Gauteng, South Africa
In South Africa we saw an upset as Kazakhstan prospect Roman Zhailauov (15-1, 9) was shocked by South African fighter Thompson Mokwana (20-11-1, 12), who won a split decision. Mokwana was given little chance by all, including ourselves, though showed his veteran ability to defeat the Kazakh youngster, who will hopefully learn from this loss and bounce back well.



Yangju, South Korea
In a KBF show in South Korea fans had the chance to see a small Rookie event with 4 bouts.

One of those bouts saw Korean born Canadian fighters Andrew Silva (1-1) score his first win as he out pointed the more experienced Woo Min Kim (1-2-1). This was a good win considering that Andrew's debut bout ended in an opening round KO at the hands of Jin Soo Kim.

Another of the bouts between fighters with some experience saw Hyun Min Gang (2-0, 2) score an opening round KO win against the previously unbeaten Sung Koo Han (0-1-1).

The remaining bouts on this card featured only debutants and saw Kyoo Bum Yum (1-0) take a decision over Dong Hyun Ha (0-1), in a bout at Light Welterweight, whilst Hoo Won Lee (1-0) beat Korean based American Darin Shaw (0-1), in a bout at Heavyweight.

Jakarta, Indonesia
There was also some action in Indonesia. In Jakarta fan saw a number of bouts, many of which featured “debutants”.

The most well known name on the card was Australian based Englishman Adam Hollioake (3-2, 1) who claimed a decision win against Mark Scheide (0-1) in one of a number of Heavyweight bouts.

Another Heavyweight bout saw Matt Simpson (1-0, 1) take a TKO win against Elly Pangaribuan (4-7-2, 1), who was best known for losing to Nobuhiro Ishida. Another Heavyweight bout saw Robert Crawford (1-0, 1) defeat Gusti Elrani (0-1) in an all debutant bout, another all debutant Heavyweight bout saw Adam Taylor (1-0, 1) blew out Wendy Liem (0-1) inside a round.

One Heavyweight win for Asia saw David Koswara (12-13-2, 4) defeat Kaposi Lelei (0-1) via a 4 round decision win.

In a Featherweight bout the experienced Falazona Fidal (26-43-1, 8) beat Petch Ek Twingym (0-3) with a 2nd round TKO.

At Bantamweight the ever busy Samuel Tehuayo (19-36-2, 4) claimed a rare win by stopping Umar Fajar (0-1) in 2 rounds. This win for Tehuayo ended a 13 fight losing run for the man also known as “Sammy Hagler”.

In a Super Featherweight Arif Maud (1-2, 1) stopped Jack Madison (2-6), also with a 2nd round stoppage.

California, USA
In the US fans got the chance to see Kyrgyzstan's Urmat Ryskeldiev (11-3-1, 7) claim a stoppage win against Cuban born American based fighter Yusmani Abreu (4-12-2), who retired between rounds.

This post Saturday was a hectic one for Asian fight fans who seemed to have action everywhere they looked.

Tokyo, Japan
For Asian fight fans the most notable show of the day was in Tokyo where two former world champions were in action.

The most notable of those former world champions was former WBC Flyweight champion Toshiyuki Igarashi (21-2-1, 11) who took a very hard earned win over talented Filipino Renerio Arizala (12-2-1, 5). Igarashi was forced to work incredibly hard for this win, despite the fact Arizala took on the bout on just 3 weeks notice. Sadly for Igarashi the win seemed to prove that he was miles away from being at world level as a Super Flyweight and it seems clear he shouldn't be looking at a world title bout any time soon.

The other former world champion was former WBA Super Bantamweight champion Akifumi Shimoda (29-4-2, 12) who out pointed former Japanese Featherweight title challenger Gosuke Seki (16-2-2, 3). For Shimoda this was his first fight in 16 months, following his spectacular KO loss to Marvin Sonsona, and whilst it was a win it's hard to imagine him ever mixing at the top level again.

In the chief supporting bout fans saw the heavy handed Kenichi Ogawa (15-1, 13) score a 6th round KO against Raymond Sermona (17-6-5, 8). Sadly for Sermona this was a second successive stoppage loss and it's hard to see where he goes. As for Ogawa he's now in the mix for a domestic title fight at Super Featherweight.

Another big puncher in action was Yuichi Yokoyama (15-3, 13) who was surprisingly taken the 8 round distance by Genki Horiuchi (5-2-3, 3). Another 8 round bout saw Musashi Suzuki (11-3, 4) take a technical decision over Hideyuki Watanabe (8-7-3, 6), in a bout that was taken the the cards in the 7th round.

On the under-card the unbeaten Teppei Kayanuma (4-0, 2) extended his winning record with a decision win over Kanehiro Nakagawa (2-2, 2) whilst the hard hitting Masato Niikima (3-0, 3) continued his perfect start with a 3rd round KO against Fumihiro Ijima (4-3).

Surabaya, Indonesia
In Indonesia fans had a treat as two of the best local fighters were in action.

Of the two notable Indonesian fighters in action it was Daud Yordan (34-3-0-1, 24) who stood out as he took a very hard earned victory over the tough Maxwell Awuku (40-3-1, 26). Yordan, a former world title challenger, was pushed all the way by his foe from Ghana but a did just enough to convince the judges hat he deserved the decision. With the win Yordan claimed the WBO Africa Lightweight title, some how, and added that belt to his WBO interim Asia Pacific Lightweight belt.

The other Indonesian in action was the heavy handed Defry Palulu (12-1, 11) who easily saw off Kaenpetch Manonprungroj (4-4, 2) in the 3rd round. This was Kaenpetch's third stoppage loss and his third straight defeat.

Cebu, Philippines
In Cebu fans saw the unbeaten Arjan Canillas (11-0-2, 9) continue his unbeaten run as he scored a 5th round KO against former world title challenger Balweg Bangoyan (19-10, 8). Sadly for Bangoyan he is a long way removed from the fighter who once challenged Toshiaki Nishioka for the WBC Super Bantamweight title.

Macao, Macao
Fight fans in the growing Asian hub of Macau also got a show. This wasn't as big or as interesting as the Bob Arum shows in the area but did feature some title action and some interesting fighters.

In the only 12 round bout fans saw Filipino hopeful Michael Enriquez (11-3-1, 7) score a 5th round TKO against Indonesian Oscar Raknafa (12-10, 5), who's career has totally fallen apart since his loss to Heri Amol back in July 2013. This was Enriquez's first bout since he was involved in a war with Rex Tso earlier this year and it's fair to say that he's going to be a fun fighter to follow.

In a bout at Super Middleweight fans saw China's Liu Yu (0-2) fail to claim the IBF Youth title as he was stopped in the 9th round by Andrey Kalyuzhnyy (8-1, 6). We're not sure how the IBF sanctioned Yu to fight for the belt considering his record.

Another title bout saw Filipino veteran Jujeath Nagaowa (13-15-1, 8) claim the WIBA International Light Flyweight title with a decision over Luo Yu Jie (3-7, 1).

In an interesting 6 rounder Estoni Autida (8-3, 3) took a decision over Wang Xinghua (11-11-1). Technically this bout was a “majority” decision but with two judges scoring it 59-55 to Autida it's hard to believe this was really a close bout.

In an all debutant bout Wang Jian Zheng (1-0, 1) took a 5th round TKO win against Sagidolla Muhamethali (0-1), in a bout scheduled for 6. Another all debutant match up saw Ye Rong Cheng (1-0) take a well fought 4 round decision against Anthony Waldon (0-1). One other debutant who picked up a loss was Li Le Shan (0-1) who was narrowly out pointed by Gabriel Royo (11-12-2, 8).

Gauteng, South Africa
South African fans got one of the highlights of the weekend as Kazakh prospect Roman Zhailauov (15-0, 9) scored a highlight reel KO against Luyanda Jako (9-10-2, 4). Zhailauov is tipped by some as the future of Kazakh boxing and his KO here showed just how under-rated his power is. Frightening KO and a genuine highlight of he weekend.

California, USA
The most notable Asian fighter in action in the US was former world champion Marvin Sonsona (20-1-1, 15) who narrowly over-came the under-rated Jonathan Arrellano (15-6-2, 3). On paper this looked like a mismatch but Arrellano gave his all and may well feel unlucky not to have had a draw, at the very least.

New York, USA
In New York fans saw Chinese Heavyweight hopeful Zhang Zhilei (4-0, 2) continue his perfect record as he dominated Glenn Thomas (1-4). The scorecards, all of which read 40-33, summed up just how one-sided the bout was. Zhilei, who may have been disappointed not to have scored the stoppage, now needs to take a step up in class rather than wasting time fighting at this level.

Virginia, USA
In Virginia fans saw Uzbek born prospect Zarifbek Nishanbaev (2-0, 2) score his second early victory as he saw off Norman Allen (6-15, 3) in the 3rd round of their bout.


(Image courtesy of boxingews.jp)

Tokyo, Japan
The “Dangan” series of shows really does provide Japanese boxing fans with a bit of everything. They do everything from shows packed with 4 rounders between novices to acting as launch pad for really sensational prospects. The best Dangan shows are well remembered for showcasing some of the best fighters on the Japanese domestic scene on that was the case this past Monday.

Like many shows the card began in relatively uninspiring fashion but ended with two real high high points in a co-main event.

The first of those main events saw the sensational Shohei Omori (14-0, 9) announce himself on the Bantamweight scene as he decimated defending Japanese Bantamweight champion Kentaro Masuda (21-7, 11) in just 3 rounds. Omori, challenging for his first title, started fast and dropped Masuda twice inside the opening round with the champion very lucky to see out the round. Masuda did a bit a bit better in the second round though in round 3 Omori managed to finish the show landing several solid looking left hands that forced the referee to save Masuda. This was the type of performance that captures the attention of fans and the fighters in the division and it now seems very clear that Omori is heading towards much bigger and better things than just a Japanese title.

The other main event saw the heavy handed Keita Obara (14-1, 13) defend his OPBF Light Welterweight title with a 6th round TKO victory over the brace but out gunned Yuya Okazaki (11-8-1, 4). We had this one pegged as a total mismatch though Okazaki did his best to prove us wrong and seemed to hurt Obara at one point. Despite the good effort from the challenger he was eventually stopped by the talented and heavy handed champion who made it clear that he had an extra gear when it was needed. It's now obvious that Obara is taking a lot out of himself by making Light Welterweight and a permanent move to 147lbs is certainly on the books.

Prior to the main event the fans had 4 under-card bouts, all scheduled for 8 rounds. The first of those saw Kyosuke Sawada (3-2, 2) score an opening round TKO against Thai visitor Kamraiyok Orwandavee (9-4, 3)*.

The second of the under-card bouts saw Yosuke Kawano (9-4-1, 4) force a 4th round TKO against Hiroyuki Sagehashi (7-8-2, 1). On paper this was a mismatch however Sagehashi had only been stopped once in his 16 previous bouts, this was however his third straight loss.

The third of the under-card bouts saw former OPBF Featherweight title challenger Ryo Takenaka (12-3-1, 6) over-come Junki Sasaki (13-3, 5) in an excellent and very competitive match up. Takenaka, who was stopped by Hisashi Amagasa last time out, did just enough to take the decision with cards of 77-76, twice, and 77-75 though we know that some of those in the venue felt Sasaki had done enough. A rematch between these two would certainly not be a bad idea though we suspect Takenaka has hopes of moving back into title fights instead.

The final of the under-card contests saw Japanese and OPBF ranked fighter Dai Iwai (17-3-1, 6) score a 5th round TKO, due to cuts, over the tough and experienced Noriyuki Ueno (17-13-5, 5). The promising Iwai is now coming into his own and has scored 8 straight wins though sadly this looks like the end for Ueno, who came up short in 4 title bouts earlier in his career.

For fans wanting to watch the main events on tape delay they will be aired this coming weekend on Fuji TV at 2:40AM Tokyo time.

Gauteng, South Africa
In South Africa fans saw Kazakhstan youngster Roman Zhailauov (14-0, 8) begin his allegiance with Golden Gloves. The 20 year old from Astana was scheduled to fight Luyanda Jako though Jako was pulled out at late notice and in the end Zhailauov ended up fighting Willis Baloyi (3-4-2, 1). Despite the change in opponent the youngster still picked up the win with a 6 round decision victory. From what we under-stand Rodney Berman, the man in charge of Golden Gloves, sees the Kazakh making his name at 140lbs in the near future.

(Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)


*Boxrec list the Thai as making his debut, the Danganboxing website list his record as 9-3 (3) entering the bout. Due to how incomplete the records of Thai's are on boxrec we tend to feel that Dangan's record is more accurate.

Osaka, Japan
In Japan we had a female world title double. The first of those world title bouts saw Japanese veteran Nao Ikeyama (14-3-1, 4) upset the previously unbeaten Filipino Jesseblle Pagaduan (6-1, 4) to claim the WBO Atomweight title and become the first ever holder of the newly established title. Aged 44 Ikeyama also becomes the oldest world champion from Japan and one of the oldest champions in history.

The second title fight saw Yuko Kuroki (11-4-1, 6) claim her first title, the WBC female Minimumweight title, as she defeated the defending champion Mari Ando (11-6, 5). Ando, defending her belt for the first time was game though unfortunately for her Kuroki was too clever with her footwork and too accurate with her straight left hand counters. Sadly for Ando this brought her second world title reign to a surprisingly quick end, whilst for Kuroki this was really a career defining victory for he youngster at this stage of her career.

Taraz, Kazakhstan
In Kazakhstan fans got a domestic double header, albeit it a very low profile one. 

The more significant of those bouts saw the very highly regarded Roman Zhailauov (12-0, 8) taking a decision over compatriot Omar Marabayev (1-3). On paper this looked like a total mismatch but Marabayev has is a recent PABA Welterweight title challenger and has faced good competition so far with his previous losses coming to Teerachai Kratingdaenggym and Gennady Martirosyan. In reality this was a much more impressive victory than it looks on paper.

The other bout saw Faruh Iriskulov (2-1, 1) taking a second 2nd round TKO over the win-less Samat Ordabayev (0-5-1). Ordabayev is as bad as his record looks and this was Iriskulov's second victory over him.

Queensland, Australia
On a card in Australia we unfortunately saw win-less Thailand's Pramool Boonpok (0-5) lose a 4 round decision to the unbeaten Australian based Hungarian Tommy Szeremi (3-0-2, 1).

California, USA
World ranked Russian Anton Novikov (29-0-0-1, 10) showed off his skills as he scored a notable decision over the hard hitting but limited Javier Castro (27-7, 22). Novikov's relative lack of power will be a problem but his skills were impressive as he put on a 10 round shut out. This was the 3rd successive defeat for Castro and his 5th loss in 8 though it's still a credible victory for Novikov for the moment.

California, USA
On a separate US card things were disappointing for the debuting Yuri Trogiyanov (0-1) who was unfortunately stopped by the criminally under-rated Edwin Solis (6-2-3, 4). Solis was simply too much of a test for a debutant Trogiyanov who showed a lot of heart but lacked the experience needed to cope with such a tough and rugged Mexican. We'll admit we want to see Trogiyanov again though hopefully he'll not be put in such a ridiculously difficult bout.

(Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)