Before the new year we were asked by our good friend @PollitoDiablo2 to do a "22 for 2022" which is not something I had any intention of doing. Not this year. Sadly 2021 has taken away a lot of the love of the sport I once had. It's drained me like no other year. Both the sport it's self and the year in general. It was, for lack of a better term, a year to forget, and a year that really saw the output on this site die down, from regular daily features, along with the news, to basically just the news. The cancellations, the politics, the frustration of Covid continuing to ravage the sport, and my own personal frustrations all made me want to hide in a corner and not touch a keyboard over Christmas, and into the new year.
 
Despite that it's clear for this site to even be worth continuing, we do need to let people become aware of fighters! And with that in mind a 22 for 2022 seems like a great starting, so take a look at 22 fighters who will have something meaningful, hopefully, in 2022.
 
To be included on this list a fighter can't have won, or fought for, a world title. They can, however, have a world title lined up as we head into the new year. They are either contenders, prospects, or fighters that have the potential to make some sort of mark in 2022.
 
22-Garen Diagan (8-1, 4)
Dubbed the "Hellboy" Garen Diagan is someone who has quietly been making a name for himself on the Filipino domestic scene over the last few years. Unlike most hopefuls he's not been matched easily, at all, and from his 9 professional bouts 6 have been against unbeaten opponents. Notably he has ended the unbeaten records of Arvin Magramo (8-0-1), Jerry Francisco (7-0) and April Jay Abne (7-0) in his last 4 bouts. Aged 25 Diagan is coming into his prime, his results speak for themselves and this coming year should be one where he begins to target a regional title. The Light Flyweight and Flyweight divisions are incredibly interesting divisions, but a guy like Diagan would be a welcome addition in either and we expect that's what we'll see in 2022.
 
21-Jong Seong Kang (14-0-2, 7)
South Korean boxing has been in a mire since the very early 00's and the country, which was once a major force in the sport, is now one which lacks any notable name outside of Hyun Mi Choi. Thankfully that could be set to change thanks to the rise of Jong Seong Kang, who looks like he might end up carrying the sport in South Korea over the coming years. The 20 year old Featherweight is everything we love about Korean boxing. He brings the in ring Korean mentality to life, he is all about aggression, work rate, desire and the fighters mindset. Technically he is limited and can be caught, but his offense is his best form of defense and his exciting style will capture fans and attention. Notably he is also scoring good, solid, wins with victories over Tomjune Mangubat and Pete Apolinar in his last 5 wins. He is set to become the face of Korean boxing, and we would expect his team to move him towards more regional honours, to add to the WBO Oriental Featherweight title that he won in January.
 
20-Bek Nurmaganbet (6-0, 4)
When we talk about Asian fighters there's not many Super Middleweights that stand out, but that could all change over the next few years with the rise of the Central Asian fighters. One of the leading hopefuls for the division is unbeaten Kazakh Bek Nurmaganbet, who was a sensational amateur before beginning his professional campaign in 2020. Aged just 23 time is certainly on his side, but so to is ability, and we would be very surprised if his handlers didn't let him loose on better and better opponents this year. In just 6 fights he has beaten opponents with a combined 150 wins and his team have seemingly got a lot of confidence in him, which leads us to believe that his team will look to match him with a former world champion or a former world title challenger this year. Hopefully his team will also get him a run out in the US to help build his international profile ahead of a potential world title eliminator in 2023 or 2024.
 
19-Talgat Shayken (7-0, 4)
Aged 21 Talgat Shayken is one of the most exciting young Welterweight prospects in the sport. He has a good amateur pedigree, he has good skills, he has a strong backer, with MTK Kazakhstan behind him, and he's incredibly young yet incredibly strong. Watching him since he turned professional we've seen Shayken develop from a rather clumsy but effective and aggressive teen, into a very talented and composed young fighter who brings effective pressure to the ring. He's not the polished fighter yet, and that's probably a couple of years away still, but he's proving himself to be an excellent prospect and has already won the WBC Youth title. In 2022 we expect to see his competition step up, and whilst we're not expecting him to face anyone world ranked, we wouldn't be surprised to see him break into the fringes of the world rankings by the end of the year and score at least one notable win before we see the start of 2023
 
18-Nutlai Lalbiakkima (3-0, 3)
Heading into we haven't got too many wild cards in this list, most of the names on the list are probably somewhat familiar to fans, even if one or two are surprises in the list they are names that we think most fans who follow Asian Boxing will be familiar with. One of the few wildcards however is Indian Minimumweight Nutlai Lalbiakkima, who is the IBA Intercontinental Minimumweight champion and the potential Indian star of tomorrow. India has never really embraced professional boxing, yet, but a country as big as India certainly has the potential to create stars and Lalbiakkima looks to be the best bet, for now. With Marine Boxing backing him he has a powerful backer, an exciting style, a good amateur pedigree and he's an aggressive and hard hitting Minimumweight. Given how big an Indian contender, or even a world champion, could be for the sport, Lalbiakkima is definitely one to keep an eye on, and someone who could make a big splash in 2022. He might be one of our wild card entries here, but that's more down to 2022 maybe being a year too early for him, but time will tell.
 
17-Yudai Shigeoka (4-0, 2)
The older of the two Shigeoka brothers Yudai Shigeoka had a stellar 2021, after the covid19 pandemic kept him out of the ring for over a year. Heading in to 2020 he seemed on the verge of something big, following a great win over Lito Dante, but 2020 was a total write off. In 2021 he thankfully made up for lost time pretty well, winning the Japanese Youth Light Flyweight title in February before winning the WBO Asia Pacific Minimumweight title in November, with a hard fought win over Tsubasa Koura. Those wins showed that Shigeoka was a very, very promising prospect, but there is still a lot of work to do for him, and we expect to see him defending his regional title a couple of times this year, whilst climbing up the world rankings and moving towards a world title shot in 2023 or 2024. The biggest for him might well be that he's probably the #3 guy at the weight in his own stable, and that could slow his ascent to the top, though it seems like a case of "when" and not "if", Yudai Shigeoka will win a world title.
 
16-Ryosuke Nishida (5-0, 1)
One of the big revelations of 2021 was Japanese Super Bantamweight-come-Bantamweight Ryosuke Nishida, who had impressed in 2020, with a win over Shohei Omori, then went better in 2021 with a big win over Daigo Higa to claim the WBO Asia Pacific Bantamweight title. That win over Higa made fans sit up an take note, especially given how dominant he was, but it's fair to say there is still work to do for Nishida, who's only defense of the regional title came against Tetsuro Ohashi. Nishida has shown what a great boxer he is, and there is a lot to like about him. Sadly we don't see him getting a world title fight in 2022, but we do see him moving towards one, and the WBO regional title will certainly help him there. The one issue we see holding him back, for now, is his lack of power, but we suspect experience and confidence will help him there. Whilst we don't see him getting a world title fight this year, we wouldn't be surprised at all if he's one of the men sniffing around titles when Naoya Inoue eventually moves up in weight.
 
15-Carl Jammes Martin (18-0, 15)
Dubbed the "Wonder Boy" Carl Jammes Martin is someone who has been on the radar for a few years now, and is widely seen as one of the next stars of Filipino boxing. The youngster has had plenty of exposure in the Philippines, but the attention so far has been very firmly based at home and he's yet to travel for a bout, something we hope might change this year. Early in his career Martin was an aggressive monster, all about offense, combinations and aggression. In recent years however we have seen him tone that down a little bit, whilst getting valuable rounds against the likes of Mark Anthony Geraldo and Richard Rosales, which will have served him really well and proven he can't take everyone out. An important lesson at this stage of his career. In recent bouts we've seen more boxing from him, less fighting, and it seems he is mentally maturing into a very good young fighter. In 2022 we're expecting to see him continue to get good rounds, continue to get some seasoning fights and potentially take on a former world title challenger towards the end of the year, to add some quality to his record and moves towards a world ranking. He's not ready for a top guy, and won't be by the end of 2022, but we certainly anticipate him moving towards a big bout and possibly landing one in 2024.
 
14-Sadriddin Akhmedov (12-0, 10)
The Light Middleweight division is one of the most interesting in the sport right now, with not just recognisable names on top but a lot of emerging hopefuls chasing through the ranks and looking to make a name for themselves. One such fighter is Canadian based Kazakh prospect Sadriddin Akhmedov, who has managed to fly well under the radar of fans who don't follow the Canadian fight scene. The 23 year old has been a professional since 2018, and although he's yet to have a break through win he has shown a lot to like with a wide variety of tools in his arsenal, good stamina, great shot selection and a very good style that should allow him to go a very way in the sport. We don't see him getting a world title fight in 2022, but we certainly wouldn't be surprised by him making his US debut and moving towards a world title eliminator.
 
13-Hironori Mishiro (11-0-1, 4)
The idea of Japanese fighters being moved quickly is something we're all well aware of, and was certainly the plan for Hironori Mishiro, who won the OPBF Super Featherweight title in just his 6th bout, 15 months after his debut. He would defend that title 4 times before leaving the division and beating former world champion Masayuki Ito at the end of 2020, and then score an excellent stoppage in 2021 over Kazuhiro Nishitani. Those two wins, as well as his OPBF title reign, have shown what he's capable of in just 12 bouts, and the win over Nishitani seemed to show more belief in his power than we've seen from him previously. Despite his good form he hasn't yet received much recognition by the world title bodies, but we expect that to change in 2022 and we're anticipating a big year for Mishiro who will likely look to make a climb up the rankings this year. We doubt he'll get a world title shot, but expect to see him climb up the rankings rather notably at Lightweight this year.
 
12-Chainoi Worawut (14-0-1, 12)
The Super Bantamweight division is one of the best in the sport right now, and has been providing so much great action over the last few years, right across the various levels of the sport. One man looking to move into the mix for big fights, at least regionally, in the division will be hard hitting Thai fighter Chainoi Worawut, who is one of the key faces on the WP Boxing series of shows. The unbeaten puncher, like many Thai's, had a frustrating 2021 as the on-going pandemic limited his in ring activity, with him only fighting once in the year. Whilst that is disappointing it did give him another year to physically mature, and now aged 24 he's slowly coming into his prime. We suspect 2022 will be a year where he looks to build some new momentum, and whilst a world title fight this year is highly unlikely, he will certainly find himself climbing up the WBC rankings by the end of the year.
 
11-Thanongsak Simsri (20-0, 18)
The pandemic era of boxing has effected numerous fighters and fights over the last two years, and 21 year old Thai fighter Thanongsak Simsri is certainly one such fight. He was set to get a world title fight against Hiroto Kyoguchi in last 2020, before Kyoguchi contracted Covid19, forcing the bout to be cancelled. The hope was for Simsri to then get a shot at the Japanese champion the following year, but that never happened and Simsri has gone from a man literally on the verge of a world title fight, to the forgotten man at 108lbs. Notably however he has been staying busy, and amazingly fit in 6 bouts in 2021 and got some valuable ring time whilst also maturing, and allowing his body to fill out a bit more. Whilst we're still not sure he'd have much of a chance with Kyoguchi, the fact he's not sulked and been inactive is great, his high level of activity will help him, and if Covid restrictions can be scaled back in Asia this year then we suspect he'll be right in the mix for a major regional title. Whilst 2020 was the year of disappoint and 2021 was the year of activity for Simsri, 2022 should be the year where his competition toughens up again and he begins to move towards a world title shot, yet again.
 
10-Phoobadin Yoohanngoh (12-0, 7)
Thai teenage sensation Phoobadin Yoohanngoh had a break out in 2020, when he won a regional title and defended it in style against Atchariya Wirojanasunobol. Sadly we didn't see much of him in 2021, fitting just two professional boxing bouts into the year Covid19 forced Thailand to essentially lock down sports events for a large portion of the year. Now aged 18 Phoobadin and his team will likely be looking to make an impression this year, and we wouldn't be surprised at all to see him chase a more notable regional title, perhaps even and OPBF title. It's hard to imagine any domestic opponents facing him in 2022, and instead they'll have to import opponents, likely from Japan and the Philippines, so we wouldn't be surprised to see him taking on some of the top regional competition at 140lbs and maybe even make his international debut. His talent is undeniable, his potential is incredible, and fingers crossed 2022 will be the year where he shows his skills against some noteworthy opponents and begins to move into the fringes of a world ranking.
 
9-Joe Noynay (19-2-2, 8)
Over the last few years Filipino fighter Joe Noynay has slowly, but surely, been proving his ability and the 26 year old jaw breaker has been slept on time and time and time again. With 2 losses and just 8 stoppages from 23 bouts it can be easy to over-look Noynay, but the Filipino has notched wins on the road against the likes of Jinxiang Pan, Kosuke Saka, Satoshi Shimizu and most recently Liam Wilson. He is also someone who has a technical draw with Kenichi Ogawa and has 2 defenses of the WBO Asia Pacific title to his name. One thing we've learned in recent years is that Filipino fighters have a scary reputation for coming out of nowhere and scoring wins, for Noynay that happened when he beat Saka and Shimizu and we wouldn't be surprised at all if he ends up travelling West for a fight and upsetting a notable US or British name. He's easy to over-look, but dangerous, confident in the ring, very calm and self assured, and far more dangerous than his record suggests. Do not be surprised at all if he ends up landing a world title eliminator, or a world title fight this coming year.
 
8-Mark Magsayo (23-0, 16)
There is only one man on this list with a scheduled world title fight and that is unbeaten Filipino Featherweight Mark Magsayo, who faces Gary Russell Jr on January 22nd. Sadly for Magsayo that bout is a good reason why he's so low on this list. He's going to make a mark, of course he is, by getting a world title fight in the US against a long reigning champion. Sadly however he will go into that bout as a massive under-dog, especially given his performances in recent bouts, which included a very poor performance against Rigobero Hermosillo in 2020 and huge come from behind win against Julio Ceja in August. Those two bouts may have resulted in wins, but they showed the talented Magsayo was still missing things he will need at world level. Whilst we're expecting him to come up short against Russell Jr, we hope to see him put in a good performance and bounce back later in the year.
 
7-Kamshybek Kunkabayev (4-0, 3)
Unbeaten Kazakh Cruiserweight Kamshybek Kunkabayev is a man who appears to make the sport look really, really easy. The big man from Kyzylorda is a former amateur standout who has been moved through the ranks like a special fighter, he has already picked up the WBO Asia Pacific and WBA Gold titles, and is already towards the world rankings. Although not the most flashy or exciting fighter, he's a big, talented, relaxed and heavy handed southpaw who has yet to be forced out of second hear since debuting in 2020. We really wouldn't be surprised at all if he picked up 2 or 3 wins in 2022 and ended the year banging on the door of a world title fight. Interestingly the Cruiserweight division does look like one that is ready for some new faces and Kunkabayev is potentially the right guy, in the right place at the right time, to make a lot of noise in the division.
 
6-Seigo Yuri Akui (16-2-1, 11)
One of the very few men on this list without an unbeaten record on this list is Japanese Flyweight Seigo Yuri Akui, who had a frustrating 2021, but is already set to kick off his 2022 campaign, and move towards a world title fight towards the end of the year. The hard hitting Japanese Flyweight champion impressed in July, when he stopped Taku Kuwahara in the 10th round, and will be back in the ring in February to defend his title again against Takuya Kogawa. If he gets past Kogawa, as expected, we expect to see him actively pursue a rematch with WBO world champion Junto Nakatani, one of only two men to beat Akui. He's dangerous, heavy handed, and very much under-the-radar, despite having a very notable win over current world champion Masamichi Yabuki.
 
5-Hinata Maruta (12-1-1, 9)
Long tipped as a special talent Japanese Featherweight Hinata Maruta has long flattered to deceive. It's always been clear he has incredible ability but struggled to get things to click. That has has changed in the last few years however and 2021 was a huge year for him, as he scored a very impressive stoppage over Ryo Sagawa, to claim the Japanese title, which he defended in December against Ryo Hino. Those two performances showed the progression of Maruta, who is world ranked by the IBF and WBC, and who could well be on the verge of a world title fight by the end of the year. He's slippery, he's sharp, he's heavy handed and whilst we don't think he'll get a world title fight this year, we do expect big things from him. Fingers crossed the year will begin with either a Japanese title defense or a bout for a regional title, before a potential US or UK bout as he looks to increase his international profile. This should be the year where the Morioka Gym allow him to make a statement, and 2023 should be the year where he gets a shot at the big time. His loss to Hidenori Otake in 2017 was a set back but he has developed so much since then and looks like one of the best emerging Featherweight contenders on the planet right now.
 
4-Hasanboy Dusmatov (4-0, 4)
There are are very, very, very few fighters ready to be unleashed on the divisional elite in their first 5 or 6 fights. One such fighter is Hasanboy Dusmatov, the former Uzbek amateur sensation who was talking about fighting for world titles from almost the day he made his debut. Sadly he's not yet landed a major fight, of any note, and his biggest wins as a professional are at a very low level, but he's showed he is head and shoulders above the 4 guys he has already beaten and now needs to move onwards and upwards. At the age of 28 there is no point in him wasting more time, and with that in mind we are expecting huge things of him in 2022. Sadly the Light Flyweight division does appear to be one with a lot of champions being tied up, at least early in the year, but if Dusmatov and his team are smart they could end up being primed for a world title fight towards the end of the year. If not they need to end the year with a big win and put pressure on the champions for a 2023 world title fight. He's already ranked very highly with the WBA, his team should look to push forward and chase the winner of the planned, though yet to be scheduled, Hiroto Kyoguchi Vs Esteban Bermudez bout.
 
3-Israil Madrimov (8-0, 6)
When he made his professional debut in 2018 Israil Madrimov looked like someone special, and his first 4 bouts showed what could do, as he showed everything a prospect could want to show, against solid competition. Sadly however disappointing performances against Eric Walker and Emmany Kalombo saw some of the shine being taken off Madrimov's rise. Thankfully for him however he managed to notched a notable win at the end of 2021, stopping Michel Soro, albeit in very controversial fashion, to essentially book himself a WBA world title fight in 2022. There is talk of a rematch against Soro, which we think would be a good move for Madrimov, but regardless he is now knocking on the door of a world title fight, and we would be very surprised if he didn't get a world title fight by the end of the year.
 
2-Ginjiro Shigeoka (6-0, 5)
We honestly believe that were it not for the pandemic and the issues to the boxing calendar and travel situations we've seen over the past 2 years Ginjiro Shigeoka would be a world champion today. The talented, hard hitting, exciting, explosive, young Minimumweight looked primed for a huge 2020, following an excellent win over Rey Loreto at the end of 2019, to retain the WBO Asia Pacific title. Sadly the pandemic stopped his career in it's tracks. He had very, very, very few options domestically, and with travel limited over the last 2 years his career essentially stalled out, big time. The only saving grace was the emergence of Toshiki Kawamitsu, who Shigeoka fought this past July, and stopped without too many issues. Ranked by all 4 world title bodies now, we suspect Watanabe Gym will be pushing hard for him to get either a world title crack or a world title eliminator by the end of the year. He won't chase the WBO title, held by stablemate Masataka Taniguchi, but any of the other 3 titles are well within his reach for the year.
 
1-Zhanibek Alimkanuly (11-0, 7)
Unbeaten Kazakh Middleweight Zhanibek Alimkhanuly, aka "Qazaq Style", looks set to get his first world title fight in 2022 and is a man coming in to the year with a lot of momentum. Unlike many fighters he set his eyes on someone, calling out Demetrius Andrade in late 2019, and then took steps to try and secure a fight with the man he was calling out, winning the WBO "Global" title and defending it, to push his case with the WBO to let him fight for their world title. He not only did what the WBO wanted, but also notched good wins in 2021 over Rob Brant and Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam. The only real questions going into the new year is whether Andrade, the supposed "most avoided man in boxing" will be defending his title against Alimkhanuly or whether the Kazakh will be fighting for a vacant title, either way it seems almost a given that 2022 will be a huge year for him.
 
Honourable mentions (yes there's another 22, albeit in no order!):
Bakhodir Jalolov
Hayate Kaji
Regie Suganob
Dave Apolinario
Toshiya Ishii
Shokichi Iwata
Mike Plania
KJ Cataraja
Sung Min Yuh
Shuichiro Yoshino
Nattapong Jankaew
Phongsaphon Panyakum
Shohjahon Ergashev
Shakhram Giyasov
Ikboljon Kholdarov
Otabek Kholmatov
Daniyar Yeleussinov
Bekzad Nurdauletov
Suzumi Takayama
Toshiki Shimomachi
Yoshiki Takei
Jukiya Iimura

As we header into 2021 we decided to make 2 lists for fighters under a “21 for 2021” banner. One of those will include the big names, the contenders and the champions, the ones you might be a little bit familiar with. The ones that are either already stars, or are on the verge of it.

This one however will see us looking at prospects and novices who we expect will leave a mark on 2021, and be on the verge of something big by the end of the year.

Due to this being a prospects list we’ve put two rules on the list. One is that a fighter cannot have more than 10 professional bouts, and the other is that a fighter cannot be world ranked, as they are, by definition, a contender.

With that second rule in mind we will not include fighters such as Ginjiro Shigeoka, Bektemir Melikuziev, Israil Madrimov, Shakhram Giyasov and Rustam Tulaganov in this list. After all, they are all, already, world ranked and should be regarded as contenders.

Jin Sasaki (10-0, 9)
One of the real emerging stars of 2020 was Japanese Light Welterweight Jin Sasaki, who went 3-0 (3) in this year, and announced himself in a big way with a dominating win over Aso Ishiwaki for the Japanese Youth title. We expect him to be fighting for a Japanese or regional title in the near future, and 2021 will be based around taking huge strides to such a fight.

Phoobadin Yoohanngoh (10-0, 5)
Another youngster at 140lbs, in fact the youngest man on this list by far, is Phoobadin Yoohanngoh who is just 16 and already making waves in a very impressive fashion. In 2020 he claimed, and defended, a regional WBA belt and really made a mark with his biggest wins to date. We suspect 2021 might see him facing a step up in class, but he’s likely to be a long term project.

Bakhodir Jalolov (7-0, 7)
Uzbek Heavyweight giant Bakhodir Jalolov has had a weird year. As a profession he fought just once, in December, but he mixed that with some amateur fights at the start of the year and booked his place at the Tokyo Olympics, winning the Asia/Oceania qualifying event. We suspect he’ll be a major threat at the Olympics, and then, finally be let off the leash to chase big professional bouts later in the year.

Taku Kuwahara (7-0, 4)
If there is one Japanese youngster who will feel that 2020 was a year where lost momentum, that would probably be Flyweight hopeful Taku Kuwahara. In 2019 he picked up 4 wins but in 2019 he was out of the ring for the entire year, barring a small exhibition, and then suffered an injury late in the year. We expect him to try and make up for lost time in 2021 and move towards a Japanese title fight by the end of the year.

Elnur Abduraimov (6-0, 6)
Jalolov wasn’t the only Uzbek who lacked activity in the professional ranks this year, in fact many top Uzbek’s were sadly inactive, with another being Elnur Abduraimov. The 26 year old southpaw fought just a single professional bout and a handful of amateur bouts, but like Jalolov has qualified for the Olympics and we expect really big things from him when the Tokyo games comes around. After Tokyo we’d hope he gets the chance to rip through the Lightweight division, something he has the ability to do.

Jinki Maeda (6-0, 4)
The Featherweight division in Japan is one of the most interesting domestic divisions in the sport right now, anywhere on the planet. The division is stacked to the nines. With that said however we shouldn’t overlook the possibility that 24 year old Jinki Maeda ends up in the mix in 2021. The talented boxer-mover won Rookie of the Year in 2019 and impressed with 2 fantastic domestic wins in 2020. He’s one to watch, and could be a future contender at 126lbs or 130lbs.

Seiya Tsutsumi (5-0-2, 4)
The most unlucky man in Japan in 2020, by far, was Seiya Tsutsumi who was twice denied victory by somewhat questionable score-cards, resulting in his two draws. The first of those came against Kazuki Nakajima in the God’s Left Bantamweight tournament and the second came against Daigo Higa. Had he got either of those wins we suspect he could have been fighting for a title very early in 2021. Instead 2021 will be a year of pursuit for him, and we suspect he’ll eventually get a big fight, and get the nod. Do not write him off for those draws!

Mikito Nakano (5-0, 4)
Teiken hopeful Mikito Nakano will enter 2021 with the hope of landing a big domestic bout, and in reality there’s a genuine chance he ends the year world ranked and with a regional title. The talented youngster appears to have it all. He’s skilled, he’s quick, sharp, powerful with a good boxing brain. There are areas to work on, but he looks like he could be just a few fights away from something big. With that in mind 2021 could well be his big break out year, if he can 2 or even 3 solid wins during the year.

Shokichi Iwata (5-0, 4)
Japanese Light Flyweight hopeful Shokichi Iwata is another fighter from Teiken that we expect big things from in 2021. The talented youngster made his debut in the US but has since been building his record back in Japan and is slowly closing in on a title bout of some kind. During this coming year the exciting boxer-puncher will likely fight for the Japanese title or one of the regional belts, and then look to kick on properly towards world level in 2022.

Rentaro Kimura (3-0, 3)
The sensationally talented Rentaro Kimura only debut in July 2020 but has quickly become one to watch, and has shown a lot in just 3 fights. He’s insanely skilled, has every punch in the book, and has some of the best footwork in Japan. However in 3 bouts he has looked like a man focused on entertaining rather than really showing what he can do and we suspect 2021 will see him stepping up to Japanese title level, and needing to prove that he has the tools when the going gets tough. He looks sensational at times, but has faced very over-matched opponents who haven’t yet been able to get the best from him.

Talgat Shayken (3-0, 2)
Kazakh youngster Talgat Shayken is an exciting, physically strong, aggressive fighter who looks like he’s going to be a longer term project than some on this list, but will be very much a fan man to follow. Aged just 20 he’s a long term prospect who looks likely to be built in Kazakhstan, by Tukeshov Promotions, but we suspect US bouts will come down the line. Although he started his career at Light Middleweight it seems he’s going to be competing at Welterweight going forward, which could be a very smart move for the next few years.

Theeraphan Polsongkarm (3-0, 2)
Thai 23 year old Theeraphan Polsongkarm, also known by the much more memorable Oscar Mastertoddygym, made his professional debut in March 2019 and in just his second fight he impressed, stopping former world title challenger Inthanon Sithchamuang in 7 rounds. Sadly after his third win in December 2019 he was unable to fight in 2020, just as it seemed momentum was building for him. Fingers crossed he’ll be in action in 2021 as he looked like a Thai who was being fast tracked to the top and fighting in 12 rounders in just his third bout!

Bek Nurmaganbet (3-0, 2)
Sensational Kazakh Bek Nurmaganbet has impressed in the amateurs, impressed in World Series Boxing and is now impressing in the professional ranks. The 22 year old Light Heavyweight looks like he has almost everything needed to be a star, the one doubt, perhaps, is his power, but he has the skills to make up for that. He’s a very efficient, accurate fighter who has been matched well and has a couple of 6 rounders under his belt already. Fingers crossed Suleimen promotions continue to test him and in 2021 moves into 8 and even 10 rounders. He’s good enough and has the experience to be in longer bouts already.

Ryosuke Nishida (3-0, 1)
Lots of prospects scored good wins in 2020 but probably the best win scored by a Japanese prospect last year was Ryosuke Nishida’s excellent win over Shohei Omori. The talented Nishida, who has been hyped since before his 2019 debut, stepped up massively and out boxed Omori through out, hurting him late and came close to stopping the former Japanese Bantamweight champion. The young Bantamweight appears to have it all and we suspect 2021 will be a year where he races through the domestic rankings towards a title fight.

Hasanboy Dusmatov (2-0, 2)
Incredibly Uzbek amateur standout Hasanboy Dusmatov is in a weird position. Technically he’s among the very best fighters at 105lbs or 108lbs, but isn’t currently world ranked and had a 2020 to forget, fighting just once against a short notice replacement opponent. The 2016 Olympic gold medal winner is an incredible fighter, with the tools to go a very long way, very quickly. Sadly though he is 28 this year and needs to make big moves before it’s too late. With that in mind mark him down as one too keep a very close eye on this year!

Kamshybek Kunkabayev (2-0, 2)
Talented Kazakh Cruiserweight Kamshybek Kunkabayev is 29, so like Dusmatov needs to make a big mark this year. Unlike Dusmatov however Kunkabayev is already notable opponents in the professional ranks, with his debut coming against the then 20-1 Issa Akberbayev and his second bout coming against a very solid journeyman. Sadly 2021 might not be the year where Kunkabayev ends up fighting for a world title, but we do expect him to earn some silverware as he is focusing on the Tokyo Olympics. After the Olympics expect his team to chase professional world titles in 2022 or 2023.

Tursynbay Kulakhmet (2-0, 1)
Another top Kazakh prospect with strong amateur pedigree is Tursynbay Kulakhmet, who looked amazing on debut, but did have some questions raised over his ability in his second bout, a decision in the UK against Macaulay McGowan. The 26 year old 154lb’der has proven to have impressive stamina, movement and power, but needs to add more variety to his work before stepping up too much. He looks like he has the tools in his arsenal to go a very long way, but getting experience will be a key for him in 2021. Expect him to face some noteworthy names to get rounds, and to get some solid seasoning in 2021 in a series of 10 round bouts against very decent competition.

Yudai Shigeoka (2-0, 1)
Yudai Shigeoka, the older brother of the world ranked Ginjiro Shigeoka, has had a frustrating 2020, sitting out of the ring for the entire year, but will be looking to come back with a splash in February when he fights for the Japanese Youth Light Flyweight title. He made his debut in a low key affair, but showed his ability in December 2019 when he outpointed OPBF Minimumweight champion Lito Dante with no issues at all. He has the ability, the amateur background and the team to take him all the way, and we suspect he’ll pick up a lot of silverware in the next 24 months or so. A really special talent.

Nonthasith Petchnamthong (2-0)
Nonthasith Petchnamthong, also known as Prachanchay PK Saenchaimuaythai, only made his debut in August 2020 but is already one of the Thai hopefuls who we suspect people will be raving about in a year or two. Unlike many prospects he was thrown straight into title action and 10 rounders, winning the WBA Asia South Featherweight title on debut and then later beating former world champion Kompayak Porpramook in his second bout, both wins coming by 10 round decision. Although not a big puncher Nonthasith is a very talented fighter who already has 20 rounds of professional experience and the 26 year old, who has moved down to Bantamweight, could end up being a bit of a hidden gem.

Thitisak Hoitong (1-0)
Last, but certainly not least, is professional novice Thitisak Hoitong. The 24 year old Hoitong made his debut in November, on a Tan Telecom Promotions show, and was matched with former 2-time world title challenger Samartlek Kokietgym. Despite being thrown in at the relatively deep end Hoitong dominated Samartlek, winning pretty much every minute of the fight against his tough and stubborn foe. Fighting at Flyweight we suspect Hoitong will be moved towards regional title bouts in 2021 and potentially a world title bout in the next 3 years. A genuine talent with real swagger and confidence, he could be a major player at 112lbs very quickly.

In December we are going to be sharing our "20 for 20", a list of 20 fighters to keep an eye on for the new year. Ahead of that we will be looking at a number of fighters who just missed out on that list. 
 
These are the fighters who perhaps won't be ready for a world title by the end of next year, but we feel will make a mark in the year, and go on to do big things in the following year or two. Typically they are the prospects who perhaps need a little more time to develop, or who are still a bit too young for the big fights, or maybe just don't seem like they are quite there yet. These are our "Honourable mentions - 20 for 20" fighters and these will be posted daily until the start of December!
 
Name
Yudai Shigeoka (1-0, 1)
 
Age
20
 
Why?
We've been massively impressed by Japanese youngster Ginjiro Shigeoka, who has managed to race to his first professional title in just 4 bouts and looks likely to be fighting for a world title sooner rather than later. What also needs to be noted however is that his older brother is also one exceptionally talented prospect, and a man who looks like he could be raced to a title just as quickly as his younger brother. As well as being slightly older Yudai is the naturally bigger man, and whilst Ginjiro looks like he has the power to move up one or two weights Yudai has the height to go with that power, and there's no reason why can't make a mark on Flyweight and Super Flyweight in the years to come.

Having only debuted in October 2019, and that was at the very end of the month, it might be a touch too soon to declare Yudai Shigeoka as a true one to watch in 2020, though we suspect he will win a title of some kind next year, but he's planning to be fast tracked and sources are reporting that his second bout will take place in December against OPBF Minimumweight champion Lito Dante, albeit in a 6 round non-title bout. On debut he really impressed with great variety, fantastic body shots and he showed touches of genius. If that continues, he should manage to take a decision of Dante and then kick on in the new year with 8 and 10 rounders as he follows in his little brothers big shadow.
 
Expectations for 2020?
As mentioned in the "Why" section of this article we expect to see Shigeoka moving into 8 and 10 round bouts in early 2020, and chasing his first titles. Given that he's currently rumoured to be facing Dante in a 6 rounder we wouldn't be surprised at a rematch in mid to late 2020 for an OPBF belt, and notably the Watanabe gym could end up having the Japanese, OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific champions at 105lbs by the end of 2020.

The key has to be to test Shigeoka in 2020, not rush him to a world title fight, but get him good quality rounds, test his ability to take a shot, find out what he's like when he's forced to call on his defense, and whether he can tidy up the little holes he showed on his debut. He was a top amateur, and the plan had been for him to chase an Olympic position, before he decided to turn pro and his amateur experience will allow Watanabe to push him to the moon sooner rather than later.

A real question regarding Shigeoka's future is whether he's happy to share honours at 105lbs with his brother or weather he's going to add an extra couple of pounds and join the shark infested waters at Light Flyweight.
 
Sadly due to Shigeoka's debut being shown exclusively on Boxing Raise we can't share his debut.