OPBF champion Magramo faces Kuwahara

10/20/2022

This coming Tuesday we'll get a really good looking regional title bout, as OPBF Flyweight champion Giemel Magramo (26-2, 16-2, 21) takes on Japanese challenger Taku Kuwahara (10-1, 6) at the legendary Korakuen Hall. For Magramo the bout serves as he first defense of the title, which he won back in October 2021, whilst it also sees him return to the scene his of his most notable bout, a 2020 loss to Junto Nakatani. As for Kuwahara the bout will see him get a second title fight, following a loss to Japanese national champion Seigo Yuri Akui in 2021. For both the bout will not just be on for the prestigious OPBF title, but also for their future, with neither man really able to take another loss so soon after their losses to Nakatani and Akui.

Of the two men the more established is Magramo, the current Oriental champion and former world title challenger. The 28 year old is part of the third generation of fighting Magramo's, which includes his father Melvin Magramo, his grandfather Ric Magramo, his brother Arvin and uncles Renato, Ronnie and Alvin Magramo. Given he is from a long line of boxers it's fair to say the sport is in his blood, though unfortunately natural talent only takes a fighter so far, and Magramo is very much someone who would have really done better had his team focused on developing those ability with top training and good development fights. Instead of developing his natural abilities Magramo has become something of a hard hitting boxer-puncher who gets by based on his natural tools, rather than the development of them.

Since making his debut in 2012 Magramo has long been tipped as one to watch. Sadly however it wasn't until his 15th fight that he faced someone of some value, in Jeny Boy Boca. His next bout of note was a close decision loss to Muhammad Waseem in 2016 before he went back to facing low level Filipino domestic fighters before scoring notable wins over Petchchorhae Kokietgym and Wenfeng Ge, wins that saw Magramo prove what he could do and begin banging on the door of a world title fight. That title fight came in 2020 and he was made to look third rate by Nakatani who really did toy with him until stopping him in 8 rounds. Notably he has bounced back from those losses with good wins against Jayr Raquinel and Jerry Tomogdan.

In the ring Magramo is a hard hitting fighter, with has very good straight shots and heavy blows up close. Sadly though he is relatively easy to hit, crude, unpolished and slow. Getting into a war with him isn't a smart idea, but boxing and moving, punishing him for his lack of speed, and making the most of the fact he needs to set his feet can make him look rather limit. Keeping that up for 12 rounds however is tricky, and he does apply pressure, have a great chin and a brilliant will to win. He is flawed, but to beat him a fighter will need to be world, or fringe world, class due to his power, toughness, determination and tenacity.

As for Kuwahara, the Ohashi promoted 27 year old was a notable amateur, competing in international competitions before beginning his professional journey in 2018. He was eyed as part of the next wave of Ohashi gym fighters and quickly impressed taking good wins over domestic fighters like Takamori Kiyama and Kyomu Hamagami before stepping up and beating Filipino visitors Jonathan Refugio and Ricardo Sueno. By the start of 2020 he seemed on the verge of a domestic title fight, but the pandemic slowed those plans and he had to wait until July 2021 for a crack at Japanese champion Seigo Yuri Akui. Their bout was nip and tuck through 9 riveting rounds, before Akui's power finally broke him down in the 10th round of a great fight. Since then he has picked up two low level wins including one over Parinya Khaikanha the younger brother of Suriyan and Nawaphon Kaikana.

In the ring Kuwahara is a really good boxer, with a smooth look to his work, some fantastic body shots and a really good boxing brain. Sadly for him he does look top domestic level power, and although he has stopped his last 2 opponents, he doesn't have the type of power which will scare opponents away. Instead he's more of a clean puncher, who will get respect from opponents, but not turn fights around with it. Coming in to this particular bout he will very much be the boxer against the power punching Magramo.

For this fight the real question is who will be able to dictate the range and tempo. If Kuwahara boxes and moves, like we've seen from him in the past, we certainly expect him to rack up the rounds, especially early on, and if he can get to the body of Magramo he can likely hold off the surge that Magramo will make. If however Magramo's pressure forces Kuwahara into a war then this isn't going to end well for the challenger. The champion needs to either set a high intensity, and force Kuwahara to stand and trade, or stand off early on and make a charge for things late in the bout. As for Kuwahara he needs to box, he needs to be smart, and whilst Magramo doesn't have the power of Akui, Kuwahara still needs to be wary of how punishing Magramo's hands are.

We think that whilst Kuwahara will make a good start we actually see him breaking down in the middle rounds, and potentially see the wheels falling off late on, much like they did against Akui, with a late stoppage for Magramo.

Prediction - TKO 11 Magramo

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Magramo and Raquinel battle for OPBF honours!

10/18/2021

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This coming Saturday we'll see the vacancy of the OPBF Flyweight title being filled, as former champion Jayr Raquinel (12-1-1, 9) takes on former world title challenger Giemel Magramo (24-2, 20) in the Philippines. The bout looks likely to be one of the best all-Filipino bouts of 2021 and it should be regarded a genuinely significant bout, not just due to the OPBF title, but also due to the standing of the two men, and the fact the winner will be only a few win away from securing a potential world title fight in 2022 or 2023.

Of the two men the more well known is 27 year old Giemel Magramo, a hard hitting fighter who had looked like a world champion in the making until last year, when he was made to look third rate by Junto Nakatani in a bout for the WBO. That loss to Nakatani was the second of his career, and had followed a controversial 2016 loss to Muhammad Waseem, though it was a humiliating and one sided one which could leave lasting damage on him mentally. Prior to that loss Magramo had won 7 in a row, all by stoppage, showing off his heavy hands, he destructive in ring mentality and his willingness, to take the fight to an opponent. Whilst many of opponents were lower level he showed what he could do against the likes Wenfeng Ge and Richard Claveras, and he looked a natural in those bouts.

Technically Magramo isn't the most polished, but he's an aggressive fighter-puncher, with heavy hands. He's got slow feet, he can be out boxed, out fought and out thought, but he's very dangerous, he's tough and he comes to fight. On paper he has the tools to be in some thrilling match ups, but he also has the flaws that make him easy to out box, and if fighters can avoid a tear up with him they can make him look very limited.

Whilst less well known Jayr Raquinel is arguable the more promising and more proven fighter, despite having never fought at world level. "The Dreamer" is a 24 year old southpaw who debuted in 2014 and looked like a dangerous fighter straight from the off, with 3 opening round wins. In 2017 Raquinel had his winning run ended, fighting to a draw with Glenne Calacar, but he bounced back from that with 4 wins, including KO victories over Keisuke Nakayama and Shun Kosaka in Japan to win, and defend the OPBF Flyweight title. Sadly for him he was made to look rather flawed in 2018, when he lost to Wulan Tuolehazi, but boxing backed in 2019 with wins over Takuya Kogawa, a brutal KO, and Jack Amisa.

In the ring Raquinel is a real danger man, but also someone who is easy to over-look, especially given he's not fought in close to 2 years. Despite that he's an explosive puncher, with truly spiteful power, as seen in his KO's against the likes of Nakayama, Kosaka and Kogawa. He's not just powerful however but he's also quick, and explosive, making him a really dangerous fighter at Flyweight. Sadly he can be caught between minds, and we've seen look timid, against Tuolehazi, and we've seen him look wild. Interestingly he's very similar, in many ways, to Johnriel Casimero, and despite the loss to Tuolehazi we wouldn't write him off as a future world champion.

Coming in we're expecting this to be a barn burner. Both men can fight, both like to throw bombs, and both like to unload. For us however Raquinel is the more dynamic, the more explosive and the more unpredictable. Magramo is probably the better boxer from a technical standpoint, but we're not sure if that will make a difference. Likewise it's hard to not feel like the loss ot Nakatani has negatively affected Magramo, and if that's a case he may be more timid and gin shy than we've seen from him. If he can't get respect from Raquinel he'll be in serious trouble.

We're expecting to see Raquinel take a few rounds to get going, but when he does we suspect he'll be pinging right hooks and straight left hands off of Magramo with ease and by rounds 7 or 8 will have destroyed the desire of MAgramo.

Prediction - TKO8 Raquinel

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Magramo and Nantapech set for Flyweight eliminator thriller!

8/30/2019

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If we're being totally honest the Flyweight division is at a bit of a low point right now. There is talent there, and a lot of promise, but right now it feels like there is a big drop off between the champions and the contenders. One way to bridge that gap is having the contenders actually facing off for a chance to fight for a title. That's exactly what we'll see in the Philippines this coming Saturday when the once beaten Giemel Magramo (23-1, 19) takes on Komgrich Nantapech (25-5, 16), aka Eaktwan BTU Ruaviking, in an IBF eliminator. Not only is this an eliminator but it may also be the low key fight of the week, with the two men having styles that should gel amazingly well.

Of the two fighters it's Nantapech who is the more recognisable. The 30 year old Thai has been a professional for more than 8 years, and fought under a host of names during that time, and in the last few of those years he has found himself stuck around the world title scene. He's best known for his 2017 bouts with Donnie Nietes and Juan Carlos Reveco, and although he lost both he showed that he was tough and in fairness he gave Nietes one of his toughest bouts. Sadly against Reveco the Thai was made to look slow and clumsy, but Reveco never came close to taking him out.

Since the loss to Reveco we've seen Nantapech going 3-0, though unfortunately he did have to pull out of a 2018 eliminator with Masayuki Kuroda and hasn't fought since the very end of 2018. So coming into this bout he'll have been out of the ring for 9 months, the longest break he's had between pro bouts. Not only has he been inactive but he also has history going against him here, with a 1-5 record on the road, and a 0-3 record in the Philippines with losses to Nietes, Froilan Saludar and Albert Pagara.

In the ring the Thai is a tough, aggressive fighter fighter. He's technically limited and slow, a bit clumsy, but has a style that can, with the right foil, make for some really fun fights. He looks to have a fight up close and will apply pressure trying to make that happen. If a fighter moves however he can be made to look as flawed as he is.

Although relatively unknown outside of Asia Magramo is one of the biggest hopes for the Flyweight division, and the hard hitting, aggressive, exciting 24 year old Filipino is very unlucky to even have a loss against his name. He's a third generation fighter, following his father Melvin Magrama and grandfather Ric Magramo, and has the sport running through his blood with 3 of his uncles also being former professional fighters.

Magramo debuted back in 2012, at the age of 17, and won his first 17 bouts before losing a very close contest in South Korea to Pakistani Muhammad Waseem. Since the loss he has gone 6-0 (6) taking out former world title challenger John Mark Apolinario, Petchchorhae Kokietgymand Wenfeng Ge, taking Ge's unbeaten record in a dominant display back in January in China. What we've seen from those wins is that Magramo is Magramo is an aggressive boxer-puncher, he's defensively not the tightest but offensively he is a machine, stalking is prey then unleashing power shots up close. He switches between head and body wonderfully and whilst he's a hard hitting he's not a 1-punch KO artist. Instead he's more of a grinder, who will break down his opponents.

Given that both are aggressive, exciting and like to let their hands fly this has the potential to be a real FOTY contender, and a total phone booth war. Both come forward, both like to fight and both are defensively questionable, leading to both to taking more shots than they really need to. In a fight like that it tends to come down to the fighter with the heavy hands and the more varied output. We feel that man, for this fight, is Magramo, who will also be helped by the crowd cheering everything he does.

Although both are tough we're expecting the war to leave both damaged, and eventually Magramo will break down his Thai foe, in an absolute barn burner!

Prediction - TKO10 Magramo

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Ge and Magramo look to begin year with mouth watering match up!

12/27/2018

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In 2018 we saw the Flyweight division change a lot, with new champions being crowned through the year and really very little stability in the division. It's fair to say that the champion's won't be wanting the same in 2019, they'll be wanting solid and lengthy reigns instead. The contenders however will be jostling for position and trying to secure themselves a world title fight as soon as they can.

On January 5th we'll see two talented contenders facing off, with both seeing the bout as a potential stepping stone towards a world title bout.

The men in question are Chinese fighter Wenfeng Ge (11-0, 6) and Filipino Giemel Magramo (22-1, 18) who will battle for the WBO International Flyweight title and a potential world title fight.

Of the two men it's fair to say that Ge is the man who needs the win more. He turns 32 in April, and that's pretty old for a Flyweight, and really can't afford a set back. So far in his career he has been moved quickly, likely know that there's not much time to waste. He made his debut in late 2015 and in just his second bout he faced off with Joseph Omana, then 12-3-1. A fighter later he claimed his first title, a minor WBO one, before adding another title the following month. Within 2 years of his debut Ge had raced out to 8-0 (6) and has since added notable wins over Amnat Ruenroeng and Ivan Soriano, with both those wins coming in clear 12 round decisions.

Watching Ge we see a rather baic but very strong fighter. There's a few tricks up his sleeve but the reality is that he doesn't look special, however he is rangy, long, strong and applies good pressure. He has shown an ability to go 12 rounds, at a date if unspectacular tempo. Despite not being anything special he does have an awkwardness to him, and gets away with making mistakes due to how physically imposing he is and he appears to be a fighter who is very confident in his toughness.

At 24 years old Magramo is a man who is probably a year or two away from his prime, he is however a man who looks like a future world champion. His sole loss was a very close one in Korea to Muhammad Waseem in November 2016, and since then he has gone 5-0 (5) and looked sensational. Despite only being 24 Magramo is already a young veteran with 23 bouts to his name, and he debuted almost 7 years ago, in March 2012. During his career he has scored wins over Lester Abutan, Renz Rosia, Benezer Alolod, John Mark Apolinario and Petchchorhae Kokietgym.

Whilst Ge looks awkward but basic the same can't be said of Magramo, who looks like a very special boxer-puncher. He's very heavy-handed, but combines that power with a real sharpness to his punching, a tight defense, impressive ring craft and a brilliant boxing IQ. On the inside he finds room for excellent shots whilst on the outside he controls range and tempo. There are some flaws, and he does sometimes let his guard slip and seems too willing to let his hands go, but he really does look like a special talent.

Getting a win in China is never easy and Magramo will know that, however we feel he is the better fighter, the more rounded fighter and should be the favourite. He will have to win clearly to get the decision, but we suspect he'll be too sharp, too quick and too powerful for Ge. The Chinese fighter certainly can get the win, but will need to put on his best performance, by far, to over-come the very talented Filipino.

On neutral soil Magramo would be the clear favourite, but here we see Magramo as the slight favourite. Magramo will clearly have to work incredibly hard to get the decision, but suspect he can do what's needed to get the nod on foreign soil.

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OPBF champion Magramo faces Kuwahara

Magramo and Raquinel battle for OPBF honours!

Magramo and Nantapech set for Flyweight eliminator thriller!

Ge and Magramo look to begin year with mouth watering match up!

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