Tokyo, Japan
This past Monday in Japan saw the 2015 Rookie of the Year kick off with the first round of qualifying bouts from the East Japan competition. The tournament kicked off with 12 bouts in divisions ranging from Minimumweight to Welterweight and whilst the show won't have registered on the international scene it was the start of something special for Japanese boxing this year.

In the Minimumweight bout we saw the unbeaten Yuto Takahashi (2-0, 1) begin his Rookie campaign with a 4th round TKO against the more experienced Shinnosuke Okada (1-6-2, 1). For Takahashi, who debuted last December, this was the perfect start whilst Okada is now win-less in 7 bouts!

At Light Flyweight Hiroki Hosoya (1-1) scored his first win as he clearly beat Tatsuhiro Toguchi (1-2, 1) with a wide 4 round decision.

At Super Bantamweight we had a trio of bouts. From that trio the only stoppage saw Daigo Yamamoto (2-1-1, 1) score a 4th round TKO win against Haya Ito (2-2, 1). In decision bouts Shun Wakabayashi (3-1) took a split decision over Tatsuya Matsumoto (1-2) and the unbeaten Tasuaki Miura (2-0) struggled past Noboru Sasaki (2-7, 1) in another split decision win.

At Featherweight Masaaki Shiraishi (2-0, 1) took a majority decision win over Tsuguyasu Nakamura (2-5, 1) in a very competitive contest whilst the previously win-less Junpei Hakoda (1-2, 1) claimed a 4th round TKO against Hiroki Kudo (1-6-2), who suffered his first stoppage defeat.

At Super Featherweight fans got a trio of contests. The only stoppage from this trio saw Teppei Tsukamoto (3-5, 1) take out Kazuo Shimada (2-8-1, 1) in the second round. The other two contests were both highly competitive with Tatsuro Jin (3-2, 1) taking a very slim unanimous decision over Naoki Koishi (2-2) whilst Sho Nagata (3-1, 1) took a split decision over Katsunori Yano (1-4, 1), with Yano going the distance for the first time in his career.

At Welterweight we had two bouts and neither went the distance. In a slight shock Kazuhiro Baba (2-2-1, 1) stopped the previously unbeaten Shogo Kitsukawa (2-1, 2) in 3 rounds whilst in the other bout the unbeaten Toshiro Tarumi (2-0-3, 2) took a 4th round TKO against Masafumi Ando (2-5, 2).

This action this past Sunday was a big of a mixed bag. There was a lot of it, but none of it was really that hugely noteworthy, in fact even the most notable of title bouts came at a lesser level that we would typically describe as title level.

Aichi, Japan
For us the most notable single bout came in Aichi as we had an interesting main even on what was otherwise a very low level card.

The aforementioned main event saw Ryosuke Maruki (9-3-1, 7) score and 8th round TKO win over Thailand's Petchsuriya Singwancha (13-10, 7) to claim the WBC Youth Light Middleweight title. This was the second meeting between the two men following a decision win, last year, by Petchsuriya. Sadly the Thai has now been stopped in 5 of his 6 visits to Japan.

In the main support bout Kazuki Fukakura (8-8-2, 3) narrowly out-pointed Ginzo Hanaki (6-11-1, 4) in an 8 round split decision win that showed the two men were on the same level though left us wondering how this was one of the bills top bouts.

Thankfully the other top supporting bouts both had talent on show. One of those bout saw Jun Takigawa (6-1, 2) blow away Tatsuya Sakamoto (4-7, 1) in just 102 seconds. Takigawa impressed us last year in the Rookie of the Year and although he came up short in the regional finals he was still very impressive, as he showed here. The other bout saw Takashi Igarashi (6-1, 1) take a well earned 6 round decision win against Reiko Sugiyama (4-5-3, 2).

The rest of this card was all 4 round bouts and saw a bit of everything. The shortest bout lasted just 82 seconds as the debuting, and wonderfully named, Pitbull Tatsuya (1-0, 1) blew away Daigo Kouchi (0-2-1), it didn't take much longer for Ryo Shibata (3-1, 2) to over-come Hiroshi Tanase (2-5). Another early stoppage saw Masatsugu Ito (2-2-1, 1) score a second round victory over Bulldozer Takumi Oshima (1-1).

As for bouts that went the distance the most once sided saw Takashi Kagamihara (2-1) totally dominate the debuting Koyo Saeki (0-1) in a very widely scored bout. Another 1-sided contest saw Akihiro Toya (1-1) clearly out point Shin Tomia (1-2-2). A much more competitive contest saw Shohei Horii (1-0) begin his career with a narrow win over fellow debutant Hiroshige Miyata (0-1) whilst there was nothing to split Tetsuya Yamaguchi (2-2-2, 1) and Takayuki Sakai (0-0-1) who fought to a majority decision draw.

Hyogo, Japan
A second Japanese show was another that left plenty to be desired, though the main event did end up being surprisingly competitive.

That main event saw Ryuji Miyazaki (13-7-4, 4) battle to a majority draw with Riichi Kawasae (6-7-3, 1) in an unexpectedly good 8 round bout that looked like a mismatch on paper. The other headline bout, which actually looked competitive on paper, went the complete opposite way as Yushi Fujita (7-6-4, 1) effectively shut out Kohei Maruoka (7-9-1, 1) over the 8 round distance in an staggering one-sided bout.

The rest of this card was 4 rounders that again saw a bit of everything. The shortest of those lasted 76 seconds as Yoshiya Shiraiwa (1-1, 1) quickly got rid of Ryo Miyagaki (0-2-1), surprisingly all the others went the distance. These included a clear win for Tenmei Serizawa (4-3, 2) who easily over-came Yusuke Kosaka (1-2, 1), a win for the debuting Shion Tamada (1-0) who scored a slight upset over Shota Nakashima (3-2), a clear but will fought victory for Tenta Kiyose (4-1-1, 1) against Ryusuke Tanaka (3-4, 1). There was also a very competitive bout won by the debuting Kenta Takenaka (1-0) who just edged past Junpei Nozaki (0-1) in an all debutant affair whilst a female bout saw Tomoki Hayashi (3-2, 1) over-come Ayaki Inamori (0-2).

Metro Manila, Philippines
In the Philippines fans had a title double that also helped show case some notable talent and promising prospects. Sadly it show cased some of the youngsters a bit too well as several of the bouts finished before they really got going.

One man who made a swift impact was Lorence Rosas (3-0-2, 3) who very quickly dispatched Jonathan Pedrosa (0-8-1), who was stopped for the 7th time. Although Pedrosa gets stopped regularly he had never been taken out in 34 seconds before. Another other opening round win was scored by the debuting Ronel Toquero (1-0, 1) who easily saw off Johny Lagma (0-1) whilst another opening round win went to the promising Rex Wao (11-1, 9) who ended Mike Espanosa's (12-10-1, 7) nice with a body shot. Between them these 3 bouts lasted only a few minutes.

A bout that went into the second round saw the promising Indian fight Prabhjot Singh (2-0, 2) see off Indonesia's F Faturochman (2-1, 1).

A more notable match up saw the unbeaten Jheritz Chavez (4-0-2, 3) score his biggest win to date as he stopped Randy Megrino (15-18-3, 8) in the 5th round with a body shot to claim the WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Welterweight title. This was regarded as a slight step up for Chavez and credit must be given to him for handing with an experienced fighter like Megrino in the way he did.

Sadly the other title bout on the show ended in a less than satisfactory manner. This saw Robert Udtohan (22-1-3, 14) fight to a technical draw with Edison Berwela (13-29-8, 3) in a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Super Bantamweight title. The bout came to an end after a head clash left Udtohan unable to continue due to a huge right on right eye. As a result of this bout the title remains vacant.

(Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)

Metro Manila, Philippines
The first major action of the day came in the Philippines where promotional giant ALA Promotions put on Pinoy Pride 30. The show was the first blockbuster event from the Philippines this year and featured 4 major title bouts, including a world title contest.

The card began with the unbeaten Ralph Jhon Lulu (11-0-2, 5) struggling past the limited Gerry Patieno (4-8-2, 2) in an unconvincing performance from the unbeaten man. The bout saw Lulu take a 4 round majority decision but not really impressing anyone. The other 4 rounder on the show was much more impressive as the exciting Joepher Montano (3-0, 2) stopped Australian visitor Tyson Maher (0-2) in a really enjoyable contest. Montano may only be at the start of his career but it's clear he's going to be a lot of fun to follow, win or lose.

In an 8 rounder fans saw the heavy handed Jeson Umbal (8-3, 6) drop Eric Panza (7-4-1, 1) twice en route to a close decision win. The knockdowns were the difference between a unanimous decision win for Umbal and a majority decision draw between the two men where well matched to say the least. The other 8 rounder was less well matched as AJ Banal (33-2-1, 22) clearly and easily over-came Indonesian visitor Junior Bajawa (14-6, 7). Banal was bothered in later rounds following a headclash but dominated the fight and took home a very wide decision win.

The first of the show's title bouts saw ALA's newest international signing, Ryo Akaho (26-1-2, 18), in action. Akaho claimed the WBO International Bantamweight title with relative ease as he destroyed the under-sized and under-skilled Prosper Ankrah (24-5-0-1, 15) in the 4th round of their bout. Ankrah had some success but never enough to make Akaho respect him and it always seemed like Ankrah was fighting to survive than to win. This victory for Akaho was his 7th since he was beaten by Yota Sato in a WBC Super Flyweight title bout back in 2012 and it looks like Akaho is now ready for another shot at world honours.

Arguably the stand out performance came from promising youngster Albert Pagara (23-0, 16), who looked sensational as he defended his IBF Inter-Continental Super Bantamweight title against the heavy handed but limited Rodolfo Hernandez (26-6-1, 24). Pagara dropped Hernandez in the opening round then dominated him until the end of round 4. Hernandez then remained in his corner citing an injury with his hand, though it looked more like a case of “get me out of here” from the Mexican.

In the co-feature of the show fans saw the return to the Philippines of the popular Nonito Donaire (34-3, 22) who had a showcase win against the hapless William Prado (22-5-1, 15). Prado had only been stopped by WBA Super Bantamweight champion Scott Quigg, in 3 rounds, prior to this but Donaire dismantled him in just a couple of rounds. Prado landed little through out the bout and looked distraught every time Donaire caught him. With this win Donaire claimed the NABF Super Bantamweight title and is now expected to move towards a world title bout at Super Bantamweight.

In the main event fans saw long term world champion Donnie Nietes (35-1-4, 21) successfully retain his WBO Light Flyweight title with an impressive victory over the dangerous Gilberto Parra (19-3, 17). Nietes started fast and looked to be trying to make a statement early on. Parra saw out the early storm and fought gallantly in the middle rounds, particularly round 6. Sadly however for the challenger a knockdown in round 8 was the start of the end and he retired after the 9th round after suffering a nasty cut around the left eye. Prior to the retirement he was always looking second best and appeared to know it spending several rounds trying to avoid a fight with excellent champion.

Yucatán, Mexico
We had another world title bout in Mexico where the diminutive Rommel Asenjo (26-4, 20) took on the sensational Juan Francisco Estrada (32-2, 23). Sadly for Asenjo this never looked like it was going to go his way and although he was competitive in a very quiet opening round that was about the only positive he could take from the bout. In round 2 Estrada moved into third gear and appeared capable of battering Asenjo at will. The challenger came out for round 3 though less than a minute into the round his corner threw in the towel in a disappointing ending to the bout. The conclusion was less than great though Asenjo's face was already beginning to look a swollen mess courtesy of Estrada's power which was having an effect every time he landed.

Thailand
In a low profile show in Thailand fans got the chance to see two former world title challengers both pick up decision wins.

One of those men was Samartlek Kokietgym (20-5, 5) who over-came the experienced but limited Jack Amisa (20-35-2, 14). For Samartlek this was a third straight win since he came up short in a WBC Light Flyweight title fight against Naoya Inoue, though it seems clear that he's much more comfortable at this level

The other winner was the highly experienced Pigmy Kokietgym (56-7-2, 22) who over-came Heri Amol (35-23-4, 14). This was Pigmy's 4th bout since he came up short last year against Hekkie Budler in a WBA title fight in Monaco.

Queensland, Australia
In Australia there was a trio of Thai's in action.

The highest profile of those Thail's was Chaiyong Sithsaithong (36-13-4, 26) who came up short against Paul Fleming (20-0, 13) in a bout for the WBO Oriental Super Featherweight title. Sithsaithong managed to see out the 10 round schedule here against the talented but did see a 4-fight winning run come to an end.

In one of the main support bouts Wisanlek Sithsaithong (11-7, 7) was stopped, in 4 rounds, by Australian Jason Cooper (13-2-1, 7). For Cooper this was a 5th successive win following his 2014 loss to Qiu Xiao Jun whilst the Thai was stopped for the 5th time in his career.

Also on this card fans had the chance to see professional loser Pramool Boonpok (1-13-1) pick up another defeat as Australian fighter Reuben Aiono (2-0-1, 1) took a 5 round decision win.


(Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)

Thailand
The only Asian show this past Friday came from Thailand where several notable fighters were in televised action.

In the main event we saw former WBC Minimumweight champion Oleydong Sithsamerchai (56-1-1, 21) retain his WBC International Super Flyweight title as he easily out-pointed Indonesian visitor Rasmanudin (19-9-3, 10). The Indonesian didn't travel to lose and did try to fight back against the Thai but simply wasn't good enough or big enough Oleydong. Looking at the Thai it's a real mystery as to how he ever made Minimumweight as he is looking massive at Super Flyweight and dwarfed Rasmanudin who has fought as high as Featherweight!

Another notable fighter on this card was Petch Sor Chitpattana (30-0, 19) who defeated Filipino visitor Jestoni Autida (7-3, 3). On paper this was a mismatch but the visitor did make a good go of things late in the bout and again left us questioning Petch's real potential. The 21 year old Thai is young but with 30 bouts under his belt we do wonder if he's really progressing or developing as he should.

One fight we do like and we do see a lot of potential in is Kongfah CP Freshmart (13-0, 8) made light work of his opponent on this show. Kongfah, who got out attention last year, was too good for his opponent and it showed when ever the unbeaten prospect turned the screw. In defense of the opponent he did come to fight but was widely out classed. Another man who beat an out classed opponent was Chanachai CP Freshmart (3-0, 2) though his opponent was hapless and really looked like a light touch for the unbeaten prospect. Unfortunately as the time of writing the opponents of Kongfah and Chanachai are unknown.

Victoria, Australia
There were more Thai's in action in Australia, though unfortunately they were out classed.

The more experienced of the Thai's here was Yodmongkol Singmanasak (12-15-1, 7) who was stopped in the 4th round by the once touted Michael Zerafa (17-1, 9). This was Yodmongkol's 11th stoppage loss and he has gone 1-9 in his last 10, leading us to wonder what purpose he was really serving here against a talented kid like Zerafa.

The other Thai was the debuting Kayfai Singmanasak (0-1) who was widely out pointed by Khoder Assi (5-1, 1) in a mis-matched 6 round contest.

Tokyo, Japan
Today's only action came from the Korakuen Hall on a show that promised a lot and delivered plenty.

The only really insignificant bout was the show's first contest which saw Jun Nahara (1-1, 1) score his first professional win as he blew away Shuhei Hamano (0-3) in just 143 seconds. It was a scheduled 4 rounder between novices who are unlikely to really go anywhere but it worked as a quick warm up before we moved on to more interesting bouts.

The second bout on the card was contest between two Japanese ranked fighters. The bout saw Keita Nakano (13-9-3, 4), the #9 ranked Bantamweight, score a 4th round TKO against Kenta Toi (4-5, 1), who entered as the #7 ranked Super Bantamweight. Toi was rattled on round 3 and never seemed to really recover before being stopped very early in round 4.

The third bout, and on paper the first stand out bout, saw the much touted Ken Shiro (3-0, 2) take a 7th round TKO victory over a bloodied and cut Katsunori Nagamine (11-1, 6) in an unbeaten showdown. Nagamine, the 2012 All Japan Rookie of the Year champion at Flyweight, seemed to be out boxed, out sped and out muscled by Shiro who made a monster statement with this win and has effectively announced himself as a very special fighter. Don't be surprised to see Shiro battling for titles very soon.

A second bout between Japanese ranked fighters came in the show's 4th bout where Ryuichi Funai (23-6, 16), the #4 ranked Super Flyweight, blew away Ryuta Otsuka (14-8-2, 4), the #8 ranked Japanese contender, in the 3rd round. Otsuka did have some early success but a right hand counter dropped Otsuka hard and he failed to beat the 10 count.

The most significant bout was the show's 5th contest which saw Japanese Minimumweight champion Go Odaira (12-4-3, 1) retain his title with a unanimous decision victory over mandatory challenger Yutaka Sowano (9-6-1, 6). The bout was poor and never really came alive with Sowano looking gun shy early on before finally realising Odaira was there to be beaten. By the time Sowano decided to let his hands go he was already beaten.

In the final bout of the show fans saw OPBF and Japanese Middleweight champion Akio Shibata (25-8-1, 11) score a 4th round TKO victory over Indonesian visitor Michael Speed Sigarlaki (15-14-2, 13). The Indonesian, a late replacement for Yasuyuki Akiyama, came out swinging but it didn't take too long for Shibata to find his range and take control of the bout with his superior ability.

(Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)

Metro Manila, Philippines
The only show today came from the Philippines where Johnny Elorde Promotions put on a small, 6 fight show featuring 4 title bouts along side the Flash Elorde awards. The card wasn't a headline grabbing one with world title bouts but it was a significant one with bouts ranging from prospect bouts to an OPBF title bout and regional title contests.

The show kicked off with one of the prospects in action as the talented Joe Noynay (8-0, 2) continued his unbeaten run and scored a 3rd round TKO against journeyman Jovill Marayan (8-20-3, 3). The 19 year old Noynay dropped Marayan with a body shot and Marayan did get back to his feet the referee made the wise decision to stop the bout. Sadly for Marayan this was his 8th straight loss , dating back almost 2 years, and his 3rd successive stoppage loss.

The second bout saw the fantastic Giemel Magramo (13-0, 10) completely dismantle the over-matched Jayar Estremos (10-10, 4) who was blown away in the 2nd round. Magramo, who we really like, looked sensational and finished the bout in style as he recorded his 7th straight stoppage. Aged 20 Magramo has an excellent future ahead of him and we really can't wait to see him step up a level and move beyond the low level Filipino domestic bouts.

Talking about the Filipino domestic scene the third bout was actually a Filipino title bout which saw veteran fighter Monico Laurente (25-12, 6) retain his GAB Bantamweight tittle with a clear decision win over the once promising Marco Demecillo (20-3-1, 16) who is quickly finding his career hitting the bricks. The champion, defending the belt for the 3rd time, seemed to know too much and be too good for Demecillo, despite being cut from a headclash early in the bout. This was Demecillo's 3rd loss in 5 bouts and the 18-0-1 (14) start to his career has really crumbled in recent bouts.

The second title bout was one of two WBO Asia Pacific title bouts and saw Juan Miguel Elorde (18-1, 9) take a clear decision against limited Thailand's Tabthong Tor Buamas (14-3, 12) to claim the Super Bantamweight belt. Elorde was simply too good, too fast and too accurate for the Thai who was completely out classed from the first round to the last. Tabthong did well to see out the distance but was never in the fight.

A second WBO Asia Pacific title bout saw Juan Martin Elorde (17-1-1, 7) retain the Super Featherweight belt with a narrow win over Japan's Hirotsugu Yamamoto (16-11-2, 2). The Japanese fighter went in as a massive under-dog and early on it seemed like he was set to be blown away after Elorde dropped him in round 2. Surprisingly however Yamamoto battled back hard over the following 10 rounds and almost did enough to upset Elorde. Although talented Elorde does need a lot more work before moving on to the next level.

In the main event we saw another title bout as Vinvin Rufino (37-16-3, 16) claimed the OPBF Featherweight title with an 8th round technical decision win against Mark Gil Melligen (21-5-1, 12). Melligen was down twice early in the bout though managed to fight back well until a headclash saw us going to the cards at the end of round 8. Melligen's fight back had some how convinced one judge to score it even, at 75-75, though the other two judges both had Rufino as the clear, and rightful, winner. Whilst this is clearly a set back for Melligen it was third time lucky for Rufino who had lost in 2 previous OPBF title bouts.

Tokyo, Japan
The only Asian show this past Tuesday came from the Korakuen Hall as Japanese fans had a low profile, yet interesting, card to attend.

The main of the card was a rare Heavyweight clash as 2-time Japanese title challenger Kotatsu Takehara (11-11-3, 5) put his career on the line and took on Ukrainian giant Oleksandr Nesterenko (9-4, 4). Kotatsu had lost 3 of his previous 4 bouts entering this contest, including stoppage losses in his last 2 bouts, and it was clear he needed a win. Thankfully for the Japanese fighter he got himself that win over a very poor Nesterenko who was broken down with body shots before retiring at the end of round 3 citing a hand injury. For the 6'5” Nesterenko this is probably the end of him being a real fighter and he has now been stopped in 3 successive bouts.

A much more competitive contest saw Kazuki Matsuyama (11-5, 5) take a very well earned but hard fought decision over Takeshi Goda (7-4-1, 2) in a very well matched 8 round affair. This was the second meeting between the two men, with Goda having won their first clash back in 2013, and also Matsuyama won here there is no doubt hat the two are very evenly matched and will always put on competitive contests with each other.

Another scheduled 8 rounder saw Tonko Nakagawa (13-6-2, 5) take a 7th round TKO win over Hajime Nagai (11-7-2, 2). As with the Matsuyama/Goda contest this was also a rematch though Nakagawa managed to move 2-0 up against his Nagai, who had lost their first meeting in 2012 by split decision. Nakagawa really has developed since their first fight whilst Nagai had been inactive and it told when the pace started to warm up and Nagai started to run on fumes.

A surprisingly competitive 6 round bout saw Kenta Yamada (7-4-1) battle to a split decision draw with Tatsuya Kaneko (7-11-2, 1). Kaneko had lost his previous 2 bouts and was 1-3 entering this contest though put in a very good effort to get the draw. A less competitive 6 rounder saw Kenji Fujiyama (6-5, 4) score a 2nd round TKO win over Thai visitor Sunthonpetch Korat Sport School (0-3), who was blown out in 99 seconds last time out by the then debuting Kazuki Tanaka. The Thai has now been stopped 3 times in a combined 5 rounds.

In terms of the 4 rounders on this card, they were both well matched on paper. One saw an unbeaten showdown between Reo Watanabe (1-0-1) and Kazutomo Oma (2-0-1, 2) end with both men remaining unbeaten courtesy of a split decision draw whilst. The other saw Yuichi Sakuta (3-2, 2) over-come Takahiro Yoneshige (2-2, 1) with a 3rd round TKO win.

(Image courtesy of www.boxingnews.jp)

Ayuthaya, Thailand
In Thailand fans had 2 shows, though the most notable was held in Ayuthaya and televised on Channel 3 with a host of matches, several of which involved some notable names.

One of those notable names was Thai teenager Stamp Kiatniwat (13-0, 6) who looked his best against the out matched Wilber Andogan (10-19-4, 4), who was stopped in round 5 from a brutal body assault. This bout saw Stamp retain the PABA interim Flyweight title and looked a much more complete performance than the one we saw last time out from the Thai, who really struggled with the under-rated Espinos Sabu in January.

Another notable name on this card was Chatpetch Sithmorseng (9-3-2, 5) who retained his PABA interim Super Flyweight title with an anti-climatic technical draw against Filipino challenger Macrea Gandionco (10-2-2, 6). The bout was warming up really nicely before a headclash left Gandionco with a nasty cut over his right eye and forced an early conclusion to the bout.

The Thai based Nigerian fighter Taiwo Ali (16-3, 10) scored his 7th straight stoppage as he took out the over-matched Yodpetch Manopgym (0-1) with a nasty body shot in the second round of their bout.

In a very fun, yet wild, contest Singpornchai Sithprakaifah (3-0, 3) scored an opening round victory over Petchnamchai Rongrienkilachanakitti (0-1). Both guys came out swinging but it wasn't long until Singpornchai's ability took it's effect on Petchnamchai.


One other bout on this show saw the unbeaten Dennapa Kiatniwat (4-0, 2) score an opening round victory over Petchrungrueng Manopgym (0-1), with Petchrunggrueng looking out of his depth.

Bangkok, Thailand
The other Thai show came from Bangkok and saw a number of Australian visitors picking up wins.

The most notable name in action was Josh King (19-3, 9) who took a 5th round TKO against the limited Phompetch Twins Gym (6-3, 3). This bout was Phompetch's 3rd straight loss, however it was the first time he had been beaten in Thailand, where he was previously 6-0.

Another Australian visitor to pick up a win was Matt Burgoyne (2-0, 2) who made very light work of Pichit Pakdee Gym (1-3). Pichit lasted less than a round with his heavy handed foe who now must be asking for something a little bit more substantial for his next bout.

In an all debutant contest Michael Bagley (1-0, 1) stopped Veerachai Monthon (0-1) in the 4th round.

Barranquilla, Colombia
In Colombia fans saw hard hitting Kazakh Kanat Islam (19-0, 16) take a straight forward stoppage victory over the limited Orlando de Jesus Estrada (11-7-1, 9). The win was a simple one of Islam though unfortunately the the unbeaten man really didn't shine and in some ways he left us wondering how he's failed to really develop from the amateur stand out that he once was. Although powerful he does appear to be a “poor man's Beibut Shumenov”.

A second Kazakh fighter on this card was Zhankhozh Turarov (17-0, 12) who scored a good 7th round TKO against the usually durable Dunis Linan  (23-26-2, 17), who suffered just his 4th stoppage loss.

Eastern Cape, South Africa
Last year boxing fans were shocked when little known Filipino Rey Loreto (20-13, 12) scored a 3rd round KO over popular South African Nkosinathi Joyi (24-4-0-1, 17) . That bout, which was screened internationally from Monaco, was supposed to begin Joyi's rise back through the ranks but instead resulted in Loreto becoming “one to watch”.

Last December the two men were supposed to have a rematch, that was later rescheduled to this past February, and then again to March. Today it finally took place, after much waiting Loreto and Joyi stepped into the ring to face each other for a second time.

The wait wasn't really worth it. From the opening seconds it was clear Loreto was simply too powerful and too strong for Joyi who was dropped after about 90 seconds. The South African probably should have stayed down there and then but he recovered to his feet before being dropped again. That was it. Within 2 minutes the fight had been and gone.

For Joyi this has to be the end. He began his career 22-0-0-1 (15) though has now gone 2-4 with 3 stoppage losses and at 31 his career really has nowhere left to go. As for Loreto it's his third notable win in the last 2 years, following the first bout between the two men and his attention grabbing win over Pornsawan Porpramook back in 2013.

Also on this card was another South Africa Vs Philippines bout. Sadly this one didn't go in favour of the Filipino as Sinethemba Magibisela (8-6-2, 1) took a 10 round decision victory over the traveling Jetly Purisima (20-14-4, 5)

Mexicali, Mexico
For us the most notable bout of the day came from Mexico where former OPBF Light Welterweight champion Min Wook Kim (12-1, 9) resurfaced after more than 18 months out of the ring. The hard hitting Korean slugger, who is now based in the west, made very light work of the horribly over-matched Lizandro De Los Santos (29-13, 9) with the bout lasting less than a round. Although it was a big step down in class for Kim, who last seen defending the OPBF title against Valentine Hosokawa, it was still great to see the “Sniper” back in the ring.

Seoul, South Korea
Staying on the theme of Korea, the only Asian card of the day came from South Korea.

The card was headline by a female bout that saw local star Ji-Hye Woo (15-2-, 2) score a rare stoppage win as she over-came Wanphen Sithpracha (9-1, 3) and retained her WIBA and IFBA Featherweight titles. The previously unbeaten Thai challenger was stopped in the 4th round of the bout and her competition coming in to this bout showed just how poor of an opponent she was, despite the unbeaten record.

Western Australia, Australia
Some of the early action came from Australia where a trio of Asian fighters were in action. Unfortunately all 3 lost.

The most competitive of the Asian's was Thai debutant Komkit Chanawong (0-1) who lasted 6 rounds with the talented Nathaniel May (10-1, 5), though was widely out pointed. Komkit came into the bout having been a well regarded Muay Thai fighter but was out of his depth against May who took his 6th straight win.

Another Thai picking up a loss here was the collapsible Sapapetch Sor Sakaorat (31-17, 20) who suffered the 16th stoppage defeat of his career. Sapapetch was stopped after 73 seconds of round 2 by the unbeaten Sam Hogan (9-0, 4). Sadly for the Thai this was his 7th stoppage loss in 9 bouts and questions need to be asked about his future.

The third Asian to be beat here was Australian based Filipino Roberto Oyan (20-48-5, 7), who was stopped in the early stages of round 3 by the once beaten Brandon Ogilvie (10-1, 4). This was the 11th stoppage loss for Oyan and the future doesn't look great for the 32 year old who has now gone 0-7-1 in his last 8!

(Image courtesy of Ty)