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Over the years it's been rare for domestic fights in Japan to get rave reviews in the west though one relatively recent bout did get rave reviews for both the action it contained and for the fighters it involved. That bout was the 2011 Japanese Bantamweight title fight between the then champion Shinsuke Yamanaka and the very highly touted Ryosuke Iwasa. At the time neither man was a big name, in fact if anything Iwasa was the slightly bigger name with some in Japan tipping him as a potential star though Yamanaka was world ranked by the WBC and WBA at the time. This bout was Yamanaka's first defence but it was supposed to be Iwasa's coming out party and the fight that allowed him to announce himself as a legitimate future champion. What we ended up getting however was a bout that help both men increase their standing in the sport whilst also seeing Yamanaka defend his belt to remain unbeaten. The fight started somehwat slowly with both trying to establish their jabs in the opening minute or so. From then on however it became a fast paced but highly skilled war with the two men unloading when openings arose, and there was plenty of openings. The action and power of both men seemed to take it's toll at various points with Yamanaka notable shaken in round 2 and Iwasa coming apart late in the bout as he began to tire out. Despite the loss for the then 21 year old Iwasa he still impressed showing good skills, a lot of heart and real fighting spirit, all things that helped "Eagle Eye" win over fans. For Yamanaka this win helped boost him up the world rankings and in his very next fight he would go on to stop Christian Esquivel for the WBC world title, a title he still holds today. As for Iwasa he would go on to win both the Japanese and OPBF titles and the general view is that he will go on to claim a world title at some point. (Video courtesy of Gyuzen Meet the Meat Channel)
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When it comes to what makes a good journeyman we tend to think they have to be tough, they have to be able to fight a bit and they have to come to win. There is no point in a journeyman who simply cannot be bothered to try and win and in fact the JBC seems to try and root out fighters who don't try and gives them some form of a ban. With that in mind we need to give a lot of credit to good journeymen and one of the best in Asia is Marjohn Yap who isn't the most skilled fighter, or the best fighter but he is a very capable and tough opponent who never folds easily or gives away a fight. In fact if anything Yap has proven more than happy to pull the upset as he has done in a couple of visits to Japan. One of the losses for Yap on the road came when he travelled and fought the highly skilled Ryosuke Iwasa in what was supposed to be an easy nights work for Iwasa but turned into a very good test for "Eagle Eye". Yap came to win and made sure that Iwasa knew it in the opening round. Unfortunately for Yap he was unable to match the skills of Iwasa though continued to keep up effort from the bell to the final bell and actually took one or two rounds from Iwasa despite the hostile crowd cheering on Iwasa who began landing counters at will later on. It was a clear loss for Yap but he made sure that Iwasa fought for the win as opposed to being given it without working for it. Courtesy of this fight Yap was later invited back for several other bouts, including a contest with the hotly tipped Naoto Uebayashi. Again Yap was out classed but he gave a solid account of his skills and heart by forcing Uebayashi to stay sharp through out the bout In 2011 Ryosuke Iwasa took the first step towards proving his class as he, at the second time of asking, claimed the Japanese Bantamweight title courtesy of a very solid win over the more experienced Jerope Mercado. At the time the expectation on Iwasa seemed to be that of a potential star and so much more than just a domestic champion. The following year Iwasa made 2 defence of his national title. The first came against the tough but limited Yuki Murai, an opening round stoppage and the second saw Iwasa defeating the very under-rated Kentaro Masuda in a win that looks better now than it did at the time. Iwasa did what he needed to, often striking as a sharp puncher when Masude left gaps, he took advantage of the flaws of the challenger very well despite some messy moments when Masuda managed to make things rough. Unfortunately for Masuda the shots of Iwasa began to take control of the bout and by the end of round 5 you could see the referee keeping a close eye on the challenger who was saved, on his feet, as Iwasa began to find the target with ease. Whilst Iwasa was viewed as a future world champion going in to this bout Masuda was seen as nothing special. He had lost 5 of his previous 19 bouts and although he was "only" 29 was seen as a man who had reached his highest point in boxing. In 2014 however Masuda, in his second Japanese title fight, managed to win the title with a very good technical decision victory over Yu Kawaguchi. As seen in this bout, despite the loss, Masuda is better than his record indicates and courtesy of his toughness he could be a handful for many domestic fighters. Iwasa however is clearly above domestic level and many still tip him to claim a world title some day down the line. When many people think about Ryosuke Iwasa they immediately think of his all action war with Shinsuke Yamanaka. Iwasa, of course, lost that fight but seemed to develop from the loss and just 8 months later he won the Japanese Bantamweight crown with a very good decision victory over Jerope Mercado. On March 3rd 2012 Iwasa made the first defence of the Japanese Bantamweight title as he took on the tough and under-rated Yuki Murai. At the time Murai had a disappointing record though was in the form of his life with 7 wins in his previous 9 and only 2 controversial losses. As well as being in form Mukai had never been stopped despite being in the ring with fighters like Chatchai Sasakul, Somsak Sithchatchawal and Pichit Chor Siriwat. The fact Murai had never been stopped din't prevent Iwasa from taking him out inside a round with a single left hand. The finish is eye catching from Iwasa though is genuinely comical from Murai who tries to ready himself before toppling over for a second time. Oddly this is the only video on the Celes Gym channel. It's a shame Celes don't upload more of their footage as they have plenty available from the likes of Iwasa and Tetsuma Hayashi as well as the promising, though very inexperienced, Koki Koshikawa. (Video courtesy of Celes Gym) On May 19th Japanese boxing fans get to celebrate boxing in a national festival known as "Boxing Day" of "Fans Appreciation Day". It's an unusual concept if you're from outside of Japan, but for fans in Japan it really is a treat as fighters put on exhibitions, do Q&A sessions and generally give back to the fans that have supported them over the previous 12 months. Although it's not a free event it's certainly well priced and delivers a lot of bang for your buck. In 2014 one of the exhibitions featured the then reigning OPBF Super Bantamweight champion Shingo Wake fighting with the OPBF Bantamweight champion Ryosuke Iwasa in a relatively interesting bout that saw both men showing what they could do in the ring with out either over exerting themselves. With both men having world title aspirations this was an exhibition that demonstrated both men have talent. There was no reason to tear lumps out of each other but they still managed to entertain fans with a solid demonstration of their skills. (Video courtesy of Gentidori) |
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