As we head towards a new year we've decided to look into our glass balls, our tea leaves and our palms to come up with 20 predictions which will be posted over the coming weeks for what we think will happen in 2020. So far our predictions haven't been the best though they've not all been wrong. In 2013 we predicted that Naoya Inoue, his brother Takuma and Kosei Tanaka would all win world titles. Between them they've won a few world titles, though Takuma has yet to win a proper world title. That same year we also predicted a growth in Chinese boxing, and this arguably happened despite the fact the Macau side of things has died off. We also predicted a growth in Asian fighters making a name for themselves in the US, this was before Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue or Kazuto Ioka had fought on US soil, and before the wave of Uzbek's had began to attract US attention. Unlike the past, where we have made all of our predictions in 1 article, we'll be spreading these ones out with 1 prediction per article, and going more in depth than we have in the past. Prediction number 2 - Boxing continues to Shrink in Thailand One of the big disappointments in recent years has been the shrinking appeal of professional boxing in Thailand. We've gone from Thailand being one of the busiest, most active and interesting scenes to one which has been dying, slowly but surely, over the last few years. It's still alive, but appears to have gone backwards, significantly, with fewer televised cards, fewer noteworthy prospects, and fewer stay busy fights from champions. Whilst we have seen things like WP Boxing and The Fighter series both making their mark it does feel like the Thai scene has continued regressing, and the once weekly Channel 7 cards feel like they are a distant memory from the past. They were always the ones to watch, with a mix of established talent, rising hopefuls and fringe contenders. Although they were typically matched easily they were a building ground to creating a fighters name and buzz. With Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Wanheng Menayothin both on the wrong side of 30, and Knockout CP Freshmart failing to shine and now having a target on his back from a number of fighters including Hasanboy Dusmatov and Ginjiro Shigeoka, there's a chance Thailand will not have a single world champion by the end of 2020. It's also hard to see who will become the next Thai world champion, with fewer and fewer promising fighters breaking through the rankings. The countries scene isn't dead, but it does need a shot in the arm. Had Thai boxing boomed on the back of Srisaket's success in America we could have been looking at things very differently, but the reality is that the country failed to capitalise on having a global star when they did and although Srisaket may well go on to become a 3-time champion it very much feels like his wins over Roman Gonzalez were a missed opportunity to boost the Thai fight scene in a way that could have carried a generation of Thai's. Instead of have a growing Thai scene we predict that the current downward trend will continue, and we could be years away from Thailand having it's next exciting star that can inspire the country's youngsters to care about the sport. Some possible boxers may look else where for a combat sport career, others may simply avoid fighting for pay. Either way boxing will suffer.
0 Comments
As we head towards a new year we've decided to look into our glass balls, our tea leaves and our palms to come up with 20 predictions which will be posted over the coming weeks for what we think will happen in 2020. So far our predictions haven't been the best though they've not all been wrong. In 2013 we predicted that Naoya Inoue, his brother Takuma and Kosei Tanaka would all win world titles. Between them they've won a few world titles, though Takuma has yet to win a proper world title. That same year we also predicted a growth in Chinese boxing, and this arguably happened despite the fact the Macau side of things has died off. We also predicted a growth in Asian fighters making a name for themselves in the US, this was before Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue or Kazuto Ioka had fought on US soil, and before the wave of Uzbek's had began to attract US attention. Unlike the past, where we have made all of our predictions in 1 article, we'll be spreading these ones out with 1 prediction per article, and going more in depth than we have in the past. PREDICTION 1 : Ginjiro Shigeoka to win a world title in 2020 The Minimumweight division has long been a maligned weight class, where casual western fans are happy to turn their nose up at the action, despite it's quality and excitement. Despite that we do have a lot of talent in the ranks at 105lbs and 108lbs. Among the talent there is young super stud Ginjiro Shigeoka, who we are predicting to win a world title in 2020. At the time of writing Shigeoka is 4-0 (3) but has impressed so much in those 4 fights that a world title fight as early as summer isn't out of the realms of possibility, though we suspect it will be later in the year. It does however depend on how he looks on New Year's Eve when he faces former world title challenger Rey Loreto, in what is a very good test for the youngster at this stage in his career, and if he can stop Loreto he may well end up with a world title shot as early as Spring. The former amateur standout, who went 56-1 in the unpaid ranks, would likely be the under-dog against any of the 4 world champions if he faced them tomorrow. However with another bout or two, including the Loreto bout, under his belt, and if Watanabe could secure him home advantage, we could see the odds swing his way very quickly. If we were guiding the youngster the only champion we would advise Ginjiro away from is IBF champion Pedro Taduran, who looks a stylistic nightmare for the youngster, but the likes of Wanheng Menayoythin, Knockout CP Freshmart and Wilfredo Mendez shouldn't be seen as unbeatable, and Shigeoka may well be ready for any of that trio sooner rather than later. The talent is there, the power is there, the aggression is there, the style is there. The only thing lacking at the moment is the experience, but that will come through the year, and a world title being over Shigeoka's shoulder wouldn't be a surprise at all by the times the bells ring on December 31st 2020. (Image courtesy of Watanabe Gym) The last 7 days has been relatively quiet in Asian boxing, though that doesn't mean we've not found some things that were good, bad and ugly....even if we did need to look a little further afield than usual for one of our ugly's this week! The Good 1-Iwasa Vs Tapales is official! This wasn't a particularly big surprise, given it has been rumoured for a while and had been all but set, but it was still nice to see an official announcement being made this week by the Celes Gym to confirmed the IBF "interim" Super Bantamweight title fight between Ryosuke Iwasa and Marlon Tapales. We are really excited about this one and think that the styles of the two men will make for something a little bit special 2-Hasanboy Dusmatov's debut After weeks of frustration, rumours, speculation, and changes, we finally saw 2016 Olympic gold medal winner Hasanboy Dusmatov make his professional debut. The talented Uzbek stopped Jesus Cervantes Villanueva in 2 rounds on Saturday night in Mexico and he is now off the board with a win. The performance was a long way from flawless, but there was a lot to like and we're really excited to see where he can go in the pros, and how quickly he'll get there. He's a genuine talent, but given how frustrating it was to see him make his debut there has got to be some worries that his career will be a very frustrating one to follow. 3-RCTI It felt like a throw back weekend with a rare Indonesian televised show on RCTI. It feels like it has been far, far too long since Chris John was in action and there was a real reason to watch a show from Indonesia but this week was had one thanks to Ongen Saknosiwi and Daud Yordan. The bouts weren't the best, but they were both fan friendly and easy to watch. They showcased the biggest name in Indonesian boxing, and one of the rising stars and the match ups were both compelling from a stylistic point of view. This was great for Indonesian boxing, and fingers crossed RCTI do began to show case more boxing from Indonesia. The country has talent, but their boxing scene needs investment, money and effort. The Bad 1-....RCTI Whilst we have just praised RCTI we also need to complain about them. They showed the entirety of Daud Yordan fight with Michael Mokoena live, but they missed the first 6 rounds of the co-feature. It would have made so much sense to have broadcast every round of Ongen Saknosiwi's bout with Marco Demecillo. Yordan is the star of Indonesian boxing, still, but the need for the new generation is there and they could have helped promote Saknosiwi here had they shown his entire bout. The 6 rounds we got were great, but it feels like a genuine mis-step by the broadcaster who could have shown all 12. The Ugly 1- Sky Sports Box Office price for Ruiz Vs Joshua II Not an Asian boxing issue as such, but an ugly issue for boxing in general is the abuse British fight fans are getting at the hands of Sky Sports Boxing office. The service announced that rematch between Andy Ruiz and Anthony Joshua will cost £24.95. That's higher than an average Sky Sports Box Office show, and suggests the bout really is all about money. The bout has been widely criticised for where it's taking place, in Saudi Arabia, and with an increase in PPV money along side a monster site fee it really does leave a bitter taste in the mouth. Things like this push some people away from the sport, and others to illegal streams. A terrible move by all involved, who appear to want another pound of flesh from boxing fans. 2-Masashi Noguchi's continued losing run One of the feel good stories of the week was Takuya Yamaguchi picking up his 4th win in 17 fights. We love Yamaguchi and the way he has continued to fight on despite set backs, making up for his limitations. Sadly though this weeks win for Yamaguchi came against a man who is now more than 3 years removed from a win and has now lost 7 in a row. That is Masashi Noguchi, who challenged for the Japanese Lightweight title in December 2016, losing to Shuhei Tsuchiya, and has suffered 6 straight losses since. There now, surely, needs to be someone in his team telling him to hang them up before he gets hurt. (Image courtesy of Olamsport, Matchroom Sport) Over the years we have seen a number of Japanese based American fighters, who are in Japan for various reasons. These have included fighters like Mark Anthony Brooks, aka Mark Horikoshi, the wonderfully personable Brandon Lockhart Shane, Charles Bellamy and the truly thrilling Rick Yoshimura, who is the most successful of the Japanese based Americans.
At the moment there isn't too many young Japanese American fighters making a mark, but teenager Dominique Kenshin (3-0, 1), is certainly someone worthy of attention as he begins his career. Kenshin, also known as Dominique Wallace, is a 19 year old with promise and is actually guided by the aforementioned Yoshimura. Wallace fights out of Yoshimura's Ringside Fitness Gym in Yokota, and despite only making his professional debut earlier this year has already shown real potential. A lot more potential than some would have expected given he had had only a handful of amateur bouts. Aged 18 when he debuted in February 2019 Kenshin looked strong and athletic when he out pointed, Takuya Kanda over 4 rounds. He looked very unpolished, but had a busy jab, some nice uppercuts to the body and a willingness to respond every time he was hit. There was a clear rawness about him, and his lack of amateur background showed it's self regularly as he put himself off balance, and even got caught clean by a hard hook when he dropped his defenses in the first round. As the fight went on however you could visibly see the youngster calming down, improving and using his physical tools more and more effectively. In his second bout, just a few months later, Kenshin stopped Hiroto Watabe and further showed some signs of polish. He was still more reliant on physical traits and athleticism than his boxing ability, looking bigger, stronger and faster than Watabe, but there was again signs of development, growth and promise. Back in July Kenshin took his third professional win narrowly over-coming fellow youngster Hyoga Taniguchi. This was the first southpaw to face Kenshin and he pushed the teenager all the way in a very close bout, that was even closer when Kenshin had a point deducted in round 4, making things super close on the score-cards. Away from the ring Kenshin graduated high school in 2018 and with Yoshimura guiding his career there is some genuine hope that he can make the most of his natural traits. There is a lot of polishing to do with youngster, but there's also no pressure on him to be rushed. He'll be having his 4th professional bout on November 22nd, on the upcoming "Genkotsu" card where he will face Hiro Ichimichi. A win there would continue his rise, though it's clear that he will need to really improve his boxing skills if he's going to continue to have success going forward. It's hard to class Kenshin as a prospect right now, but he is certainly someone worthy of some attention, and an ideal fighter to be given the "introducing..." treatment, especially given his age, his rather unique background and the fact that he appears to be Rick Yoshimura's current protege. This past week has certainly not been a massive week for Asian boxing, but has still been a pretty interesting one, with upsets, debuts and action. This wasn't a week that will go down as a major one but was still fairly entertaining.
Fighter of the Week Keita Kurihara (15-5, 13) Heavy handed Japanese fighter fighter Keita Kurihara took a huge step towards his first world title fight as he stopped fellow world ranked fighter Sukpraserd Ponpitak in 2 rounds. We all know that Kurihara isn't ready for a world title shot, and won't be for some time, but was another good win for the 26 year old who has now notched 6 straight wins since a 2017 loss to Hiroaki Teshigawara. Although not yet in the title mix, it seems like it'll only be a matter of time before he gets a shot at the big time. Performance of the Week Kenbati Haiyilao (6-2-1, 1) Unheralded Chinese fighter Kenbati Haiyilao travelled to Thailand with a plan, and put that plan into effect perfectly as he ended the unbeaten run of Nick Frese. It's fair to say that Haiyilao was given little chance but put on an excellent performance to out box, out fight and out think Frese, who struggled to get into the bout. What makes Haiyilao's win even more impressive is that he was only a few weeks removed from his previous bout, a technical draw with Shaoheng Chang. An excellent performance for a fantastic, yet low key, upset win. Fight Aso Ishiwaki Vs Ryuji Ikeda There wasn't many bouts that really stood out this week, though we genuinely enjoyed the exciting, though short, battle between 20 year old Aso Ishiwaki and former Japanese Light Welterweight title challenger Ryuji Ikeda. This was fought at a fun pace from the opening round, and saw both men unloading some big shots. The fight wasn't an all out war, it didn't last long enough to become such a thing, but it was very entertaining a lovely hidden gem in a very quiet week Round Aso Ishiwaki Vs Ryuji Ikeda (Rd2) Our Fight of the Week also provided the round of the week, with round 2 of the aforementioned contest between Aso Ishiwaki and Ryuji Ikeda. This was thrilling with Ikeda looking to set a fast pace and Ishiwaki boxing smartly, using his power and strength and eventually breaking down Ikeda in a very fan friendly round of action. In a different week this may not have got a mention, but as it is this is our recommendation for fans to give a view to this week! KO No valid contender this week Prospect Hasanboy Dusmatov (1-0, 1) After winning an Olympic gold medal in 2016 Hasanboy Dusmatov was one of the fighters that so many fans wanted to see make his professional debut. It was assumed that he would be fast tracked and be moved aggressively and be in the title mix almost instantly. Instead though he flirted with the professional ranks, whilst remaining an amateur...until this week when he finally turned professional and looked sensational stopping an over-matched Mexican teenager. He looked, crisp, sharp and very confident in the ring, and fingers crossed he'll manage to move quickly through the next 12 months, like several other Uzbek fighters. Upcoming fight Can Xu (17-2, 3) vs Manny Robles III (18-0, 8) The coming week is another that isn't packed with with huge fights, but it's hard to not get excited about the WBA Featherweight title fight between Can Xu and Manny Robles III. This has the makings of an all out war, and we're really excited about this. Neither man is a big puncher, but both let leather fly and both are tough so we suspect this will be less abotu boxing, and more about trying to out man the other in what could end up being a legitimate fight of the year contender. Earlier this year several professional fighters took part in the World Championships in Russia, with the most notable of those being Uzbek giant Bakhodir Jalolov (6-0, 6), who went on to win gold in the Super Heavyweight division. The win for Jalolov, and most notably his KO win over Richard Torrez, drew mixed comments from opposing sides of the fence. On one hand the WBC, and their head honcho Mauricio Sulaiman, were very much against letting professional fighters fight in the amateur competitions. They made out that it was "Brutal and criminal" for Jalolov to fight Torrez in the quarter-finals of the World Amateur Championships. They were very much suggesting that Torrez was "smaller" and "outclassed" by Jalolov, though both men were Super Heavyweights and both had fairly reached the final 8 of the competition. They were, for all intents, there on merit and competing in the same weight class. We won't go on to look at the multitude of mismatches the WBC have allowed, and in some cases ordered, as that's not the subject of this article. But they very much seemed to downplay the fact that by even reaching that stage of the competition Torrez was a legitimate top amateur. They also seemed to have no problem in allowing Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam, who competed at the 2016 Olympics whilst being a professional, to fight for their Diamond title just 3 months earlier. On the other hand there were people pointing out that the sports were different, and others suggesting that the more pertinent question was "why would a professional even want to compete in the amateurs?" That's the point we want to pick up, especially for Jalolov. The 6'7" Heavyweight has the tools to be a major force in the professional ranks. He has freakish agility for such a big man, dynamite power in his left hand, a lot of natural charisma, and although his style isn't the most TV friendly his concussive power makes him a must watch fighter. He should, for all intents and purposes, be a promoters dream. A big, hard hitting fighter who oozes charm. Sadly however in almost 18 months as a professional he has fought only 6 times, with only 2 of those bouts coming in 2019. In that same amount of time he has fought at least 11 times as an amateur. Jalolov has a well known American promoter, who has essentially failed to promote him, failed to make him the name that his talent deserves and although amateurs don't technically get paid, they often do get financially rewarded for winning medals. Back in 2012, at the London games, Uzbek gold medal winners were awarded the equivalent of $150,000 whilst they were award the equivalent of $12,000 for winning gold at the World Amateur Championships. This financial reward isn't huge, but it is something and leads to another point. These amateur tournaments aren't always about personal glory but about national pride. The Uzbek fighters who went to the various international amateur tournaments this year weren't there just to fight as themselves, but were there to representing their nation, an honour that isn't really possible in the professional ranks. In the pros they are fighting for themselves but in the amateurs they are also fighting for their country, and their countries honour. Something that can, in some cases, be incredibly important. For a fighter being ill promoted and kept inactive the amateurs give them a chance to stay busy, keep ticking over and, in Jalolov's case, building his profile. His win over Torezz got more fans talking about him, often from an ill informed stand-point, than his 6 professional bouts. Whilst not every professional fighter has the same reasons for fighting in the amateurs some have a very clear reason. Their professional promoters are simply failing them. For Jalolov to still be such an unknown among fans of professional boxing is abhorrent, and when his promoter is as well known as he is, and often complains about the actions of other promoters, it's simply a joke. We won't name the promoter of Jalolov's early bouts, but we will say it's time he promotes his fucking fighters, gets them in the public's eye, and keeps them there! Amazing the promoter in question didn't even mention Jalolov's World Championship win on the news section of his website yet still has the fighter listed as one of his fighters! (Image courtesy of http://www.dbe1.com) Although November has been a rather bitty month, with a great start and a weak middle, there is plenty to be excited about in the last couple of weeks of the month, with a very interesting mix of fights coming through in what's left of the month. November 17th Eruka Hiromoto (5-0) vs Sana Hazuki (7-4-1, 2) - Yamaguchi, Japan In Yamaguchi on the 17th we'll see OPBF female Minimumweight champion Eruka Hiromoto defending her title for the first time, as she takes on the aggressive Sana Hazuki in a very interesting match up. The teenage champion looked less than spectacular in her title win, but is a very clear talent with a lot of potential and ambition, and her team have spoken about her challenging for a world title in 2020. Hazuki isn't a big name but she's a handful at this type of level, win or lose, and she could be the sort of fighter who makes Hiromoto pay for her lack of power. Riku Kano (15-4-1, 8) Vs Tetsuya Mimura (8-1, 1) - Kobe, Japan Former world title challenger Riku Kano looks to continue his career rebuild as he takes on the once beaten Tetsuya Mimura, a 2018 Rookie of the Year finalist. This should be a really interesting fight between two talented youngsters, and although it's unlikely to end early it is a really meaningful fight, and the winner will almost certainly see themselves in the mix for some form of regional title in 2020. Daud Yordan (39-4-0-1, 27) Vs Michael Mokoena (15-4, 10) - Batu, Indonesia It's hard to deny that we all love Daud Yordan, the Indian veteran has been flying the flag almost solo for Indonesian boxing the last few years. Here we see him look to claim the WBO Oriental Light Welterweight title as he takes on Tanzania's Michael Mokoena. We suspect Yordan will have to much for Mokoena, but the Indonesian has taken a lot of punishment during his long career and he could end up feeling the effects of that long career at any point. Ongen Saknosiwi (7-0, 7) vs Marco Demecillo (24-8-1, 19) - Batu, Indonesia Whilst Yordan has flown the flag solo for Indonesian boxing several prospecta have come and gone, including the likes of Iwan Zoda, Defry Palulu and most recently Jon Jon Jet. The latest rising Indonesian looking to make their mark is Ongen Saknosiwi, who takes a massive leap up in class here as he faces Filipino veteran Marco Demecillo. A win here will give Saknosiwi's career a monster boost and put him on the fast track, whilst a loss will see him become the latest Indonesian prospect to have his career derailed before it really got going. November 23rd Can Xu (17-2, 3) vs Manny Robles III (18-0, 8) - California, USA One of the biggest bouts from the second half of November will see China's Can Xu defending his WBA Featherweight title against the unbeaten Manny Robles III. On paper this looks brilliant, and in the ring we expect it to be even better. Xu, despite his lack of power, is a very strong fighter who walks through hell fire and brimstone if he needs to. Robles is a more technically capable fighter, but often finds himself fighting the wrong fight and if he gets into a war with Xu we could have a legitimate contender for Fight of the Year on our hands. Xu's pressure will be key as will Robles' concentration, and we are expecting a very, very fan friendly bout here. November 30th Zolani Tete (28-3, 21) v John Riel Casimero (28-4, 19) - West Midlands, United Kingdom Another world title towards the end of the month will see South African fighter Zolani Tete return to face Filipino John Riel Casimero. Tete, who has been out of the ring for more than a year, enters the bout as the WBO Bantamweight champion whilst Casimero is the interim champion and will be looking to pick up another big win on the road. Coming in to this both men will be looking at a potential showdown with WBA and IBF champion Naoya Inoue, and will need to win here to keep that potential bout alive. Zhilei Zhang (20-0, 16) Vs Sergey Kuzmin (15-1, 11) - Monte Carlo, Monaco There is, of course, something about the Heavyweight division that intrigues us all and we'll actually have a rare bout with an Asian interest in the division at the end of November when unbeaten Chinese hopeful Zhilei Zhang take on once beaten Russian Sergey Kuzmin. Both of these fighters were former amateur standouts, and although both are the wrong side of 30 this could still be a very significant bout, with the winner likely to find themselves in the world title mix. Sadly coming into this Zhang has been out of the ring for more than a year whilst Kuzmin was beaten last time out, with both of those facts taking some shine off what this contest could have been 6 months ago. Andy Hiraoka (14-0, 9) v Rogelio Casarez (13-8, 5) - Nevada, USA Unbeaten Ohashi gym prospect Andy Hiraoka makes his US debut at the end of the month as he takes on Rogelio Casarez in what looks like an easy introduction to the American boxing scene. Hiraoka, a Japanese-Ghanaian fighter, has trained over in the US in the past and is regarded highly in Japan, though this will be a very different test to anythign he's faced before. Casarez will be the under-dog but will come out looking to upset the unbeaten hopeful. A nice teast for Hiraoka's first bout on US soil. We regularly see a pair of brothers battling through the pro-ranks together in some way. Whether they are as publicly close as the Inoue brothers or not we have a lot of brother pairings in boxing.
What is less common, although certainly not unheard of, is a brother-sister partnership making a mark in Japan. This has certainly been done in Argentina, with the Matthysse clan who had two brothers and a sister all fighting at a high level. In Japan this year we saw the first brother-sister pairing of professionals when Ayato Hiromoto (1-0, 1) joined his sister Eruka Hiromoto in the pros. With Eruka already holding an OPBF title, it makes sense for us to introduce her big brother, ahead of his November 17th bout in Yamaguchi. The 22 year old Ayato Hiromoto isn't a big name prospect who had the press raving about him when he turned professional, but he's certainly one to keep a very, very close eye on. He's talented, patient, has the backing of Kadoebi and looks like a fighter who could go on to do big things in the pro ranks. As an amateur Hiromoto went 31-17, though was unfortunate to be part of the talent laden 52KG division on the Japanese amateur scene. The Japanese amateur scene might not be something you're too familiar with but being in the same division as Ryomei Tanaka, Tosho Kashiwazaki and Tomoya Tsuboi was never going to be easy and losses were going to happen. Whilst his amateur record didn't scream quality his performances and ability did and he signed up with the Kadoebi gym earlier this year. Back in July he took part in his test bout, sparring with another of the many boxing brother's in Japan Yuki Nakajima. During that test bout he impressed, and looked sharp, accurate and moved well, and obviously showed more than enough to get excited about. Just a few weeks after he had claimed his B class license Hiromoto made his professional debut, stopping Suriyo Chonlathan in 2 rounds. The bout was one sided from the off and the Thai was down multiple times before the referee pulled the plug on the bout and stopped the contest. Hiromoto's second bout comes on November 17th when he takes on Filipino foe Romel Oliveros in a scheduled 6 rounder at Super Flyweight. Despite being less experienced than Oliveros it's hard to see anything but a win for the Japanese youngster, who will be looking to develop over the next year or two before heading towards potential title fights. Whilst we don't expect Hiromoto to be in big fights by the end of 2020 there's a real good chance that he will be in the title mix by the end of 2022, and we wouldn't be surprised to see him against notable regional fighters over the next 18 months or so. So we've just had the latest week of fights and whilst it's been a great week overall we've decided to look at The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from the last 7 days of Asian Boxing. The Good 1-Naoya Inoue Vs Nonito Donaire - in the Ring We all know that this wasn't the match up that fans were really pining for in the final, but my god did it every deliver, over-deliver, and then deliver again. What was supposed to be a mismatch in favour of the monster ended up being the bout that allowed him to answer far more questions than anyone would have anticipated, and gave us a FOTY contender in the process. This was brilliant, and despite the injuries Inoue suffered I doubt either man would want to go back in time and undo what they did here. 2-Naoya Inoue Vs Nonito Donaire - out of the Ring Whilst the fight it's self was amazing we also need to talk about the out of the ring situation with the fight. From the WBSS draw in 2018 to fight, and afterwards in fact, the two men showed nothing less than full respect to each other. They were classy in the build up and classy afterwards. Inoue notably let Donaire borrow the Muhammad Ali trophy to show his children and Donaire seemed genuinely disappointed to learn that Inoue had suffered several facial fractures. The bout proved that boxing doesn't need fake beef to sell a fight if the fight is good enough. The fact this fight was trending around the world shows what happens when fans actually want a fight, rather than being sold something they aren't too bothered by. Promoters need to learn from this! 3-Takuya Watanabe Vs Taiki Minamoto It wasn't all about the WBSS final, and the fact that we got an 8 round thriller between Takuya Watanabe and Taiki Minamoto was an added bonus on Saturday. This bout, which was a Japanese title eliminator, was absolutely brilliant and had it come on nearly any other week we'd have been raving about it more in this article. This is again what happens when well matched fighters face off, and have a reason to give their all. Whilst this is tucked away on Boxing Raise, for those who missed it, it again shows the incredible quality of Japanese domestic match ups and was another brilliant eliminator, coming only weeks after the Minimumweight tear up between Masataka Taiguchi and youngster Kai Ishizawa. The Bad 1- Kenya Yamashita pulls out of God's Left Tournament The much anticipated God's Left Bantamweight semi-final between Seiya Tsutsumi and Kenya Yamashita was cancelled the night before the weigh in when Yamashita was taken to hospital for "poor physical condition", code words for dehydration caused by trying to lose weight. We really though Yamashita Vs Tsutsumi was going to be special, so to see the bout cancelled at such show notice can't be regarded as anything but bad. 2-Japanese TV ignores Shokichi Iwata vs Alejandro Cruz Valladares In the US DAZN subscribers had the chance to see the 6 round Light Flyweight bout between Shokichi Iwata and Alejandro Cruz Valladares, yet Japanese didn't. Whilst we understand the main Fuji TV broadcast not showing the bout due to time constraints, they actually went over the scheduled time limit with what they did show causing some issues with recording and downloading software, we don't understand why WOWOW didn't show it on Saturday. Iwata is a huge talent, this was a fun fight, and this should have been a great chance to show what the 23 year old youngster can do. A real missed opportunity. 3-Silem Serang pulls out We're not 100% what happened with Silem Serang but he pulled out of a bout on Saturday causing a cancellation in the ring return of former OPBF Minimumweight champion Tsubasa Koura. We were looking forward to seeing what Koura was going to be like after being beaten up and battered last time out, in a huge upset loss to Lito Dante, but it now seems like we may need to wait until 2020 to see the once touted Koura in action again. The Ugly 1-Alejandro Rochin and Robert Hoyle We suspect this feature will be full of issues with judges going forward, though we don't imagine many judges will leave us scratching our heads as much as Alejandro Rochin and Robert Hoyle have this week. Rochin, some how, had the Nordine Oubaali Vs Takuma Inoue bout a shut out at 120-107, a score that nobody else could possibly have come to if they were watching the bout. Hoyle on the other hand had Naoya Inoue beating Nonito Donaire by a single point, 114-113, essentially needing the 11th round knockdown to take the win on his card. Thankfully both judges got the right winner, but both of those cards are just awful, and both judges should be forced to explain how they got to their tallies. 2-Jon Jon Jet gets taken out In an ugly, yet beautiful moment, we saw previously unbeaten Indonesian prospect Jon Jon Jet lose his unbeaten record and suffer one of the most visually stunning KO losses of 2020. The then 10-0 (8) Jet was left out cold on the canvas by Aussie puncher Luke Boyd (now 8-0, 8). Whilst it wasn't great to see Boyd celebrating before we knew Jet was fine, it's hard to complain too much about the Aussie. What was ugly though the length of time Jet was down, and we do need to wonder if he will ever be quite the same fighter again. This really was up there with the most nasty KO's we've seen this year. 3-Sky Sports It took until Tuesday for Sky Sports to confirm they were airing the WBSS final bout, which was taking place just 2 days later! Whilst we know the bout it's self was on an awkward day for UK fans, with Thursday being a typical work day, there was no excuse to not give fans a genuine chance to watch it. The fight should have been signed and sorted the previous week, at the latest, giving many fans the required 1 weeks notice to request a day off work to watch the bout. It was great for Sky to pick it up, but given they had covered the previous WBSS final and Inoue's previous bout, it very much feels like they shot themselves in the foot and reduced the amount of fans watching. It was also odd that they didn't manage to pick up the co-feature bout between Takuma Inoue and Nordine Oubaali. What a week we've had! It may not have been day to day action and huge news, but what a week! We have had the WBSS Bantamweight final, and it was clearly worth the wait, we have seen the God's Left final being set, and we know who will challenger for the Japanese Super Featherweight title at the 2020 Champion Carnival. We've also seen Kazakh prospects shine Stateside and a lot more! Sadly though the awards have been dominated by 1 fight, though in fairness it was a little bit special!
Fighter of the Week Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16) Going into this week we all knew that Naoya Inoue was an offensive machine, he was stopping top fighters with ease and blitzing through the likes of Jamie McDonnell, Juan Carlos Payano and Emmanuel Rodriguez. What we didn't know was how he took a shot, how he handled real adversity, and what he'd do when a fighter didn't just wilt under his power and pressure. Was he going to break mentally? Was he chinny? This week Inoue's win over Nonito Donaire answered those questions in style. Inoue fought through his first professional cut, he gritted through Donaire's incredible hook, and even battled hard though what turned out to be a fractured orbital and a broken nose. He not only battled through injury but he did so against a really dangerous puncher, and should, really, have become the second man to stop Donaire, who was only allowed to continue after a 10 count in round 11 due to some bizarre work from the referee. Now the IBF and WBA Bantamweight champion and the Muhammad Aliu Trophy winner, there was never any doubt over the Fighter of the Week was Performance of the Week Nonito Donaire (40-6, 26) A real rarity is a fighter who loses being given the Performance of the Week honours, but it's hard to argue with Nonito Donaire deserving almost as many plaudits as Naoya Inoue. The Filipino was expected to be destroyed, taken out early on and was hardly given a chance heading into the WBSS final. Many wanted to complain about how he'd reached the final, the injuries to Ryan Burnett and Zolani Tete and hoe he had essentially gotten to the WBSS final by default. He however knew he got there on merit, and was a legitimate top Bantamweight, even at the age of 36. Up against Inoue, as a massive under-dog Donaire put in one of his greatest ever performances. He managed to not only take the best shots of the Monster, but also injured Inoue, fracturing Inoue's right eye and nose, cutting Inoue and rocking Inoue. He managed to get up from a sickening body shot in round 11 and gave a performance that was truly exceptional. Even in defeat the "Filipino Flash" showed what a credit to the sport he was. Fight Naoya Inoue Vs Nonito Donaire When the Fighter of the Week takes on the man who had the Performance of the Week it's fair to say they also had the bout of the week. In fact they had one of the bouts opf the year. The fight swung one way, then the other with several notable moment shifts, notably swinging to Donaire in round 2, Inour in round 3, Donaire in round 8, then back to Inoue at the end of round 10. Not only was there momentum shifts, but there was drama, with Inoue being cut early on, Donaire being rocked several times before being dropped, Inoue himself being rocked. Not only was it dramatic but it was also a technical war, with clean, power shots being landed by both. This was a war, but a very technical one, with massive punches, respect and heart from both. It was the WBSS final we deserved, more than 1 year after the tournament began. Notable mentions: Takuya Watanabe Vs Taiki Minamoto Round Naoya Inoue Vs Nonito Donaire (Rd 11) We should really just sub-title this weeks awards as "The Inoue Vs Donaire award week" as they have also taken the Round of the Week award for the dramatic and amazing 11th round. The round was the only 10-8 round in the fact, despite what one judge ended up doing, and in fact it could actually have been a 10-7 round. Despite that it was a round that was simple amazing, with the only complaints being about the referee. Inoue gone into the round with confidence rebuilt after some tough rounds and part way through the round he landed a huge left hand to the body which sent Donaire down. Inoue looked go for the finish before Donaire went down, but was essentially blocked by the referee who also gave Donaire a very long 10 count. Despite being robbed of the stoppage Inoue went for the finish through what was left of the round, hurting, wobbling and damaging Donaire. The Filipino some how stayed up right before for the full round in what was a sensational battle of aggression against heart. This was one of the best rounds of the year, despite being relatively one sided. Notable mention: Takuya Watanabe Vs Taiki Minamoto (3) KO Souhadou Traore KO1 Ekarat Gordon We obviously need something obscure in our weekly awards right? Right! Well we head over to Thailand for the KO of the week as Thai based Souhadou Traore, originally from the Ivory Coast, blasted out 19 year old debutant Ekarat Gordon. The 34 year old Traore connected with a brutal right hand behind the ear that completely flattened Gordon. Thankfully Gordon did get up by himself after the bout, but was clearly out cold following the shot. Prospect Shokichi Iwata (4-0, 3) There were a number of prospects in action this week, though the one who impressed us the most was unbeaten Japanese youngster Shokichi Iwata, who stopped Alejandro Cruz Valladares live on DAZN. The performance wasn't flawless, in fact it was very flawed, but very exciting and saw Iwata fight to his opponents weaknesses. Valladares was lacking in power and Iwata knew he could take the shots of the Mexican whilst also being aggressive himself. Eventually the difference in punching power paid off, with Cruz being stopped in what was a fun bout, and a smart move from Iwata's team. Interestingly this bout wasn't shown on Japanese TV, but was on the American DAZN. Upcoming fight Keita Kurihara (14-5, 12) Vs Sukkasem Kietyongyuth (24-10, 16) After a few really good weeks there is a bit of a downturn in bout quality this coming week, however we really like the look of the scheduled 8 rounder on Friday between Keita Kurihara and Sukkasem Kietyongyuth. This bout won't be for Kurihara's OPBF title, but does pit two world ranked fighters against each other and we're expecting a genuine fire fight here between two men who do believe in their power. Kurihara, should he win, will likely be moved towards a potential world title eliminator, so is risking a lot against a very under-rated Thai foe. |
Oriental Opinions
This is just an opinion, maaaan! It's easy to share our opinions, and that's what you'll find here, some random opinion pieces Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|