 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.
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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 fair to say that the bouts we expected to see taking places in September have shifted and swapped around a lot since the start of August. We had Misako announce a Diamond Glove card for the first week of the month, we saw Teiken postpone their Dynamic glove card for the first Saturday of the month and Fanlong Meng being forced out of his scheduled world title bout due to visa issues. With that said take a look at what will be coming in the first part of September!
September 3rd Tokyo, Japan Shuichiro Yoshino (12-0, 10) vs Valentine Hosokawa (25-7-3, 12) The first major bout of the month for Asian boxing sees the Korakuen Hall place host to a triple title bout, as Lightweight triple crown winner Shuichiro Yoshino defends his Japanese, OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific titles against exciting veteran Valentine Hosokawa. We expected this to be a genuine test for Yoshino, who's looked good, but never been up against someone quite like Hosokawa. This should be a gut check of what Yoshino has in the tank, and we genuinely looking forward to this one. September 5th Bang Phun, Thailand Chainoi Worawut (11-0-1, 10) vs Joel Kwong (5-9, 5) At the Work Point Studio we'll see unbeaten Super Bantamweight hopeful Chainoi Worawut look to continue his unbeaten run, and his rise to a world title fight, as he defends his WBC Asian Boxing Council title against Thai based Filipino Joel Kwong. On paper this is a huge mismatch, though Kwong will be there to win, and has won his last 4, all by stoppage. See an easy win for the Thai, but hopefully Kwong does come out firing. Phongsaphon Panyakum (9-1, 4) vs Arthit Kaewbantid (3-0, 2) The once beaten Phongsaphon Panyakum will be looking to continue his winning run, which sits at 9 straight, as he takes on Arthit Kaewbantid. The 20 year old Phongsaphon is starting to look like a very good prospect and has really grown since being stopped on debut, in 2017 by Kai Ishizawa. He'll be the big favourite here and will know that his team will try to get him a regional title fight soon, if he wins. Arthit on the other hand is a big of an unknown, and this is a clear step up in class for the him. September 6th Blue Arena, Thailand Campee Phayom (20-4-2, 12) Vs Pungluang Sor Singyu (53-8, 35) In a really interestin looking all-Thai bout we'll see WBA Asia Super Featherweight champion Campee Phayom defending his belt against former WBO Bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu. We suspect the younger, fresher, naturally bigger Campee will come out on top here, and if he does it would certainly be his biggest win to date. Although not a natural 130lb fighter Pungluang has shown enough in his recent bouts, in and around the weight, to suggest he could be a handful. To us this is much more interesting than we first imagined when we saw the two men being matched up. Nattapong Jankaew (5-0, 3) vs Samartlek Kokietgym (34-12-1, 12) In another interesting all Thai bout former amateur stand out Nattapong Jankaew will be seeking his biggest win to date as he takes on former world title challenger Samartlek Kokitgym, aka Wittawas Basapean. We've been really impressed by Nattapong, who has shown some exceptional skills for someone so early in their professional journey, and this is a logical step forward for him in a bout that should be a real chance for him to shine. Samartlek might be on the slide, but he should have enough about him to ask questions of Nattapong, but they should all be answered with ease by the youngster. September 16th Tokyo, Japan Kazuki Nakajima (8-0-1, 7) vs Kenta Nomura (7-3, 3) Hard hitting Japanese hopeful Kazuki Nakajima looks to build on his unbeaten run as he dips his toes at Super Bantamweight to take on Kenta Nomura. On paper this looks like a really good bout, but we don't see the hard hitting Nakajima struggling to get past Nomura, who has been stopped before. Despite seeing this as an easy win for Nakajima his bouts are typically worth watching, with his power and aggression typically making things exciting, and short. This could be a very fun mismatch. Katsuya Yasuda (6-0, 4) Vs Omrri Bolivar (8-3, 3) The talented Katsuya Yasuda looks to kick off his 2020 with a bout against Japanese based Venezuelan Omrri Bolivar. Yasuda has shown a lot to like, but has had a bit of a stop-start career and will be looking to kick on, especially after the time he's lost this year. Bolivar is a decent enough fighter to ask questions of someone like Yasuda, but in reality it's hard to see Bolivar scoring the upset over the Japanese national. Saying that, this should be competitive in spots and Yasuda won't have things all his own way. Katsuki Mori (6-0, 1) vs Yuki Uchida (7-7, 1) A third Japanese prospect to make a note off for September 16th is 2019 Rookie of the Year winner Katsuki Mori, who looked fantastic last year. The talented 20 year old is wise beyond his years, an excellent boxer with a brilliant boxing brain. He'll fighting for the first time since his Rookie triumph as he dips his toes at Light Flyweight and takes on Yuki Uchida. We suspect this will be little more than a show case for Mori who's got a very high ceiling and should be on the watch for all fans of the lower weights. This is kid is special and will be looking to show that against an experienced and naturally bigger foe here.  July felt like a bit of a turning point with boxing, as we had shows return to Thailand and Japan, we managed to see a show in Belarus with some Kazakh hopefuls, we had upsets, action, excitement and some brilliant debuts as the sport finally begins to turn a corner. Thankfully that momentum looks likely to continue in August with a host of notable events set for the coming month. With their being a lot planned and scheduled for August lets take a look at what we're getting in the first half of the month!
PLEASE Note - All bouts are subject to change, cancellations and postponements, something that is a lot more rife right now than usual due to the on going situation. August 1st Workpoint Studio, Bang Phun, Thailand Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (47-5-1, 41) Vs Amnat Ruenroeng (20-3, 6) The month kicks off with one of the biggest non-title bouts in Thai history, as former world champions Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Amnat Ruenroeng clash in the headline bout of the month's WP Boxing event. The event, which will be streamed not just by Work Point but also by Matchroom, is expected to help launch Srisaket into world title bout, as he looks to become a 3-time champion. Although Amnat is a very capable fighter, and a master of the dark arts, we do wonder if he had enough left in the tank to make this as interesting in the ring as it seems. Chainoi Worawut (10-0-1, 9) Vs Jomar Fajardo (17-16-2, 9) In a supporting bout on that same WP Boxing show is a match up for talented Thai prospect Chainoi Worawut, one of the leading Thai hopefuls for the future. The unbeaten Worawut will be up against Jomar Fajardo, a man best known for his two wars with Francisco Rodriguez Jr. Sadly Fajardo has struggled, massively, since those battles and is 3-12-1 (2) in his last 16 bouts. This should be a straight forward win for Worawut, but he is certainly one to watch, and if you tune in to the WP Boxing show he's the guy on the under-card most likely to fight for a world title in the next few years. August 4th Minsk, Belarus Zhan Kossobutskiy (13-0, 12) Vs Kamil Sokolowski (9-17-2, 3) Unbeaten Kazakh Heavyweight hopeful Zhan Kossobutskiy looks to continue his unbeaten run as he returns to the ring in Minsk to take on English based Polish Heavyweight hopeful Kamil Sokolowski. On paper this is a total mismatch, but in reality Sokolowski is a very well respected journeyman in the UK who does come to win, rather than survive, and he will give this a genuine go. Kossobutskiy isn't the most talented, smooth or quickest and we wouldn't be surprised if Sokolowski managed to expose some of Koosobutskiy's flaws. Saying that however we do think the Kazakh will pick up the win. August 8th Bucheon, Gyeonggi, South Korea In Duck Seo (12-3-2, 7) Vs Jung Kyoung Lee (8-3-1, 4) In South Korea we get a KBA show that was originally planned for July. The main event here is WBA Asia Welterweight title bout that looks mouth watering on paper and will pit In Duck Seo against former OPBF Light Middleweight champion Jung Kyoung Lee. We don't see many good looking All-Korean bouts so this one really does stand out as something to get excited about, and style wise this should be a war. Notably this is a KBA show, so the bouts are likely to end up being uploaded afterwards and we would advise fans to keep some time aside to catch up on this one if they can't catch it. Jong Seon Kang (10-0-2, 6) Vs Seong Yeong Yang (8-2-5, 4) In a second good looking all Korean bout we'll see the unbeaten Jong Seon Kang take on Seong Yeong Yang in a KBA Featherweight ranking bout. For those who have seen these two fighters in action it should be no surprise if this something very special. Both men were in some thrilling contests in 2019 with Kang's bout against Tomjune Mangubat being a sensational 10 round thriller whilst Yang's bout with Jian Wang was just an 10 round toe to toe slugest. Don't expect high quality boxing here, but do expect high intensity and thrilling action. August 9th City Sogo Gym, Hirakata, Osaka, Japan Toshiki Shimomachi (11-1-2, 7) vs Hiroki Hanabusa (8-0-3, 3) In a very interesting looking Japanese Youth Super Bantamweight title bout we'll see defending champion Toshiki Shimomachi defending his title against the unbeaten Hiroki Hanabusa. For Shimomachi this will be his first defense, and comes just over a year after he won the title, stopping Kenta Nomura. As for Hanabusa this will be his first title bout, though he has fought in notable bouts before including a Rookie of the Year Final and a bout in China, where he had the crowd against him. This should be a real test of what both men have in the locker, and hopefully the two youngsters will both go on to have successful, and perhaps a rematch somewhere down the line. August 13th Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Ryo Sagawa (9-1, 4) Vs Yuri Takemoto (8-1-1, 4) Action returns to Tokyo on August 13th for a Japanese Featherweight title bout between defending champion Ryo Sagawa and underwhelming challenger Yuri Takemoto. Originally the plan was for Sagawa to defend his title against Hinata Maruta, but with the Champion Carnival essentially messed up by what's been going on in the world that bout was essentially put on ice, for now. As a result we'll be getting Takemoto challenging the brilliant champion. Also this is an underwhelming title defense Takemoto is a solid fighter, who won the Rookie of the Year in 2018, but he's done nothing to suggest he'll be a test for the fantastic Sagawa. |
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