This past Friday was a hectic day with action in Thailand, Japan, Dubai and Asian fighters fighting in Australia.

Ratchaburi, Thailand
The most significant card of the day was in Thailand where we got the only world title bout of the day.

The show, like many in Thailand, began with a single preliminary bout. This saw WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight champion Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (56-2, 37) score a 6th round TKO win over Indonesian visitor Boido Simanjuntak (18-29-1, 7). It seemed clear from the opening bell that Chonlatarn was too good for the Indonesian who showed some guts but was eventually ground down in the 6th round. Whilst this was an expected win for the former 2-time world title challenger the result was rather disappointing given that Super Flyweight contender Srisaket Sor Rungvisai stopped Simanjuntak in in just as many rounds a year ago.

The main event was the aforementioned world title bout. The contest was for the WBO Bantamweight title and saw Pungluang Sor Singyu (51-3, 35) become a 2-time champion as he stopped Japan's Ryo Akaho (26-2-2, 18). On paper it looked a really good bout but unfortunately Akaho was never really able to get into it before being stopped in the second round. There were complaints about infringements from Pungluang but it seemed like Akaho had lost the bout before a punch was even thrown. Amazingly this continues the terrible run that Japanese fighters have had in world title fights in Thailand.

Another notable name on this card was “Manny Pacquiao Look-a-like” Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym (32-1-2, 17) who defeated journeyman Thaminkhao Sor Tharnthip (4-14-1, 3) by stoppage early in their bout. Kwanpichit, who lost to Zou Shiming last year, is now 5-0 (5) since his loss to the Chinese star.

The undercard here featured two prospects. One of those was Saentanong Onesongchaigym (7-0, 3) who continued his perfect start by over-coming Teeradech Sor Praithong (0-1). On paper Saentanong looks like a genuine prospect but sadly digging below the numbers shows that all 7 recorded bouts have come against debutants. The other prospect was Thewa Onesongchaigym (10-2, 5) who scored a stoppage win against Saksiam Or Sompote (0-1). Although Thewa has a couple of losses on his record he is on a 5 fight winning run and has seemingly put back-to-back defeats to Xian Wei Qian well behind him.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Whilst the most significant single bout was in Thailand it's fair to say that some of the most notable fighters were actually in Dubai as part of an ALA promotions show.

The main event of the evening saw the fast rising Albert Pagara (24-0, 17) make very light work of Mexico's Jesus Rios (31-8-1, 25). Rios, who had failed to make weight for the bout, had talked a good fight in the build up but lasted less than a round with the talented Pagara who really does look like one of the sports top prospects.

Albert wasn't the only Pagara in action as older brother Jason Pagara (36-2, 22) managed to take a technical decision win against Ramiro Alcaraz (15-5-1, 9). Pagara, who is world ranked at 140lbs by the WBO, really isn't up to the same level as his younger brother though will likely more attention when ALA make their promotional debut in the US.

A third main bout on this card resulted in an 8 round decision win for veteran Jimrex Jaca (40-8-4, 22) who out pointed Pablo Lugo Montiel (21-6, 17) in a relatively competitive bout.

This card also had 4 bouts on the under-card. One of those saw Larry Abarra (4-3-1, 3) score a stoppage against the fragile Tony Arema (3-7-1), who has now been stopped in 5 of his losses. Another stoppage on this card saw the promising Deo Krizito (2-0, 1) take out Thailand's Fapetch Manopchaigym (1-1). The only other stoppage on this undercard saw the debuting Lasisi Bamidel (1-0, 1) defeat Singnoi Simanasak (1-2).

In a bout that went the distance Muhammad Akram (4-0-1, 1) out pointed Nicholas Mwangi (0-1).

Tokyo, Japan
The Thai show was probably the one with the highest profile single bout and the show in Dubai was probably the strongest in terms of over-all name appeal. It was however a show in Japan that left a lasing impression, despite it being a flop for the promoter who saw only one of their 7 fighters pick up a win.

The one fighter to win from the promoter who put the show on was Hikaru Nishida (13-8-1, 5) who stopped former world title challenger Makoto Fuchigami (21-11, 12) in the 5th round of their bout. The contest was a rematch of their 2014 bout, which saw Nishida claim a narrow win. For 3 rounds it seemed like Fuchigami was going to avenge his loss as he boxed beautifully against a strong and determined, but basic, Naishida. In round 4 however Nishida began to turn the tide before forcing the referee to save Fuchigami in round 5, ending what was a Round of the Year contender.

The Nishida/Fushigami rematch was the co-main bout along with a brilliant Super Bantamweight bout between Yasutaka Ishimoto (26-8, 7) and Gakuya Furuhashi (17-6-1, 7). Whilst the the other main bout was a 5 round round war this one was a tactically sharp, high octane boxing contest with both men throwing a lot of leather in a brilliant, competitive and genuinely enthralling contest. The result was a close win for Ishimoto, who took the decision despite being deducted a point for holding in the penultimate round.

The two main bouts were both streamed on a ustream channel along with one of the under-card bouts. That under-card bout saw the much talked about Kohei Kashino (2-1, 1) suffer his first defeat at the hands of the under-rated Hizuki Saso (5-1, 1). Saso took over this bout in round 3 before stopping a tired Kashino in the 4th round of their Rookie of the Year bout.

Another much talked about fighter being stopped here was Riyako Goshi (3-4) who was stopped in round 3 by Chie Higano (4-3, 1). Goshi has been popular due to her out of the ring activities and her unusual ring outfits but the attention she got was massively more than her talent deserved.

Kashino wasn't the only fighter to lose his unbeaten record here as stablemate Yui Oikawa (2-1) also suffered his first defeat. Oikawa was relatively unfortunate to lose a very close majority decision to Sho Nagata (5-1, 2), who advanced to the next round in the Rookie of the Year.

Another bout with novices saw teenager Taiju Shitatori (2-0, 1) out point Ryo Nakano (1-3) whilst a 6 rounder saw Masayuki Ichikawa (6-2, 2) take a wide decision win over Masayuki Sakurai (3-9-2).

Victoria, Australia
In Australia we saw two title bouts featuring Asian fighters.

The more significant of those two bouts saw Czar Amonsot (29-3-3, 17) retain his PABA Light Welterweight title as he took a 4th round technical decision win over Rusmin Kie Raha (14-8-2, 3). Amonsot, a Filipino based in Australia, managed to add the lightly regarded WBA Pan African title to his collection, though we do wonder how a Filipino and an Indonesian qualify to fight for an African belt.

The other bout saw another Australian based Filipino in action, sadly however Roberto Lerio (16-22-1, 6) couldn't match the result of Amonsot. Instead Lerio was on the end of a clear decision loss to the unbeaten Ibrahim Balla (8-0, 5), who claimed the Australian Super Bantamweight title with this win.

Tokyo, Japan
After Saturday night we were told “Boxing is dead”, nobody told the Japanese and on Wednesday they had a brilliant card at the Ota-City General Gymnasium with a trio of world title fights.

The most notable of those title bouts was at Super Featherweight where WBA “super” champion Takashi Uchiyama (23-0-1, 19) scored a KO of the year contender against highly touted Thai Jomthong Chuwatana (9-1, 4). Coming into the bout Jomthong was an established tough guy following an extensive Muay Thai career. That however didn't help him here with Uchiyama bullying him from the middle of the opening round before blasting him out with a vicious right hand in the second round. For Jomthong this is a set back but one he'll likely bounce back from, as for Uchiyama this was one of his best performances, a real vintage display from the 35 year old Japanese puncher.

A second world title fight saw Ryoichi Taguchi (22-2-1, 9) make the first defense of his WBA Flyweight title as he bounced Thai veteran Kwanthai Sithmorseng (49-4-1, 26) on and off the canvas. Kwanthai was down in rounds 2,5,6,7 and 8 before being stopped in what was a gutsy but flawed performance from the challenger. For Taguchi the hope now is for a big fight before the year is over, possibly with Ryo Miyazaki or Randy Petalcorin, both of which would be great bouts.

The remaining world title bout saw Kumiko Seeser Ikehara (7-1-2, 3) retain her WBO female Minimumweight title bout with a 7th round split technical decision win against Kayoko Ebata (8-6, 4). Unfortunately for Ebata this was her 4th world title loss and at the age of 39 it seems very unlikely that she'll manage to get another shot. Things aren't great for Ikehara either who has now score back-to-back technical decision defenses and has been cut in each of those bouts.

Prior to the world title bouts there had been some under-card bouts. One of those saw Takumi Suda (12-10-2, 3) score an 8 round split decision win over Yoshinori Wakahara (7-5, 4) in a very close contest. Another under-card bout saw Tsuyoshi Naito (4-3-3, 2) take a 4th round TKO win over Tatsushi Kagawa (4-9-1, 1)

On the lower end of the card there were also a pair of 4 rounders. One of those saw the debuting Taiu Shiratori (1-0, 1) score an opening round blow out against Nao Sugawara (0-1) whilst the previously win-less Sayaka Aoki (1-2, 1) managed to score a 3rd round win against Akiko Oe (1-2, 1).

Chiang Mai, Thailand
In Thailand fans has 6 bouts and saw their fighters doing significantly better than they did in Japan.

The main event of the show saw former WBO Bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu (50-3, 34) take a 3rd round KO against Indonesian fighter Nouldy Manakane (29-17-1, 18). For Pungluang this was win #50 and kept him in the hunt for a WBO world title fight later in the year, likely to be against Ryo Akaho.

Another well known name in action on this card was Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (54-2, 25) who made light work of the light hitting Yakobus Heluka (8-11, 1) with a 4th round KO. This was Chonlatarn's second win since he was out pointed in Macau last year by Vasyl Lomachenmo.

On the under-card fans saw a pair of stoppages. One of those saw Thewa Onesongchaigym (7-2, 2) take a 4th round KO against the debuting Theira Meik (0-1) whilst the other saw Rakniran Muadransarakam (5-0, 4) stop the win-less Saichon Or Ounsuwon (0-22) in the 5th round, this was the second meeting between Rakniran and Saichon with Rakniran taking a decision in their first bout at the end of last year.

The two remaining under-card bouts, both female contests, went the distance. These saw Yodying Superchamp (3-0, 1) continue her winning run with a victory against Kularbgoen Sor Visetkit (0-2) and a win for the debuting Petchwaree Mor Krungthepthonburi (1-0), who out pointed Fasung Kietmanop (0-1).

(Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)

Bangkok, Thailand
For the second day running Thai fans got televised action with some big names in the ring.

Among the biggest of those names was 2-time world title challenger Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (53-2, 33) who began the journey to a third world title bout as he stopped Filipino visitor Jason Redondo (10-3-1, 7) in the 7th round. The bout saw Chonlatarn reclaim the WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight title for the 3rd time though on fairness that does seem to be about his level despite the impressive looking record.

In one of the support bouts fans saw former W BO Bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu (49-3, 33) score a 6th round KO against the limited Petchchumpol Sor Visetkit (5-4, 3), who has now lost 3 of his last 4, including a decision to promising teenager Kongfah CP Freshmart. This was Pungluang's third win since he was almost snapped in half by Tomoki Kameda in the US last July.

Another notable name was “Manny Pacquiao look-a-like” Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym (28-1-2, 13) who stopped Thaminkhao Sor Tharnthip (4-11-1, 3) in the 3rd round of their bout. This was Kwanpichit's first bout since he lost to Zou Shiming in November and was a huge step down in class for the fringe contender.

Another knockout, on the card saw Rakniran Muadransarakam (3-0, 2) blow away Saensak Sor Visetkit (0-1) inside a round to extend his winning run.

As well as the men there was also a couple of female bouts. One of those saw Yodying Superchamp (2-0, 1) take a decision over the debuting Chompol Yingchongym (0-1) whilst the other saw the debuting Petcharas Mor Zkrungthepthonburi (1-0) score a decision win over fellow debutant Taksaporn Chalermprakiat Sport (0-1).

Hong Kong, China
In Hong Kong we saw Hong Kong based Nepalese fighter Surus Gurung (1-1) suffer a 4th round loss to the debuting Agustin Delarmino Jr (1-0, 1) of the Philippines. Gurung had been inactive since his debut in December 2012 and may well serve as a worry for fellow Hong Kong based fighter Rex Tso who fights in Macau tomorrow.

Laguna, Philippines
In the Philippines the fans had a long card, but one most with mismatches, unfortunately.

On of those mismatches saw Eden Sonsona (33-6-2, 11) destroy Rex Olisa (20-28-1, 8) in just 106 seconds. Olisa being stopped so quickly was a minor shock, considering he had only been stopped twice in his previous bouts, but no one expected Sonsona to really be tested. A similarly one sided contest saw Ernesto Saulong (17-1-1, 7) score a 4th round TKO against Jaderes Padua (9-5-1, 6), who has now been stopped 4 times.

Another mismatch saw the heavy handed Al Rivera (12-2, 10) scored a 3rd round retirement over Ronnel Esparas (10-16-1, 2), with this being Esparas's 8th loss inside the distance. Another retirement saw Recky Dulay (8-1, 5) defeat Menard Zaragosa (6-20-1, 4), who retired after the second round.

In terms of competitive bouts, there wasn't many of these. One saw Jason Dogelio (2-2) level off his record with a majority decision win over Brendo Bokingkito (1-3, 1), another saw Wilbert Madriaga (2-0) take a majority decision over Jun Jun Rimasog (0-1). Both of these were 4 rounders.

The sole 6 rounder on the card saw Jayson Nicart (3-2,1) score a minor upset over Benji Baron (2-1) in a relatively clear win for the more experienced man. More clear decisions came in 4 rounders as Romel Oliveros (3-0-1, 1) defeated the win-less Maurito Placios Jr (0-4) and Robert Onggocan (2-0, 1) won an up and down affair with Roel Inao (0-2), in a bout that featured a trio of knockdowns.

Also in 4 rounders were a number of blow outs. The most notable of those was scored by the debuting Tacy Macalos Jr (1-0, 1) who's father was a former world champion. Macalos Jr blew away Nestor Junio (0-1) in just 109 seconds. An even quicker win was recorded by Venson Delopere (1-0-2, 1) who took 90 seconds to defeat John Mark Cemania (0-2). Another round win was scored by Jenel Lausa (3-0, 2), who stopped the debuting Mark Lester Gasta (0-1) whilst

Berlin, Germany
In Germany fans saw Thailand's Teeraporn Pannimit (20-8, 5) being completely dominated by the unbeaten Raja Amasheh (18-0-1, 4) in a bout for the WBC female silver Flyweight title. Sadly for Pannimit this her 7th loss on the road and seems to suggest she's just “not that good” unfortunately.

New South Wales, Australia
In Australia we saw Tom Ford (7-4-2, 7) suffer a 3rd round KO at the hands of Valentine Borg (9-1, 5) in a WBO Asia Pacific Youth Lightweight title bout. Ford, a Thai also known as Singsiam Kokietgym, has gone 0-1-2 in his last 3.

Bangkok, Thailand
On Thursday in Thailand fans got a small but notable show which was headlined by former WBO Bantamweight world champion Pungluang Sor Singyu (48-3, 32), who was in action for the second time since being stopped by Tomoki Kameda in the US. 

The experienced Pungluang was defending his interim WBO Asia Pacific Bantamweight title as he took on Filipino challenger Eranio Semillano (10-7, 3), a man who had lost to Nop Kratingdaenggym in his only previous venture to Thailand. Unfortunately for Semillano he again came up short in the "Land of Smiles" as Pungluang stopped him in the 3rd round. The result was expected, despite the fact Pungluang hadn't looked good in recent bouts, though the win did come with a little bit of controversy as Pungluang clearly hit Semillano whilst the Filipino was on a knee. It was a shame Pungluang did it, and whilst it didn't seem vicious just a little bit unnecessary. Thankfully Semillano wasn't hurt in the slightest and nor did he milk it.

Another bout on this card saw Thaminkhao Sor Tharnthip (4-10-1, 3) score a rare win as he stopped Yodpetch Superchamps (?-?) in the second round. Yodpetch was cut in the opening round and the blood seemed to see him become ultra aggressive in round 2, unfortunately for him that caused him to walk into a counter and soon afterwards he was stopped by the referee.

We are hoping to get the rest of the results from this card soon

Some days are very quiet in boxing with only one or two bouts being worth mentioning. This past Saturday was one such day with only 2 bouts involving Asian fighters, though one of them was a massive fight for the men involved and really announced one fighter on the international stage as a truly world class boxer.

Las Vegas, USA
The man who made his mark on the day was WBO Bantamweight champion Tomoki Kameda (30-0, 19) who successfully retained his world title with a stunning knock out victory over Pungluang Sor Singyu (46-3, 31). 

Both men went into the bout making their US debuts and both men tried to use their advantages to impress the fans and judges. From Kameda that saw him using his movement, hand speed and combinations to win rounds whilst for Pungluang it was his pressure that he was trying to impose on the Japanese fighter. At the end however it was the placement of Kameda's shots that impressed as he landed one of the best body shots you will ever see and sent Pungluang down in agony midway through round 7. The shot, which looked even better on replay, will likely go down as the best punch Tomoki will ever land and will almost certainly see fans around the world clamouring to see more of him. As for Pungluang this was his third stoppage loss and by far the most painful with the body shot effectively paralyzing him for a few moments on the canvas.

The only black mark on this fight was, sadly, the judging. Some how Patricia Morse Jarman had Pungluang winning the bout 58-56 prior to the stoppage, a score that is simply inexcusable, fortunately for her however Tomoki prevented her from getting too much attention after the bout.

For those historians out there Tomoki became the first Japanese fighter since Toshioka Nishioka to defend a world title in the US almost 3 years ago.

Western Australia, Australia
Whilst the biggest bout was in the US there was another bout featuring an Asian fighter in Australia. Unfortunately however South Korea's Hwi Jong Kim (5-13, 1) was unsuccessful as he took on Nathaniel May (6-1, 4). Kim was dropped 3 times in the 3rd round forcing the referee to wave off the bout.

(Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)