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Back in March 2019 we cover Yuki Yamauchi as part of our "Introducing..." series, just as he was preparing for his third professional bout. The Shinsei gym youngster hasn't really exploded on the scene since then, but he is well and truly worth keeping on the radar going forward, and did manage to notch a couple of wins in 2019.
When we looked at Yamauchi last year he was 2-0 (1). He'd debuted around 8 months earlier, with a win over Jimboy Rosales and had notched a victory in his second pro bout over Alvin Medura. Those wins saw him head into 2019 with a bit of career momentum and it seemed that that momentum was going to grow through the year. Less than a week after we covered Yamauchi last year he went on to score his third win, defeating the previously unbeaten Claudevan Sese in 3 rounds to move to 3-0 (2). It was a good step forward for Yamauchi, and another good win for the youngster, who was scheduled to go 8 for the first time. He didn't need the 8, but it was good to see his team willing to put him in an in just his third bout. Sadly Yamauchi's career, like that of many young Japanese fighters last years, wasn't really built on through the middle of the year. Whislt we would have loved to have seen him fighting in in the summer at some point we instead had to wait until October to see him back out. Almost 7 months after his win over Sese. It feels very much like a missed opportunity from Yamauchi and his team, one of several we've seen for him since we covered him in "Introducing...". When Yamauchi finally returned to the ring in October 2019 he took on Ryuta Wakamatsu as part of the Knock Out Dynamite tournament. This was Yamauchi's Korakuen Hall debut and saw him stopping Wakamatsu in 3 rounds, taking a decent bonus for the stoppage. For many Yamauchi's bout with Wakamatsu was pretty much the first time they had a chance to see the youngster in action. Not only was it his Korakuen Hall debut, but also his Boxing Raise debut, and the southpaw looked the real deal immediately. He took the center of the ring and controlled the distance with his smart movement, hand speed and patience. It wasn't a flawless performance, but was a calm, mature one, that saw Yamauchi rely on his boxing skills to chip away at Wakamatsu and then burst his face up. Calm, controlling, and impressive. Sadly after stopping Wakamtsu in the Knock Out Dynamite semi final Yamauchi was actually unable to fight in the final this past January, when he was supposed to fight Ren Sasaki. It was another missed opportunity for Yamauchi, who could have built on the win over Wakamatsu. If we're being honest we suspect Yamauchi would have been too skilled for Sasaki, who was lucky to make it past semi-final opponent Morihisa Iju on the same show as Yamauchi's win over Wakamatsu. At the moment it's unclear when Yamauchi will be back in the ring. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later however, with the 24 year old really needing to make a move on with his career sooner rather than later. He's been a professional since July 2018 and has only managed 3 times since then. He's young, but should be a lot more active at this early stage in his career.
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This past week has been an under-the-radar week, with a lot of action, even if there wasn't a lot of headlines. We've had some really interesting and eye catching moments, and it is certainly a week that will go down as being an over-looked one at the end of the year.
Fighter of the Week Samuel Salva (17-0, 10) There was a couple of world title eliminators this week and whilst neither really delivered in terms of being a FOTY candidate, it was good to see Samuel Salva put on a career best performance to over-come Rene Mark Cuarto. Salva hadn't looked great in some previous bouts, but the 22 year old showed a lot to like here, and had certainly improved from the fighter that had previous had footage available. Whether he goes all the way or not is yet to be seen, though he is now firmly in the mix for a world title fight. Performance of the Week Sadriddin Akhmedov (8-0, 7) Kazakh fighter Sadriddin Akhmedov has been carving out a real reputation due to his performances in Canada but this week he returned to his motherland and put on a show for the fans in Kazakhstan, beating up tough Indonesian John Ruba. The bout, for a regional title, saw Akhmedov take the fight to Ruba round after round, though was surprisingly taken the 10 round distance. The "Soldier of Q" will have been disappointed in losing his 100% KO rate, but did get a chance to answer any questions about his stamina and work rate. A fantastic showing. Fight Ricky Sismundo Vs Maxim Dadashev Although there was a lot of minor fights from Asia one of the most interesting fights from the week to feature an Asian came from the US as Ricky Sismundo took on hard hitting Russian Maxim Dadashev, and really forced the fight to be a good one. The fight won't be recalled as a Fight of the Year contender but had a great momentum swing and come back. In round 2 Sismundo dropped the unbeaten Russian and seemed confident of attacking Dadashev, before being taken out by a huge 2-punch combination in round 4. A very entertaining contest, even if it's nothing that will be remembered highly at the end of the year. Notable mention - Jon Jon Estrada Vs Vladislav Krasnoshein Round Akzhol Sulaimanbek Uulu vs Mike Tawatchai Round 3 We had some great rounds this past week, and one of the best was the third round of the bout between Akzhol Sulaimanbek Uulu and Mike Tawatchai. The bout overall was 1-sided, with Uulu beating up the Thai veteran, but the 3rd round really saw the Thai gritting his teeth and taking the fight back to Uulu, almost fighting out of desperation. It wasn't an effective tactic for Tawatchai, but did make for some really exciting action before he was broken down. KO Roy Nagulman KO2 Angelito Merin We had a few great KO's this week, including one suffered by Ricky Sismundo, though none was as good as the one score by Filipino teenager Roy Nagulman, who left Angelito Merin out cold, and requiring a stretcher to get out of the ring. The shot that left Merin down was a huge right hand that could not possibly have landed any cleaner. At 17 years old Nagulman looks to be a real prospect and this performance was as much of an eye opener as he team could ever have hoped for. Prospect Yuki Yamauchi (3-0, 2) Japan's Yuki Yamauchi may not be on the radar of many fight fans yet, despite our recent "Introducing..." article about him, but it's only a matter of time before fans will begin talking about him. He stepped up this week and took the unbeaten record of Claudevan Sese in 3 rounds. Yamauchi could be the best Japanese fighter you're not aware of, and is well worth following. Unlike most Japanese prospects the 23 year old has international amateur experience and fighting at Super Bantamweight he's someone capable of making a big mark on the international stage. Upcoming fight Hironori Mishiro (6-0-1, 2) vs Takuya Watanabe (35-8-1, 20) We sometimes get amazing match ups that make us lick our lips in anticipation, despite average fans not caring too much. We think we have one such bout this week, as OPBF Super Featherweight champion Hironori Mishiro takes on Takuya Watanabe. This has the potential to be a very, very special bout between two talented fighters. These might not be a world title bout, or even a world title eliminator, but it's a bout we're incredibly excited about and we suspect we'll be getting something very special here.  Whilst March started somewhat quietly it certainly ends with a crescendo of action, thanks to a huge flurry of fights in the last week or so of the month. While they are of varying quality they do come thick and fast!
March 24th- Yuki Yamauchi (2-0, 1) Vs Claudevan Sese (7-0-3, 1) - Hyogo, Japan In a meeting of unbeaten fighters touted Japanese prospect Yuki Yamauchi battles against unbeaten Filipino Claudevan Sese. We're bit on Yamauchi, and this looks like a really good test for the former Japanese amateur standout, even if Sese hasn't shown much in terms of power through his career. It's not a huge bout, by any stretch, but we do love seeing touted amateurs tested and this should be an ideal test for Yamauchi. Sergey Lipinets (14-1, 10) Vs Lamont Peterson (35-4-1, 17) - Maryland, USA Kazakh-Russian Sergey Lipinets looks to continue the rebuilding process following his 2018 IBF world title loss to Mikey Garcia. In the opposite corner is another former world champion, Lamont Peterson, himself needing to rebuild from a loss to Errol Spence. This isn't an amazing match up in terms of names but in the ring the styles should gel to provide us with something very exciting and very enjoyable, with the volume and strength of Peterson against the explosive power and ruggedness of Lipinets. March 27th- Hironori Mishiro (6-0-1, 2) Vs Takuya Watanabe (35-8-1, 20) - Tokyo, Japan The potential hidden gem of the month will take place on March 27th and will see OPBF Super Featherweight champion Hironori Mishiro defending his title against Slver champion Takuya Watanabe. Both of these men are very talented boxers, both can be dragged into a war and both can put on a show. Mishiro is the more natural talent, with amateur polish and the promising prospect tag, but Watanabe is a gritty veteran who has seen it all before. This really could be one of the best bouts of the month. March 29th- Wanheng Menayothin (52-0, 18) Vs Tatsuya Fukuhara (21-6-6, 7) II - Thailand After several changes in regards to the date, we now finally see the rematch between unbeaten WBC Minimumweight champion Wanheng Menayothin and former WBO champion Tatsuya Fukuhara. We though their first bout was incredibly close, actually feeling as if Fukuhara's work rate should have earned him a win, but since then the Japanese fighter has failed to shine. Wanheng however has moved past Floyd Mayweather's 50-0 record and is unlikely to be just giving up the WBC title any time soon. An interesting match up that should tell us a lot about the future of both men. March 30th- Ryota Yamauchi (4-0, 4) Vs Wulan Tuolehazi (10-3-1, 5) - Shanghai, China Touted Japanese youngster Ryota Yamauchi takes a huge step up in class, in his first bout away from Japan, as he battles world ranked Chinese foe Wulan Tuolehazi. The Japanese prospect has impressed from the off, with a couple of notable wins already, but this is a massive leap up in what will be his first bout scheduled for 12 rounds, and to do that in enemy territory shows his confidence. Tuolehazi isn't the most polished of fighters, but he's strong, makes fights ugly and is riding a good winning streak into this, including an excellent win over Jayr Raquinel. Baishanbo Nasiyiwula (15-2-1, 6) Vs Yusuke Konno (14-4, 7) - Shanghai, China Another China Vs Japan bout will see Baishanbo Nasiyiwula take on Yusuke Konno, in what should be a chance for Baishanbo to look good. The Chinese hopeful looked less than brilliant against Ernesto Espana last time out, but has shown plenty to get excited about in the past, with a usually fun style, a rugged toughness and a dislikable streak of mean arrogance. Konno looks like the clear under-dog on paper but he's been enjoying a solid run of performances coming into this and will feel confident enough of over-coming the Chinese hopeful. Sho Kimura (17-2-2, 10) Vs Pigmy Kokietgym (60-10-2, 24) - Shanghai, China Arguably the biggest fight on the card, in terms of name value, is also the biggest mismatch, with former world champion Sho Kimura battling against Thai veteran Pigmy Kokietgym, himself a former world title challenger. For Kimura, who is still hugely popular in China, this will be his first bout since losing the WBO Flyweight title to Kosei Tanaka in 2018. Pimgy is a veteran, but a veteran who has lost 7 by stoppage and is already 37 years old. The Thai has gone on too long, and is likely to be used as little more than a confidence booster for Kimura. Kudratillo Abdukakhorov (15-0, 9) Vs Keita Obara (20-3-1, 18) - Pennsylvania, USA Unbeaten Uzbek Kudratillo Abdukakhorov takes on Japanese puncher Keita Obara in an IBF Welterweight eliminator, to earn a shot at the title later in the year. The unbeaten Uzbek is the more naturally gifted boxer and the more rounded fighter, with a good boxing brain, good movement and speed, but he is a relatively light punching fighter compared to Obara, who is technically less impressive but a solid hitter. This should make for an interesting dynamic, and both will see this as a potentially career defining bout, leading to a massive fight in the near future. March 31st- Tsubasa Koura (14-0, 9) Vs Lito Dante (15-10-4, 7) - Kanagawa, Japan Also at the very end of the month will be the next OPBF Minimumweight title defense from unbeaten Japanese fighter Tsubasa Koura, who will be taking on limited but tough Filipino challenger Lito Dante. On paper this looks like a total mismatch, but in reality it should be a lot more competitive than it looks. Not to say we don't Koura will win, but he will have to work for the win against the very under-rated Dante, who has never been stopped and has faced world class fighters numerous times during his 29 fight career. The Shinsei Gym has been a notable one in recent years and has been one of the main sources of fights of fights in Hyogo, whilst managing the careers of fighters like Hozumi Hasegawa, Ryuya Yamanaka, Etsuko Tada, Shun Kubo and Reiya Konishi. Whilst Hasegawa and Yamanaka have both retired the gym is still an excellent environment with not only Tada, Konishi and rising female star Kasumi Saeki, but also Yuki Yamauchi (2-0, 1) [山内祐希] an incredibly promising Super Bantamweight prospect who appears to be on the fast track to the top.
Yamauchi was a genuine former amateur standout. His record in the unpaid ranks has been reported as 66-16 (25) and he won a number of awards, including a silver medal at the 2016 World University Championships and a number of high school titles. His test bout in 2018 saw him sharing the ring with Tenta Kiyose and he looked sharp, crisp and very much a pro-ready. Interestingly that pro-test took place on the same day as Kasumi Saeki's pro-test, who won her first title in her third bout and is set to fight for a world title in her 4th professional bout. Less than 3 months after taking part in his pro-test bout Yamauchi made his professional debut, taking on Filipino foe Jimboy Rosales. On paper this wasn't expected to be a huge test, and it proved not to be anything too tough for the Japanese fighter. Yamauchi set the tempo for the fight early on, controlled the distance from the opening seconds, with his razor sharp and excellent straight left hand, and managed to find a home for his body shots in round 3. Those body shots would break Rosales up, and drop him to the canvas, where he would take the 10 count. In his second bout Yamauchi would take a big step up in class to take on the hard hitting Alvin Medura. Medura had never been stopped, and was 8-2 (7) as a professional, but was unable to match the skills or speed of Yamauchi, who repeatedly found a home for his left hand often on the jaw of Medura. The impressive punching of Yamauchi seemed to frustrate Medura, who became clumsier and a head clash in round 4 saw the bout coming to an early conclusion, with Yamauchi taking a clear technical decision win over the heavy handed Filipino, at the start of round 5. Interestingly his second bout had been rumoured to be a 10 round bout, and had originally been listed on the Shinsei Gym website as a 10 round contest, before being reduced to a 6 round contest. In the end the length wasn't an issue, due to the head clash, but it did seem very obvious that Shinsei were looking to push him fast and hard to the top. It wasn't just Shinsei looking to push him but also himself, and talk prior to that bout was that Yamauchi was looking to move into the title mix in 2019, something that certainly looks plausible if he can fit in 3 or 4 fights this year. Whilst it's unclear how many fights Yamauchi will have this year we do know that his next fight will take place on March 24th at the Kobe Sambo Hall and will see him battle against unbeaten Filipino fighter Claudevan Sese (7-0-3, 1) in a bout scheduled for 8 rounds. This will be Yamauchi's first bout set for more than 6 rounds and it seems like a very clear step up in class for the 23 year old southpaw. The Shinsei Gym will push talented youngsters hard .They are not a gym that protects their fighters and allows them to go stale, and with that in mind it does seem really obvious that they will be looking to give Yamauchi stiffer and stiffer tests until he's reached title level. There is clearly a lot of developing that he needs to do before he takes on a really top tier domestic or regional fighter, but there's no reason for him to avoid things like a Japanese Youth title or a WBC Youth title, both of which could be in his grasp before the end of 2019, with senior titles to potentially follow in 2020. |
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