of weakness. The Welterweight bout has the best name on the show, as Bigbaby Okamoto (2-0, 1) takes on Hiroya Nojima (4-1, 2). The 26 year old Okamoto made his debut in September, with a narrow decision win, but impressed last time out, stopping Yusa Toyonaka. Nojima on the other hand has been a pro since early 2019 and began his career with 3 wins before a slip up in 2019 against Homare Yasui. Nojima will be hoping experience pays off, whilst Okamoto will be looking to make the most of his power and strength. Sadly there is only one clash between fighters sporting 100% winning records and that comes at Middleweight where 29 year old Katsuhiro Nakata (4-0, 3) takes on 26 year old Norifumi Hayakawa (2-0, 2). The 6'1" Nakata began his career in 2018 with 2 stoppage wins, before taking well over a year out before returning for this Year's Rookie of the Year. He has impressed since returning to the sport and looks like a dangerous big guy, by Japanese standards. Hayakawa on the other hand began his professional campaign in August and has just 2 rounds to his name. We expect this to become a wild and crazy shoot out for a place in the All Japan final. Dodoma, Tanzania As well as the action in Japan we're also set for some other action. This includes a bout from Tanzania which will see local fighter Cosmas Cheka (24-13-6, 5) take on Filipino slugger Alvin Lagumbay (12-5-1, 10), in a battle for a light regarded UBO title. With 13 losses to his name Cheka is certainly no world beater, but the 25 year old Lagumbay hasn't impressed since his 2018 upset win over Keita Obara, and has now lost 3 of his last 6. Lagumbay will be a threat, but we suspect his ambition has gone and he'll end up losing a decision here. Haryana, India There is also set to be a show in India, but this is very, very low level stuff and there's not a single bout of any note on the show, sadly. This coming Sunday is one of the busiest days we've seen this year for boxing in Asia, with numerous cards taking place, at varying levels.
City Sogo Gym, Hirakata, Osaka, Japan The best of the shows will come from Osaka, thanks to Green Tsuda who put on a Japanese Youth title bout and a contest featuring a former national champion. The main event of this show will see former Japanese Welterweight champion Ryota Yada (19-6, 16) take on Takuya Fujii (7-5, 3) in an 8 rounder. On paper this looks like an easy win for Yada, but he's coming into this bout following 2 stoppage losses in his last 3 bouts, including a loss last December in a sensational bout against Yuki Beppu. Fuji is no world beater but he could be the right person at the right time here. Although it's not the main event the more interesting bout on this card will see JBA Youth Super Bantamweight champion Toshiki Shimomachi (11-1-2, 7) defending his belt against unbeaten challenger Hiroki Hanabusa (8-0-3, 3). The hope was to get this bout sorted earlier in the year but due to what's been going on in the world it was delayed. Despite the delay we're really looking looking forward to this one and expect a very, very good, hotly contested bout, though one where the champion probably has the slight edge. Our in depth previous of this bout can be read here Shimomachi takes on Hanabusa in Youth title defense! Another bout on this card worthy of note is a contest between Jinki Maeda (4-0, 2) and Arashi Iimi (7-2, 7). The unbeaten Maeda won the Rookie of the Year last year, when he defeated Kyonosuke Kameda in the final, and he will be looking to build on that success here. Interestingly the hard hitting Iimi lost in a Rookie of the Year final back in 2017 against the previously mentioned Toshiki Shimomachi. On paper this should bhe a very, very good test for Maeda, and see what his chin is like. This show was also supposed to feature a contest between former Japanese Super Flyweight champion Takayuki Okumoto (23-9-4, 11) and once beaten prospect Tulio Kuwabata (3-1, 2). Sadly however this bout was cancelled when the "Osakan gym cluster" was discovered, leading some suspicion to it being an issue at the Mutoh Gym, where Kuwabata trains. This meant that for health and safety a number of bouts involving fighters from a number of Osaka gyms were cancelled, including this bout. Arena Tachikawa Tachihi , Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan In Tokyo we get another small card, featuring a total of 6 bouts, two of which involve a Japanese ranked fighter. The main event of the show will see Japanese and WBO Asia Pacific ranked Minimumweight Hizuki Saso (12-6-1, 4) take on Yuni Takada (8-5-1, 3). Coming in to this Saso has won 6 of his last 7 and built a bit of moment, despite a loss last year to Rikito Shiba. On the other hand Takada has lost 3 of his last 5 and is struggling for any traction in his career, with another loss expected here. The other ranked fighter on this show is Japanese ranked Lightweight Shinnosuke Saito (6-3, 2), who takes on Yuji Hashimoto (6-4, 4). Coming in to this Saito has the momentum, having won Rookie of the Year in 2019, but this is a step up for him and his first 6 rounder. On paper Hashimoto likely doesn't look much of a threat, but he has actually gone 6-1 in his last 7, albeit against very low level competition. Both men will be coming into this one hungry, and it could end up being a surprisingly good bout. Aioi Hall, Kariya, Aichi, Japan The third Japanese card comes from Kariya and is a 6 bout Central Japan Rookie of the Year show. From the 6 bouts on this card the one that has us most interested is a bout between unbeaten youngsters Rikiya Nakamura (2-0, 2) and Aito Takabatake (3-0), who clash in a bout at 140lbs. Strangely it appears boxrec have got Takabatake listed with a loss, though we have confirmed that he did actually win his September 2018 bout against Hitoka Kitagawa. This should be a genuine highlight for the show and hopefully both men do go on to have promising careers in the years to come. Daesan Gymnasium, Daegu, South Korea As well as the Japanese action we're also set to get some action from Korea thanks to a KBA show in Daegu. The card is certainly nothing special and it's a very low profile effort. Although it's a very poor card the main event of the show does have some significance, as Hyeon Oh Lee (3-4-1) and Chul Hyun Lim (5-16-2, 3) battle for a KBA ranking at Super Bantamweight. Neither man is expected to go far in the sport, Lee is a 27 year old who has won just 1 of his last 5 whilst Lim is a 39 year old who's last win came in 2010. If we're being this is a very weak main event for a very weak card. The sort of thing we expect when we think of the KBA, sadly. Following a busy Saturday we get a pretty interesting Sunday, with 3 title fighters and a number of interesting match ups. Osaka, Japan The most notable of the shows takes place in Osaka and will be promoted by Green Tsuda under their "Crash Boxing" banner. The main event of the card will be a Japanese Super Flyweight title bout, as Takayuki Okumoto (23-8-4, 11) defends his title against former champion Kenta Nakagawa (17-3-1, 12). For Okumoto this will be his 4th defense of the title, and sees him looking to build on recent wins over Yuta Matsuo and and Dynamic Kenji. For Nakagawa the bout gives him a chance to reclaim the title he lost in 2017 to Ryuichi Funai. Since losing the title Nakagawa has scored 4 wins, but all at a much lower level than this bout, and at 34 years old he really cannot afford another set back. Our in depth preview of this bout is available here Japanese champion Okumoto takes on former champion Nakagawa in up coming defense In the chief support bout we'll see bombs away as Yuki Beppu (20-1-1, 19) and former Japanese Welterweight champion Ryota Yada (19-5, 16) trade blows for the WBO Asia Pacific Welterweight title. Yada is less than 8 months removed from losing the Japanese title to Yuki Nagano, incidentally Nagano is the only man to beat Beppu, taking a decision over Beppu last year. Neither man is a world beater, but good fights don't need world beaters, they just need to be well matched and this one is! It's hard to imagine this one going the distance, but with both men being aggressive punchers it's very hard to predict who's going to end up victorious. Our preview of this bout can be read here The Kyushu Tyson takes on the Terminator of Naniwa for WBO Asia Pacific title! Originally the plan was for this card to be a triple title show, but Toshiki Shimomachi (10-1-2, 6) was unable to secure an opponent to defend his JBC Youth Super Bantamweight title against. Instead of defending his title the talented Japanese youngster will go up against Indonesian teenager Jufry Kakahure (5-2, 5). Whilst it's disappointing to see Shimomachi not defend his title against a decent domestic foe we're glad he's still on the show. In a really great fight we'll see Thai teenager Thanongsak Simsri (12-0, 11) take on world ranked Filipino Christian Bacolod (12-0, 9) in a truly fantastic match up. The Thai youngster is training alongside the Green Tsuda gym, and has been compared to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in the Thai press. That's huge praise in a way, but also massive amounts of pressure for a 19 year old who only debuted in the summer of 2018. This is a huge step up for him and we will see him answering questions, win or lose. Bacolod on the other hand has slowly been climbing towards a big fight. He enters with a WBO world ranking and has stopped 4 of his last in the first 2 rounds. Despite Bacolod being the more proven fighter he was dropped twice in a recent fight and that will be major encouragement for Simsri. Another interesting assignment for an unbeaten man will see Rei Nakajima (2-0) take on Thai veteran Patomsuk Pathompothong (39-11-1, 25), aka Komsan Polsan. This is a huge step up in class for Nakajima, but the Nobuhiro Ishida promoted professional novice is very highly regarded and it's clear that a win here will be a massive boost to hid fledgling career. Osaka, Japan Staying in Osaka there will be another title fight, as the unbeaten Musashi Mori (10-0, 6) defends his WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight title against once beaten puncher Takuya Mizuno (17-1-1, 14), in a mouth watering bout. Mori has impressed though much of his career, and working with Ismael Salas will help him tidy up his defensively flaws, flaws that had shown themselves in his most notable bouts. Although Mori is working on his defense it's clear Salas won't want him to be too negative, and against Mizuno negativity could be a problem. Mizuno is technically pretty poor, and he can be out boxed, but he bangs and Mori shouldn't let him build up any confidence. We suspect the gulf in skills should be the difference, but Mizuno can certainly turn the fight around. Our preview of this bout can be read here Fast rising Mori takes on hard hitting Mizuno in next title defense Sadly the rest of the card here is non-descript 4 rounders. Okinawa, Japan A third show will take place in Okinawa, where we see some pretty a couple of interesting, but lower level, bouts. The main event of this card will see a clash between Japan's Tatsuro Nakashima (10-1-1, 7) Filipino visitor and Ariston Aton (9-1, 5). Nakashima has bounced back well from a 2018 loss to Kai Ishizawa with 3 straight wins, and looks to be heading in the ring direction. Similarly Aton has bounced back from his sole loss, with 2 low key wins. This is a low key main event, but a very interesting one between two men looking to continue the rebuilding success. In a female bout we'll see Yuko Henzan (8-8-4, 2) clash with Gretel de Paz (5-5-2, 2). On paper this is a very competitive looking bout, and whilst the skill level will be low it should still make for an interesting 6 rounder. Also on this card is the return of Marcus Smith (6-1-1, 6), who hasn't fought since losing a Japanese title eliminator in October 2018 to Koki Inoue. Smith was supposed to fight earlier this year but missed weight, and was subsequently suspended. His return sees him being matched softly as he battles Indonesian journeyman Hendy Luis (10-17-3, 5). Although Smith is no world beater he is heavy handed and will be expected to beat Luis, though Luis is a durable foe and has only been stopped 3 times in his 30 fight career. This could be a very good chance to Smith to shake some ring rust. Qingdao, China Outside of Japan there will also be a small show in Qingdao, China. The quality of this show is lacking, however the card will feature an interesting main event between Youli Dong (14-2-1, 9) and Larry Siwu (28-12, 34). We suspect the local fighter will have the youth and skills to deal with Siwu, but the Indonesian visitor should be a good test for the 24 year old local. Osaka, Japan This coming Sunday our attention turns to Osaka for the next Green Tsuda show, and it's a good one with two title bouts, some interesting prospects and a former national champion looking to get back to winning ways after losing his belt earlier in the year. The main event of the card will see Japanese Super Flyweight champion Takayuki Okumoto (22-8-4,10) defending his title against Dynamic Kenji (11-3, 7). For Okumoto the bout will serve as his third defense, following close defenses against Masayoshi Hashizume and Yuta Matsuo, and is possibly the most dangerous bout he's had since his 2017 loss to Ryuichi Funai. Kenji isn't the most talented, and he looked really poor last time out against Thai visitor Sophon Klachun, but has proven to be a dangerous puncher at 115lbs with 5 stoppages in his last 7. Neither man is a future world champion, but they should make for an excellent match up between each other. Our preview of this bout can be read here Okumoto defends Japanese title against Kenji The chief support bout will see former Japanese Welterweight champion Ryota Yada (18-5, 15) look to bounce back from his April title loss to Yuki Nagano as he take on Indonesian visitor Robert Kopa Palue (14-7-3, 4). Although a relatively limited fighter, albeit one with serious power at domestic level, Yada should have far too much for for Palue who has fought as low as Featherweight, in fact he was stopped by Hiroshige Osawa down at Featherweight more than 7 years ago. Yada should be far too big and too strong for the visitor here. In another supporting bout former amateur standout Kazuki Tanaka (10-2, 7) looks to pick up his second win since his 2018 loss to Keita Kurihara. The talented Tanaka has failed to live up to expectations but should have far too much for Indonesian for Bobi Ronsumbre (3-0-1, 2). The visitor is unbeaten but his competition has been incredibly poor and really hasn't prepared him for someone like Tanaka. The other title fight on this show will see the once beaten Toshiki Shimomachi (9-1-2, 5) take on Kenta Nomura (6-2, 3) for the vacant JBC Youth Super Bantamweight title. Coming in to this the 22 year old Shimomachi is more than 3 years removed from his sole defeat, and since then has won the 2017 Rookie of the Year and proven to be a pretty interesting prospect. Whilst Shimomachi did only manage a draw with Daisuke Watanabe back in December there can be no doubting his potential. Nomura on the other hand has has won his last 2, but is 2-2 in his last 4 and has only recently moved up to the Super Bantamweight division, having fought at Super Flyweight and Bantamweight earlier in his career. Our preview of this bout can be read here Shimomachi and Nomura battle for Youth title! Also on this card is Thai teenager Thanongsak Simsri (9-0, 9), who has been dubbed "Srisaket II" by the Thai press. Simsri has signed up with the Green Tsuda gym, to help his development, and will be up against Indonesian journeyman Melianus Mirin (10-5, 6). On paper this shouldn't be a tough test for the Thai, though it is worth noting however that Mirin has never been stopped, and has gone the distance with the likes of Panya Pradabsri and Satanmuanglek CP Freshmart, so a stoppage for Simsri would be pretty impressive. Okinawa, Japan A second interesting Japanese card comes from Okinawa and the main bouts will see Japan and Chinese fighters clashing. The main event will see the once beaten Tatsuro Nakashima (9-1-1, 6) look to continue his rise through the rank. The talent Nakashima, who's only loss has come to Kai Ishizawa, has won 2 in a row, but is taking a bit of a step up here as he battles China's Rongguo Wu (6-2-2, 2). Whilst Nakashima is in some form, with his recent wins, Wu is not and was stopped last time out by Alphoe Dagayloan, last October and he's almost a year removed from his last win. In a Welterweight clash we'll see hard hitting local Ukyo Yoshigai (6-3, 5) look to get back to winning ways after a 2019 loss to Andy Hiraoka, and 3 losses in his last 4. The hard hitting Yoshigai will be up against 31 year old Chinese visitor Yangcheng Jin (8-4-2, 4). The visitor really hasn't got much of note on his record, though worryingly has lost 3 of his last 5, including stoppages to Jayar Inson and Alexander Kotov. Given how Jin has been stopped a few times we have to suspect that Yoshigai's power will be too much. Aichi, Japan A third Japanese card comes from Aichi, where Yakushiji promote a show. The card has a number of Rookie of the Year bouts, as the Central Japan Rookie of the Year comes to an end, though is otherwise quite a forgettable show. The main event will see Japanese ranked Flyweight Katsuya Murakami (7-1-1, 2) take on Shin Tomita (10-6-2), in what should be a good test over 8 rounds for. These two fought earlier in the year, with Murakami taking a clear win over Tomita, and although the rematch isn't really needed it's good for Murakami to be kept busy after being inactive right through 2018. This serves as a chance for Tomita to try and avenge his loss and for Murakami to shake some more ring rust before moving on to bigger and better things. As for the Rookie of the Year bouts the most interesting will see the unbeaten Tentaro Kimura (3-0) take on Teru Nobita (4-2-1, 2) in the Bantamweight final. This looks to be the most interesting of the Rookie bouts, and sadly it's a fine example of why the Central Japan Rookie of the Year isn't regarded as highly as the East and West tournaments. Pattaya, Thailand As well as the busy day in Japan there is also a notable card in Thailand. The main event of this card sees Indonesian fighting hero Daud Yordan (38-4-0-1, 26) battle against Thai local Patomsith Pathompothong (21-11, 10), aka Aekkawee Kaewmanee. For Yordan the bout will be his first since losing to Luke Campbell in the UK, in a WBA world title eliminator, and he will be looking to prove himself on the road again, like he did against Pavel Malikov last year and Cristian Rafael Coria in 2016. The 37 year old Patomsith has reeled off 4 straight wins since losing to Viktor Kotochigovlast September, but the level of those 4 wins have been very low and it's hard to read much into them at all. Although Yordan is a step below world class he should easily despatch the Thai here. Also on this card is promising Malaysian fighter Murodjon Yokubov (3-0, 2), who fights in Thailand for the third time. The 25 year old debuted last year, and whilst his hasn't yet scored a bit win it's clear he's staying active his year. Sadly his competition doesn't step up here either, as he takes on the very poor Jirapat Jorajan (3-13, 2). Osaka, Japan This coming Friday our attention turns to Osaka for a small but notable card thanks to Hiroki Ioka. The main event of the show is a brilliant Japanese Youth Welterweight title fight, pitting unbeaten champion Kudura Kaneko (9-0, 6) against Ioka protege Rikuto Adachi (12-1, 9), in what could end up being the best Japanese Welterweight bout of the year. Kaneko comes into this bout seeking his 10th straight win, and looking to build on an excellent win last year over former national champion Toshio Arikawa. Adachi on the other hand will be looking for his 5th straight stoppage win, and will be looking to score his biggest win to date. On paper this is mouth watering, and there is a very real chance that the winner fights in either a senior title fight this year, or gets a Japanese title eliminator at the end of the year. A full preview of this bout can be read here Kaneko and Adachi clash in battle of young Welters! Former female world title challenger Terumi Nuki (10-4, 7) looks to bounce back from her 2018 loss to Mariana Juarez. She will be up against a Thai opponent in what should be a straight forward win for the local. Sadly a bout that was supposed to feature 2017 all-Japan Super Bantamweight Rookie of the Year Toshiki Shimomachi (9-1-2, 5) hasn't actually materialise, leaving the entire card with just 4 bouts on it. Western Australia, Australia As well as the Japanese card there is also a bout of interest in Australia. The bout in question will see Australia's very own Wes Capper (19-2-1, 12) return to the ring after a little over a year out, to take on Filipino journeyman Arnel Tinampay (25-23-1, 11). On paper this is a mismatch, but one thing bout Tinampay is that he plays the under-dog. The Filipino is a heavy handed tough guy who is a lot better than his record suggests, and could well upset Capper here in a very intriguing contests, despite the obvious difference in the records of the two men. This coming Sunday is a hectic day with 4 Japanese shows, a Filipino show, a Korean show and a Vietnamese show. Not only is there lots of shows but those shows feature notable names and we get a host of title bouts, in what is a genuinely crazy day. Osaka, Japan The biggest action for the day is from Osaka, where we get 8 bouts of note, spread over 2 shows at the EDION Arena Osaka. The first of those shows is a Green Tsuda triple title show. The main event of this triple title show will see hard hitting Japanese Welterweight champion Ryota Yada (17-4, 14) defending his belt against the limited but exciting Shusaku Fujinaka (16-9-2, 11). For the champion this will be a second defense of the title, and he will be looking to really make a statement in the new year, with a number of interesting challengers now vying for a shot at his belt. For Fujinaka this one more chance to win a belt, but the reality is that he's a clear under-dog. Our preview of this bout can be read here Fujinaka challenges Japanese champion Yada! A second Japanese title fight on this card will see domestic Super Flyweight champion Takayuki Okumoto (21-8-3, 10) making his first defense, taking on unbeaten contender Masayoshi Hashizume (16-0-1, 10). The champion won the belt earlier this year, over-coming Hiroyuki Kudaka, but looks likely to be little more than a transitional champion before a top domestic fighter takes it off him. Hashizume on the other hand was once a hotly tipped prospect, but poor match making from the Ioka gym has seen his development stall and stutter, and it's hard to know how prepared he is for a fight like this. Ore preview of this bout can be read here Okumoto defends Japanese title against unbeaten Hashizume The third title bout on this show is a Japanese Super Flyweight Youth title bout, pitting the skilful Ryosuke Nasu (9-3-3, 2) against the heavy handed Yuto Nakamura (8-5, 7) to crown a new champion. We're expecting a really interesting contest here, with Nakamura trying to land his power and Nasu trying to out box the bigger punching Nakamura. It's a hard bout to call, and should be a very good one for the fans at the venue. Our in depth look at this bout is available to read hereNasu and Nakamura battle for Japanese Youth title! Another potentially great bout on this card will see the once beaten Toshiki Shimomachi (9-1-1, 5) look to record his 8th straight win, as he takes a huge step up and faces off with Daisuke Watanabe (7-4, 4). Coming in to this momentum is clearly with Shimomachi, who won the Super Bantamweight Rookie of the Year last year, but this is certainly a tougher test than it looks on paper. Watanabe, although "only 7-4" has been in with the likes of Reiya Abe, Sho Nakazawa and Gakuya Furuhashi, and held his own in some tough domestic bouts. This is a serious match up and a really good fight for both men, who will know that a win massively boosts their career. Osaka, Japan After the Green Tsuda card we then get an Ioka promoted show from the EDION arena. This card only features a single title bout, but does have a great supporting card to go along with the main event. The title match up will see OPBF Lightweight champion Masayoshi Nakatani (17-0, 11) defending his belt against tough and hard hitting challenger Hurricane Futa (25-7-1, 15), who should put up a very interesting challenge. Nakatani will be strongly favoured, as he looks to secure his 11th defense of the title, but his career has failed to live up to early expectations and there is a real worry that he will go off the boil, if he hasn't already, and he looked less than his best last time out. Futa is a dangerous fighter, despite technical limitations he can really bang, and he's tough, with his record littered with upset wins, including KO wins over Vage Sarukhanyan and Will Tomlinson. An in depth look at this bout from regular contributor George Delis can be read here OPBF king Nakatani battles hard hitting Futa! One of the supporting bouts will see former world title challenger Shohei Omori (19-2, 14) take on former OPBF Bantamweight champion Takahiro Yamamoto (21-5, 17). This looks almost certainly like a bout that will have explosive action. Omori is the more technically skilled of the two men, and has solid power to go with his technical skills, but Yamamoto can certainly bang and is a very dangerous fighter, even if he lacks that bit of class Omori has. Both fighters have been stopped and should feel they have the power to stop the other here. A preview of this bout can be read here Omori and Yamamoto clash in "survival" bout! Another supporting bout will see former world title challengers battle, as former WBA Super Flyweigt title challenger Sho Ishida (26-1, 15) takes on former WBO title challenger Warlito Parrenas (26-8-1, 23). At 27 years old the 5'8" Ishida has the potential to go all the way, and 2-0 (2) since his loss to Kal Yafai, in what as a close but very forgettable contest. That loss seems to have made Ishida aware that he does need to improve and we have seen a more spiteful attitude from him in the ring. Parrenas on the other hand is 35 and has been stopped in 2 of his last 4, losing to Naoya Inoue and Ryuichi Funai and this seems like a bout he must win if he intends to keep his career alive. Our preview of this clash can be read here Ishida and Parrenas clash in must win bout! In one other bout of note we'll see Tatsuya Ikemizu (19-2, 8) hunt a 7th straight win, since being stopped by Jonas Sultan in 2016, as he takes on Sonin Nihei (8-2-3, 1). Both of these men were once tipped for success, though both have fallen very short of expectations so far. Given that both are young, both are 25, there is a chance that they could come good. It's worth noting that Nihei hasn't fought since being stopped by Keita Kurihara in December 2016, in what was a second straight stoppage loss for Nihei. Okinawa, Japan On a lesser level to the Osaka cards is a show from Okinawa, where 2017 Light Welterweight Rookie of the Year Marcus Smith (6-1-1, 6) takes on Filipino Nelson Tinampay (13-7-1, 6). This will be Smith's first bout since losing a Japanese title eliminator to Koki Inoue and should be a solid test for the Japanese-American puncher. Tinampay has been stopped in 4 of his last 6, but has mixed with good talent across the region and will give us something to compare Smith's result against. In a supporting bout we'll see the talented Tatsuro Nakashima (7-1-1, 5), who came runner up in the East Japan Rookie of the Year last year, looking to bounce back from a recent loss to Kai Ishizawa. The 24 year old Japanese fighter will be up against Thai foe Sanchai Yotboon (4-1, 4), who was last seen in the ring in September, being demolished by the debuting Ginjiro Shigeoka. We don't expect anything but a win for Nakashima, but we're interested in this bout to learn more about how good Shigeoka's performance was. This card will also feature Former OPBF female Bantamweight champion Yuko Henzan (6-7-4, 2), who is scheduled to face off against a Thai opponent. Hyogo, Japan The least notable of the Japanese cards comes from Hyogo, where the Japanese ranked Giraffe Kirin Kanda (13-2, 7) takes on the hard hitting Takuya Matsuzaka (8-7, 7) in what should be a good test before Kanda begins a march towards titles in 2019. Kanda is riding a 7 fight winning streak into this bout whilst Matsusaka has managed to win just 3 of his last 7. Although heavy handed Matsusaka has been stopped in 6 of his 7 losses, and we'd not be surprised to see him being taken out again here. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam As well as the Japanese action there will also be a card in Vietnam, in association with a Japanese promoter, with a Japanese fighter headlining the card. That Japanese fighter in the main event is the exciting Gakuya Furuhashi (23-8-1, 12), who faces off with limited Thai Yutthichai Wannawong (9-7, 7) in a bout for the vacant OPBF Silver Super Bantamweight title. The bout is supposed to be a special attraction as the OPBF look to build up boxing in Vietnam, and it seems clear the OPBF do have big plans for the coming years in these non-boxing countries, so fingers crossed this main event interests the fans. A second OPBF affiliated title will be on the line as Nguyen Anh Tuan Dao (1-1, 1) faces an opponent, sadly we don't have their name, for the newly created OPBF Vietnamese National Light Welterweight title. The idea seems to be to spread these national titles across a number of countries, in what could be a very interesting experiment from the OPBF, who seem to realise that their market needs to grow outside of their strong hold markets. Metro Manila, Philippines In Metro Manila we'll see 3 bouts of note, even if they aren't hugely interesting match ups. The most promising of those fighters is Joe Noynay (15-2-1, 5), who looks to secure a 4th straight win as he takes on Nathan Bolcio (14-15-3, 4), who has lost his last 3. The talented 23 year old Noynay is unbeaten since losing in February 2017 to Reiya Abe, and looks to be a genuine prospect. Bolcio on the other hand looks like a fighter who has given up trying to win and is 4-13-2 in his last 19 bouts, with 8 of those 13 losses coming by stoppage. Another fighter who appears to be in easy is Ryan Sermona (20-9-1, 13), who takes on Junar Adante (7-10-1, 4). Sermona has mixed with good fighters, including a 2014 loss to Masayuki Ito and a 2017 loss to Masayoshi Nakatani, and is a decent fighter on the domestic Filipino scene. Adante on the other hand has been stopped in his last 4 bouts, and 8 of his last 9, suggesting Sermona shouldn't have any problems at all here. The other bout of note on this card will see 23 year old Glenn Medura (9-4-1, 5) battle against Dado Cabintoy (15-8-2, 8), in a bout that looks competitive on paper, but isn't a hugely interesting bout. Medua is 1-3 in his last 4, with only a single win in the last 2 years, whilst Cabintoy is 0-4 coming into this bout and is more than 40 months removed from his last win! Seoul, South Korea The main event here is really the only bout worth talking about, and will be an 8 round Super Featherweight clash, as Dong Kwan Lee (8-2-2, 4) takes on Hwan Young Jo (5-6, 1). It's hard to see past a win for Lee, but he was stopped last time out, being taken out in 3 rounds by Jun Zhao back in September. Jo on the other hand has gone 1-3 in his last 4, and at 30 years old really looks like a fighter who won't be getting any better. Distrito Federal, Mexico Arguably the biggest bout in Asia this weekend will come from Mexico as WBC female Bantamweight champion Mariana Juarez (49-9-4, 18) rematches Japanese challenger Terumi Nuki (10-3, 7). These two fought in 2017, with Juarez taking a clear win, and since then Nuki has gone 1-1, losing a wide decision to Debora Anahi Dionicius. This is likely to be Nuki's final shot at a world title for a while if she comes up short, so we're expecting a very fiery effort here from the challenger. At the age of 38 Juarrez is an old fighter, especially given she's had 62 bouts and fought in 455 rounds. Despite her age she is on a 6 fight unbeaten run and will not be handing over her title over without someone ripping it from her hands. Osaka, Japan The biggest Asian show comes from the City Sogo Gym in Osaka, as we get a Japanese title fight, a hotly tipped female fighter and a mouth watering domestic clash. The main event will see Japanese Welterweight champion Ryota Yada (16-4, 3) make his first defense as he takes on Kazuyasu Okamoto (14-5, 4). The hard hitting Yada claimed the title back in April, when he stopped fellow puncher Toshio Arikawa in 8 rounds, in what was a brutal and hard hitting bout. The win over Arikawa was the 4th straight victory for Yada who has bounced back very well from his 2016 loss to Jayar Inson. The challenger will be in his first title fight, though unfortunate for Okumoto he was stopped last time out by Vladimir Baez and hasn't notched up a win since April 2017. The challenger really would need a career defining performance here to even test Yada. The chief support bout actually looks likely to be the bout of the show as the once beaten former amateur stand out Kazuki Tanaka (9-1, 6) takes on the inform and very hard hitting Keita Kurihara (11-5, 10). Coming in to this bout Tanaka has a #3 ranking with the JBC and is looking to build on good wins over Hikaru Marguame and Seizo Kono. On the other hand Kurihara, who is ranked by the OPBF, JBC and WBO Asia Pacific, is looking to build on devastating wins over Ryan Lumacad and Tetsuya Watanabe. We're expecting this to a brutal clash and could go either way. Once beaten Japanese ranked Super Bantamweight Toshiki Shimomachi (8-1-1, 5) will be in action against Filipino fighter Renan Portes (10-6, 6). Shimomachi has rebuilt well following a 2-1-1 start to his career and claimed the Super Bantamweight Rookie of the Year crown last year. Despite his ranking this is a slight step up in class the Japanese fighter. As for Portes he has been picking up loses on the road for the last 2 years, including a stoppage loss to Hayate Kaji last year and Mike Tawatchai earlier this year. Also on this card will be former female stand out Kasumi Saeki (1-0) who steps up to 8 round bouts as she takes on a Thai visitor in what is likely to be her final bout before a title shot. Osaka, Japan A second show in Osaka will be held at the Sumyoshi Ward Center and will be a relatively low key card with only 4 bouts worthy of any mention. The main event will see WBO Asia Pacific Flyweight champion Masahiro Sakamoto (12-1, 8) fighting in a non-title bout against South Korean Super Flyweight champion Ki Chang Go (6-2, 2). On paper this doesn't look the best of match ups, but with Sakamoto moving up in weight for this contest he could be pushed hard by the Korean visitor, who has won his last 6 after a 0-2 start to his professional career. In the chief support bout fans will see OPBF ranked Super Bantamweight Shachihoko Dragons Keita (8-5-4, 1) face off with Yosuke Taniguchi (6-5-1, 1), in what should be a very safe bout for Keita, who has gone 3-0-3 in his last 6 bouts. Although we wouldn't fancy Keita to claim an OPBF title he should manage to pick up a win here. Another ranked fighter on this card is Kota Fujimoto (8-2-1, 2), who risks his JBC and OPBF rankings against Tatsuya Terada (6-3-1, 1). Coming in to this Fujimoto is riding a 3 fight unbeaten run, including a draw with the touted Masayoshi Hashizume from last December. As for Terada he was beaten last time out and his wins have, for the most part, come against very limited opponents. Also on this card is the debuting Riku Kunimoto (0-0), who makes his debut against a Korean opponent. Kunimoto is tipped to have a big future but it will be interesting to see how he kicks off his career, and how he looks as a professional fighter. Laguna, Philippines As well as the action in Osaka there is also an interesting card set to take place in Laguna, featuring an OPBF champion defending his title, and a couple of unbeaten prospects. The OPBF champion is the inform Light Flyweight contender Edward Heno (12-0-5, 5), who defends his title against the fringe world class Jesse Espinas (19-2, 11) in what looks like an amazing match up. This will be Heno's second defense, following a excellent win over Merlito Sabillo this past February, and another win here will push him well up the world rankings towards a world title fight. Espinas comes into this bout riding an 8 fight winning run, with notable wins over Joey Canoy, Paipharob Kokietgym and Elias Joaquino. This is set to be a very special bout and should see the winner announce themselves as a leading contender in one of the deepest divisions in the sport. On the under-card fans will see Enrique Magsalin (4-0-2, 1) risk his unbeaten record against the once beaten Adrian Lerasan (6-1, 1) whilst Prince Andrew Laurio (9-0-1, 6) will take on Jopher Marayan (7-11-2, 3). We expect to see the unbeaten men continue to keep their “0” in tact, but Magasalin looks like he has a genuine test on his hands. |
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