The biggest name in Japanese boxing over the last few years has been Naoya Inoue (20-0, 17).The Japanese star has managed to impress fans around the globe with his power, skills and speed and has proven his ability not just at home but also in the US and in Europe. The talented Japanese sensation has won world titles in 3 weights won the WBSS, unified titles at Bantamweight and, within just 20 bouts, is already being spoken about as one of the greatest Japanese boxers in history.
Despite having a brilliant legacy already the "Monster" is still just 27 years old and the future is still promising a lot for Inoue, who has spoke about wanting to box into his thirties and move towards potentially winning world titles up at Featherweight. Today, in this weeks "Who..." , we are looking at Inoue, but not at what he should do next. Instead the three founders of Asian Boxing are looking to answer the following question: "Who... Currently stands the best chance of beating Naoya Inoue?" Lee: "I genuinely don't think there's anyone at Bantamweight who can genuinely trouble Inoue. There is a lot of talent in the division, but I don't think anyone at 118lbs right now actually beats him, though a few fighters will be able to take rounds off him. If push came to shove however I would say John Riel Casimero has the best chance of any Bantamweight. Casimero is an awkward fighter, he's heavy handed, quick and unpredictable and would be the one man with the tools to, potentially, land a big shot on the "Monster". In reality however I think Inoue needs to move up in weight to find someone who can beat him, and 122lbs is a very exciting weight class, even if it doesn't have a "big" name there. At Super Bantamweight I give Murodjon Akhmadliev the best chance of beating Inoue. I think the Uzbek has the tools to be the best fighter at 122lbs. He's heavy handed, he's a good boxer, he has good work rate and he's a southpaw. He's the man I think has the best chance against Inoue, unless we think Inoue skips the division and begins fighting at Featherweight sometime soon." Takahiro: "I think nobody at Bantamweight has a chance, and instead I will go with Super Bantamweight Stephen Fulton as the man with the best chance of beating "Monster". I think Fulton has the skills, work rate, toughness and desire to give Inoue a lot of questions. I don't think Fulton would win, but he has a better chance than anyone at Bantamweight and anyone else at Super Bantamweight. I think to beat "Monster" you need a number of things. You need to be tough, you need to be strong, and you need to either be a dynamite puncher or you need to set an incredibly work rate. I think Fulton has the toughness, strength and work rate to grind Inoue into a competitive and close fight. I don't see anyone else at 122lbs having those tools, with out having a major flaw. My pick, Stephen Fulton". Scott: "Without being silly and matching Inoue against Featherweights, I think the only man who can beat Inoue right now, is Inoue himself. If he's focused, as he appears to be, and continues to fight the way he can I genuine don't give any Bantamweight or Super Bantamweight a chance against him right now. I think he hits too hard, too clean and times shots too well for anyone out there. Yes, there are fighters, like Casimero, Oubaali and Rigondeaux who would ask him questions, but I don't see any of them beating him. If forced to find someone who I think could give him problems I would be looking at someone like Carlos Castro. Not a big guy, but a busy guy with height and reach advantages over Inoue. Rey Vargas, had he stayed at Super Bantamweight, would have been an interesting option. Fighters like Brandon Figueroa, who have size, might be able to ask questions but in Figueroa's case he simply gets hit too much, and a fighter can't try and eat Inoue's counters all day. To beat Inoue you need to be big, you need to fight big, and you need to have enough pop to get his respect. There's big guys at 122lbs, but few of them fight big and have the power needed. If I was Inoue's team however I would avoid the Featherweight division as long as possible. That's when I think he'll find guys too big and too strong for him. Right now, the only man who beats Inoue, below Featherweight, is Inoue."
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Whilst the start of March was quiet the middle portion of the month really does see action step up a great, and there is a lot of action in not a lot of time. Better than just having a lot of action is the fact it's really varied action as well ranging from world title fights to prospects.
March 13th American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas, USA Hiroto Kyoguchi (14-0, 9) vs Axel Aragon Vega (14-3-1, 8) The most notable bout of the month, featuring an Asian fighter, will see Ring Magazine and WBA "Super" Light Flyweight champion Hiroto Kyoguchi making his US debut as he takes on Mexican youngster Axel Aragon Vega. The talented Kyoguchi had a frustrating 2020, with two bouts being cancelled, and will be looking to make a statement in his first bout since signing with Matchroom. As for Vega this will be his second world title fight, following a narrow loss last year in a WBO Minimumweight title bout, despite that he will be a clear under-dog. Workpoint Studio, Bang Phun, Thailand Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (49-5-1, 42) Vs Kwanthai Sithmorseng (50-7-1, 27) Former 2-time WBC Super Flyweight champion will be in a tune up bout here, with big plans for later in the year, as he takes on former WBA Minimumweight champion Kwanthai Sithmorseng. On paper this looks interesting, especially as Srisaket is taking on a former world champion, but in reality this should be little more than a brisk work out for Srisaket who should be too big, too strong, and too powerful for the rather limited Sithmorseng. Despite that this will be a good chance to see what Srisaket is like ahead of third bout with either Roman Gonzalez or Juan Francisco Estrada. Phongsaphon Panyakum (11-1, 6) vs Karoon Jarupianlerd (44-10, 20) Touted Thai prospect Phongsaphon Panyakum will look to secure his biggest win so far as he takes on former Naoya Inoue foe Karoon Jarupianlerd, aka Petchbarngborn Kokietgym. Although not too well known internationally Phongsaphon has been impressing on the Thai scene and we're really excited about his future. On paper this is a huge step up for Phongsaphon, though he will be favoured to pick up a win and answer a number of questions about his potential. Chainoi Worawut (13-0-1, 12) Vs Pungluang Sor Singyu (54-9, 36) Another Thai looking to progress their career is Chainoi Worawut, who takes a massive step up to take on former 2-time WBO Bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu. The hard hitting and exciting "Rockman" has impressed through his career with an exciting style but has, mostly, had things his own way against typically under-skilled and over-matched opponents. Pungluang on the other hand is a skilled pressure fighter, with a good chin and a real will to win. We expect Pungluang to push Chainoi all the way here in a real test for the youngster. March 18th Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Saemi Hanagata (16-7-4, 7) Vs Eri Matsuda (4-0, 1) Japanese veteran Saemi Hanagata will be looking to record her second defense of the IBF Atomweight title as she takes on fellow Japanese fighter Eri Matsuda. The aggressive and exciting Hanagata is a true veteran at 36 years old, and although being an "older" fighter she has looked full of energy in her most recent bouts. As well as an energetic fighter she is rugged, aggressive and exciting and brings a lot of pressure. Matsuda on the other hand is a rangy tall boxer, with a very smooth technical style, based on outside boxing. Despite being a professional novice Matsuda has been hugely impressive and she can't be written off here, even if this is only her 5th professional bout. Narumi Yukawa (0-0) vs Yuya Azuma (5-4-1, 1) Controversial fighter Narumi Yukawa will make his long awaited professional debut, almost 5 years after his last amateur bout. The talented Yukawa was given a suspended sentence after being convicted of drug offenses, which ended his amateur career and almost ended his entire boxing career. Now however he has served his time and is looking to make an impact on boxing once again. In the opposite corner to Yukawa will be Yuya Azuma, who is best known for his 2020 loss to Rentaro Kimura. This should be a really good test for Yukawa, and it'll be great to see what he looks like in the ring after all these years. March 20th Banana Sports Complex, Binan City, Laguna, Philippines Criztian Pitt Laurente (5-0, 3) Vs Ernesto Saulong (22-6-2, 9) Over in the Philippines we're expecting to see touted youngster Criztian Pitt Laurente take on his most notable test, by far, since he turned pro in 2019. The talented 21 year old hopefully will be sharing the ring in an 8 rounder with former world title challenger Ernesto Saulong. Laurente turned professional with a lot of expectations after being a very solid amateur but has yet to make any sort of a mark at all on the professional scene. Saulong, best known for challenging Ryosuke Iwasa in 2018, should have the experience and skills to test Laurente, even if he is expected to come up short here. March 24th Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Seiya Tsutsumi (5-0-2, 4) vs Tulio Kuwabata (3-1-1, 2) Unbeaten hopeful Seiya Tsutsumi had a frustrating 2020, fighting to 2 draws, and he'll be looking for a much better 2021 as he returns to the ring here and takes on former amateur standout Tulio Kuwabata. The talented Tsutsumi is one to watch, and is a genuine prospect despite the setbacks last year, and he will enter this bout as a clear favourite. Kuwabata turned professional with a lot of hype back in 2018 but an upset loss in 2019 to Ken Jordan popped his hype bubble, and that was then followed by a technical draw with Yoshihiro Utsumi in 2020. Those setbacks have left Kuwabata in desperate need of a win. We expect this to be a very exciting bout, but one where Tsutsumi needs to be strongly favoured. Takuya Kogawa (31-6-1, 14) vs Shun Kosaka (16-6, 4) Former world title challenger Takuya Kogawa looks to continue his long career as he takes on Shun Kosaka, in what should be a very fan friendly match up. The talented Kogawa has shown some wear and tear in recent years, and his numerous wars have been catching up with him, however he still some tricks in the tank and he'll be hoping to show those here. Kosaka on the other hand has been beaten in 3 of his last 4 and desperately needs a win here if he's to remain relevant. Given the styles of the two men this should be very exciting, though neither fighter is likely to go on to big things after this bout. Jukiya Iimura (1-0, 1) vs Tomoki Kawasaki (0-0) A very easy to over-look bout will see novices Jukiya Iimura and Tomoki Kawasaki clash in a 6 rounder. Iimura really impressed us in his debut, back in January, and we are really excited to see him back in the ring, especially so soon after his debut and prior to turning professional he had been a very solid amateur. Kawasaki on the other hand was an impressive amateur who will be kicking off his professional career, and we're excited to see what he'll be bringing to the pros. This might not be a massive bout, but we are really excited to see how these two men will match off and it's arguably more interesting than any other bout on the March 24th show. When we look at the most exciting hopefuls in Thailand someone who needs a real mention is 23 year old Super Bantamweight puncher Chainoi Worawut (13-0-1, 12), aka Thattana Luangphon or "Rock Man", who appears to be one of the crowns in the jewel of NKL Promotions and the WP Boxing series. Despite being one of the hottest prospects in Thailand his name seems to rarely get mentioned by international fans. That's despite the fact that Chainoi fights in a division with Western interest, and in a division that generally has a wide spread fan base.
Given he fights this weekend we felt this was a perfect time to shine a light on Chainoi, and give fans a chance to quickly get up to date, especially given his up coming bout will be shown internationally on DAZN as well as on Workpoint in Thailand. Chainoi began taking part in combat sports as a child, he was around 7 years old when he first began to train as a fighter. Even before then however, boxing was in his blood as his family owned a boxing gym and despite only beginning to take the sport up at 7 he had been around it for year through his relatives, many of whom were fighters themselves, either boxing or kick boxing. Before heading to professional boxing Chainoi first made his name in Muay Thai, where he was a solid amateur fighter, making his way to the national team. That was the same team that was coached, in part, by Chainoi's father. Whilst competing in Muay Thai he reportedly won a gold medal at the Muay Thai World Championships and a silver medal at the South East Asian Games (SEA Game). It was after all this Muay Thai success that the talented youngster switched from Muay Thai to professional boxing. Beginning his professional boxing career in 2018 Worawut quickly became one of the youngsters that WP Boxing were giving attention two, and with good reason. He looked good. On debut, in May 2018, he stopped Chinese fighter Hui Lu in 2 rounds and just a couple of months later he stopped the experienced Worawatchai Boonjan to move to 2-0 (2). Just a single month after beating Worawatchai we saw Chainoi take a big step up and battle again Japanese fighter, and notable freelancer, Yuya Nakamura. On paper this was a risky bout for the Thai, who was taking on a solid puncher with a good record. Chainoi however made it look easy, beating Nakamura inside a round, just 3 months after his debut. This win really saw some buzz forming around the Thai youngster and it seemed like he was heading places, and heading their fast. Sadly just 3 months after beating Nakamura the buzz around Chainoi began to quell as he was held to an 8 round split decision draw by fellow Thai Rakniran Muadransarakam, aka Nirundon Thata. This result hurt Chainoi's rise, and at the time looked, potentially, like the youngster wasn't as good as hyped. It did, however, ignore the fact that Rakniran wasn't actually a bad fighter and both of his losses had been close decision losses, firstly to Shota Kawaguchi and secondly to Petchbargborn Kokietgym. This draw served more as a wake up call to Chainoi rather than a sign that he was being exposed. Around 5 months after his draw Chainoi bounced back and stopped the previously unbeaten Muhammad Ashiq in 2 rounds to claim the WBC Youth Super Bantamweight title, his first title. He would defend the title just a few months later, when he blew out Bingcheng Zou in just 84 seconds. Quick wins over Ashiq and Zou were followed by Chainoi stopping Matthew Arcillas, Hendri Barongsay and Alvin Medura as he moved to 8-0-1 (8), and added the WBC Asian Boxing Council Super Bantamweight title to his collection of belts. Right at the end of 2019 Chainoi got a genuine test as he took on Japan's Daichi Matsuura. The bout, Chainoi's first defense of the WBC Asian Boxing Council Super Bantamweight title, saw the Japanese fighter stand up to the Thai's power, last 12 rounds with Chainoi. Despite going the championship distance for the first time in his career the Thai picked up his latest win, taking the unanimous decsion. Given Matsuuura has now been stopped 4 times, including in his only bout after facing Chainoi, this results looks disappointing for the Thai, but it is worth noting that Matsuura has typically been fighting at Featherweight, and all 4 of his stoppages have come above the Super Bantamweight limit. Instead this should be seen as a positive for Chainoi, who proved he could fight 12 rounds, and had answers for when his power wasn't enough to take him to victory. After fighting 4 times in his first 6 months as a professional, and 6 times in 2019, Chainoi's rise through the ranks was slowed somewhat in 2020 as the on-going pandemic saw boxing in Thailand put on hold for part of the yea. Despite that he still managed to tick over, scoring 4 more stoppage wins. Sadly there wasn't anyone too notable during that run, though he did beat Jomar Fajardo on a card headlined by Srisaket Sor Rungvisai Vs Amnat Ruenroeng, giving eagle eyed international fans a chance to see him in action. As we write this Chainoi's next bout is scheduled to be a major step up as he takes on former 2-time world champion Pungluang Sor Singyu on March 13th. That is a massive step up for the promising youngster, and a win here would boost his standing in the sport massively. Despite being a step up, Chainoi is strongly favoured to win. He's expected to be too young, too fresh and too powerful for the much older, smaller battle worn Pungluang. Saying that however it's a perfect bit of matchmaking, giving Chainoi a chance to shine against a former champion in an internationally shown bout, rather than a no-name low level fighter, like he fought throughout 2020. In the ring Chainoi is a some basic fight, but a strong basic fighter. There's little in terms of flash with him, but he's aggressive, he comes forward, he pressures and when he has his man hurt he tends to finish them off. Rarely does a fighter get let off the hook against Chainoi. Sadly he's not particularly quick and there is still some Muay Thai traits in his style, which makes him look deliberate, rather than fluid. Despite that he's only 23, has natural power, is very strong at the weight, and is stepping up his opposition after only a few years in the sport. He certainly has a lot of potential, but also has a lot of work to do, and a lot of polishing needed to become a star. From the off Chainoi's has had goals in the sport. He has spoken about wanting to keep his father's legacy alive, make his name at home and internationally, set up a gym one day and, of course, win a world title. At the moment a world title looks a long way off, but he is still very young and with the backing on WP Boxing and NKL the future is genuinely bright for Chainoi. He might not be knocking on the door of a world champion in 2021, or 2022 but by 2025 we suspect he'll have gotten a shot at a world title. It’s rare to see Japanese fighters make a mark of any kind on the world stage at 140lbs, though the country has had 3 world champions at the weight. The most recent of those was almost 30 years ago, when the hard hitting Akinobu Hiranaka (20-2, 18) won the WBA title in Mexico. Despite his success in the ring Hiranaka isn’t that well remembered, sadly, and his reign lasted just 5 months, retiring soon after his title loss. Despite that he did have a very notable impact in his professional career, that ran from 1985 to 1992, when he retired due to a cerebral hemorrhage. It was also a career that saw him and his small team need to do a lot of leg work themselves, and lack the financial backing of many other top Japanese fighters. That was a major surprise given that Hiranaka was an outstanding amateur running up an excellent 67-9 (64) record in the unpaid ranks and competing in the Olympics. Doing that nowadays would see pretty much any major gym in Japan try snatching up his signature, in at least a co-promotional deal. Today we’re not to talk about the struggles the former champion went through however, and instead we are here to discuss the 5 most significant wins for...Akinobu Hiranaka. Kazuki Yokai (March 24th 1985) Unlike most fighters Hiranaka’s debut is actually one of his most significant wins as he, unlike most fighters in Japan, made his debut in an 8 round round, as he took on Kazuki Yokai. Although 8 round debuts in Japan aren’t unheard of, they are certainly very rare, and the last to debut in such a manner as we write this was Naoya Inoue. For Hatanaka and his team it was clear he was going to begin his career in an attention grabbing way, and an 8 rounder on debut was just what they needed to make a statement. Yokai, a limiter fighter himself, had scored a 6th round TKO just months earlier, but had been blown out in 2 of his 3 losses coming into this one. Hiranaka had 8 rounds to dispatch with Yokai but needed less than 1, taking him out in 2 minutes 43 seconds. Masahiro Tanabu I (January 9th 1986) Less than 10 months after his debut Hiranaka took part in his first title fight, as he took on Japanese Light Welterweight champion Masahiro Tanabu. The bout was a very notable step up in class for Hiranaka, against a 2-time Japanese national champion, who was boasting a 9-1 (4) record and had beaten everyone he had faced, and it was just Hiranaka’s 4th professional bout. Hiranaka was looking to tie the record for the fewest fights to a Japanese title, a record then held by James Callaghan and Modest Napunyi. Hiranaka went on to match the record, stopping Tanabu in 6 rounds. Not only did he tie the record for the fewest fights to claim a Japanese title, but he did so by winning the title in just his 13th professional round. Amazingly since Hiranaka tied the record for fewest fights to a Japanese title only Joichiro Tatsuyoshi and Naoya Inoue have tied it, and no one has come close to his record for fewest needed to claim a Japanese title. Naoki Ito (August 11th 1987) Sadly Hiranaka’s reign as the Japanese Light Welterweight champion was somewhat underwhelming, though that was hardly his fault as the division was weak domestically at the time. One of his few defenses of note was his 1987 defense against Naoki Ito, which served as his 4th defense. Hiranaka stopped Ito in just 108 seconds to retain his title but that wasn’t the end of Ito. Just 16 months after Hiranaka destroyed him Ito went on to claim the OPBF title, stopping Chul Gang in 9 rounds in South Korea to claim the title. Not only did he win the title, but he also managed a defense of it, making this a significant defense for Hiranaka, and a very notable win that managed to age well. Tricky Kawaguchi (July 21st 1988) A second notable defense for Hiranaka came in July 1988 when he beat Tricky Kawaguchi in 5 rounds. This was a significant defense for an historical reason. The win was the 9th defense of the Japanese Light Welterweight title for Hiranaka, a then record for a single reign of the belt. The previous record, of 8 defenses in a reign, was held by Lion Furuyama during his second reign of the title. Furuyama, a multi-time world title challenger, held the title from 1972 to 1977, taking 5 years to run up 8 defenses whilst Hiranaka did his 9 defenses in less than 3 years. This was also his final defense before he vacated the title to begin his run towards a world title. Edwin Rosario (April 10th 1992) In 1989 Hiranaka got his first world title fight, and lost a controversial decision in Italy to Juan Martin Coggi. The bout was regarded by many as a terrible decision, though it didn’t end Hiranaka’s world title dreams. In 1992 Hiranaka got his second world title fight, though had to travel again for it, going to Mexico to face the dangerous Edwin Rosario for the WBA belt. Rosario, enjoying his second reign as the champion, was damn near blitzed by Hiranaka. The Japanese, desperate to not have the judges involved, hurt Rosario within seconds. Rosario tried to fight back but after just 92 seconds Ernesto Magana came in and saved Rosario, who had taken a pounding and could have been stopped earlier. The win for Hiranaka saw him become only the third Japanese fighter to win a world title at 140lbs, the sixth Japanese fighter to win a world title on the road and the second to win a world title in Mexico, more than 20 years after Kuniaki Shibata had won his first title in Mexico stopping Vicente Saldivar. It would be more than 20 years later that another Japanese fighter won a world title on the road. This was a huge win for Hiranaka and put his name in the history book. Sadly however his reign was short, losing the title in his first defense, to Morris East, before retiring due to a brain issue. Despite his retirement Hiranaka has remained in the sport and runs his own boxing gym, the Hiranaka Boxing School in Okinawa Once again the guys behind Asian Boxing have come together to answer another question based on the future of boxing through Asia. This time the team focus on the Philippines as they take a look at some of the most promising talent from the Pearl of the Orient.
This week's question is "Who... is the most promising prospect in the Philippines?" To answer this we all agreed on what makes a "prospect", and for the sake of this it's a fighter who isn't yet world ranked, which we agreed made someone a "contender", and they couldn't have previously fought for a world title, as that also makes them a "contender". Outside of that there was no other limitations, meaning no limits based on number of fights or age. Lee: "I recently saw Filipino Flyweight Ben Ligas in action, and he really, really impressed me in his win over Alphoe Dagayloan, so I think I need to pick him. In the early rounds he almost stopped Dagayloan, which was really impressive, and as the bout went on he managed to neutralise the pressure and mauling style of "Wolverine" really well. At the moment he's only 22 years old, has very good size and power at Flyweight and a good style, with the ability to polish up around the edges. With a 13-1-1 (9) record he doesn't have an "0" to protect and I think that will serve him well, allowing his team to continue to match him well, as they did with Dagayloan. and as they have in the past against fighters like Christoval Furog, Jesel Guardario and Joseph Ambo. He's in a tough division internationally, but given his age I think he has time on his side and will become a future world champion." Takahiro: "My pick here, is Richard Bulancan. I very much like the 21 year old puncher who never seems to get any attention but has been very, very impressive so far. I understand he was a good amateur on the Filipino Youth scene and is now a dangerous puncher and has a 10 round bout under his belt. I really took notice of him when he stopped Anthony Sabalde, who went 12 rounds with Nihito Arakawa. Unfortunately he's not fought since then, but I am very excited to see him back in action one day soon! As well as his win over Sabalde he has also beaten fighters like Vergel Deguma and Rimon Rama. He has power, he had rounds and he has so, so much potential! Hopefully I get to see what he can do again soon! Richard Bualcan is my pick for best Filipino prospect" Scott: "Someone I've been high on since I first saw him in 2019 is April Jay Abne, a 21 year old Flyweight with buckets of talent, a really deep understanding of boxing and so, so much potential. He impressed so much in the Ultimate Boxing Series (UBS) in 2019 and showed the potential to go a long way, very quickly. Not only did he show impressive skills but he was also matched hard, beating fighters with records of 6-0-1, 4-0-2 and 8-1-1 in the UBS. Prior to turning professional he was a solid amateur and he ticks a lot of boxes that I like to see. As well as showing good skills and facing tough competition Abne has also fought over 6 and 8 rounds in his short career and it's clear he can be let of the leash and chase a national title of some kind. He has that sort of ability and in ring understanding to be moved quickly, moved aggressively and raced through the ranks. Sadly Abne never fought in 2020, in a year that was essentially written off for many fighters due to Covid19, though I'm hoping to see him back in the ring sooner rather than later. Given his inactivity last year I'd expect him to have an easy bout or two then begin the hunt for silverware towards the end of the year." Fighters ruled out on the rule "meeting" due to being contenders: Joe Noynay Mark Magsayo Mike Plania Dave Apolinario (*Note - This is based on rankings as per February 18th 2020) It's fair to say that February was a super quiet for Asian Boxing, and there was very, very, few shows. Thankfully what we did get was, generally, very fun to watch and we had some great fights from South Korea, Japan, the Philippines as well as some notable action in Thailand and in Kazakhstan. The month wasn't a big one, but, generally, what we got was really exciting and very much worth enjoying.
Fighter of the Month Hinata Maruta One thing the month generally lacked was high profile bouts, with a lot of low key bouts taking place instead. Despite that the higher level bouts did give us some great action and some excellent performances, including that of Japanese Featherweight youngster Hinata Maruta, who shone in his Japanese Featherweight title bout against Ryo Sagawa. He didn't score the biggest win of the month, that was Rene Mark Cuarto who beat Pedro Taduan, but he scored the most impressive, stopping the world ranked Sagawa in spectacular fashion. This was a performance that, finally, showed Maruta is the talent that he was originally promoted as, and, fingers crossed, he can build on this excellent win later in the year. Honourable mentions: Pedro Taduran Bienvenido Ligas Fight of the Month Young Chae Song vs Joo Yeol Bang It was the month of lower level fights, and that was shown in the Japanese Rookie of the Year show as well as on the only Korean card of the month. That Korean card featured a truly sensational 4 rounder between Young Chae Song and Joo Yeol Bang. This 4 round Welterweight bout was just an all out war, with Song doing just enough to claim the win. If you missed this one, which was held on an obscure KBC show, you need to hunt it down and enjoy it. It was brutal from round 1 to round 4 and looked like it was taken from a Hollywood movie, not a live boxing contest. Honourable mentions: Prince Andrew Laurio vs Ranelio Quizo Ryota Karimata vs Hyogo Kimura KO of the Month Abay Tolesh TKO5 Vasily Shtyk We're not sure what Paul Tuzinde was doing on February 27th, but he seemed to have some kind of personal dislike of Vasily Shtyk who needed saving about 20 seconds before the end of his bout against Abay Tolesh. As a result of Tuzinde's inaction we ended up seeing Shtyk being brutally knocked out in round 5. Shtyk had been dropped heard earlier in the round, had been wobbly ever since getting to his feet and took a number of huge shots, including 3 clean headshots that sent him down. He wasn't out cold, thankfully, but it was clear he was done and it was clear the referee should have done more. Honourable mention: Hinata Maruta TKO7 Ryo Sagawa (also not a clean "KO" but a very nice finish by Maruta) Prospect of the Month Talgat Shayken During the month we had a host of notable prospects in action, and they were prospects from right through Asia, with exciting talent from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Philippines and Japan all in action. For us the standout performance by a prospect was that of Talgat Shayken, who genuinely impressed in his 4th professional bout. The Kazakh youngster was wobbled early on by Evgeny Pavko but battled back excellently and took a clear decision against an opponent who was there to win. Shayken had pretty much bullied his first 3 opponents before facing Pavko, but here he had to adapt, show his boxing skills and controlled the bout, outside of the first 30 seconds. His performance was really solid and showed there was a very good boxing brain in Shayken's head. Honourable mention: Yudai Shigeoka Upset of the Month Rene Mark Cuarto Vs Pedro Taduran With a lack of fights came a lack of upsets, and there really wasn't too many surprised at all during the month. The one exception was Rene Mark Cuarto upsetting defending IBF Minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran on February 27th. Cuarto had done little to earn a world title fight, he was pretty much unproven even close to world level and had lost, in 2019, to the man Taduran beat for the title. Despite that Cuarto put in a very solid performance, used smart counter punching and a good boxing brain to take an early lead against Taduran and ended up securing an excellent victory. This performance is likely to remain under the radar, but was Cuarto deserves real kudos for making the most of his shot and giving the performance of his career. He showed some great skills at times, and when the going got tough he remained composed and calm to pick his spots. Honourable mention: Jerry Forrest D10 Zhang Zhilei Round of the Month Ryota Karimata vs Hyogo Kimura (Rd 5) We had so many great one of rounds this past month but if push came to shove and we had to select just one we'd have to go with the 5th and final round of the Light Flyweight All Japan Rookie of the Year final. The first 4 rounds had been brilliant, but the with bout still, potentially, on the line as we went into round 5 both both men went up a gear, and spend the full 3 minutes having a phone booth war. This was just brutal, thrilling, all action and the sort of round that every fan needs to watch. It non stop action between two men who left it all in the ring. Technically this wasn't the most polished, but that didn't matter, this was just all action and incredibly fun to watch. One thing we've always tried to do in his "Introducing..." series is to try and make fans aware of fighters they should have on their radar as early as possible, and that has seen us talk about fighters before their professional debuts. That's the case again this week, albeit with a slight twist.
The fighter we're looking at will be making his professional boxing debut on March 11th, though fans of other combat sports may have already seen this man in action. That's because we're focusing on someone who has recently converted from K-1 to boxing. Despite converting from one sport, which was essentially kickboxing, we do see this youngster having massive upside as a boxer, and the potential to go a very, very long way and do so very quickly. For those who haven't yet guessed, the man we want to discuss this week is Yoshiki Takei (0-0), a 24 year old who recently signed with the Ohashi gym, where he will be trained by Akira Yaegashi. A 24 year old who is already a combat sports star, and one of the most exciting kickboxing to boxing converts in years. Born in Adachi, Tokyo in 1996, the young Takei was regarded as a problem child, a youngster who misbehaved. As a youngster he was taught kickboxing by Seiichi Furukawa and the training genuinely changed him. Helping him mature, grow up and instilled discipline into the youngster. He went from being a naughty child into someone who was showing fantastic natural ability for sport, and in high school he turned his hand to boxing as well as kickboxing. Way back in 2011 Takei was getting enough attention to be featured on a Fuji TV program and just a few months later he fought to a draw in an amateur kickboxing bout with Tenshin Nasukawa, a man who is currently one of the faces of Japanese kickboxing. He would then be featured again on Fuji TV in 2014, in a follow up story to his 2011 appearance, before making his professional kickboxing debut. Takei made his professional kickboxing debut in November 2014 and scored a KO win. Sadly however he would then suffer back to back losses in the first half of 2015, falling to 1-2 (1) within 6 months of his debut. Those losses were learning experiences and he quickly bounced back from them, whilst also moving down in weight. By the end of the year he had scored 3 straight wins and moved his record to 4-2 (3) and was beginning to build momentum as well as building his name. The move down in weight worked perfectly for Takei who won his first title in 2016, when he claimed the 53KG title in “Krush”, a title he would defend later that year before featuring yet again on a Fuji TV show, which was another follow up story to his original appearance on the channel years earlier. By now he was a success story. A story of someone who had gone from a problem child to a kickboxing champion. The best, however, was yet to come, and he was still incredibly young and still developing, as both a man and a fighter. Just months after the third Fuji TV program about him Takei competed in a tournament for the K-1 Super Bantamweight title, and he ended up going all the way and winning the tournament to win the title. Notably he beat former professional boxer Kenji Kubo in the final to claim the title. In 2018 and 2019 Takei continued building his kickboxing record, scoring a lot of knockouts along the way, and it began to seem like he had very few equals in the sport. After losing 2 of his first 3 bouts he went on to win 22 in a row, with his final bout coming in March 2020. By then he had notched a 23-2 (16) record, and shown not just great kickboxing ability but also fantastic boxing ability, with many of his wins coming from punches, as opposed to kicks. In late 2020 Takei announced that he would switch from kickboxing to professional boxing, and signed with the Ohashi Gym, the same gym that manages the likes of Naoya Inoue and Takuma Inoue, along with highly regarded prospects like Katsuki Mori, Ryutaro Nakagaki and Keisuke Matsumoto. Not only was it revealed that he was going to be an Ohashi Gym fighter but that he was going to be training under former 3-weight world champion Akira Yaegashi. Interestingly he also revealed the biggest reason to switch sports, admitting that he had suffered an injury that was making it difficult to kick. Even with that injury however he was still having great success in kickboxing, in part due to his very polished boxing skills. In January 2021 Takei passed his B-license pro-test, following a 2 round spar with Japanese ranked puncher Tsuyoshi Tameda. Footage of that spar was quickly made available online, thanks to the Ohashi Gym, and it was clear that Takei seemed to have some brilliant tools in his arsenal. He under-stood distance well, had some lovely uppercuts in his arsenal, good speed in his hands and feet and looked very natural against Tameda. Whilst it’s obvious Tameda wasn’t there to hurt him, it was still great to see how good Takei looked in the session, and it’s obvious he has a lot of potential in the sport. In his debut Takei will take on 34 year old Japanese fighter Kazunori Takai (6-7-3, 3). On paper Takai shouldn't be much of a challenge for Takei, however it is worth noting that Takai is a southpaw, and it's rare to see a fighter willingly debut against a lefty. Despite that we are expecting a destructive and eye-catching debut from a man who is expected to be moved quickly through the ranks, and potentially become a world champion at Bantamweight or Super Bantamweight. Here we are, a new month and another chance to share some bizarre names of boxers. This month we're looking at names linked with food, with all 5 men this month having names related to food, in some way. As is always the case these are all names from BoxRec and all are fighters from Asia, with the records correct, as per BoxRec, at the time of writing. Though of course we know BoxRec is always adding new fights and by the time this goes live the fighters may have had new bouts found and added to their records. Mikado (0-2) We start this off a bit of a regional one, with Mikado, which is known as Pocky in other parts of the world. We suspect most people have seen Mikado, or Pocky sticks, but for those that haven't they are a biscuit stick, typically covered in Chocolate or some other kind of flavouring. As for the fighter he was officially known as Mikado Jittigym. Sadly Mikado, a Japanese born fighter who fought out of Thailand, his career was a flop fighting twice in 2015 and being stopped in both bouts. Rather amazingly we do actually have the full fight footage of his bout with Taiwo Ali. Originally that was thought to have been his debut, but was instead his second professional bout and we've included the video at the end of this article. Justin Cake (0-1) The second treat on this list is Justin Cake, who's only recorded bout was a Flyweight clash back in 2003, which he lost via 6th round TKO to Dolfu Lolaru. Strangely this was a scheduled 8 rounder at the RCTI Studios in Jakarta, so we wonder if Cakes does have an incomplete record, as even in Indonesia 8 round debuts are relatively rare. In regards to his name it's one of our absolute favourites and one that genuinely makes us feel just a touch hungry. Henry Extra Joss Gym (0-1) Another win-less fighter was Henry Extra Joss Gym. Extra Joss, for those unaware, is a line of powered energy drinks, that you add water to and mix. The Extra Joss Gym is, or maybe was we're unsure, a probable sponsor for some fighters, like CP Freshmart is in Thailand. Sadly for Henry the sponsorship didn't help him here, when he took on Johny Manulang and lost a 6 round decision in 2003. Bobby Extra Joss Gym (0-1) We've just explained what Extra Joss is, so we won't do the same here, but we will point out that Henry wasn't the only fighter from the gym, as we also got Bobby Extra Joss Gym. Sadly Bobby was even less successful than Henry and was stopped in his 2003 debut by Rommie Joe. Sadly the two losses by Henry and Bobby appeared to have Extra Joss consider other options to expand their name. Interestingly they would later go on to have adverts featuring Chris John promoting their products, so despite the losses for their fighters, they weren't done with the sport in 2003, even if we couldn't track down other fighters using their name. Chewing Tom (2-0-0-1) We end this with the most successful fighter of the 5, Chewing Tom, who apparently went unbeaten during his short career in the 1920's. Chewing, as we're going to refer to him, began his career in in 1924 with a decision win over Hoekstra and notched another later that same year. Sadly however his career appears to have come to an end in 1925 after suffering a shoulder injury in a bout against Battling Sparendam, which resulted in a No Contest. That is, sadly, the final bout recorded for Chewing, who seemingly retired having fought outside of the Deca-Park in Jakarta We wouldn't be stretching things to suggest that February 2021 was one of the quietest months since boxing restarted following the start of the Covid19 pandemic. Thankfully it appears normality resumes in March as we have a lot to get excited about, and better yet it comes from all over the globe as Asian fighters look to make a name for themselves both internationally and at home.
With that in mind lets take a look at what's to come in the first part of the month. March 4th Municipal Boxing Gym Felix Pagan Pintor, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico Ruslan Madiyev (13-1, 5) Vs Danielito Zorrilla (14-0, 11) The first notable bout to feature an Asian will see once beaten Kazakh Ruslan Madiyev return to the ring for the first time in well over a year as he takes on unbeaten Puerto Rican Danielito Zorrilla as part of the "Ring City USA" series. On paper this looks like a really well matched bout, and Madiyev will know that a win here can get his career back on track, though in reality we suspect Zorrilla will be too good and too strong for the US based Kazakh fighter. March 6th Miami, Florida, USA Kozimbek Mardonov (1-0, 1) vs Abel Nicolas Adriel (23-20-3, 5) Former Uzbek amateur standout Kozimbek Mardonov will be another Central Asian fighter to keep an eye out for early in the month. The talented 23 year old made a quick impact on his debut, at the end of January and will be looking to impress against as he takes on 31 year old Argentinian Abel Nicolas Adriel. Stood at 6' and fighting at Super Middleweight Mardonov has the potential to be a star of the future and we suspect he'll impress against the experienced, but limited, Adriel. Despite having 20 losses to his name Adriel has only been stopped 4 times, though we suspect another stoppage is on the cards for him here. March 11th Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Andy Hiraoka (16-0, 11) Vs Fumisuke Kimura (9-6-1, 6) Unbeaten Japanese Light Welterweight Andy Hiraoka returns to a Japanese ring for the first time since July 2019 as he takes on limited domestic foe Fumisuke Kimura. Hiraoka's last 2 bouts were both in the US, as he linked up with Top Rank, but there is clearly a desire to show what he can do at home as well, and we suspect he'll look to make a statement here. Sadly Kimura is 0-2-1 in his last 3, and we suspect Hiraoka will take him out relatively early on. Yoshiki Takei (0-0) v Kazunori Takai (6-7-3, 3) Former K-1 champion Yoshiki Takei makes his professional boxing debut as he takes on Kazunori Takai in a 6 rounder. Despite making his name in kickboxing Takei looks like he has excellent hands, and has impressed not just in K-1 but also in his pro-test with Tsuyoshi Tameda and an exhibition bout with Sho Kimura. There is genuine a lot of buzz around Takei in Japanese boxing circles. As for Takai he's a 34 year old who is 0-5-1 in his last 6, and hasn't scored a victory since September 2017. This should be little more than a show case for Takei. Taku Kuwahara (7-0, 4) vs Yoshiki Minato (9-3, 4) In a mouth watering clash between youngsters we'll see the unbeaten Taku Kuwahara take on Yoshiki Minato, a former Rookie of the Year winner. The talented Kuwahara has been tipped for major success since turning professional, but his career stalled massively in 2020, due to Covid19, and he'll feel he needs to make up for lost time this year. Aged just 22 Minato has time on his side, but is 1-2 since winning the 2018 All Japan Rookie of the Year and his sole win came against the returning Kohei Oba, who looked shot to pieces. Rikuto Adachi (14-2, 11) Vs Takeru Kobata (8-5-1, 3) The first Japanese Youth title fight of the month takes place at Welterweight as the once touted Rikuto Adachi takes on Takeru Kobata. The bout will be Adachi's second shot at the title, and his first bout since signing with the Ohashi Gym in 2020, and he'll know that he needs a win to get his career back on track after an injury plagued 2020. Kobata on the other hand will be looking to build on a solid performance, albeit in a loss, against Shoki Sakai. Stylistically this could end up being a very exciting match up, and it's a real chance of being a banana skin for Adachi. March 12th Bolton Whites Hotel (formerly De Vere Whites), Bolton, Lancashire, United Kingdom Viktor Kotochigov (12-1, 5) Vs Gary Cully (11-0, 5) Staying with title action we'll see once beaten Kazakh fighter Viktor Kotochigov look to get his career back on track, and bounce back from an upset loss to Maxi Hughes, as he takes on Gary Cully for the WBO European Lightweight title. The talented Kotochigov looked lost and confused at times against Hughes, who turned in one of the best performances of his career, and it's clear that Kotochigov cannot afford another loss here. The unbeaten 25 year old Cully is regarded as one of the most promising Irish fighters and will be looking to build on a successful 2020, which saw him beat Joe Fitzpatrick and Craig Woodruff. Although not a huge bout, this is very much an interesting match up to end this portion of the month with. |
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