From April 2005 to April 2010 Hozumi Hasegawa (35-5, 15) was the star of Japanese boxing. He was the WBC Bantamweight champion, a pound-for-pound fighter and a man who oozed style and charisma. He wasn't quite the sensation that predecessor Joichiro Tatsuyoshi was, but he was still the star and the face of Japanese boxing. Since 2010 however things have been tough for the Hyogo man who has suffered 3 stoppage losses and has long looked like a fighter holding on to past glories. This coming Friday we see Hasegawa back in the ring and looking to become a 3-weight world champion as he challenges WBC Super Bantamweight champion Hugo Ruiz (36-3, 32), a huge punching, aggressively minded fighter with a point to prove. He's defending his title for the first time, travelling to a country where he suffered a controversial loss and looking to add a huge name to his record, albeit a faded name. At his best Hasegawa was a truly brilliant fighter. His record might not show it but he had venom in hands, as Veeraphol Sahaprom found out in their second bout, blistering hand speed and a lighting quick boxing brain. Hasegawa would do what so few can and draw a lead from an opponent, avoid it then counter with a flurry of hard shots. Fight fans and opponents both seemed to think that Hasegawa was feather fisted but stoppages against the likes of Sahaprom and Vusi Malinga, who he stopped inside a round, showed that Hasegawa had power as well as speed. Sadly though as he got older he got slower and the split second timing that he had in his prime started to fade. As that timing faded his defense began to show cracks and he would go on to suffer stoppages to Fernando Montiel, Jhonny Gonzalez and Kiko Martinez. The loses to Montiel and Gonzalez weren't too painful but he was given a real battering by Martinez in what should really have been his final bout. Aged 35 and with just 2 wins in the last 3 years ud wonder how Hasegawa has gotten a world title fight but it's clear he knows this will be his final chance. Ruiz is much less distinguished than Hasegawa but at 29 he's in his prime, at 5'9” he's a huge Bantamweight and with an 82% KO rate he's a really dangerous fighter. It's fair to say he lacks in terms of notable wins, with his best victories coming against Julio Ceja, Yonfrez Parejo and Francisco Arce,but that is one of the very few criticisms that you can make of Ruiz. The champion won his title back in February when he stopped Ceja in 51 seconds, avenging a 2015 defeat to his fellow Mexican. The defeat Ceja is one of only two losses that Ruiz has suffered in the last 8 years, with the other boxing a split decision in Japan to Koki Kameda, a decision that has left Ruiz wanting to prove a point on his return to Japan. Despite the loss to Kameda the visitor doesn't seem to be worried about the conditions in Japan and seemed to suggest that he wanted to return to defend his title in the country. Although Ruiz is flawed, particularly in his defense, he is a very devastating and powerful fighter. He's the type of guy who hurts anyone when he lands cleanly and can't be taken lightly, as Ceja found out. He's heavy handed in both hands. Powerful, physically strong and well schooled. He's a little loopy with his shots but they have so much venom that fighters don't seem willing, or capable of, taking advantage. Ruiz against a prime Hasegawa would have been a brilliant match up that we'd have looked forward too knowing that it could go either way. Against this Hasegawa however we can't see anything but a win for the Mexican who we suspect will be too big, too strong, too fresh,too heavy handed and too powerful for the Japanese veteran. Hasegawa might have his moments but we can't imagine him hearing the final bell here.
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Right now boxing has a number of genuinely intriguing divisions. The Heavyweight division has started to once again create some positives headlines, the Cruiserweight division is brilliantly matches, the Light Welterweight division has some compelling match ups coming up, the Super Featherweight division keeps delivering brilliant fights, the Light Flyweight division is mouth watering and Flyweight has the potential for so many fantastic bouts. Possibly the most over looked division however is the Super Bantamweight division. The 122lb weight class has been a frustrating one at times. The way the boxing world has treat Guillermo Rigondeaux has been a big blotch on the division, and the “super fight” between Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton failed to live up to the expectation. The division has also acted as a stop gap for many, with fighters like Leo Santa Cruz, quickly moving up to the more financially rewarding Featherweight division. Despite the frustration it has delivering some thrilling match ups in recent times and looks like a division bristling with talent, all looking to prove it's self. This coming Wednesday we thankfully get to see some of the more talented fighters facing off, with both men looking to prove a point. One of those is Japan's tricky southpaw sharp shooter Shingo Wake (20-4-2, 12) while the other is big punching Dominican Jonathan Guzman (21-0-0-1, 21). Despite their difference they share the same desires, to be a world champion and to be recognised as a major player on the world scene. On paper the more impressive of the two men is the big punching visitor. His near perfect record, only marred by a no contest from back 2013 due to a headclash, is imposing to say the least and shows that the “Salomon King” is a genuine destroyer in the ring. That was shown recently when he stopped Daniel Rosas on US, and has been shown through his career with his string of stoppage wins. Of his 21 wins Guzman has scored 15 in his homeland. Those 15 all came against questionable opposition, as did his win over Emerson Santos Carvalho in Argentina back in late 2012. In recent years however Guzman has been making a name for himself in the US,where he has had his last 5 bouts. Those bouts have seen him beating some familiar fighters, namely Christian Esquivel and Daniel Rosas, though it's fair to say that none of them have been world class, or fringe world class, Super Bantamweights. In the ring Guzman isn't the quickest of fighters and can actually be walked back, but he's a big Super Bantamweight with genuine power in his right hand. His jab can, at times, be pushed and when he comes forward he does sometimes look a bit clumsy, but when a fighter has the power he has those technical flaws can be over-come by sheer force. One major question that hasn't really been answered is what happens a fighter moves around him, and makes him pay for being crude. Likewise he hasn't really been chin checked by a decent Super Bantamweight with his most notable opponents all being naturally smaller men. With 4 losses and 2 draws against his name Wake doesn't have an impressive record, however like many Japanese fighters he has over-come a troublesome start to his career to become a genuine contender in the Super Bantamweight division. After 6 fights he was 3-2-1 (2) and after 6 fights he was 10-4-2 (5). Since then however he has gone 10-0 (7) scoring wins over the likes of Jonathan Baat, Yukinori Oguni, Jaesung Lee and Mike Tawatchai. That winning run also saw Wake claim the OPBF title and record 5 defenses of the title, all by stoppage. Although not a big name in the west Wake has been building a growing fans base since his win over Oguni. That has been helped with having bouts shown on Fuji TV and later TBS who have bother helped to raise Wake's profile. His profile has also been helped by his personality which has helped win over Japanese fans. In the ring the Japanese fighter is a nightmare to fight. At his best he's a sharp shooter, with intelligent foot work, impressive hand speed, great movement and under-rated power. He may not be the most slippery, or the biggest puncher, but he's certainly a nightmare to tag clean and landing successive shots against him is incredibly difficult. Against a crude fighter Wake has the ability to make them look very silly and is a very rangy fighter which means fighting on the move is made easier by him. Coming in to this one we have a puncher against a boxer. If the bout is won on skills alone then Wake walks this, however Guzman has that nasty power and that incredible self belief that makes him incredibly dangerous, despite his flaws. If Guzman can make his power count then there is a good chance he can hurt or even stop Wake, however Wake's plan is to take away that strenth by being hit as little as possible, using his speed to land and get out of range before Guzman fires back. If Wake's plan works he wins with ease, getting a wide decision, if not then Guzman will likely break him down with heavy leather. Over the last few years things have been hard on Chinese boxing. We have seen high profile losses for the likes of Xiong Xhao Zhong, Zou Shiming and Ik Yang and it seems like every time a Chinese fighter seems to be on the verge of something notable they suffer a setback or fail to shine in the way they are supposed to. Thankfully however, given the size of China, there is always going to be someone else coming through the ranks and the next man is Super Bantamweight contender Qiu Xiao Jun (20-2, 9) who finally gets his shot at a world title on June 24th. The under-rated Chinese fighter will be battling for the vacant WBA crown and will be facing Venezuelan born veteran Nehomar Cermeno (23-5-1-1, 13), a 36 year old who debuted back in 2004. Of the two men it's Cermeno who is the better known. He's a tricky fighter who has really made his name fighting away from home, basing himself in Panama for much of his career though also scoring wins in Argentina, Germany, Mexico, El Salvador and his native Venezuela, whilst also fighting a losing effort in Russia. As well as being a well travelled veteran Cermeno was, once, a very good fighter, beginning his career with 19 straight wins, including two victories over Cristian Mijares and twice pushing Anelmo Moreno all the way. Since those losses to Moreno we've seen Cermeno struggle, and in fact he has since gone 4-3-1-1, with only a single win in the last 2 years, and even that came against a limited fighter in the form of Lester Medrano. When we talk about Jun we're talking about one of China's hidden gems. He's not had the amateur background of Shiming, or the Western attention of Ik Yang, but he has had a genuinely interesting career and shown the type of improvement that can turn a fighter into a champion. He has also had sizeable investment put into him in China. Aged 25 Jun is a youngster though debuted close to 6 years ago and has developed well, despite suffering two early career career set backs to Jonathan Baat in Japan. Since being 8-2 (3) we've seen Jun develop his skills, strength and natural fighting mentality and racked up notable wins. Those wins have seen him avenge his losses to Baat, defeat Jason Cooper, Silvester Lopez, Amor Belahdj Ali and Raymond Commey. In the ring Jun still has a lot of smoothing off to do, however he is a rough and tumble fighter with heavy hands, much heavier than his record suggests, a decent work rate and a growing Chinese following. He's also a man who has been hungry for a title opportunity and will feel that this bout will be his chance to prove himself. In his prime we suspect Cermeno would have clowned with Jun, who is still very crude. Today's Cermeno however is a shadow of that fighter and we really can't see him over-coming the younger, hungrier and naturally bigger Jun in this match up. If Jun does win this one, as we suspect, he will become just the second man in Chinese boxing history to become a world champion, following in the footsteps of Zhong. This coming weekend is a busy one for Asian fighters with a trio of Asian's fighting in world title fights. One of those is current WBO Super Bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (36-3, 23), who makes the first of the title he regained last year, who faces little known Hungarian challenger Zsolt Bedak (25-1, 8), who is getting his second world title shot. The talented, and popular, Donaire has had a brilliant career and turned a 1-1 start into a career that has seen him claim world titles from Flyweight to Featherweight and likely secure a place in the HOF. Sadly however he is coming to the end of the road and has shown a clear deterioration over the last few years, with poor performances against the likes of Omar Andres Narvaez, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr, Jeffrey Mthebula, Vic Darchinyan and Cesar Juarez, as well as losses to Guillermo Rigondeaux and Nicholas Walters. Although Donaire is on the slide, and has been for a while, he is still better than most fighters and can still show touches of brilliance. That was seen in the early rounds against Juarez, with round 4 being a particularly good one from Donaire, and against Anthony Settoul, who was dominated by Donaire last year. He still carries impressive speed and power, is sharp early on and can be very dangerous, though does look like a fighter who lacks the stamina to go 12 rounds at a good pace, and has started to become a bit predictable with his dangerous left hook. When it comes to Bedak there is very little on his record, other than his loss in 2010 to Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. That loss was in a world title fight and although Bedak showed some ability early on he did get broken down and was stopped in the 10th round. Since that loss Bedak has scored 10 successive wins, though the competition has been terrible with the most notable win of that run coming against Kenyan tough guy Nick Otieno last September. As an amateur Bedak was very good and competed at the 2004 Olympics, scoring a notable win over Abner Mares at the Olympics, sadly though his professional career has been a frustrating one, with Bedak, or his team, happy to go along the path of least resistance. Despite that he has scarcely managed to impress and we can't see him impressing this weekend in what is a high pressure situation for the Hungarian, who knows it is now or never. We don't want to slate world title bodies, but before we get on with our prediction we do need to make a comment in regards of the WBO who should be forced to explain how Bedak has got a world title fight and how he's managed to get a #4 ranking. The ranking is among the most inexplicable in the sport and sadly we suspect that will be shown when the men get in the ring on Saturday. Whilst we think Donaire is coming to the end he's not a shot fighter, and he does still possess that deadly left hook. We think that will be too much for Bedak who won't see out the first half of the bout. We understand Donaire having an easy first defense, and a homecoming in the Philippines, so won't criticise him too hard given his willingness to face top fighters through his career, but the WBO deserve all the criticism they get for allowing this bout to go ahead. Some fighters are regarded as being a class above everyone in their division. Fighters like Wladimir Klitschko, Gennady Golovkin and Roman Gonzalez. Another of those it Cuban Super Bantamweight Guillermo Rigondeaux (14-0, 9) who is viewed as so good that others in the division do what they can to ignore him, pretending he doesn't exist and that he'll hopefully retire sooner rather than later. Rigondeaux's seen opponents avoid him like the plague and sadly he has seen promoters and TV cast him as the black sheep of boxing. He is, unfortunately, too good for his own good. With almost all the fighters in the west now avoiding Rigondeaux it was inevitable he would have to fight in the east, at least for now. There were several possibilities for the Cuban though eventually a bout between himself and OPBF Featherweight champion Hisashi Amagasa (28-4-2, 19) was agreed. The story was one of those “wow” stories for boxing fans, similar to Nobuhiro Ishida becoming a heavyweight, and seems to have genuinely gotten Japanese fans talking. There is a combination of excitement and apprehension regarding Rigondeaux's venture into Japan though what can't be denied is that this big news and a very, very tough fight for Amagasa, who will be hoping to score a huge upset and claim the WBO and WBA "super" Super Bantamweight titles. For those who have seen Rigondeaux in action they will know what to expect. He is incredibly skilled, in fact his skills are probably the best of any fighter on the planet. Sadly those skills are combined with a very negative attitude to the combat aspect of boxing and instead of showing off his skills in offensive showcases, as we see with Gonzalez and Golovkin, Rigondeaux would rather box completely off the back foot, neutralising foes with footwork and attempting to take opponents out with single laser like straight left hands. It's pure boxing at it's finest but it can be dull and highly frustrating, especially given Rigondeaux's ability. As frustrating as he is Rigondeaux really seems to have all the skills a fighter would wish for. He is an explosive puncher, has cat like reflexes, perfect balance, amazing timing and unbelievable speed. Sadly he has flaws that regard his mentality, which is certainly against putting on a show, and perceived issues regarding durability, having been dropped several times in his career. When he's feeling offensive Rigondeaux is a joy to watch and every bit as enjoyable as Roman Gonzalez, but sadly those moments are few and far between leaving many wishing to see more offense from the Cuban. Rigondeaux is well known, even if he isn't well liked. The same cannot be said of Amagasa who is the OPBF Featherweight champion though is hardly known outside of his native Japan. For those who don't know about about him Amagasa is a lanky fighter, stood at around 5'10” he was a taller Featherweight and, as he's dropping down to Super Bantamweight for this bout, will look stupidly tall for this bout against a much shorter foe. Sadly the Japanese fighter rarely makes the best use of his height and often comes in swinging wide shots rather than pumping out a sharp jab. If Amagasa had had a reliable and sharp jab he would be a real force on the world scene with his looping shots he often makes himself look beatable with recent foe Ryo Takenaka almost over-coming in his most recent bout. Although technically limited Amagasa is an aggressive type of fighter with nasty power and he has scored some wonderful looking knockouts, most notable of which came against Koji Nagata back in 2009, courtesy of a brutal uppercut. Of course with his wing span and wide shots he has the ability to land from unusual angles, something that makes his power even more potent. As well as his power he has great work rate, seems to be tough and has real desire to reach the top. We suspect, like everyone else, that Rigondeaux will be too good, too smart, too sharp and too quick for Amagasa. In fact even the Japanese fighter himself has suggested he only has 1% chance of upsetting that talented Cuban. Despite all the advantages there is a chance, albeit a very small one, that Amagasa may be able to connect with one of his wild swings. It's unlikely but possible that he could connect and send Rigondeaux down and out. We're expecting an easy looking Rigondeaux win, either by wide decision or by a late stoppage, probably from a body shot. If Amagasa wins however he may well have notched up the upset of the year in one of the final bouts of the year. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) It's fair to say this weekend is a monster weekend for boxing fans all around the world with major fights taking place with fighters from Thailand, China, the Philippines, Japan, Nicaragua, Mexico, Ukraine, UK, Colombia and the USA. It's a day that really brings the global idea of boxing all into one giant melting. One of the more over-looked bouts will see former Japanese Super Bantamweight champion Hidenori Otake (22-1-3, 9) attempt to become a world champion as he travels to the UK to take on the unbeaten Scott Quigg (29-0-2, 22), the current WBA Super Bantamweight champion. The bout was a controversial one when it was announced, given that Otake wasn't in the WBA top 15 ranked fighters, but it is nice to see Otake given his shot at the top. We'll admit that we're not fans of the bout in many ways but we do suspect it will entertaining for as long as it lasts. Quigg, for those who haven't seen him, is one of the most naturally strong Super Bantamweights on the planet. He's not the smoothest of movers, though he can move relatively lightly on his toes, but he is an aggressive fighter who applies a lot of pressure in an attempt to break opponents down with heavy shots that are sharp and accurate. Sadly however he come under a lot of criticism for avoiding other top Super Bantamweights and instead facing a string of smaller men such as Diego Oscar Silva, Tshifhiwa Munyai amd Stephane Jamoye, all natural Bantamweights. Whilst it's true to say that Quigg has had to face some men on short notice following injuries to opponents it does still seem frustrating to follow his career and not see him in the ring with fighters like Carl Frampton, Leo Santa Cruz, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Kiko Martinez and domestic rival Kid Galahad. Questions regarding Quigg are how he handles a real boxer-mover, how he handles a true Super Bantamweight and he he handles a proven world class opponent. Sadly we've yet to see him do any of that which is a shame as it seems he wants to prove himself but isn't being matched in a way that sees him fighting some of the best in the division. What we see with his match making is the British fighter being matches with men who make him look good and make him look stronger and better than he is. We suspect that may be the case again here. Otake is, in many ways, similar to Quigg. He's an offensive fighter first and foremost. Sadly where Quigg is strong, powerful and hurtful with his shorts Otake is more of a grinder who lands a lot of shots in the hope of every shot taking some effect. It's the fact Otake has great stamina that saw him winning the Japanese title and subsequently notching up 4 defenses before vacating the belt a few months ago to focus on world title bouts. All 5 of his Japanese title bouts were won on points with several of them being amazingly close, including his technical decision over Nobuhisa Coronita Doi his title winning effort against Takafumi Nakajima and his first defense, against Mikihito Seto. Watching Otake in action is fun. He comes forward behind a tight guard and tried to cut the distance before letting his hands go. Unfortunately for those wanting to see him in action footage of his bouts are scarce with his bout against Yuji Maruyama being the only full fight we could track down. In that fight he looked "made to order" for Quigg who would love to fight that style of fight against Otake and sadly for the Japanese fighter that's what we're suspect will happen here. We think Otake will fight with his hands up and walk forward attempting to apply constant pressure and this will lead to Quigg standing in front of him and giving us a phone booth, toe-to-toe battle. Sadly for Otake his lack of power will be the difference with Quigg's shots being more telling, more damaging and eventually too much for Otake who will be ground down at some point in the middle of the fight. (Image, of Otake, courtesy of http://www.kaneko-boxing.com) We are huge fans of the Top Rank Macau shows. We'll admit they aren't the best shows, they don't often have the best fights on them nor do they seem to be all that "packed" in terms of match ups. What they do do however is show case some Asian fighters ranging from future stars like Ryota Murata to fringe contenders like Yasutaka Ishimoto, from rising prospects like Rex Tso to tough journeymen like Mako Matsuyama.
On July 19th we see the next Macau card, a show dubbed "Champions of Gold", which features 3 Olympic champions including the amazingly skilled Guillermo Rigondeaux (13-0, 8). Rigondeaux, who has butted heads with Top Rank in recent months, will be taking on an Asian veteran in the form of 37 year old Sod Kokietgym (63-2-1, 28) in a defence of the WBA and WBO Super Bantamweight titles that the Cuban currently holds. Although very highly experienced in terms of fights, both as a boxer and in Muay Thai Sod isn't a world class boxer. His 63 wins have, on the whole, come against limited imports to Thailand such as Adones Aguelo, Falazona Fidal and Randy Megrino and although he has only lost twice in 66 bouts both losses came to a man that we all know, Daniel Ponce De Leon. In the first bout between Sod and and Ponce De Leon we saw the Thai give Ponce De Leon real problem, dropping him in the bout though taking a narrow loss. In a rematch however once De Leon showed his power and stopped Sod in amazing fashion to enhance his reputation as one of the heaviest handed fighters in the sport at that time. Sadly since the losses to Ponce De Leon we've not seen Sod take on a single notable opponent, instead he had been happy to run up a 37 fight unbeaten streak, including 36 wins. Sadly it's not just been a lack of "notable" opponents on Sod's record but also quality opponents. Instead of progressing with experience the slow looking Sod has been beating limited foes that have almost allowed him to regress in the ring despite picking up the victories. In regards to Rigondeaux we have one of the the true master boxers. If you're a fan of the sweet science and the ideas behind "hit and don't get hit" then Rigondeaux is your cup of tea though his lack of aggression and risk taking can often make his bouts appear tedious, especially given his exceptional skill and speed. It's this tedium of Rigondeaux that has seen the fighter and his promoter and TV giant HBO all fall out. Rigondeaux, for all his talent, can't keeps fans entertained or keep fans in an arena, as we saw in his stink fest with Joseph Agbeko. The issues between Rigondeaux and his promoter have seen the two parties almost put together this bout to end Rigondeaux's contract. It appears that the bout, for all intents and purposes will be the last time Rigondeaux ever works with Top Rank. Unfortunately for the talented Cuban it's a bout he can't win even if he takes an amazingly impressive victory in the ring. Priced as a prohibitive favourite at 1/100, or -10000 for our American readers, with some British sports books this is a bout that Rigondeaux is so favoured to win that many feel he need just step in the ring to win. Unfortunately by being involved in such a perceived mismatch Rigondeaux will be slated however he wins. If he beats Sod quickly it'll be a case if "well that was expected" whilst if he puts on a 12 round clinic people will say that he should have stopped Sod. It really is a no win situation. The differences between the two men are massive. Sod is slow, clumsy, defensively poor, lacks power, and although he has experience he's developed more bad habits than almost any other fighter out there. In comparison Rigondeaux is lightning quick, almost flawless in his defence and has serious power when he lets his shots go, in fact the Cuban's left hand, when he throws it with real with conviction, is a thing of real beauty. We're thinking that the straight left of Rigondeaux will be the key here and with the bad habits Sod has, including dropping his hands when he throws a shot, it could be a very early night with Rigondaux almost certain to land the left as a counter early on. Sod's chin isn't awful in fairness but we don't see him standing up to many of the powerful left hand shots of the Cuban and this really could be over very quickly if Rigondeaux feels like making a statement. (http://www.venetianmacao.com) When we talk about modern day Japanese greats few really rival the legendary Hozumi Hasegawa (33-4, 15) a former WBC Bantamweight and Featherweight champion. This coming Wednesday sees Hasegawa, named the "Ace of Japan", trying to become just the second ever 3-weight world champion from Japan as he moves down to the Super Bantamweight division and challenger Spain's Kiko Martinez (30-4, 22), the current IBF champion. For many fans, especially those who have seen Hasegawa's loss to Fernando Montiel and Jhonny Gonzalez, this is a suicide mission for the Japanese fighter. Martinez is vicious, hard hitting aggressive and the sort of opponent that no one really wants to fight, especially not if your durability is questioned like Hasegawa's is. Martinez, known as La Sensación, is the sort of fighter who loves a small ring and loves feeling the like the top dog in in a fight. He's all about pressure, determined aggression, heavy hands and has no fear of travelling to get the bigger fights. This has been shown in his numerous fights outside of his native Spain, included his title winning effort against Jhonatan Romero. At his best Martinez is truly a beast. Unfortunately for him he's an awful one dimensional beast. He has one mentality and that is to be the boss. He has no real counter boxing ability, doesn't really know how to fight on the back foot and can, as Carl Frampton showed, be out boxed and walk into shots with his basic flaws there to take advantage of. Unfortunately for Martinez's opponents he's basic but he's strong, durable, mentally tough and very destructive. Trying to out boxing him can look easy but it's mentally and physically draining and soon or later the pressure tends to take it's toll. Whilst fans might be thinking this is a bout Hasegawa simply cannot win, the Japanese fighter is confident he can win, he's been a long and intense training camp, he's been sparring hard, spending time in camp with Shinsuke Yamanaka and doing all he can to prepare for the challenge of Martinez. It's been like Hasegawa knows this is his last chance to become a world champion again and this is his only chance toe become a 3-weight world champion. At 33 years old this really could actually be his final bout, not just his final world title bout. As we all know Hasegawa made his name as an outstanding Bantamweight and held the WBC title at 118lbs between 2005 and 2010. He began the reign by beating Veeraphol Sahaprom who had himself beaten the insanely popular Joichiro Tatsuyoshi and it was hoped that Hasegawa would be the next "Joe", the next mega star of Japanese boxing. Unfortunately that failed to happen but he has still been a star and has still been in some great fights to watch as he's combined free flowing offence, fantastic speed, great combinations and very under-rated power. It's that power and speed that will always make Hasegawa dangerous and although he was viewed by many in the west as a "feather fisted" fighter he is still the only man to stop the teak tough Vusi Malinga, we he did inside a round! Hasegawa in his pomp was sensational and a genuine joy to watch. Unfortunately for him he has slowed and his foot movement isn't what it once was. Fortunately for fans this has made his more aggressive, more willing to set his feet and happier to exchange. It's a dangerous tactic against a fighter with heavy hands like Kiko Martinez but will certainly lead to some fan friendly action, for as long as it lasts. We're expecting Martinez to start fast and try to rough up Hasegawa. Within a round we expect to know whether or not Hasegawa can take the power of Martinez or whether the bout is going to finish earlier. We'd be shocked didn't start off aggressively though with Hasegawa's more refined boxing skills the challenger could very easily connect a bomb on to the chin of Martinez. Going in many are under-rating Hasegawa's power though he could very easily land a counter to send Martinez to the canvas. For us that's Hasegawa's big chance because he won't survive the ferocious onslaught of the champion and instead will need to fight fire with fire. Sadly for Hasegawa we're leaning towards Martinez to win with a mid-round stoppage, though we'd be shocked if this was anything less than explosive and exciting for as long as it lasts. (Image courtesy of boxmob) |
World Title Previews
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