This past Friday was a busy in Asian boxing with 3 televised cards across the continent.

Ningbo, China
The most significant of the cards was in China where we had a trio of title bouts, all of which were won by local fighters as the Chinese boxing scene continues to develop, without kicking up much of a fuss.

The main event of the card was the most significant bout on offer and saw former world title challenger Xiong Zhao Zhong (26-6-1, 14) claim the OPBF Minimumweight title, and add it to his WBC International title. Zhong, China's only ever male world champion, looked better than ever as he out boxed Filipino fighter Crison Omayao (17-10-3, 5) to a wide decision. Omayao, well known for losses to Japanese fighters Naoya Inoue, who was making his debut at the time, and Kosei Tanaka, did put up a genuine effort but looked slightly lost against the more capable Zhong.

In another title bout China's Cai Zong Ju (6-1, 1) was very fortunate to take a decision win against Japanese warrior Mari Ando (12-8, 5), in a bout that saw Ju retain her WBC International female Minimumweight title. Ju started well but was really dragged into a war in the middle rounds as Ando came on strong, bust Ju's nose and gave her hell. Despite the genuinely competitive nature of the fight Hubert Minn some how had this one 8-2 to Ju in what is a genuine shocking score card.

The lesser of the title bouts here saw the really promising Xu Chan (7-2) claim the WBA Ocean Super Featherweight title with a 10 round decision win against Thai veteran Chaiyong Sithsaithong (37-14-4, 26). Chan, who does lack power, looked like there was plenty to get excited about but he will need to link up with a good trainer if he's to have the career that his naturally ability suggests he could have.

On the under-card fans got 3 non-televised bouts. One of those saw local fighter Bai Shan Bo (4-0-1, 1) take a 6 round decision against Indonesian veteran Heri Andriyanto (21-20-2, 10). On paper it was a good win for the novice but Andriyanto has gone 2-5 in his last 7 and now looks like a spent force. Another of those under-card bouts saw Thai based Iranian Mohamadreza Hamze (7-6-1, 2) take a decision win over the win-less Ju Xiang Huang (0-2), with Hamze bouncing back from a loss in South Korea. The remaining under-card bout was a female bout and saw the unbeaten Gao Li Jun (3-0, 1) over-come Thailand's Lookkaew Sithpracha (0-2).

Pathum Thani, Thailand
Zhong wasn't the only former world champion in action as Thai fans got the chance to see one of their former title holders in action in the headline bout of a card on Channel 7.

That former world champion was Suriyan Sor Rungvisai (45-6-1, 23) who retained his WBC ABCO Bantamweight title with an easy 2nd round KO win against Frans Damur Palue (11-10-2, 6). This was little more than a stay busy fight for Suriyan who really is just awaiting the WBC ordering a Bantamweight world title eliminator, possibly against Rodrigo Guerrero or possible with Liborio Solis.

Suriyan's younger brother Nawaphon Por Chokchai (30-0, 23) extended his perfect record with a farcical victory against Medgoen Por Kobkua (0-1). The bout saw Nawaphon give Medgoen several free shots in the first 3 rounds before fight back in round 4 and despatching the debutant with ease. We need to wonder what purpose this bout served other than to further bloat Nawaphon's record.

A more interesting match up, on paper at least, saw Ponsaklek Sithdabnij (5-3, 4) over-come Heri Purnomo (2-6, 1) with a 2nd round KO. Purnomo came to win and seemed to sting Pongsaklek I the opening round but had no answer to a second round assault as Pongsaklek moved up a gear.

Another 2nd round win on this card saw Kongfah Nakornluang (23-1, 14) get back to winning ways as he easily saw off Bovy Jumpolnamkaenglod (0-1). This was Kongfah's first bout since he suffered a shock loss to the aforementioned Pongsaklek.

Bangkok, Thailand
Another Thai card came from Bangkok and was aired on Channel 3.

The main event here was a PABA Super Flyweight title fight that saw Chatpetch Sithmorseng (12-3-2, 6) easily out point Filipino visitor Jetly Purisima (20-17-4, 5) in what was a shut out win for the Thai fight.

The really promising Romnakit PKT College (5-0, 3) went the distance for the second time in his career, though continued his perfect winning streak as he over-came Junar Adante (5-2-1, 2) over 8 rounds. Although relatively unknown outside of Thailand Ronnakit, also known as Ronnakit Technopoly Bangkok, does look to be a really promising fighter worth keeping an eye on.

Another unbeaten fighter extending their winning run on this card was Dennapa Kiatniwat (6-0, 3), who stopped Kongpichit Sithprayoon (0-4) in 4 rounds.

Tokyo, Japan
This past Friday there was 3 Asian shows with 2 in Japan. For us the more noteworthy of those came form the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.

The most notable bout on this card saw the always exciting Takuya Kogawa (24-4, 13) reclaim the Japanese Flyweight title to begin his second reign. The all-action warrior managed to out point the tough Hiroki Saito (9-5, 5) in an entrancing 10 round battle that brought the best from both men. Kogawa, who lost the title in 2013 to Suguru Muranaka, has now got a lot of exciting options in front of him, including a possible rematch with Muranaka or a chance to move into another world level bout with some really big names for the lower weights.

Whilst the main event was brilliant there was also 3 very good supporting match ups. One of those saw fringe Super Featherweight contender Shingo Eto (17-3-1, 9) move a step closer to fighting for the OPBF title as he out pointed Filipino veteran Edgar Gabejan (27-32-6, 9) in a very competitive bout. Although Gabejan's record is far from impressive he's actually a very solid fighter and showed that once again here.

Another supporting bout saw Hideo Sakamoto (16-1-3, 5) suffer an unfortunate draw with Hiroki Teshigawara (9-1-2, 4). Some at ringside felt this was a political decision that cost Sakamoto what should have been a clear but competitive decision win though the draw does keep the under-rated Bantamweight in the hunt for a title fight in the next few years. Although talented Sakamoto doesn't belong in the ring with the likes of Shohei Omori, though will be a good opponent for anyone at the domestic level.

The third of the noteworthy support bouts saw the under-rated Ryoichi Tamura (4-2-1, 1) take a split decision over heavy handed southpaw Yusuke Suzuki (6-2, 4) in an enthralling contest between two novice professionals putting it all on the line in what was a perfect example of what boxing is about. We won't pretend this was the highest skilled fight in history but it exemplified the fight game perfect.

As well as the 4 main bout this card also featured 5 lower level bouts, all scheduled for the 4 round distance.

Of those under-card bouts just a couple went this distance. These both saw wins for debutants with Kazuki Naya (1-0, 1) out pointing Daisuke Uchikawa (2-2-1, 1), in a competitive Featherweight bout, while Rikiya Ono (1-0) easily saw off Shogo Isaka (0-1).

A bout that almost saw the final bell ended with more than a minute of round 4 gone as 17 year old prospect Junto Nakatani (2-0, 2) stopped Akira Kokubo (1-6-3), giving Kokubo his first stoppage loss. The remaining bouts both ended in the opening round with Welterweight Shunsuke Nakamura (2-0, 1) stopping 34 year old debutant Akio Uwajima (0-1) at the end of the opening stance whilst Junki Kobayashi (2-1, 2) stopped Ryo Kato (1-2) midway through the opening stanza.

Osaka, Japan
The other Japanese card came from Osaka where Harada Promotions put on an 8 fight card.

The main event here saw Japanese domestic contender Tetsuya Hisada (23-9-2, 13) score a 2nd round TKO against fellow contender Atsushi Aburada (10-8, 6). Hisada came out swinging with bad intentions and a big flurry dropped Aburada early in the second before a follow up attacked forced the referee to step in. Coming in Aburada had, just 2 fights back, fought in a Japanese title fight against Yu Kimura but this loss ends any chance of him getting another any time soon. It does however open the door to Hisada getting a well deserved shot, something he's amazingly never had before.

The co-feature bout here saw Riichi Kawase (7-6-3, 2) score a 2nd round KO against Hiroki Yoshimura (7-12, 4), who has now been stopped 10 times. Yoshimura beat the 10 count but was waved off by the referee. Another early win saw Kyohei Tonomoto (7-2, 3) take out Paisitong Muangsima (0-1) in 161 seconds.

In a 6 rounder Hiroshi Takagi (5-4, 1) took a decision win over the very light punching Takahiko Nakajima (4-7-1). This win for Takagi was his third in a row and it's fair to say he has turned his career around after a 2-4-1 start. He is however unlikely to progress far given that he's already 29 years old.

Like the other card this one had a number of 4 rounders, all of which went the distance. The most notable of those saw the unbeaten Tuki Takahashi (5-0, 1) extend his perfect start with a decision win against Yosuke Shimagawa (5-6-1, 2). Another unbeaten picking up a win here was Yuna Hara (2-0) who out pointed the debuting Joken Takaoka (0-1). It wasn't all good news for people who came in unbeaten however as Maya Uegaki (1-1, 1) suffer a decision loss to Minayo Kei (1-1). The remaining bout saw Takashi Oura (4-4, 1) level off his record with a decision win over Takahiro Horio (1-1).

Pathum Thani, Thailand
In Thailand we saw a number of Nakornluong fighters in action as they continued their march towards numerous world title bouts.

In the main event of the card the WBC #1 ranked Flyweight contender Nawaphon Por Chokchai (29-0, 22) successfully defended his WBC Asian Boxing Council Flyweight title with a 3rd round KO over over-matched Filipino Wiljan Ugbaniel (13-5-1, 4). Nawaphon, who has set his eyes on Roman Gonzalez, was too big and too strong for Ugbaniel and although he landed a massive low blow in round 2 it was a culmination of shots that eventually forced Ugbaniel to take the count in the corner.

A huge mismatch saw the always fun to watch Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (35-4-1, 32) put in a stay busy performance as he stopped Indonesian visitor Jack Amisa (21-36-2, 14) inside a round. The always aggressive Srisaket now has eyes on a rematch with Carlos Cuadras, as it seems likely that that bout may come before the year is over. Notably Amisa was unhappy at the stoppage but he did seem to take his time getting up and had been given a slow count as it was.

Another mismatch saw the criminally under-rated Suriyan Sor Rungvisai (44-6-1, 22) took a straight forward win over the much taller Ibuki Tanaka (0-2). On paper this was a total mismatch, as it proved to be in the ring, but it seemed that Suriyan was working on how to deal with a tall fighter and how to make the most of his “shortness”. Whilst it's not a given it could be that he's looking to get a title fight with a champion later in the year, and many of the top champions in the division are taller than him. Tanaka, to his credit, show real grit and toughness, but was never competitive before being stopped.

(Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)

Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
There wasn't much action this past Thursday, but it did include one of the best looking bouts, on paper, for the weekend.

That bout was a WBC Super Flyweight world title eliminator between former champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (34-4-1, 31) and former world title challenger Jose Salgado (34-3-2, 27). On paper it was genuinely mouth watering. In the ring however things were one sided with Srisaket essentially breaking down his Mexican foe through 3 and a bit rounds, all of which were one sided. Salgado had his moments but they were fleeting with Srisaket instilling his pressure, intensity and strength on Salgado who seemed unable to prevent himself from being bullied before being stopped part way through round 4 as Srisaket landed bombs at will.

A second former world champion in action on this card was Suriyan Sor Rungvisai (42-6-1, 20) who kept busy with an easy win against the horribly over-matched Khunsuk Chaiyonggym* (0-1). Suriyan really did as he wished before finishing his foe with a sickening body shot very early in round 2. The nose of the shot was disgusting and it was little wonder that that the waved was swiftly stopped, though Khunsuk did manage to get back to his feet in an impressive showing of toughness.

Another notable fighter on this card was highly ranked Flyweight contender Nawaphon Por Chokchai (28-0, 21) who saw off an opponent, believed to be Chatpetch Sithsaithong* (0-1), with flurry. Although none of the shots looked particularly big Chatpetch was looking done a long time before the finish. We know Nawaphon is wanting a world title fight with Roman Gonzalez but he really shouldn't be wasting his time on fights against this level of opposition which is doing little for his development.

This card also featured 2 “unknown” bouts. Neither boxrec, our Thai friends at tko.in.th or ourselves have managed to identify. Hopefully their names will become available soon however there is a worry that the bouts, like many others form Thailand, will go relatively unreported.


*Names are guesses based on the Thai transliterations of the names we were given.

Thailand
This past Tuesday saw Thai fans having some action on Channel 3. The fights were big but they did feature some notable fighters in action.

The most notable man in action was former WBC Super Flyweight champion Suriyan Sor Rungvisai (41-6-1, 10) as he stopped fellow Thai Yodpichai Sithsaithong (10-13, 4) in a stay busy fight. Suriyan, who is waiting for a bigger bout to be arranged later in the year, did as he pleased with Yodpichai before moving through the gears and finally finished off Yodpichai in round 5 with a spiteful left hook to the head.

WBC #1 ranked Flyweight Nawaphon Por Chokchai (27-0, 20) easily retained his WBC Asian Boxing Council Flyweight title as he stopped the horribly over-matched Dion Arema (3-4, 2) in the 5th round. Prior to the finish Arema had been battered from pillar to post by Nawaphon who continues his chase of a world title fight with Roman Gonzalez.

Another bout on this card saw the unbeaten Jirapan Nakornluang (4-0, 3) defeat an unknown opponent, who's name we hope to get soon. The opponent gave a good effort in the opening round but Jirapan took advantage of his defensive flaws in round 3 dropping him twice with right hands. The gutsy foe tried to get back to his feet but was counted out on his way up.

As well as the 3 bouts mentioned this card also featured another couple of bouts. Sadly however we've not got the names of those involved in those bouts.

This past Tuesday Asian fans in Thailand and Japan had action to make note of.

Pathum Thani, Thailand
In Thailand fans got televised action courtesy of Channel 3 who aired a short Nakornluang promoted show featuring a highly ranked Flyweight, a former Super Flyweight champion and a very promising young novice.

The novice was the unbeaten Jirapan Nakornluang (3-0, 2) who managed to continue his winning run as he defeated Italian debutant Philipo Piatada (0-1) with a 6 round unanimous decision. Another bout that went the distance saw former WBC Super Flyweight champion, and current Bantamweight contender, Suriyan Sor Rungvisai (40-6-1, 18) take a decision over experienced Indonesian loser Samuel Tehuayo (18-33-2, 3). Meeting for the second time Suriyan did what he needed to do to take home the win though again left us wondering why Tehuayo, aka “Sammy Hagler”, is still used as a journeyman considering his run of 4-33-2 has really failed to see him do much more than survive at times.

In the main event of this show fans saw Flyweight contender Nawaphon Por Chokchai (26-0, 19) successfully defend his WBC Asian Boxing Council Flyweight title with a 5th round KO against Filipino Southpaw Powell Balaba (8-13-1, 5). This was Balaba's 4th straight loss and it again leaves questions as to how a bout like this will really help Nawaphon prepare for a world title fight, or a mooted world title eliminator.

Tokyo, Japan
In Japan fans had a show that was much more competitive on paper and provided plenty of action, though did also feature one bit of disappointment. The card, which was mostly a B class tournament looked brilliant on paper and proved, on the hole, to be really good.

The began with a 4 round bout, the only 4 round bout on the show, and saw the debuting Yuta Ishikawa (1-0, 1) defeat fellow debutant Makoto Yamazaki (0-1) in the 3rd round with a KO to begin his career with a win.

The second bout was at Middleweight where the win-some, lose-some Koji Kase (5-4, 2) managed to narrowly defeat the heavy handed Wataru Seino (4-3, 4). For Seino this was his first bout in more than a year, following an opening round defeat to Koki Tyson Maebara in the 2013 Rookie of the Year final whilst Kase has now streaked to 3 straight wins following a 4 fight losing run.

A scheduled bout involving Kenya Noguchi (2-0, 2) against an experienced Thai foe was supposed to be the 3rd bout on the card but was sadly cancelled, and we're unsure why.

The first B-class tournament bout was the shows 3rd contest and it saw a notable upset as Tatsuji Kakumoto (5-5, 1) took a clear decision win over Yuji Okinori (6-2-1, 1) in a bout at Flyweight. The 22 year old Kakumoto certainly doesn't have a great record but it's clear he's better than the numbers suggest and many of his losses have been razor thin decisions. As for Okinori this is his 3rd straight set back following a 6-0 (1) start to his career.

Kakumoto's win was one of two bouts in the Flyweight division with the other being between Kensuke Sasaki (3-1, 2) and Yasuhiro Tanaka (4-2-2) with Sasaki taking a clear but hard fought decision over his more experienced foe. Sasaki is a man we suspect is being groomed as a better prospect than many may suspect and he could well be a man to make a note of. Tanaka on the other hand suffered his second defeat in 3 bouts.

One of the most competitive bouts saw Hyuma Fujioka (5-3-1) take a hotly fought split decision win over Naoto Fuimoto (7-5-1, 4). Fujioka entered this bout following a stoppage loss to Gaku Aikawa 10 months ago and fought possibly the best bout of his career so far to inflict the second successive decision on to Fujimoto who has also lost last December.

Heavy handed Super Bantamweight Kazuki Yokoyama (7-2, 5) continued to leave opponents in his wake as he notched up the 5th stoppage of his career and forced the referee to save Shota Kumazawa (6-7-1, 5) in the 4th round. For Yokoyama this is a second straight win following an opening round defeat in November 2013 whilst Kumazawa has now lost 4 of his last 5 dating back to 2012.

The talented Shingo Koike (7-2, 3) appeared to be under pressure early on against Ryuta Nakajima (5-5-1, 4) though in round 3 it was Nakajima who ended up on the canvas following a wonderful shot from Koike who ended the bout. Having been out of action for 14 months this was a great win for Koike, even though Nakajima had lost his previous 3.

In a really exciting contest between two men who believed there power was the key fans saw Takahiro Shinohara (6-4-2, 6) stop Atsuhi Kudo (3-4-2, 3) in the 3rd round. The bout saw plenty of exchanges and was a fun fight with Kudo being stopped on his feet. For Hinohawa this was his second win in a row following almost 2 years of inactivity. Kudo has now been stopped for the first time.

Possibly the pick of the bouts, at least on paper, was the penultimate contest on the show which saw the talented Daisuke Watanabe (2-0, 2) dispose of the more experienced Ryuto Araya (7-3-1, 1) in the second round, with the corner throwing in the towel to say Araya. Watanabe caught out eye last year when he stopped Toru Kudo in the 4th round and we suspect he's going to achieve something notable sooner rather than later, so keep an eye on this 23 year Featherweight hopeful. Araya on the other hand suffered his first stoppage defeat and saw a 2-fight winning streak come to an end.

In the final bout of the show fans saw Makoto Kawasaki (6-2-1, 1) take a 5 round decision over Mamoru Takeuchi (5-6-3). This loss ended a 3 fight winning streak for Takeuchi whilst Kawasaki scored his second win in a row. In the ring this was a big of a mismatch with Kawasaki being too good for Takeuchi who was unable to really compete with his more skilled rival.

Friday was ultimately the calm before the storm and this was proven in the fact that so little Asian action actually took place.

Sara Buri, Thailand
The only card in Asia came from Thailand where the talented Nawaphon Por Chokchai (25-0, 18) defeated the over-matched and under-sized Mateo Handig (13-7, 7) to retain the WBC Asian Boxing Council Flyweight title. Handig was stopped in the 5th round of the bout as Nawaphon really just did as he pleased and continued to make us wonder about when he will step up and even how he continues to make Flyweight.

On the under-card fans had 3 bouts including 1 that is currently un-listed by boxrec.com. The unlisted bout saw Thai veteran Chaiyong Sithsaithong (35-12-4, 25) stopped the much taller Bryan Dennis (?-?) in the 5th round of their bout. Prior to the stoppage Dennis had given the Thai a good test though seemed to quit in round 5 after taking a few solid shots including a innocuous looking body shot. Dennis is currently not listed at all on boxrec.com though we don't believe this was his debut, hence the unknown record.

The most enjoyable of the under-card bouts saw Jaipetch Chaiyonggym (3-2, 2) take an entertaining 6 round decision win over Denchai Por Korbkua (0-1) in a contest that started slowly but grew into a very interesting and fun to watch bout with both men landing solid shots in the middle and later rounds. Sadly the remaining bout was certainly not competitive as Jaoboy Kengchiangrai (1-0, 1) began his career with a dominant, albeit fun to watch, victory over the game but thoroughly out gunned Toto Sakornsukhothai (0-1), with Toto being stopped int eh second round of the contest.

Western Australia, Australia
In Australia was saw 3 Asian's in action though not one of them was ever expected to do much more than put up a fight with wins ruled unlikely the second the bouts were made. Surprisingly however all 3 men went the distance, albeit in clear losses.

One of the three was Indonesian veteran Angky Angkotta (27-11-1, 14) who was almost shut out by the very talented Paul Fleming (19-0, 13). Although a clear loser here we were impressed by the fact Angkotta went the distance in a bout made well above his natural weight class and made several years after his prime. Another Indonesian who surprisingly went the distance was Roy Tua Manihuruk (15-12-2, 11) who managed 8 rounds against Brandon Ogilvie (9-1, 3) in what was another heavily 1-sided bout.

The remaining Asian on this show was Thailand's Patomsith Pathompothong (10-3, 4) who came up short against Nathaniel May (8-1, 4) in another bout scored in favour of the home fighter.

(Big thanks to Rob Slocombe for updating us on the results, sadly we've had to delete the original article as it appears our host don't like articles being edited and updated)

It's not often we can openly say this but, what a great day Friday was with free to watch action in Japan and Thailand.

Tokyo, Japan
We're used to having televised Friday morning fights from Thailand so they were nothing new however what was a very unexpected treat was the fact Dangan 112 was streamed live, over Ustream, by Miyata Gym who streamed the show from start to end in what was genuinely a treat for the fans. We know Miyata aren't the first to do it, SGS have done it several times, but that didn't stop it being a treat from the opening bout to the final contest.

The opening two bouts were both C Class tournament final bouts and both proved how much the tournament meant to the fighters in action.

The first saw Wataru Takeda (3-0-1, 1) take a well earned 4 round victory over Taiga Higashi (1-1, 1). Although this was a clear under-card bout it showed how much difference there is between a lot of the undercard bouts in Japan and their equivalents in the west. Both guys wanted to win, both gave it their all, and both helped put on a very good bout, even if Takeda did look the better fighter, as evidenced clearly in round 4.

The second of the C class tournament bouts saw Ryusei Ishii (4-1, 2) really impress us with his fan friendly style, Sergio Martinez like movement and hands down stance as he out pointed the dangerous Kenta Yamada (3-1, 3) with ease. Ishii dropped Yamada to show his dominance in power and in boxing in a really, really stunning performance by the 18 year old southpaw hopeful.

The third bout saw another promising youngster catch out eye, Ryota Ishida (2-0, 2). Ishida, another 18 year old, dropped his previously unbeaten foe Yusuke Moriya (1-1) late in the opening round before tearing into him at the start of the second and eventually forced the referee to save a tired looking Moriya who tried to fight back but was unable to stop the onslaught from Ishida who really looks like an exciting and promising young fighter for the future.

The surprise performance of the show came from Masaya Kohama (2-2-1) who didn't look likely to catch our attention considering his record. Kohama however took his chance and boxed beautifully to get past Keisuke Ogino (2-6, 1) in a bout that what was one of the most pleasant surprises we've seen in a ring for a very long time. A closer look at Kohama's record has convinced us that he's much better than his record indicates and we'd suggest keeping an eye on him for the long run, if he progresses as he could do then he may be another of the late bloomers of Japanese boxing.

We saw a second stoppage on the show when Ryosuke Takami (5-1, 4) stopped the busier but less skilled Tsubasa Matsudo (4-9-3, 1) in 4 rounds. Matsudo had started fast but was eventually broken down when he began to slow in what was another interesting bout despite the differences in the records between the two men.

In the chief support bout we saw Wataru Miyasaka (9-2-1, 2) out point Yuki Iwasaki (11-6, 6) over 8 rounds. The bout did have a few competitive rounds but there was no argument over who the winner was with Miyasaka looking the more complete fighter in a majority of the rounds. It was a clear decision but still an entertaining contest.

The highlight of the show was, as expected, the main event which pitted former world title challengers against each other in what was viewed as a must win contest for both men. The bout saw Takuya Kogawa (23-4, 13), a man coming in on the back of a very controversial loss to Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep in Thailand, battle against Hiroyuki Hisataka (22-13-1, 10), who came in to the bout following losses to Ryo Matsumoto last time out via decision and Omar Andres Narvaez, via stoppage in a world title bout. On paper it was close to a domestic super fight and turned out to be a super fight watch with Hisataka trying to impose himself on Kogawa with his natural size and strength whilst Kogawa used his skill and speed to win rounds, land hurtful counters and generally do enough to win the rounds, including a 10-8 second round. Going into the final round Hisataka needed a knockout though both men fought as if they each needed to finish it and we got a final round to remember as the two slugged it out in a thriller. We suggest you give this one a watch if you have the time.

We won't say this was the card of the year, but it was incredibly good from start to end and for a domestic card shown over Ustream for free it put to shame a lot of the big US cards on premium TV. Well done to all involved for this very enjoyable show.

Ratchaburi, Thailand
As well as the Japanese action there was also a show from Thailand than seemed to end quicker than anyone had suspected with a host of blow outs.

The quickest of those saw Kongfah Nakornluang (16-0, 9) dispatch the over-matched Santos Kwanjaisrikod (0-2) inside a round in what was little more than a mismatch to help rebuild Kongfah's confidence following his struggle with Den Sithsaithong last time out.

The most eye catching victory was scored by former WBC Super Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (29-4-1, 26) who stopped the naturally bigger Boido Simanjuntak (18-24-1, 7) in the opening seconds of the 6th round with a very eye catching 1-punch knockdown. Boido did get up from the knockdown, somehow, but was unfit to continue continue and probably needed a few moments to know where he was.

In the main event of the show we saw Nawaphon Por Chokchai (24-0, 17) successfully defend his WBC Asian Boxing Councuil Flyweight title with a 4th round KO of the usually tough Filipino Donny Mabao (21-23-1, 4). On paper this was a mismatch but it become more so when Nawapon appeared 3 if not 4 divisions bigger than the Filipino visitor.

Western Australia, Australia
"Down under" we did a trio of Thai's in action and they had mixed fortunes.

Whilst veteran Sapapetch Sor Sakaorat (31-16, 20) was defeated in 4 rounds by Luke Sharp (10-2-2, 3) and we did Yingtai Sithdara (0-7-1) defeated in 2 rounds by Jacob Santoro (2-0, 1) we also saw Thonthai Rajanondh (17-19, 5) take an unexpected 2nd round TKO against Dan Carter (0-2).

(Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)

Not every day is a great day for Asian boxing and it's fair to say this past Friday wasn't a great one with more lows than highs, despite some interesting action all over the word

Kobe, Japan
The most significant of the shows came at the Portopia Hotel in Kobe. The venue, making it's professional boxing debut, looked stunning though sadly couldn't help Japan's Teiru Kinoshita (19-1-1, 3) over-come South African puncher Zolani Tete (19-3, 16) in a bout for the IBF Super Flyweight title. Kinoshita did impress, in some ways, with his toughness but that was the about all the positives he could take out of the bout that he clearly lost. The fight, Kinoshita's first world title bout, could well be his last and we'd not be shocked if he fell back to Japanese domestic level following this loss.

In the chief support bout to Kinoshita's contest fans got to see a rematch between Shinichiro Morikawa (16-4-1, 11) and Ryota Kihara (6-9-4, 5). The two men fought last year with Morikawa taking a close decision over 8 rounds. This time around the judges weren't needed as Morikawa saw off Kihara in just 4 rounds as he dominated his limited foe.

A third bout of note on this same card saw Jonathan Baat (26-5-3, 12) dominate Yubon Kanayama (10-5, 3) to inflict Kanayama's 5th loss in 8 bouts. For Baat this was a bounce back victory follow a loss last time out to Qiu Xiao Jun, in what was a third bout between the two men.

Lower down the card Naoki Yamamoto (5-7-2, 3) managed to out point Ryoki Hirai (3-2-1, 1) over 4 rounds in a very competitive contest.  Another 4 rounder saw Hayato Shimosakoda (1-1) take a decision over Yosuke Goto (1-5) whilst the hard hitting Takuya Hashimoto (4-4, 4) upset Masashi Wakita (4-2, 2) with a 2nd round KO.

Tokyo, Japan
A second card in Japan took place at the Korakuen Hall. Although the supposed main bout, a Japanese Super Bantamweight bout between Hidenori Otake and Daisuke Furuhashi, was cancelled the card it's self went on with some interesting contests.

After the main event was cancelled the previous chief support became the new main event and that saw Ryuto Oho (6-1-1, 2) fighting to a very competitive majority draw with Shuji Hamada (12-6-4, 2). Sadly for the 19 year old Oho this was a second successive set back following his sole loss to Jo Tanooka and we dare say that he's not matured into a Super Flyweight,yet. Oho did impress us last year when he was fighting at Flyweight, where he won the Rookie of the Year, and maybe he needs to try and return to 112lbs.

In the chief support bout on this card fans got to see the return to the ring of Spice Matsushita (12-8, 2) who returned to the ring after more than a year out of action. Matsuhsita not only returned to the ring but did so with a hard fought decision over Toshimitsu Goto (12-11-1, 5)

A third bout on this card saw Takuma Okada (5-9, 2) take a 6 round against the light hitting Tsuyoshi Nishimura (4-7-1, 1). The win for Okada saw him ending a 2 fight losing streak though it did extend Nishimura's losing run to 2 fights.

We know at the moment that we have more results to come from Japan though for now these are the only ones we have.

Pathum Thani, Thailand
On a televised card in Thailand fans got to see the world ranked Nawaphon Por Chokchai (22-0, 16) successfully defend his WBC Asian Boxing Council Flyweight title for the 9th time! Nawaphon defeated Thailand's usually durable Jay-ar Estremos (10-8, 4) inside the distance the retain his title and inflict just the second stoppage loss on to Estremos. Interestingly Estremos had, earlier this year, pushed Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym all the way in a bout many felt Kwanpichit had been gifted a win in and with that in mind you need to realise just how good this win was.

There were other bouts on this card but at the moment we aren't sure on the specific results. What we do know however is that Suriyan Sor Rungvisai (37-5-1, 16) won a decision and Kongfah Nakornluang (14-0, 8) took a stoppage. Hopefully we'll be able to fill in the full results in the coming day or two.

New South Wales, Australia
In Australia we had more disappointment as former Japanese and OPBF Bantamweight title challenger Jerope Mercado (26-7-3, 9) suffered a very debatable split decision loss to Valentine Borg (7-1, 4). Jerope, best known for his fights with Rolly Lunas, Ryosuke Iwasa and Kohei Oba, was judged to have been shut out on two of the cards though it's doubtful that anyone else could possibly have had the bout a shut out. Notably for Borg this was his first bout since his stunning stoppage loss to Joebert Delos Reyes and it appears that loss has damaged the confidence of Borg who was previously unbeaten and tipped to move on to bigger and better things.

East Cape, South Africa
It was also a disappointing day in South Africa as Filipino Edrin Dapudong (29-6, 17) lost the IBO Super Flyweight title in a controversial split decision to South Africa's very own Lwandile Sityatha (17-3-1, 7). The bout was the first defence of the title by Dapudong, who took the belt with an opening round KO against Gideon Buthelezi, though unfortunately this is his second controversial loss in South Africa following a split decision to Buthelezi back in 2012. With 2 split decision losses in 3 bouts it's fair to question whether or not "The Sting" will ever return to fight in South Africa.

New York, USA
The disappointment for Asian fighters continued in New York where "Mongolian Mongoose" Bayarn Jargal (17-5-3-1, 11) saw his bout with Cletus Seldin (13-0-0-1, 10) end in a No Contest. Jargal was injured around the eye from a clash of heads and was unable to continue forcing the bout to a No Contest. Prior to the ending Jargal was making Seldin look limited, though we're not sure if he was managing to over-come the naturally bigger American fighter.

California, USA
It wasn't all bad for Asian's however and in California we had the chance to see the impressive debut of Chinese Heavyweight giant Taishan Dong (1-0, 1). The 6'11" giant managed to drop Alex Rozman (2-7, 1) several times before he told the referee that he couldn't go on. Dong didn't have things all his own way though he he'll have learned more by fighting Rozman, who came to win, than fighting someone who was happy to fold the first time they were hit. For those who missed this fight it's now on our video section.

Also on this card was a victory for popular Filipino Mercito Gesta (28-1-1, 16) who looked genuinely sensational as he beat up and broke down the experienced Luis Arceo (28-13-4, 18) who was stopped by the doctor late in the fight. Arceo came to fight but Gesta was too good, too fast, too talented and too powerful, in fact this was possibly the most complete performance we've ever seen from Gesta who looks to be finally be reaching his potential. No one doubted how good Gesta could be but they had questioned whether he would ever fulfil his promise, this performance suggests he can.

This past Tuesday saw a card under-the radar in Thailand despite having some of the biggest Thai names of it. Unfortunately we weren't made aware of it until afterwards though thankfully we do have the result from it.

Pathum Thani, Thailand
The main event on the show saw the very promising and still unbeaten Nawaphon Por Chokchai (21-0, 15), pictured, successfully defend his WBC Asian Boxing Council Flyweight title as he over-came former OPBF Minimumweight champion Michael Landero (16-12-4, 5) in 3 rounds. Landero was once a very good fighter though at the moment those memories are rather distance and he has now lost 8 of his last 9 including 3 stoppages.

Whilst Nawaphon was the main event he probably wasn't the main attraction, that honour seems to have fallen to current WBC Super Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (27-3-1, 25) who scored his 4th win of the year as he stopped the over-matched Ngaotawan Sithsaithong (10-14-1, 5) in 4 rounds. This bout was little more than a stay busy contest for Srisaket who has a world title fight arranged for next month with Carlos Cuadras, a bout we're more than licking our lips in anticipation of. That should be special.

Former world champion Suriyan Sor Rungvisai (35-5-1, 15) was surprisingly taken the 6 round distance by the over-matched, but tough, Samuel Tehuayo (17-20-2, 3). Suriyan seems to be staying active but not going anywhere with his career at the moment. Hopefully promotional outfit Nakornluang can move him into a meaningful fight soon.

Also on the card was the unbeaten Kongfah Nakornluang (12-0, 6) who quickly got rid of the debuting Yutthana Sor Ratidech (0-1), inside a round, whilst stable-mate Namphol Sithsaithong (5-7, 5) was extended into the second round by Nanfah Saksamrong (0-1).

(Image courtesy of boxrec.com)

Boxing on Tuesday's always seems a bit weird, especially when it's first thing in the morning, but that's what we had this week courtesy of Thai Channel 7 and Nakornloung Boxing Promotion who put on a show of of their top talent. Unfortunately the top talent on show was matched somewhat safely with none of the Nakornloung stars really given much of a test.

Bangkok, Thailand
We believe the card took place at the NCO Club though from watching the action on television it was certainly more "mismatch City" than anything else.

The show began with former world champion Suriyan Sor Rungvisai (33-5-1, 14) taking on the debuting Serichai Nonpitgym (0-1). The mismatch was clear from the off and thankfully Suriyan didn't waste anyone's time stopping his stay busy opponent with a devastating body shot inside a round. It was clear he had no intention of messing about and made sure that his foe knew it as left to the liver did the job. 

Following Suriyan's victory there was another early blow out in a contest that lasted less than 2 rounds. This bout, it turns out, was between Yodchanchai Nakornloung Promotion (25-4, 20) and the debuting Charoenrung Sakpornchai (0-1) and had a fantastic finish with Yodnanchai landing and eye catching uppercut that lead to a delayed reaction. As with the shows opener this was a mismatch.

Arguably the biggest mismatch came in the shows main event. This contest saw Nawaphon Por Chokchai (20-0, 14), defending his WBC Asian Boxing Council Flyweight title for the 7th time, just beat up Shusong Zhuang (0-3) who was nothing other than brave. The fight probably could have been stopped in round 2 as Nawaphon began to beat up his challenger but the referee let the one-way traffic continue to round 4. Amazingly despite being beaten up the challenger made a genuine protest to continue on. If he had we can only image that he would have ended up seriously hurt as Nawaphon, was really going to town on him. 

The shows fourth contest featured current WBC Super Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (25-3-1, 23), pictured, in action. Srisaket, fighting a clear "stay busy" contest, before his world title fight in May against Carlos Cuadras, took things slowly to begin with though moved in to second gear in the second round. Even fighting in second gear Srisaket had too much for Alexis Barateau (0-2) who was stopped from a monster uppercut from the world champion.

With all the quick victories on the card the television cameras kept rolling and we continued to get fights. These included 2 more contests.

One of those additional contests saw a second round KO from a body shot. Oddly the first round of that bout saw the eventual loser doing one of the most amazing "chicken dances" in boxing history and it's a genuine mystery as to how he managed to say on his feet. We think this bout was between Kongfah Nakornluang (10-0, 5) and Petch-ek Sithsaithong (0-1). The second of those contests, and the 6th in total, saw a vicious right hand behind the ear see off the over-matched opponent to give us a 6 successive stoppage on the card, we believe this was a bout between Kajornsak Sithsaithong (4-1, 4) and Suriyalek Lor Lalita (0-1).