Tokyo, Japan This past Monday only saw a single Asian show that took place at the Korakuen Hall. In the main event Japanese fans saw history being created as they saw the first 3-weight female Japanese world champion being crowned as the brilliant Naoko Fujioka (14-1, 6) claimed the WBO female Bantamweight title. The former Minimumweight and Super Flyweight champion easily over-came tough but limited Korean fighter Hee Jung Yuh (15-3, 6) in what was a near shut out by the fabulous Fujioka. Aged 40 it seems likely that Fujioka is in the twilight of her career but given her ability there is certainly plenty left for her to achieve before her career. In the co-feature fans saw a thriller as the much touted Hikaru Marugame (5-0-1, 3) fought to a split decision draw with the highly experienced Jonathan Baat (30-6-4, 14), who was celebrating his 40th professional bout. Baat, who entered this bout on a 3 fight winning streak, was seen as being a calculated risk for Marugame though it's one that almost came back to bite the 25 year old who was really tested here. Another of the feature bouts saw former amateur star Naoto Uebayashi (8-1-1, 4) claim an 8 round decision win over Atsushi Hosogai (7-10). This was Uebayashi's first bout since he was stopped by Giovanni Escaner in April. Although back to winning ways we do suspect that Uebayashi's career is going to fail to reach the heights expected of him. In another 8 rounder Yuki Nakai (7-4-2, 2) defeated Hisashi Owada (6-10-1, 1). The only 6 rounder saw a shock as Wataru Seino (5-3, 5) blasted away Akihiro Furukawa (12-7-1, 9) inside a round whilst the only 4 rounder saw Wataru Ikegami (1-0, 1) stopped Natsuki Matsumoto (0-1) in 2 rounds. (Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)
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This past Wednesday was a brilliant day for boxing fans in Japan with notable shows in both Osaka and Tokyo. The fights ranged from world level to prospect level, on both shows, yet they both featured some genuinely exciting fights that delivered what was promised. Osaka, Japan Of the two shows it was the one in Osaka that was the more high profile and interesting. The card featured everything from a debutant to world title bouts, and went through everything in between in what was a spectacular day of action in the Osaka Prefectural gymnasium. We'll start with the main event which looked like a mouth watering bout when it was first rumoured and proved to be every big as good in the ring. That bout saw Japanese star Kazuto Ioka (17-1, 10) become a 3rd weight world champion at the third time of asking as he narrowly over-came Argentinian warrior Juan Carlos Reveco (35-2, 19) in a really close and competitive bout for the WBA Flyweight title. Reveco entered the bout seeking his 9th defense of the crown and at times looked like he was getting the better of things until Ioka made changes late to pull out a very close majority decision in a bout that was everything boxing fans should enjoy. The one, unfortunate, thing about the bout was the Argentinian TV channel screening the fight. They sadly appeared to be a bit “too” pro-Reveco leading many fans to the idea that the close bout was a robbery, when it really was too close to call. The other world title bout was also marred in controversy as Katsunari Takayama (29-7-0-1, 11) retained his IBF Minimumweight title with a 9th round technical decision win over gutsy Thai Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr (27-4-1, 15). Sakkreerin had been less than impressive in his previous visit to Japan, losing a wide decision to the sensationally talented Takuma Inoue, and we expected a 1-sided bout here though in the end the bout ended up being compelling with Takayama being his usual all-action aggressive fighter. The aggression of Takayama regularly forced Sakkreerin against the ropes where he fought as a counter puncher in a fight that was brilliant to watch. Sadly the bout was marred by an ending that left everyone confused. Originally it looked like the title was going to change hands with Takayama being stopped due to facial damage only for the cards to be read with Takayama retaining the title with a close decision. The odd ending has lead to calls for a rematch and we'd certainly be in favour of seeing these two go at again. As well as the pair of world title contests there was also a Japanese title fight as the unbeaten Sho Ishida (19-0, 10) was given his stiffest test so far. Ishida, defending the Japanese Super Flyweight title for the second time, only just kept a hold of his belt with a split decision win over Taiki Eto (14-4, 10). Ishida started well and appeared in control for the most part but stamina issues in the later rounds allowed Eto to come on strong in a bout that left us with questions about Ishida. We suspect it was a “bad night” for the unbeaten champion but he clearly has work to do before getting a world title fight. One man who looked like he was ready for a title fight was former WBA Minimumweight champion Ryo Miyazaki (23-1-3, 14) who made light work of the over-matched Namphol Sithsaithong (7-10, 5) in what was a very clear tune up bout for the popular Japanese fighter. It now seems likely that Miyazaki will be looking for a fight with countryman Ryoichi Taguchi in the summer, if Taguchi is successful in his upcoming WBA Light Flyweight world title defense. On the under-card there were several notable fighters. One of those was 2014 Super Flyweight Rookie of the Year Masayoshi Hashizume (8-0, 5) who made light work of Saenrachan Sor Theptanee (0-2) with a 3rd round KO. Hashizume has an exciting style and we're hoping to see him step up to facing Japanese ranked foes by the end of this year, though it's unlikely he'll be getting a title fight any time soon. Another Rookie of the Year winner on the under-card was Reiya Konishi (8-0, 4) who scored a very notable 8 round decision win over Kenta Shimizu (8-5-1, 4). This was by far the best win so far for the talented Konishi who looks like a title contender in the making. A third unbeaten prospect on the under-card was female hopeful Kei Takenaka (9-0, 3) who took a clear 6 round decision win over Thai visitor Kanittha Saknarong (0-3). We're now expecting to see Takenaka move towards a more notable fight though the former OPBF female Light Flyweight title holder really does need a better test before she steps up to world level. In the 4 rounders on the card fans saw two clear decisions. One of those saw Hayate Ikuta (1-0) make a successful debut as he took a clear win over Seita Shimamiya (1-4) whilst the other saw Noriyuki Imamura (3-3) level off his record with a win over Genki Inoue (1-5-1, 1). Tokyo, Japan In Tokyo fans had a show at the popular Korakuen Hall and although this was massively over-shadowed by the Osaka show it was incredibly entertaining and significant in it's own right. The main event here was an exciting split decision win for Ricky Sismundo (28-8-1, 12) who over-came former Japanese Lightweight champion Akihiro Kondo (21-6-1, 10). Although Kondo often brought the action he was regularly countered by his foe, a Japanese based Filipino, who was a very worthy winner. Amazingly this was Kondo's 5th bout in 9 months, sadly however it was his 3rd loss in that period whilst Sismundo has now won back-to-back fights follow a loss to Masayoshi Nakatani in an OPBF title bout last year. Sismundo's win wasn't the only success for Filipino fighters on this card as Giovanni Escaner (13-3, 9) scored a slight upset win over touted Japanese prospect Naoto Uebayashi (7-1-1, 4). Uebayashi was stopped in the 8th round of the bout by the talented Escaner who has now scored back-to-back wins in Japan and appeared to be quickly developing into an exciting and strong fighter who will be a handful for a lot of fighters. Things weren't so bad for Uebyashi's stablemate Hikaru Marugame (4-0, 2) who took a career best victory over Wataru Miyasaka (9-3-1, 2). Marugame was the clear winner but was pushed for the first time in his career and this 8 rounder will certainly have served his development well. Miyasaka may have come up short but certainly did his standing no harm and will likely be put in other good bouts in the near future. On the undercard we ended up with some very competitive bouts. One of those saw Ken Otogawa (7-5, 5) score an upset against Yasuki Katagiri (4-2, 1) in a bout that was scored 58-56 to Otoggawa by all 3 judges. Another bout saw Tomoyuki Yokota (5-3, 2) upset the more experienced Akihiro Furukawa (12-6-1, 9) with a razor thin decision, scored 56-55 twice and 57-55. A third 6 rounder saw Hisasi Owada (6-9-1, 1) score a relatively unexpected stoppage win as he finished off Hikaru Takaki (6-7, 5) at the end of round 4. We saw another stoppage in the sole 4 rounder on this show as Shintaro Hirohama (2-3-1, 2) stopped Takahiro Yamanishi (1-4) in the 3rd round. (Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp) Tokyo, Japan Earlier today Japanese fans got a treat thanks to Ichiriki promotions who put on “Fighting Bee Vol 10” from the Korakuen Hall. The card wasn't a blockbuster card of international names and thrilling contests but was as good a domestic card as you are likely to see anywhere on the planet. It featured everything from former world title challengers to hungry young prospects, from former national champions to veterans looking to recapture some former glory. The card began with it's weakest contest. A 6 rounder between Tatsuya Otsubo (6-6-1, 3) and Yudai Tamagawa (6-6-1, 2). On paper it was was almost perfectly matched and it showed at Otsubo narrowly took home the win with a competitive unanimous decision. Whilst it was a “weak bout” in some ways it was the sort of competitive bout that you can't help but love and beats the typical prospect Vs loser that we see all too often in the west. A bout that ended up being well matched bout saw Tonko Nakagawa (12-6-2, 4) take an 8 round majority decision win over Ryuta Wakamatsu (10-11, 7). This was a third meeting between the two men and for the first time Wakamatsu managed to see out the schedule. Strangely upon entering all 3 bouts Wakamatsu had even records reading 4-4, 6-6 and now 10-10. For Nakagawa this was his first win in over 18 months, which may explain why he was matched with his old foe. The one bout that always looked like a mismatch ended the way many would have suspected as Yudai Arai (6-1-3, 3) easily over-came the limited but tough Yasuhiro Sakurai (7-18) with a very clear decision win. For us the most impressive result was scored by the hotly tipped Hikaru Marugame (3-0, 2) who made surprisingly easy work of the usually durable Ryoji Okahata (9-10-5, 1). Okahata had been stopped once in his previous 23 bouts, a 6th round TKO to Shingo Wake, though was no match for Marugame who took him out in just 2 rounds and sent out a real statement of intent. Aged 25 Marugame may well be amongst the best “hidden gems” in world boxing though this was his first fight in 13 months and hopefully they'll be no more long breaks like that. Marugame's stablemate Naoto Uebayashi (7-0-1, 4) scored the best win of his career as he clearly beat former world title challenger Oscar Blanquet (32-9-1, 23). Sadly whilst this looked great on paper it really was a case of Uebayashi being much too big for Blanquet. Uebayashi is a natural Bantamweight, though he has tested the waters at Super Bantamweight, whilst Blanquet is best known as a Flyweight, where he fought Akira Yaegashi and Roman Gonzalez, and that size difference really told in the end, despite Blanquet proving his toughness here and climbing off the canvas in round 7 In the chief support bout fans saw the return to the ring of Gosuke Seki (16-1-2, 3) who was fighting for the first time since he failed in a Japanese Featherweight title tilt to Satoshi Hosono back in June. Seki managed to bounce back with a win as he over-came the under-rated Yuta Nagai (28-11-4, 19) with a 5th round technical decision though things were close prior to the bout being stopped. Prior to the stoppage both men were bleeding and the cuts were getting worse. The main event ended with a genuine unset as the unheralded Tomoya Yamada (12-5, 3) managed to take a split decision over former Japanese Lightweight champion Akihiro Kondo (20-5-1, 9). Tomoya, a former Rookie of the Year winner, was dropped in round 4 though gritted his teeth and engaged in a war with Kondo to take a razor thin split decision. The win was Yamada's first in more than 3 years. Sadly for Kondo it was his second loss in 3 bouts and he may well be considering his future. Cebu, Philippines In the Philippines ALA put on a small 5 fight card that would have gone below the radar were it not for the fact that 8 of the 10 men involved were unbeaten going into the show. One of those bouts saw Jeffrey Concerman (2-0, 1) scoring his first stoppage as he over-came Adrian Paul Varona (0-1-1) in the 3rd round in a bout scheduled for 4 rounds. Notable the other two 4 round bouts both ended in draws with Ricardo Sueno (1-0-1, 1) fighting a level bout with Kenneth Neron (1-0-1) and Archie Moyani (1-0-1, 1) was unable to over-come Ronnie Campus (1-0-1, 1). As well as the 4 rounders the fans also got a pair of 6 round bouts. One of those ended in a small shock Rafael Sueno (3-1, 3) scored an opening round blow out against the previously unbeaten Robert Ates (3-1, 2). The remaining bout saw Peter Apolinar (4-0, 4) over-come the win-less Takaoki Noma (0-4-1), who was stopped in the 6th round. Eastern Cape, South Africa In South Africa fans saw Filipino fighter Roli Gasca (22-7-1, 6) come up controversially short against the heavy handed Lusanda Komanisi (18-3, 16) in a bout for the IBO Featherweight title. From the reports we've been sent Gasca was on the bad end of a poor decision that was similar to the recent Mauricio Herrera/Jose Benavidez one where by a light punching fighter seems to have been punished for not having KO power despite outlanding and out skilling his heavy handed foe. (Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp, from the Uebayashi Vs Blanquet fight) Hiroshima, Japan One of the many rising stars of Japanese boxing is Naoto Uebayashi (6-0-1, 4) who continued his rise through the rankings with an easy victory over Thailand's previously unbeaten Singnoi Singmanasak (1-1). It's fair to say Uebayashi has a lot of improving to do but his continued success it almost expected due to his days as an amateur. Sadly after wins over wins over Marjohn Yap and Anis Ceunfin this was a notable step backwards from Uebayashi who should be put in more developmental fights considering he's now in his mid 20's. As well as Uebayashi's win on this card there was another early blow out with Ryuji Ikeda (7-2-1, 3) taking out debuting Thai Fasung Manopchaigym (0-1) in just 2 rounds. For the fans who were wanting something in terms of distance fights the under-card featured a trio of distance bouts. These saw Kazuya Okubo (2-0) extending his winning run as he over-came Takuya Fujio (1-3-1) with a clear cut decision, Taiyo Inoue (2-1, 1) moved to a plus even record with a divisive decision over Hayata Komen (0-1) and Hironori Miyake (2-3, 1) who over-came Masashi Kamon (0-1) (Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp) This past Monday may not have been the busiest day in boxing but it was still an interesting one courtesy of a single show which featured several promising prospects. Tokyo, Japan The main bout saw the highly touted Naoto Uebayashi (5-0-1, 3) stopping Indonesian visitor Anis Ceunfin (16-19-5, 6) in the 5th of a scheduled 10 rounds. Uebayashi, pictured lining up a right hand on Ceunfin, is tipped for stardom and a bout against an experience foe like Ceunfin was expected to teach him new things, instead the Japanese fighter just dominated his opponent from the off. Uebayashi wasn't the only promising and unbeaten fighter on the show as hard hitting Lightweight Kenta Onjo (3-0, 3) managed to extend his winning run with a fantastic victory over Ryuji Ikeda (6-2-1, 2). Going in we were unsure on how good Onjo was but on the back of this we need to admit he is very promising and could go a very long way. The two main events were pretty one sided in terms of outcomes but the two support bouts, each scheduled for 6, were both somewhat competitive. Unfortunately one of those ended early as Yuji Okinori (6-1-1, 1) was forced to have a 3 round technical draw with Yudai Arai (3-1-3, 2). The other bout saw Joe Takeshima (6-3, 1) taking a split decision over Yudai Tamagawa (5-5-1, 2). The show opened with a trio of bouts scheduled for 4 rounds. Of those contests only a single one went the distance, this one saw the debuting Ryusei Nakajima (1-0) taking a clear debutant over Sho Yasutake (0-1). The other two bouts went a combined 4 minutes 57 seconds. The quicker of those two stoppages came after 2:12 seconds of the opening round as Masaharu Hanaka (3-0-1, 2) swiftly took out Masafumi Ando (2-4, 2), the other blow out, in an all debutant match up, saw Atsuhiko Suita (1-0, 1) wipe out Yoji Goto (0-1) at 2:45 in the opening round. (Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp) |
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