This past Saturday was an incredibly busy day in Asian boxing

New York, USA
It was in New York that we had the two highest profile bouts of the day to feature Asian fighters.

The first of those saw saw Filipino-American Brian Viloria (36-5-0-2, 22) put in a brave showing against the sensational Roman Gonzalez (44-0, 38). Viloria, who was attempting to claim the WBC Flyweight title, came out looking for the upset and did have plenty of success of his own, including hurting Gonzalez with a hard body shot in round 9. Sadly for Viloria that body was his last success of note before the referee saved him as Gonzalez went on the offensive.

Following the Viloria/Gonzalez bout we then saw Gennady Golovkin (34-0, 31) add the IBF belt to his collection of titles as he stopped Canadian fighter David Lemieux (34-3, 31) in the 8th round of a very 1-sided bout. Golovkin showed his boxing ability early on, breaking down Lemieux with just his jab for the first few rounds before picking up the pace and eventually forcing the referee to stop a damaged Lemieux.

California, USA
Another major show from the US saw ALA make their US debut and take some of their best fighters to American soil for the first time.

The main event here saw talented WBO Light Flyweight champion Donnie Nietes (37-1-4, 21) take a clear win over the limited, but very tough, Juan Alejo (21-4, 13). Alejo was on the receiving end of a beating but never once looked like quitting as he repeatedly fought back, albeit with mixed success against the Filipino.

Another fighter who impressed was the much touted Albert Pagara (25-0, 18) who claimed the WBO Youth Intercontinental Super Bantamweight title with a 6th round KO win against former world title challenger William Gonzalez (27-6, 23). The Nicaraguan was stopped for just the third time in his career and it seems clear that Pagara is preparing himself for a world title fight in the not so distant future.

Another youngster who shined was Mark Magsayo (12-0, 10) who saw off Yardley Suarez (13-1, 8) in the early stages of their fight, whilst retaining the IBF Youth Featherweight title. On paper this one looked competitive but was totally one sided in favour of the brilliant Filipino prospect.

Another quick blow out saw Jason Pagara (37-2, 23) easily over-come Santos Benavides (25-8-2, 19) in the 2nd round as he moved a step closer to a potential world title fight of his own.

One other bout on this show saw Filipino-American Bruno Escalante (14-1-1, 6) take a 6 round decision win over Nestor Ramos (6-3-1, 2).

Massachusetts, USA
Yet more US action came from Massachusetts where a couple of promising Chinese fighters both scored wins.

One of those winners was touted Lightweight hopeful Wang Zhimin (5-0, 2) who scored a 6 round win over the experienced Guillermo Sanchez (15-17-1, 6). This was the second time that Zhimin has gone 6 rounds and it's likely than an 8 rounder bout will in the not so distant future.

The other was Meng Fanlong (4-0, 2) who scored a quick blow out win against the debuting Devonte Hopkins (0-1). This bout lasted less than a round with the Chinese fighter being too good, too strong and too talented

Gifu, Japan
In Gifu Japanese fans had a small profile show headlined by one of their most promising prospects in the lower weights.

That prospect was Genki Hanai (5-0, 4) who scored a 2nd round TKO win against Junya Nishikawa (7-7-2, 2). Following the win Hanai's team hinted that he would be fighting for a title next time out.

In the chief support bout Reiko Sugiyama (6-5-3, 4) scored a 6th round TKO win against Takuya Yamamoto (6-4, 3).

The under-card for this show, which featured 6 bouts, were all scheduled for 4 rounds. Of those two failed to go the distance. They saw Masaki Sasaki (1-0, 1) take an opening round KO win against Hidemitsu Yokoyama (0-1) whilst Yuto Nakamura (2-1, 2) took a 4th round TKO over Michitaka Umemoto (1-2, 1).

The most competitive bout of the show saw Tom Hamaguchi (3-3) take a majority decision over Seiya Kaga (1-1). Another competitive fight saw Takayoshi Mizoguchi (1-1) take a competitive win over Kiyoshi Nakamura (2-3, 1). Mizoguchi was one of 3 fighters to pick up their first win. Another was Kizuki Yamazaki (1-1), who beat Takashi Kagamihara (2-3) whilst Takayuki Sakai (1-0-1) claimed a win over Shohei Iwamoto (0-3-1).

Ishikawa, Japan
Another Japanese show took place in Ishikawa.

This card featured a genuine upset as Yudai Tamagawa (8-6-1, 2) claimed a split decision win over once touted Filipino Mark Gil Melligen (21-6-1, 12) For Melligen, who fought for an OPBF title earlier this year, this was a second successive set back and it's hard to see where he goes now.

The Tamagawa/Melligen bout was one of 3 bouts scheduled for 8 rounds. Another saw Yudai Arai (7-3-3, 3) scored a wide decision win over Yukiya Hanabusa (8-3-2, 2), in a fight that looked good on paper, whilst the other saw boxing nomad Omrri Bolivar (3-0, 1) defeat Xinghua Wang (11-13-1). Bolivar, from Venezuela, has fought in China and Japan in recent weeks and seems likely to continue his interesting career on the road.

In a 6 rounder Hurricane Futa (20-5-1, 11) blow away Ik Soo Han (7-5, 2) inside a round whilst Mika Iwakawa (4-3-1, 1) out pointed Aiko Yamagishi (4-3-1, 2) in a female bout, also over 6.

Another female bout saw Asami Jinnari (3-1, 1) score a 3rd round TKO win over win-less Thai Petchluksor Sor Praithong (0-3), in a bout scheduled for 4 rounds. The only other 4 rounder was a narrow win for Yohei Fukui (3-0, 1), who defeated Dong Yang (1-5).

Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Staying with Japanese fighters there was a win for foreign based Japanese fighter Aniya Seki (29-3-2, 4) who defeated the heavy handed but crude Carolina Schroeder (8-2, 7) by a clear decision in a but for a couple of lowly recognised female world titles.

Suzhou, China
There was also action in China with a small card in Suzhou.

In the main event Shunkai Xia (5-0, 2) claimed the WBO China National Cruiserweight title with an 8 round decision against Samoan fighter Falani Tavu'i (4-2, 1). We're not sure how a Somoan, making a Chinese debut, was allowed to fight for a China national title though it certainly seems like Xia is missing details from his record, that could mean bouts or just small inaccuracies.

In another 8 round contest fans saw teenager Jian Wang (1-0) take a decision win over Zhan Gupo Sun (0-1-1). The win, a clear one for the 19 year old Wang, was an impressive debut but it will be interesting to see how far he can go.

The card also featured a couple of 6 round bouts. One of those saw 17 yeard old Light Heavyweight Fei Hu Wang (1-0) claim a clear win against Yu Qu (0-1). The other was a very wide win for Wen feng Ge (1-0) who took a 60-52 win, across the board, against, Xu Gao Yan (0-1)

In a female 4 rounder YuanYuan Zhao (1-0) took a 4 round decision win over Ling Wang (0-1).

(Image courtesy of GBP)

This past Saturday was an incredibly busy day in Asian boxing, as a result we've unfortunately been slow to get the results all up and ready.

Cebu, Philippines
The most notable, of 3 Filipino shows, came from Cebu where ALA Promotions put on the wonderful, and entertaining, “Pinoy Pride 31”. A card which really had everything.

The main event was a competitive bout at the top level which saw Donnie Nietes (36-1-4, 21) retain his WBO Light Flyweight title with a clear, but competitive, win over Mexican Francisco Rodriguez Jr (17-3-1, 11). Rodriguez, a former unified champion at 105lbs, went over to Cebu with real confidence and, at times, looked to have Nietes in trouble but the Filipino icon managed to use his experience and skills to take advantage of Rodriguez's flaws. Following the win Nietes has been linked to a world title fight at 112lbs where we expect he'll be fighting by the end of the year.

Another title bout on this show saw the highly touted Mark Magsayo (11-0, 9) pick up the IBF Youth Featherweight title with an excellent 5th round TKO against Rafael Reyes (16-5, 12). Reyes had come to fight and gave Magsayo a good test before being stopped from a wonderful Magsayo assault. Although the fight showed some flaws with the touted youngster it's clear he's going a long way and we can't wait to see him step up again.

Another talented young fighter in action here was Kevin Jake Cataraja (1-0, 1) who made a successful debut as he stopped Indonesian fighter Ardi Tefa (6-5, 4) in the 6th round. The debuting Cataraja looked sensational, despite his novice status, and looks likely to be on the fast track through the ranks. Although he was debuting he was considered as the 3rd most significant bout on the card.

Whilst we were impressed by the fighters in the main bouts there was a number of other bouts on the card. One of those saw former OPBF Super Bantamweight champion Roli Gasca (23-6-1, 7) score a sensational KO over Rasmanudin (19-10-3, 10). The typically light punching Gasca landed probably the best show of his career as creamed Rasmanudin in the early stages of round 2. Another KO saw Vic Saludar (10-1, 8) score a 4th round KO against Michael Kaibigan (3-3-2, 2). Saludar, another touted fighter, is tipped for success though does need to be matched harder than this now. One other Filipino to score a memorable KO was Elmo Traya (9-1, 7) who stopped Bryan Macamay (9-3-2, 5) with a nasty body shot in the 3rd round.

Sadly one other KO on this show came in a farce as Mexican politician Jorge Kahwagi (12-0, 12) scored an opening round “KO” against Ramon Olivas (13-4, 9). This bout, put on the card as a favour to Zanfer, was a joke and really was hilariously bad with Olivas looking like he had taken one of the most blatant dives in boxing history.

On the under-card a couple of bouts went the distance. One of those saw Carlo Demecillo (4-2, 1) score an upset against the previously unbeaten Virgel Vitor (4-1, 2). Another distance bout saw Raul Yu (6-1-1, 5) fight to a draw with Ricardo Sueno (2-0-1, 1).

Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany
In Germany we had another “world” title fight as WBA Heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev (34-2-1, 20) made light work of the awful Francesco Pianeta (31-2-1, 17), who lasted less than a round. Pianeta was dropped early in the opening round before being stopped at the end of the round by Chagaev who made the first defense of the title that he won, controversially, last year against Fres Oquendo.

Metro Manila, Philippines
A second notable Filipino show came from Metro Manila where two former world title challengers were in action as well as some talented young Filipino fighters.

One of those former world title challengers was Richard Claveras (13-1-2, 12) who scored his first decision win as he defeated Benezer Alolod (16-8-5, 5) in a relatively compelling bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Light Flyweight title. The other former challenger was Ardin Diale (29-9-3, 15) who scored a 6th round retirement victory against Heri Amol (35-24-4, 15). Interestingly Diale's victory was his 6th straight win following a loss, in an OPBF title fight, against Koki Eto last year.

The Claveras Vs Alolod bout was one of 4 title bouts on this show. Another title fight saw the much under-rated Michael Dasmarinas (21-2, 13) take a decision win over Jhaleel Payao (11-1, 6) to claim the WBC Youth Super Flyweight title that Payao had won last year. This was, on paper, a brilliant match up between two talented Filipino youngsters and despite the loss for Payao we don't really see it as a major setback with both of these fighters likely to on to big things in the future. Another title bout saw Jonas Sultan (9-2, 5) take a competitive decision win over Rene Dacquel (14-5-1 5) to become the new GAB Super Flyweight champion. The remaining title bout saw the experienced, and often under-rated, Danilo Pena (27-21-4, 12) score a 7th round technical decision over Rey Juntilla (20-7-4, 13) to claim the LuzProBa Featherweight title, in what was an upset but not as much as the records of the fighters would suggest.

On the undercard there was several bouts. One of those saw the unbeaten Fighting Heno (5-0-3) take a very close decision win over John Ray Logatiman (3-2-1), another unbeaten fighter picking up a decision on this undercard was Cris Ocana (2-0, 1), who out pointed Diego Gabayeron (0-1). One unbeaten fighter who did score a stoppage was Lorence Rosas (4-0-2, 2) who defeated Alberto Pentecostes (1-6-1).

A stoppage on the under-card saw Eric Panza (8-4-1, 2) score a 3rd round KO as he took out the fragile Marco Niones (3-16, 1) with a body shot.

There were two other bouts on this card. One of those Ernie Mino (3-5-2) score an upset decision win against Masazumi Furukawa (6-7-2, 1) whilst the other saw Joel Taduran (5-2) out point career loser Jhon Jhon Faminiano (1-12-3).

Cotabato del Sur, Philippines
There was yet more Filipino action with a card at the Robinson's Mall Atrium with this one also featuring some notable young fighters.

Arguably the most notable of the fighters in action here was unbeaten prospect John Vincent Moralde (13-0, 7), who fought for the first time since his tragic bout with Brayd Smith in March. Moralde easily defeated William George (10-23, 3), who was stopped in the 3rd round, though there will continue to be questions over whether or not Moralde will ever become the fighter he was once expected to be. This win for the 21 year old was, however, a good step forward in terms of getting a read on his mentality in the ring.

Another notable youngster was Jake Bornea (10-1, 5) who saw off Richard Rosales (9-3-2, 4) in 4 rounds to claim the WBO Asia Pacific Youth Flyweight crown. Jake's younger brother Jade Bornea (4-0, 2) was also on this show as he over-came the previously unbeaten Salatiel Amit (6-1-2, 4) with an 8 round decision.

Yet another touted youngster in action here was Jelbirt Gomera (9-0, 6) who scored a 3rd round TKO win against the limited Prell Tupaz (9-28-5, 1) to claim the PBF Super Bantamweight title.

Arguably the best match up the card was a non-title contest that saw the talented Jetro Pabustan (26-2-6, 7) out point former world title challenger Vergilio Silvano (20-5-1, 12) over 10 rounds. Whilst Pabustan shouldn't yet be looking at t a world title fight this was the type of step up win that his career desperately needed. Another 10 round bout that also looked interesting ended in a draw between Junuel Lacar (7-1-2, 5) and Jimboy Haya (7-2-2, 4), we'll be honest this looked tasty on paper and proved to be a well matched contest between two young domestic level fighters each looking ton make their mark on the sport.

The under-card here had 5 bouts. From those bouts we saw a genuine upset as Jayar Diama (5-5-5, 2) leveled off his record with a decision win against Marjun Pantillgan (5-3, 4). Another decision win was scored by Joey Antonio (2-1-1), who claimed a majority decision over debutant Lony Cadayday (0-1). Another under-card bout that went to the judges saw Mark Bawaan (1-0-1) fight to a draw with the win-less Holly Quinones (0-4-1).

Under-card bouts that didn't go the distance saw Renz Magarce (7-0, 5) score a 4th round KO against Romulo Ramayan Jr (6-5-3, 3) and the debuting Vinz Paras (1-0, 1) blow away Romeo Garde (0-1)

Guerrero, Mexico
In Mexico we saw disappointment for Filipino fighter Jhon Gemino (12-4-1, 5) who suffered a 10 round decision defeat to unbeaten Mexican Andres Gutierrez (32-0-1, 22), who is now looking likely to get a major fight. Gemino was dropped early in the fight but fought back well, despite the loss.

It's been something like 5 weeks since the year began but it seems, at least, that boxing is starting to come alive in Asia. That was highlighted this past Saturday with a pair of notable shows.

Davao del Sur, Philippines
The most significant of the two shows was in the Philippines as ALA put on their first big show of the year which featured several notable fighters involved with the biggest Filipino promoter.

One of those major Filipino fighters was the world ranked Arthur Villanueva (27-0, 14) who put on a showcase performance against former WBO Flyweight champion Julio Cesar Miranda (28-12-2, 29). Villanueva had been less than impressive in his previous two bouts but really shone here as he almost shut out the very dangerous Miranda of 10 rounds. Given that Villanueva has struggled recently it could well be that he felt the pressure was on to perform here and that he knew a potential world title fight was on the line coming into this bout.

Another fighter who performed was Light Welterweight hopeful Jason Pagara (35-2, 22) who decimated Mexican for Cesar Chavez (24-8, 12) in just 2 rounds. Chavez was bounced off the canvas several times before being stopped at the 1:56 mark of the second round. For Pagara this was the statement performance he needed to move towards his own big fight.

The remaining headline bout from this show was a bit more disappointing as Super Bantamweight hopeful Genesis Servania (26-0, 11) took a wide but unspectacular decision win over Juan Luis Hernandez (17-4-1, 9), who seemed happier to survive than try to win. The crowd seemed to be disappointed by the end of this but know that Servania can produce so much better than they saw in this bout.

As well as the trio of main bouts that card also featured several very exciting prospects on the under-card. The most notable of those was Featherweight hopeful Mark Magsayo (10-0, 8) who stopped Thailand's Sukkasaem Kietyongyuth (13-4, 8) in 5 rounds. This was an especially notable result considering it took the world ranked Ik Yang 8 rounds to stop Sukkasem late last year.

Another unbeaten prospect scoring an early win was Arjan Canillas (10-0-2, 8) who blew away Stevi Ongen Ferdinandus (15-8-1, 8) in 4 rounds whilst Brian Lobetania (10-0-3, 8) took less than 2 rounds to see off Armando Yee (2-7-3, 1).

Just a couple of bouts on this under card went the distance. One of those saw the heavy handed Vic Saludar (9-1, 7) going the distance for the second time as he took an 8 round decision over Lester John Pronco (9-9-1, 6). The other saw Arnold Garde (4-3-2, 1) drop Rafael Sueno (3-2, 3) en route to a 6 round decision win.

Tokyo, Japan
Whilst the Philippines had contenders in action Japan had a former Linear champion in action, albeit one who is really rebuilding his career after a serious injury.

That former world champion was former WBC and linear Flyweight champion Toshiyuki Igarashi (20-2-1, 11) who is now campaigning at Super Flyweight. Igarashi struggled somewhat in his bout as he over-came under-rated Efrain Perez (17-6, 12), who also gave Mark Anthony Geraldo a tough bout recently, with a 10th round technical decision. Igarashi was fighting for just the second time following major surgery and seem to be a long way from title contention still.

In the chief support bout we saw a genuine upset as Yuto Shimizu (9-2-2, 3) scored a very unexpected stoppage win over the usually tough Takehiro Shimokawara (19-10-3, 6). Shimokawara retired at the end of the 7th round with a cut eye and looked to be on his way to another round of hurt had he continued here. Shimizu's win was his 6th in a row and we'd not be shocked to see him in the running for a title bout of some type later this year.

Another stoppage in a key support bout saw Kenichi Ogawa (14-1, 12) score a 1-punch KO against Kazuya Nakano (8-4, 7) in the 3rd round of their bout. The referee waved this one off as Nakano was down without counting.

In a competitive 6 rounder Heisuke Ono (6-2-2, 5) took a majority decision over Tatsuya Mukai (5-4-2, 1). The cards here were a bit all over the place with one judge having the bout level whilst another had it a shut out.

The only other decision on this card came in one of 3 all debutant bouts as Akira Tsutsumi (1-0) narrowly beat Takuma Izumi (0-1).

The remaining 4 bouts on this card all ended early with the longest lasting just a round and a half. That saw the unbeaten Ryota Toyoshima (1-0-1, 1) score his first win as he stopped Makoto Takahashi (1-8-1, 1) at 1:28 of round 2. The quickest of the remaining bouts lasted just 52 seconds as Ryo Matsubara (2-1, 2) blew away Yugo Ueda (3-2, 2). The other opening round blows out saw Hayate Kaji (1-0, 1) see off Tomonari Ohira (0-1) whilst Daiki Funayama (1-0, 1) stopped Seiji Nakazawa (0-1).

(Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)

This Saturday was certainly a busy day in Asian boxing with several notable cards taking place. For now we know we're missing some results though hope to have them added short. For now however we've got all the results we've managed to collect.

Cebu City, Philippines
The biggest card of the day, by some margin in regards to the Asian fight scene, was in the Philippines where ALA Promotions put on the 28th “Pinoy Pride” show. The show was full of names really was a great card for those lucky enough to catch it with an unexpected FOTY contender, the continued development of one of the best prospects in world boxing and a world title fight being 3 of the many notable stories on the card.

The first of the notable fights featured one of the more under-rated prospects in Asian boxing, Mark Magsayo (9-0, 7). Magsayo caught our attention last year on a “Pinoy Pride” card and impressed again today as he easily beat Korean youngster Moon-Sun Jung (2-4-3) in the second round of their clash. On paper, and in the ring, this was a mismatch however Jung had gone 10 rounds in a Korean national title fight just 2 months ago so the fact Magsayo stopped him so quickly was very impressive. We'll not pretend Magsayo is going to be fast tracked to a world title but we'd advise fans to keep an eye out for this talented youngster dubbed “Magnifico”.

Magsayo was far from the only Filipino to impress on this card and another man who impressed was the unknown Jomar Fajardo (14-5-2, 7) who really caught the attention of the fans and media in attendance as he put on a stirring performance to hold Francisco Rodriguez Jr (16-2-1, 11) to a split decision draw. Fajardo entered the bout as a massive under-dog whilst Rodriguez Jr was a unified world champion at Minimumweight and a man with an eye on fighting Donnie Nietes. Fajardo left the bout as man many now want to see against whilst Rodriguez Jr is man who has lost some lustre despite unifying the WBO and IBF Minimuweight titles this year.

Another fighter who thoroughly impressed was the unbeaten "Prince" Albert Pagara (22-0, 15) who defended his IBF Inter-Continental Super Bantamweight title with a punch perfect performance against the teak tough Mexican Raul Hirales (22-4-1, 11). Hirales's only contribution to this fight was his heart and toughness and for 12 rounds he was the recipient of head and clean shots by Pagara who seemed to be ready for much, much tougher assignments, in fact a world title bout in 2015 isn't out of the question for this wonderfully gifted young fighter who has superstar written all over him.

In the show's main event we again saw an impressive performance by the home fighter as WBO Light Flyweight world champion Donnie Nietes (34-1-4, 20) recorded the 5th defence of the title as he defeated Carlos Velarde (26-4-1, 14). Nietes started slowly and worked our what Velarde had to offer before moving through the gears in round 4 and 5 to eventually break down the Mexican challenger who retired on his stool at the end of round 7. We'll be honest the bout was disappointing given our expectations but there was no doubt about the better man despite the rather anti-climatic ending to the bout. Nietes now appears to have 2 clears options, he can either begin his pursuit of a title at Flyweight, as we suspect the original plan was, or he could fight Rodriguez Jr in 2015 to add another defence to his record. Either option would be interesting and we're looking forward to seeing what he does next.

Of course not all the Filipino fighters on the show were impressive and it's fair to say that the least impressive, at least in terms of result, was former WBO Minimumweight champion Merlito Sabillo (23-2-1, 12) who suffered his second stoppage defeat of the year. Sabillo was making his return to the ring following his first loss, a stoppage loss to the previously mentioned Rodriguez jr, and fought as if he had the need to make an impression on the fans. Sadly for Sabillo he was a bit too wild and was caught by a nasty counter by Indonesian visitor Faris Nenggo (8-7-3, 3) which left Sabillo with an ugly cut that eventually forced the end of the bout in round 4. It was a disappointing fight for the exciting Sabillo though it was a freak result in many ways and it's unlikely he'll ever suffer such a bad cut again.

Former world title contender AJ Banal (32-2-1, 22) recorded his 4th straight win as he over-came Thai visitor Maxsaisai Sithsaithong (15-6, 4) though left many wondering what was left for Banal. The talented and heavy handed fighter did what he needed to here to take a clear win but it's fair to say that many were hoping he's close the show against his Thai foe who came up short in an OPBF title fight earlier this year.

It's also fair to say that Milan Melindo (32-1, 12) failed to leave a great impression despite a clear win over Saul Juarez (22-4, 11) in an IBF Light Flyweight title eliminator. Melindo was the better fighter through out but failed to show the power he will need to win a world title at 108lbs. His skills are great, as shown again, but his lack of power really is going to be an issue every time he fights a top tier fighter.

Deagu, South Korea
As well as the action in the Philippines we also had titles on offer in South Korea where there were 2 national title fights on a small but yet interesting card as the Korean boxing scene continues to grow, despite what appears to be two clearly different factions action as a commission.

In a somewhat farcical Super Middleweight title bout fans saw Eun Chang Lee (8-4, 4) successfully defend his title with a 6th round TKO against the woefully undeserving Young Kyoon Lee (1-14-1). We're unsure how Lee qualified for a title fight given that he's not recorded a win in almost 6 years though thankfully his win-less streak continued here or it really would have been an embarrassment for the title to have been held by such an unqualified champion.

Thankfully the other title fight on this show was much more entertaining in the ring and interesting on paper as Ik Soo Han (7-3, 2) took on Jon Won Won (7-14-1, 3). The bout saw Han winning the previously vacant Korean Super Featherweight title with a 4th round knockout of Won though had to pull himself off the canvas earlier in the round in what made for an entertaining contest. Sadly for Won this was his 8th loss in a Korean title fight and comes some 30 months after being stopped in a Korean Lightweight title bout by IK Yang.

As well as the two title bouts we also had two female bouts. One of those was an 8 rounder that saw Hye Soo Park (4-7-1, 1) take a dominant decision over Thai visitor Dorkmaipah Kiatpompetch (0-4) in a contest that saw the Korean winning every round of the bout. The other female bout saw Hyun Sook Jun (3-1, 2) scoring a 4th round TKO over Pantip Sor Suwannaresort (0-3).

The rest of the undercard featured a featured a pair of 4 rounders. These saw Sung Hwan Kim (2-0-3) take a decision over the win-less Jin Soo Jung (0-5) in a bout scored 39-37 by all 3 judges whilst the debuting Jung Ho Jang (1-0, 1) took out Eun Jin Kim (0-1) in the 4th round of their bout.

Nakhon Nayok, Thailand
There were two shows in Thailand with one of them coming from Nakhon Nayok. This show was headlined by a WBC regional title fight that saw a controversial ending following a clear low blow by Petchchorhae Kokietgym (9-0, 6) in round 3 that sent Indonesia's Rizky Pratama (2-1) down in agony. The Indon fighter got to his feet but the bout was waved off to give the bout a genuine bizarre finish.

On the undercard we saw recent world title contender Terdsak Kokietgym (54-5-1, 34) score an easy win over the over-matched Hengka (0-1) who was taken out with a nasty body shot from the Thai veteran. Although the bout was a mismatch in favour of the talented Thai it did come just weeks after his hard, but very exciting, loss to Orlando Salido in Mexico.

A third bout on this card saw Petchnamchai KKP (2-0, 2) defeat the limited but brave Ricardo Sithsaithong (0-1) in 2 rounds. Sithsaithong tried to give it a go but was hurt and looked lost trying to defend himself until the referee mercifully stepped in.

Chonburi, Thailand
In Chonburi we had the other Thai show that was headlined by South Korean fighter Myung-goo Yuh (22-4-1, 17) who stopped Thailand's very own Mongkol Charoen (25-4, 8) in the 6th round of their scheduled 10 rounder. On the undercard Gurlal Redbluegym 1-0, 1) scored a 4th round win over Watchasin Mukarsa (0-1) whilst Kuldeep Redbluegym (1-0) stopped Rachatapon Tongplia (0-1), sadly we've not come across any footage of these bouts.

Gauteng, South Africa
In South Africa we sadly saw two Russian fighters suffer defeat, albeit in very different fashion.

In a very disappointing performance Denis Grachev (13-5-1, 8) suffered his 4th straight loss, and his 5th in 6 bouts, as he retired on his stool against the unbeaten Thomas Oosthuizen (23-0-2, 14). The bout, for the WBC International Light Heavyweight title, was poor from the beginning though Grachev never once found his form in the bout before running out of steam and being given a bit of a hiding. The retirement in his stool wasn't what was Grachev would have wanted but it does effectively end his hopes of ever landing a world title fight.

In a more controversial contest the previously unbeaten Roman Belaev (14-1, 10) suffered an 11th round technical decision loss to Ali Funeka (36-4-3, 29) in a bout for the IBO Welterweight title. The information on this one is scarce though two cards read 105-104 in favour of the home fighter whilst a third card read 109-100 and we suspect the bout was much closer than that final card.

Tokyo, Japan
Unfortunately we were very slow to get the Japanese results from the day however here they are, a couple of days late.

In the main event Keita Nakano (12-9-3, 3) managed to force a 6th round stoppage against the chinny Takaaki Ishikawa (10-6, 5) in what was scheduled to go 8. This was Ishikawa's 6th stoppage defeat and some need to wonder if he would be better off retiring now, especially given that he has been stopped in 3 of his last 4.

The chief support bout was a 6 rounder that saw Ryuto Araya (7-2-1, 1) scoring his first stoppage victory as he took out Tsubasa Mochizuki (6-5, 2) with less than 30 seconds remaining.

From the 7 bouts scheduled to go 4 rounds we saw another trio of stoppages. The fastest of those came in 98 seconds as debutant Jinya Miyagi (1-0, 1) blew away fellow novice Sho Sekine (0-1). It took Takahiko Suzuki (5-2, 4) most of round 3 to see off Yuji Awata (3-3, 2) whilst Shota Irie (1-1, 1) needed 30 seconds of the final round to defeat Shuhei Hamano (0-2).

In bouts that went the distance we saw 3 very competitive matches. The closest of those saw Toshizane Kinoda (4-1, 1) take a majority decision over Wataru Yokoyama (1-3, 1) in a very close bout. The action was similarly close in Huzuki Saso's (3-1) win over Yuki Uchida (2-2) and in Tasuku Nakagawa's (2-1) win over Yuta Onishi (2-3, 2). The only clear decision winner was Rei Ochiai (3-3-4) who clearly beat Mio Mizokami (4-8-2, 2)

We're sorry for having results up late though this past Monday featured two low level 

Kunming, China
The main action of the day was in China as Zovi promotion showcased some of their most promising fighters. 

The most promising of those fighters in action was Qiu Xiao Jun (14-2, 6) who successfully defended his WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Super Bantamweight title with an excellent opening round KO against Ruslan Berchuk (8-4, 4). Jun, one of the most talented prospects plying his trade in the Chinese mainland, looked sensational here though the fight was too short to really learn anythign new about Jun.

A second title fight on this show saw Yang Xing Xin (9-3-2, 6) retained his WBC Youth World Welterweight with an 8th round TKO against Kongsuk Patanakan Gym (3-3-1, 1). Xin isn't as promising as Jun though this is still a good win for the 22 year old dubbed "The Chinese Warrior".

On the undercard we had 3 low level bouts. One of those was a 6 rounder that saw the debuting Bao Dong (1-0) take a majority decision over the previously unbeaten Xu Chan (4-1). In a female bout Cai Zong (1-0) took a 4 round decision over Li Yun Ting (0-1) whilst in a second 4 rounder saw the debuting Shi Hao Tian (1-0) out pointed Yang Hui (0-2).

Misamis Occidental, Philippines
In the Philippines fans got a small but entertaining show as part of the continuing ALA shows sponsored by a local energy drink company.

The main event on this show saw the very promising Mark Magsayo (8-0, 6) blast out Jessie Tuyor (6-13-4, 3) inside a round. The victory was eye catching and show case the ability of Magsayo who looks like one of the most promising young Filipino's out there.

Other KO's on this show included Geo Santisima (3-2, 2) taking out Roland Magluyan (3-6-1) in the 2nd round, Peter Apolinar (3-0, 3) stopping Jhofel Camo-Camo (4-7, 2), also in the second round. Another bout saw Vicente Casido (3-0, 2) taking out the debuting Edgar Emperoso (0-1) inside a round and a 3rd round stoppage victory for Ryan Canillas (4-2-3, 3) who defeated John Dax Zamoras (0-1).

Two bouts on this show went the distance. These saw Takaomi Naoma (2-3) take a victory over Jason Orteza (0-1) and Kazuma Ijiri (1-0) take debut victory over Johnrey Lorico (2-6).

It seems that, in recent weeks, it's been Japanese boxing that has been getting all the headlines. This past Saturday however our main interest was in Filipino fighters with the Philippines hosting two separate shows, both in Metro Manilla.

Metro Manila, Philippines
The bigger of the two Filipino cards was "Pinoy Pride XXV" a show otherwise known as Nietes Vs Fuentes II. With the name of the show coming from the main event which saw Donnie Nietes (33-1-4, 19) dominate Mexico Moises Fuentes (19-2-1, 10).

We had, foolishly, written off Nietes going in to this bout but he looked sensational as he out boxed a fundementally one dimensional Fuentes. The Mexican, who we felt beat Fuentes in their first bout, was tagged from the outside, neutralised up close and eventually stopped in the 9th round by a man who seemed to be wanting to make a statement that he was one of the divisional elite. Unfortunately however it seems unlikely Nietes will get a unification bout though it was said that he'd like a fight with either Juan Francisco Estrada or Roman Gonzalez, we'd love either of those fights.

Although the main event was a clear and dominant victory for the Filipino fighter the support bouts were much, much closer. The closest saw a below par Milan Melindo (31-1, 12) struggle past a game Martin Tecuapetla (11-6-2, 8). Tecuapetla did enter as the #5 ranked Light Flyweight, according to the WBA, but this was still a very poor effort from Melindo who was lucky to escape with a majority decision.

Things were also close for Rey Bautista (35-3, 25) who defeated Sergio Villanueva (26-4-2, 13) in a competitive bout. Bautista, fighting for the first in over a year, was given a very tough time by Villanueva as ring rust showed it's self on the Filipino but victory and decision will do the popular "Boom Boom" the world of good and hopefully help him "fall back in love" with boxing.

Down the card we got to see a number of promising prospects in action. The most impressive of those was Mark Bernaldez (13-0, 9) who forced a first round retirement of the experienced Marvin Tampus (27-19-2, 18). Bernaldez was expected to win but no one expected this one to be over so early and with such an impressive victory, on paper at least, Bernaldez will almost certainly be receiving more attention.

Another prospect who scored an early stoppage was Filipino based Cuban Reymi Castellano Aleye (5-0, 2) who stopped Warren Mambuanag (6-5-2, 3) in 5 rounds of a scheduled 6 rounder. The Cuban has been helping Nonito Donaire prepare for his upcoming bout with Simpiwe Vetyeka and looks to have improved himself from that time in the gym with the "Filipino Flash".

One of the other, very highly regarded prospects on this card was Mark Magsayo (6-0, 4) who was taken the 6 round distance by tough Korean Hyuk-Tak Joo (1-2). Hyuk-Tak Joo was one of two Koreans on the card with Sung-Tak Joo (5-0-3, 1), we believe Hyuk's brother, fighting to a draw with Joseph Von Minoza (14-6-1, 6).


The one other bout on this show saw the stoppage streak of JK Elorde (4-0, 3) come to an end as the debuting Jeffrey Garcia (0-1) saw out the 4 round schedule.

Metro Manila, Philippines
Whilst much of the attention was focussed on the Pinoy Pride card at the SM Mall of Asia Arena there was also a second Filipino show, held at the Olivarez Stadium. This show lacked the world class feel of the other show but still managed to give us title action as we had a trio of international bouts with titles on the line.

In the main event of the show the WBO Oriental Bantamweight champion Alie Laurel (12-3, 8) successfully defended his title with an opening round blow out over the horribly over-matched Mike Espanosa (12-7-1, 7). From what we understand Espanosa was a late replacement for unbeaten Indonesian Defry Palulu unfortunately robbing us of what would have been an excellent match up.


Although the main event was an all-Filipino battle the other two title bouts saw Filipino's fighting Japanese opponents in two regional title bouts. In an expected result fans saw Tosho Makoto Aoki (17-12-2, 14) claim the WBC Asian Boxing Council Lightweight title with a stoppage victory over limited Filipino Jonel Alibio (16-18-5, 8). Although Aoki did what was expected of him we've got to admit we were a little shocked by the fact Argie Toquero (7-3-1, 5) scored a 9th round TKO over former world title challenger Kenichi Yamaguchi (17-3-2-1, 4). This victory for Toquero saw him claiming the WBC Asian Boxing Council Bantamweight title.

Another stoppage came on the undercard the brilliantly named Warlight Dapidran (2-0, 1) stopped the debuting Juanito Paredes (0-1) in the second round of a scheduled 4 rounder. In the other 4 rounders Riku Kanou (1-1-1) fought to a draw with the debuting Vecinte Montecino (0-0-1) and Kenta Ide (1-1) defeated Jason Catalin (0-2).


Frenkendorf, Switzerland
In Switzerland there was also a little bit of Japanese action as Swiss based Japanese female fighter Aniya Seki (24-2-2, 2) recorded an opening round stoppage over the massively over-matched Alexandra Gorog (5-15-1, 1). Seki is a talented fighter and bouts like that are unnecessary for her, especially when you consider she really should be competing with some of the best in the world.

(Image thanks to ALA Gym)