This past week has been a bit of a strange, and frustrating, one. We've had 2 legitimately fantastic bouts shown, but we've not had much else being shown, with the major Japanese card from the week being aired next week, and there was nothing of note featured on boxing Raise. There was a Filipino card, but the stream for it was poor to say the least, and it very much feels like a week where there was only the widely available stuff to watch.

Fighter of the Week
Hiroto Kyoguchi (14-0, 9)
Whilst the week wasn't great overall it's hard to deny that this was a week where two bouts stood out. One of those was the fantastic IBF Middleweight title bout between Gennady Golovkin vs Sergiy Derevyanchenko and the other was the equally as good WBA Light Flyweight "super" title bout between Hiroto Kyoguchi and Tetsuya Hisada. Both bouts saw the under-dog giving the favourite all they could handle over 12 amazing rounds, and these two bouts would have been highlights in any week. Of the two winners we have to give Fighter of the Week to Kyoguchi, who enhanced his reputation with his win, whilst Golovkin seemed to show that he was one step closer to retirement than anyone had anticipated.
 
Performance of the Week
Tetsuya Hisada (34-10-2, 20)
One of the things that allowed Kyoguchi to take our Fighter of the Week award was his dance partner, Tetsuya Hisada. In the eyes of many Hisada was an undeserving challenger, an old man with 9 losses on his record going into the biggest bout of his career. He had never scored a win above domestic level, and was an unknown outside of Japan, and even that it was only the hardcore fans in the country who really much about him. What he did however was put up one of the best performance of 2019, holding his own with a much young fighter. For those who were impressed by Derevyanchenko against Golovkin, Hisada's effort was very, very similar.
 
Fight
Hiroto Kyoguchi vs Tetsuya Hisada
It'll come as no surprise that there were really only 2 bouts in contention for the Fight of the Week, the Gennady Golovkin Vs Sergiy Derevyanchenko and the Hiroto Kyoguchi Vs Tetsuya Hisada fight. In many ways both were very, very similar. They both had the under-dog massively out performing expectations, despite being dropped. The winner of both fights were hurt and the fights were back and forth action fights. In reality the Golovkin fight was closer, and more competitive, but for us the better fight was actually the other one. Both were fantastic, both deserve to be in the fight of the year short list, but we we found Kyoguchi Vs Hisada more enthralling over the course of the fight.
 
Round
Gennady Golovkin vs Sergiy Derevyanchenko Round 8
With 2 great fights we were treat to some amazing rounds, for this however we have to side with Golovkin's big effort in round 8 against Derevyanchenko. It was one of the few rounds that the Kazakh seemed to put his foot on the gas and was one of the few rounds that saw both men going tit for tat, rather than than Golovkin being backed up and landing the better shots. This was a great round of action, both men were hurt and both looked tired, but they dug deep and delivered a fantastic 3 minutes of action.

KO
No suitable contender
 
Prospect 
Ali Akhmedov (16-0, 12)
The week was a really odd one for prospects. There was plenty in action, but they were in mismatches, and very few of them had to answer and real questions. For us Israil Madrimov isn't a prospect but a contender, and the we almost said the same of Ali Akhmedov. Problem is that if we had, we wouldn't have had a candidate for this category, as no one faced anyone of any note. Even then Akhemdov's opponent, Andrew Hernandez, almost saw him ruled out. Akhmedov stopped Hernandez with the only notable punch and took an opening round TKO. An awful week for prospects looking to announce themselves.
 
Upcoming fight 
Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa (11-4-1, 10) Vs Koki Tyson (14-3-3, 12) II
The first bout between Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa and Koki Tyson had the chance to be great, but fell short, in part due to a lack of fitness from Tyson who took the bout on short notice. This time both men have had plenty of time to prepare and we are expecting this to be a genuine thriller between two fighters who can bang, can fight and can put on a show. This might not be a major globally, but it has the fighters to be a truly excellent fight.

This past week we really saw action pick up in a big way, with a number of notable Japanese cards which created headlines, a major upset in Russia and a card in Saudi Arabia. It's a week that felt so much different to recent weeks and it's very clear that business is picking up, after a dreary June.

Fighter of the Week
Ryota Murata (15-2, 12)
When a fighter loses in fashion that sees them being dominated, especially in an upset, it can be easy to write them off. We certainly did that last year when Ryota Murata was beaten by Rob Brant. This week however Murata showed he shouldn't be written off as he avenged his loss to Brant in shocking fashion, beating Brant in 2 rounds, and forcing the referee to save the American, who was wobbling and had been down. This was not what we were expecting from Murata, but we're so glad to have seen him show what he can do, reclaim the WBA "regular" Middleweight title. Although Murata has so much ability this was the first time he's truly shown that ability, and we're really hoping he can build on this win. Sadly though much of his career has been flat and this performance may end up being little more than an anomaly.
 
Performance of the Week
Joe Noynay (18-2-1, 7)
Filipino youngster Joe Noynay has been written off as the under-dog far too many times in his career, and this past Friday he showed that fighters, and fans, need to take notice of him. He travelled to Japan, dropped Olympic bronze medal winner Satoshi Shimizu 3 times, twice in the opening round, and successfully defended the WBO Asia Pacific Super Featherweight title. Although not a puncher this was Noynay's second straight stoppage win in Japan and he is going to be getting himself a serious reputation as a Japanese Killer, similar to that off forgotten Filipino Bantamweight Jess Maca.
 
Notable mentions:
Andy Hiraoka, Kenshiro, Rolden Aldea
 
Fight
Naoko Fujioka Vs Tenkai Tsunami
When we have two of the best female fighters on the planet facing off we can always expect a dark horse of a fight, and that's what we got this week with a thrilling 10 round battle between the legendary Naoko Fujioka and the under-rated Tenkai Tsunami. The bout, was engaging, swung one way then the other and was almost impossible to call. It was one of the bouts that had the potential to be something special, and it delivered. in a big way, again showing what happens when two top, world class, well matched female fighters face off. Given the result, the action and the way the bout was fought we're really hoping to see the two run it over again, and give us another special bout.
 
Round
Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa vs Koki Tyson (RD 12)
One thing we didn't expect this week was for for the OPBF Middleweight title to remain vacant. We expected Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa and Koki Tyson to give us a shoot out, with one man eventually taking the other out to take the crown. Surprisingly however we got the opposite with the two men competing in a 12 round fight that had some dull moments but was a thoroughly engaging contest with tactical holding from Tyson and bombs from both. Despite some sloppy action at times the final round was great, with both firing off some bombs, and the round got better as it went on, with a loud fan base cheering on Tyson. It won't go down as a Round of the Year contender, but with the atmosphere, the huge power shots from both and the clear desire this was a great round, and a fantastic ending to a fight we had expected to be over much, much earlier.

KO
Roldan Aldea KO8 Mikhail Alexeev
For much of the week it seemed like Kenshiro's TKO over Jonathan Taconing, to retain the WBC Light Flyweight title, was going to take the honour of the best stoppage of the week. It wasn't a clear KO but it was a beautiful finish of a usually durable Filipino. Instead however it was Filipino journeyman Roldan Aldea that stole honour for the best KO, and did so in relatively notable upset in Russia. The unheralded Aldea Aldea was cornered by the previously unbeaten Mikhail Alexeev in round before landing a gorgeous uppercut that split the guard of Alexeev who had his senses turned off. It took a second or two, but after a slight delay Alexeev would then crash face down onto the canvas. This was a beauty of a shot, and one of the most eye catchign KO's of 2019. Truly fantastic from Aldea.

Prospect 
Andy Hiraoka (14-0, 9)
It's fair to say that Andy Hiraoka has been almost demanding a chance to show what he can do in recent months, being very much a frustrated man on social media and a young fighter simply wanting a chance. This week he got a chance, and he showed what he could do, as he clearly out boxed former world title challenger Akihiro Kondo to claim his first major scalp. The youngster showed poise, skills, speed and a solid ring IQ to score his best win to date, and the hope will surely be for him to fight for a senior title in 2020
 
Upcoming fight 
Manny Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39) Vs Keith Thurman (29-0-0-1, 22)
Despite having had a great week this past week the next few days are a bit lacking, though we do have 3 fights of real note featuring Asian fighters in the West. One of those will fee Filipino great Manny Pacquiao take on big talking American Keith Thurman, in a bout to unify the regular and super titles at Welterweight. The bout is a good one on paper and we're expecting to see both men being forced to answer big questions about their future. Sadly it's not the same bout it could have been a few years ago, but should still be a very interesting contest.

It feels like the last few weeks I've started our weekly awards by apologising for a lack of action, and interesting awards winners. It was as if I was making excuses for these articles not being the most interesting. This week however things have suddenly changed and we've had a lot of incredible action, compelling match ups and interesting fights. It's not been a perfect week, but given what we've had recently it has been a very solid week.

Fighter of the Week
Koki Inoue (13-0, 10)
After a couple of forgetful performances from Koki Inoue he managed to put on a show as he defended the Japanese Light Welterweight title and stopped Ryuji Ikeda. On paper this was an easy first defense, it was supposed to be, but he still put on the performance he needed, shining like the exciting fighter he proved to be earlier in his career. There was, obviously, areas to still improve on, but his ring IQ, control of distance and powerful flowing combinations were excellent, and it's obvious that matched with the right opponent he can be very fun to watch.

Performance of the Week
Kanat Islam (26-0, 21)
After being out of the ring for close to 2 years we saw Kazakh hopeful Kanat Islam return to the ring and put in one of the shortest bout's well see in 2019. In fact it lasted less time than it would take for most fans to sit down after the national anthem, but still put the 154lbs division on alert. Islam pretty hurt Julio De Jesus with the first connect then let only a handful of shots go before De Jesus hit the canvas and the referee instantly waved off the contest. Officially this was stopped after 14 seconds, and it was all Islam.
 
Fight
Tsuyoshi Tameda (19-4-2, 17) vs Tae Il Atsumi (16-2, 8)
We expected a great fight when Japanese puncher Tsuyoshi Tameda took on Japanese based Korean foe Tae Il Atsumi. There was something about the match up that got us really excited before a punch was thrown and it took only seconds to see that out expectations were pretty accurate. This bout was dominated by Tsuyoshi throwing bombs from the off, his lack of accuracy left him open but it was only a matter of time before he was going to land. When he did Atsumi tried to respond, and the touchpaper was lit! This didn't last long, but was thoroughly entertaining.
 
Round
Tsuyoshi Tameda vs Tae Il Atsumi RD1
Whilst we had some great fights no single round really stood out, with the best of them arguably being the pick of the bunch. It was a round that had some really fun back and forth moments, some knockdowns and some wild brawling as Tameda forced his fight on to Atsumi. The second round was too short to really steal the show, but the first round was damn good action!
 
KO
Kanat Islam KO1 Julio De Jesus
Whilst it wasn't beautiful it's hard to argue with the blow out KO that Kanat Islam scored as the best of the week, it was certainly the most impactful, eye catching and destructive. A huge right hand over the top started things and 2 more followed to send De Jesus crashing to the canvas. Yes this bout was an horrific mismatch, even when you accept the long lay off for Islam, but the finish was truly brutal.
​
Prospect 
Mikito Nakano (3-0, 3)
We had a lot of prospects in action over the last 7 days, and they included some sure fire stars like Taku Kuwahara, Kuntae Lee, Sultan Zaurbek and even the unheralded Mark Vicelles. The one who impressed the most however was Mikito Nakano, who took a huge step up and blew out Filipino Arvin Yurong in what was a really credible test. Yurong had shown some ability against Xiang Li back in January but Nakano went through him like a knife through hot butter to score a 2nd round KO. We knew Nakano was good, but this was special and the Asian scene at Featherweight is seemingly on the verge of a new star.
 
Upcoming fight 
Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa (11-4, 10) v Koki Tyson (14-3-2, 12)
This coming week has 4 male world title fights, a female world title fight and so much more, though for us the bout we're most excited about is the OPBF Middleweight title bout between Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa and Koki Tyson, in what we're expecting will be a full on shoot out. It's not the highest quality bout we're expecting to see, but it has the real potential to be the most exciting, the most fan friendly and the most entertianing. In fact if this bout doesn't end up being a shoot out we'll be truly surprised...and a little bit disappointed!
 ​

After a relatively quiet month of June we see things really pick up in July, with what looks to be a truly hectic schedule. We though May was busy but even the craziness of May could end up playing second fiddle to June which features everything we could ever ask for.
 
July 1st-

•  Koki Inoue (13-0, 10) Vs Ryuji Ikeda (14-5-3, 9) - Tokyo, Japan

The first title bout of the new month will see Japanese Light Welterweight champion Koki Inoue make his first defense, as he goes up against Ryuji Ikeda. This really should be a mismatch in favour of Inoue, though it seems like he's planning to make an exciting fight, after a couple of dull performances. The talented Inoue is a class fighter, and in Ikeda he may well have the perfect foil to shine against

• Tsuyoshi Tameda (19-4-2, 17) Vs Tae Il Atsumi (16-2,8) - Tokyo, Japan

A potentially amazing match up will see hard hitting Japanese national Tsuyoshi Tameda up against Japanese based Korea Tae Il Atsumi. This could end up being a sleeper classic, with the two styles being aggressive and both having heavy, thudding power. On paper Tameda is the younger and more powerful guy, but Atsumi is the naturally bigger man, and we should have something amazing here.

• Taku Kuwahara (4-0, 3) v Kyomu Hamagami (4-2-2, 4)- Tokyo, Japan

Touted prospect Taku Kuwahara is expected to be really let off the leash in the very near future, but for now he has to get past domestic foe Kyomu Hamagami. Although not the most skilled fighter out there Hamagami is heavy handed and could give Kuwahara a chin check if he lands clean. Kuwahara on the other hand really does look like he is "the goods".

• Sho Nakazawa (12-3, 6) v Jinya Ito (7-5-1, 2) -Tokyo, Japan

The once touted Sho Nakazawa, who was a fantastic amateur on the Japanese domestic scene, looks to continue his career rebuild after losing 3 of his last 7, including one loss to the previously mentioned Atsumi. Ito shouldn't be much of a test for Nakazawa, but it's hard to know what Nakazawa's future really holds after his recent defeats.
 
July 6th-

• Nordine Oubaali (15-0, 11) v Arthur Villanueva (32-3-1, 18) -Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan 

The biggest bout, for us at least, this Saturday will see Filipino fighter Arthur Villanueva getting a shot at WBC Bantamweight champion Nordine Oubaali in Kazakhstan. For Oubaali this will be his first defense of the title he won earlier this year, against Rau'shee Warren, and the plan seems to be for him to get some really big fights later in the year. For Villanueva the opportunity seems a lucky and underserved one, but we can't blame him for taking it. Notable the mandatory for the winner of this will be Takuma Inoue.

• Zhankosh Turarov (23-0, 16) v Mauro Maximiliano Godoy (31-4-1, 16) - Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan

Unbeaten Kazakh prospect Zhankosh Turarov was in the world rankings before a long break slowed his momentum, now however he is back and in the second bout of his return he takes on experienced Argentinian Mauro Maximiliano Godoy in a bout for the WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight. A win here does set Turarov up for bigger fights down the line, though we do wonder what his ambition is like and what condition his body will be in for big fights it, or when, they happen.

• Viktor Kotochigov (9-0, 4) v Jairo Lopez (24-10, 16)- Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan

In a good step up bout we'll see Kazakh hopeful Viktor Kotochigov take a steep up to face off with Mexican veteran Jairo Lopez for the WBC International Lightweight title. The unbeaten Kazakh has shown touches of real promise, but has also been a frustrating fighter to watch at times and looks like a man who needs to change his mindset if he's going to make the most of his ability. Lopez is no world beater, but has mixed with world class opposition during his long career, and has served the sport as a good gatekeeper. Sadly whilst Jairo was one a very solid gatekeeper he has gone 6-7 in his last 13. 

• Kenichi Ogawa (23-1-0-1, 17) Vs TBA - Tokyo, Japan

Originally Kenichi Ogawa was set to headline in Tokyo against Azinga Fuzile in an IBF world title eliminator, though plans were forced to change when Fuzile failed to secure a visa in time. Ogawa will instead face an opponent who hasn't been confirmed, though is expected to be a very limit import in little more than a stay busy bout for the former Japanese champion.

• Shuya Masaki (12-1, 5) Vs Al Toyogon (10-3-1, 6) - Tokyo, Japan

In a really interesting match up the once touted Shya Masaki, who has had some very hit and miss performances, will take on Filipino foe Al Toyogon. The once beaten Masaki has won 3 in a row since losing to Hironori Mishiro in early 2018, but did look like a star in the making in those wins. Toyogon on the other hand will be looking to bounce back from a recent loss to Ryo Sagawa. Toyogon showed his toughness and desire against Sagawa and if he shows that again here he could be a banana skin for Masaki.

•  Hayate Kaji (12-0, 9) Vs Rey Orais (20-18-2, 5) - Tokyo, Japan

Talented and unbeaten Super Flyweight puncher Hayate Kaji looks to take a huge step towards a potential title fight as he takes on Japanese based Filipino veteran Rey Orais. This is pretty much a Japanese Super Flyweight title eliminator, and a win for Kaji would almost certainly put him in the running for an eliminator at the end of the year. Orais has the experience to test the youngster, but with age and power on his side, we struggle to see Kaji losing to his veteran foe.

• Mikito Nakano (2-0, 2) vs Arvin Yurong (12-2, 3) -Tokyo, Japan

Touted Japanese youngster Mikito Nakano takes his a big step up in class as he goes up against Filipino foe Arvin Yurong in a mouth watering clash. The talented Nakano is tipped as one of the future stars of the world famous Teiken gym, following an excellent amateur career, but so far hasn't been tested as a professional. Yurong is a great test and he impressed us in his 4th round loss back in January against the fast rising Xiang Li. This should be a solid test for Nakano.

• Kuntae Lee (1-0, 1) Vs Marlon Paniamogan (9-0-1, 5) -Tokyo, Japan

Another of Teiken's highly regarded prospects, Kuntae Lee, looks to score his second win as he takes a massive step up in class and takes on unbeaten Filipino foe Marlon Paniamogan. Lee really impressed on his debut, but was sadly up against someone who posed no test at all and we really didn't learn much about Lee other than that he had a fantastic jab. Here we should see Lee answering a lot of questions. Not much is known about Paniamogan but he will not be in Japan to roll over and lose.
 
July 7th-

• Tibo Monabesa (19-1-2, 8) vs Omari Kimweri (17-4, 7) -Indonesia

In an IBO Light Flyweight title bout we'll see once beaten Indonesian Tibo Monabesa take on former WBCworld title challenger Omari Kimweri in what should be a very interesting match up. Monabesa was touted as one of the big hopes for Indonesia, but a loss to Hiroto Kyoguchi slowed his climb and it's now unclear what his ceiling is. Kimweri, although not a big puncher, is a nightmare to fight and should ask a lot of questions of the local favourite. This could be a very compelling contest.

• Defry Palulu (21-2-1, 13) Vs Pungluang Sor Singyu (53-6, 35) - Indonesia

Another once touted Indonesian fighter, Defry Palulu, will take on his most notable opponent to date as he battles former world champion Pungluang Sor Singyu for a couple of minor regional titles. The Indonesian was once seen as the successor to Chris John as the face of Indonesian boxing but but a loss to AJ Banal slowed his climb and he's struggled to build real momentum since then. He should have significant size advantage of Punluang, who made his name at Bantamweight, but this is no gimme for Palulu, given the power, experience and toughness of the Thai.
 
July 9th-

• Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa (11-4, 10) v Koki Tyson (14-3-2, 12) - Tokyo, Japan 

In an OPBF Middleweight title bout we'll see hard hitters collide with the all action Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa taking on the big punching Koki Tyson. With both of these men having vicious power we don't see anything but a thriller here, though Hosokawa does seem to have advantages in terms of toughness and work rate, whilst Tyson is the bigger puncher and the more technically sounded fighter. With the styles of Hosokawa's pressure and aggression going up against Tyson's movement and boxing we are expecting something absolutely brilliant to finish off the first part of the month.