Tokyo, Japan
The first show involving Asian fighters this month came from the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo where fans get a genuine treat that combined a a trio of notable main bouts as well as some early blow outs on the under-card. We won't pretend it was the most competitive card of all time but the local fans certainly enjoyed what they saw, as did fans watching tape-delayed footage on Fuji TV.

The show began with a series of 4 rounders, from those bouts only one went the distance as Seiyu Gunji (1-0-1, 1) fought to a majority draw with Shinya Ito (3-1-1). The other 3 bouts over the shorter distance ended in clear fashion. The shortest saw Kazuto Nakane (3-2, 3) scoring a 2nd round KO against Chikashi Takahashi (0-2), whilst Yuichi Kiyama (3-1-1, 3) scored a 3rd round KO against Raiki Kameyama (3-3, 2) and Mao Kawanishi (2-1, 1) scored his first stoppage, also with a 3rd round KO, against Takahiro Onjuku (2-4, 1).

In the sole 6 round on the card fans saw the 2014 Bantamweight Rookie of the Year Ryohei Takahashi (6-1-1) easily out point Hokuto Sakata (5-5-1, 3) with a dominant 1-sided decision. Despite the early career stoppage loss on his record we've been impressed with Takahashi and hope to see him step up through the ranks this year as it's clear he has talent, even if he does lack power.

The first notable name in action was former WBC Minimumweight and former WBC Flyweight champion Akira Yaegashi (21-5, 11) who made the move up to Super Flyweight following a less than successful campaign at Light Flyweight last year. The extra weight didn't seem to slow down Yaegashi who made very light work of Thai foe Songsaenglek Phosuwangym (18-12, 5)*. The Thai was dropped hard at the end of the opening round before being knocked out part way through the 2nd round as Yaegashi scored a high-light real finish. This was a clear mismatch but we can forgive Yaegashi for taking an easy fight following the past few years which has seen him fight a relative murder's row.

The second major bout saw WBC Super Featherweight champion Takashi Miura (29-2-2, 22) score one of his most impressive victories and record the 4th defense of his world title. Miura was fighting former IBF Featherweight champion Billy Dib (39-4-0-1, 23) and managed to really make an impression with a 3rd round TKO that left many fans realising just how good Miura is. The fight started slowly but ended in spectacular fashion with Miura dropping Dib in high-light reel fashion. To his credit Dib did recover to his feet but was rightfully stopped and ruled unfit to continue as he stumbled across the ring.

In the main event of the show we saw Japanese Olympic gold medal winner Ryota Murata (7-0, 5) score a sensational 5th round TKO victory over world ranked Brazilian Douglas Damiao Ataide (13-2-1, 6). We thought this had the potential to be a banana skin for Murata but the Japanese fighter bided his time, applied intelligent pressure for 4 rounds and then suddenly went through the gears at the start of round 5, dropping Ataide in the opening seconds and then flooring him again before he recovered his senses. The referee then stopped the bout to give Murata one of his most noteworthy wins to date.

Las Vegas, USA
Sadly things ended badly for Teiken fighters with Takahiro Ao (27-4-1, 12) suffering his first stoppage defeat courtesy of Mexican fighter Raymundo Beltran (30-7-1, 18). Ao, fighting for the WBO Lightweight title, looked under-sized from the opening bell and it showed in the second round when Beltran dropped him hard. Ao should his heart by getting back up and continuing but Beltran smelled blood and went for the kill, eventually forcing the referee to save Ao who was out on his feet and taking bombs. Sadly the belt remains vacant due to the fact Beltran failed to make weight for the bout.

(Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)


*Boxrec 's record is incomplete.

Tokyo, Japan
In recent years we've seen a tradition of big boxing shows on New Years Eve with TBS and TV Tokyo both putting on cards, which they are doing again this year. Thankfully however this year we got a bonus with Fui TV airing a special showcase of talent in an Ohashi promoted card on December 30th and the card really was something special. In fact it may well have decided the Fighter of the Year, the Performance of the Year, the Trainer of the Year, the Breakout fighter of the Year, and turned a Japanese 21 year old into the most spoken about man in boxing, at least for a day or two. It was a day where Mayweather, Pacquiao, Khan, Cotto and Canelo were forgotten names. Ducking was put on the back burner, and instead we got something that we all love, some special action in the ring.

We'll start with main event from the show which saw Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue (8-0, 7) become an even bigger sensation than he already was. Earlier this year Inoue set a Japanese record for fewest fights to a world title, winning the WBC Light Flyweight world title in just his 6th professional bout. Today he set a world record for winning his second divisional world title in just his 8th professional bout, breaking the previous record of Paul Weir by a single fight. Not only did he claim a second divisional world title but he did it in amazing fashion brutalising Argentinian veteran Omar Andres Narvaez (43-2-2, 23) in just 2 rounds to claim the WBO Super Flyweight title. Narvaez had been a long standing champion, he had looked sensational in stopping the teak tough Hiroyuki Hisataka 16 months ago and looked great in clearly beating Felipe Orucuta, despite one ludicrous card, last time out. Inoue however man handled him dropping him twice in the opening round and twice again the in second with Narvaez staying down after the 4th knock down of the fight. 

With his win Inoue has effectively ripped up any "Fighter of the Year" awards and stamped himself as the most impressive fighter this year.

Naoya Inoue wasn't the only Inoue to win on the show and his younger brother, Takuma Inoue (4-0, 1), did the same as he schooled Omar's younger brother Nestor Daniel Narvaes (20-3-2-1, 9). Narvaes had previously pushed Toshiyuki Igarashi close in a WBC Flyweight bout but was made to look slow, clumsy and off balance a lot here was Inoue used sensational speed to make him look very poor. Although we know Naoya is already a star it's fair to say that Takuma may well be one himself in a year's time.

Another Ohashi Gym youngster who picked up a win was Ryo Matsumoto (13-0, 11) who claimed the OPBF Super Flyweight title with a dominant win over Rusalee Samor (25-6-2, 11). For much of the fight Matsumoto was happy to go through the motions and just pick off Samor with accurate rangy shots though when he choose to pick up the pace later on he really started to put a beating on the tough Samor who was eventually stopped in the 12th round.

Unfortunately it wasn't a clean sweep for Ohashi as the amazingly popular Akira Yaegashi (20-5, 10) was unable to claim the WBC Light Flyweight title. Yaegashi put up a brave effort but was unable to over-come the very talented Pedro Guevara (24-1-1, 16) who finished the bout with a body shot that left Yaegashi in agony and his career on the rocks. We suspect this could be the end for the popular Japanese warrior, who also lost last time out to Roman Gonzalez. We love Yaegashi here and it's not fun to watch him taking any more damage and we hope that, at the very least, he takes some time to rest his body considering the hard and damaging fights he has had in his great career which has seen him winning world titles at both Minimumweight and Flyweight.

As well as the 4 Ohashi Gym fighters in action there was also two Teiken fighters, further solidifying the working relationship between the two promoters. The first of these was Jorge Linares (38-3, 25) who scored a 4th round KO of Mexico's Javier Prieto (24-8-2, 18) to claim the WBC Lightweight title and become a 3-weight world champion. The performance was solid without being spectacular and it seemed clear that Linares was worried about Prieto's power and wild swings though managed to take advantage of Prieto's flaws, as he did when he landed the KO blow, a hard right hand around the ear.

The other Teiken fighter was Ryota Murata (6-0, 4) who put on a dominant performance but a frustrating and odd one as he clearly beat American fighter Jessie Nicklow (24-5-3, 8). For much of the bout Murata looked stronger, more powerful and more skilled, but he also looked disjointed and as if he was trying to get used to a new style. Gone was the intense pressure and inside fighting that had been a trademark of his amateur days and in it's place was boxing and movement, though it was never smooth boxing and instead it looked like Murata wasn't quite sure if he was doing what he was supposed to. Sadly for the Japanese Olympic champion his win was also marred by cuts suffered from headclashes.

On the whole this may not have been the promotion of the year, but it wasn't far off and it was one of the best this year, one of the most exciting and one of the few Japanese cards that seemed to have a lot of interest from the west. Maybe, just maybe this and the shows tomorrow will help the wider boxing media take note of what is going on in Asia. If not it's the biggest over-sight in sport.

(Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)

This past Friday was an amazing day of boxing in Asia with a number of major cards through Asia and a lot of very notable bouts.

Tokyo, Japan
Although there was 3 notable cards today there was only 1 standout card, the Ohashi promoted "The Fight" card in Tokyo. The card not only had the best fights on it but also the best prospects.

The show, which had several televised bouts, began off TV with a number of bouts of varying levels. 

The least significant bout on the show saw Kazuki Sanpei (3-2, 1) score his first stoppage with a 2nd round TKO over fellow unknown novice Genji Ishida (1-4). The bout really was a preliminary bout but it was the only contest on the card that didn't excite us in one way or another.

The first of the 5 significant bouts on the show saw Takuma Inoue (3-0, 1) score his first stoppage as he beat Thai debutant Chanachai Sor Siamchai (0-1) in 2 rounds. The contest was by far the easiest of Takuma's young career though it was still an impressive performance by the 18 year old who is tipped to go a very long way in the sport. It's a shame this bout was such a huge step backwards from his last fight, an 8 round decision win over Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr, though it seems likely that Inoue will take a big step up in his next bout with a possible title fight looming.

Following Takuma Inoue's win fans then saw the highly touted Ryo Matsumoto (12-0, 10) blow away Thai veteran Denkaosan Kaovichit (63-5-1, 26). Kaovichit, a former Flyweight world champion and an interim world champion at Super Flyweight, was supposed to be a good test for Matsumoto though the touted Japanese fighter dropped the Thai in the opening round and then crumpled him in round 2 with a devastating body shot. After the fight it was strongly hinted that Matsumoto would be challenging for the Japanese Super Flyweight title currently held be fellow unbeaten prospect Sho Ishida.

The first televised bout, at least in Japan, was a Middleweight contest between Olympic champion Ryota Murata (5-0, 4) and Mexico's Adrian Luna Flores (17-3-1, 11). The bout saw Murata score a clear 10 round decision over his Mexican foe though look less than impressive with serious questions be asked about his stamina late in the contest. The Mexican looked ready to go in round 10 though Murata was out of gas and had to coast the final round. The official cards were all in favour of Murata, 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 though it's clear that he has a lot more work to do before stepping up to world level. After just 5 fights however no one will begrudge Murata more developmental fights.

Murata's bout was followed, at the venue and on Japanese TV, by the first of two world title fights. This contest saw Japanese star Naoya Inoue (7-0, 6) in action defending his WBC Light Flyweight title against Thailand's limited but tough Samartlek Kokietgym (17-5, 5). Inoue was in control through out the bout though he looked more flawed than he had in his previous 6 bouts. Fighting with the intention of putting on a show Inoue neglected his defensive duties more often than not as he loaded up with big shots, devastating combinations and some very eye catching offence. At the end of the day however it was a clear case of Inoue trying to entertain the fans and post-fight he admitted that it was a "garbage fight", an honest admission from a young fighter who is chasing genuine greatness. Whilst it was a poor bout it was Inoue's final one at 108lbs and he's now going to be moving to Flyweight where bouts against Juan Francisco Estrada and Amnat Ruenroeng were both mooted.

Another man who Inoue could fight is Roman Gonzalez (40-0, 34) who over-came Inoue's friend and stablemate Akira Yaegashi (20-4, 10) to claim the WBC Flyweight title in one of the best bouts of the year. The fight started slowly though quickly heated up with both Yaegashi and Gonzalez trading combinations through out the fight. Unfortunately for Yaegashi his warrior's mentality let him down in the end and he was eventually stopped after being dropped for the second time in the bout. Prior to the stoppage he had began to look exhausted and it was clear that he wasn't going to last the course against arguably the #1 offensive fighter in the sport. Unlike many fighters these two showed respect to each other before and after the bout knowing that the fight sold it's self on paper and didn't need hyping. In the ring both were warriors and both gave their all, though for Yaegashi he was simply up against a better warrior with bigger weapons.

Nonthaburi, Thailand
In Thailand fans got the chance to see a low profile show headlined by the very promising Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (27-0, 21) who retained his PABA Welterweight "super" title once again. Teerachai became the first fighter to stop Filipino Nelson Gulpe (8-3, 3) who has now lost 3 successive bouts though never has been bossed around as he was here. Sadly it's a shame that Teerachai still isn't stepping up when he has the potential to be so much more than he is showing. We understand there is a lack of Welterweights in the Orient though he needs to find someone better than Gulpe to fight next time out.

Another prospect ready to step up is Eaktawan Mor Krungthepthonburi (5-0, 4) who continued his winning run with an easy stoppage over Indonesian visitor Gaspar Ampolo (2-25-2, 1). Eaktawan didn't look great but didn't really struggle struggle. Like Naoya Inoue however it seemed that Eaktawan ignored his defensive responsiblities in the aim of entertaining fans.

A third bout on this show saw Inthanon Sithchamuang (23-7, 13) defeat the always game Indonesian journeyman Heri Amol (34-19-4, 14). Unfortunately for Amol this was his 5th straight loss and comes just a month after he was defeated by Japanese debutant Ken Shiro. 

Dubai
In Dubai fans saw the international debut of ALA who took their "Pinoy Pride" shows on the road for the first time and saw their trio of fighters all come back with victories.

The first of those Filipino's to notch up a victory was the popular Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista (36-3, 25) who took a 7th round technical decision over Juan Jose Martinez (19-2, 15). The fight was entertaining with both men loking for the knockout and although Bautista did score a knockdown in round 5 he was badly cut from a punch. The fight however came when the cut was worsened by a headclash that left the doctor with no decision but to take the fighters to the cards early where Bautista took a majority decision for the win.

One of the two co-features saw the unbeaten Arthur Villanueva (26-0, 14) claim the IBF International Super Flyweight title with a very narrow split decision win over the heavy handed Henry Maldonado (19-4, 14). The bout, refereed by British veteran Mickey Vann, saw an amazing second round which featured a knockdown against Villanueva though again saw many questioning Villanueava's world class potential. On the back of this fight and Villanueva's narrow win over Fernando Aguilar we're starting to think that he's either not as good as advertised or really struggling at Super Flyweight. Whatever it is, something is going to stop "King Arthur" from reaching the heady heights expected of him.

In the other co-feature we saw the ultra-talented Genesis Servania (25-0, 11) successfully retain WBO Inter-Continental Bantamweight title with a retirement victory over Jose Cabrera (22-5-2, 10). Cabrera had been dominated through out the early portion of the fight and had been dropped in round 2 and battered in rounds 3 and 4 though the bout swung in round 5 and Servania became hesitant after feeling the power of his Mexican foe. From round 8 the bout swung back in favour of the Filipino and Cabrera was eventually pulled between rounds 9 and 10 to give a relatively disappointing ending to the contest.

Prior to the bouts with the Filipino star trio there was a trio of under-card bouts. One of these saw another Filipino, Larry Abarra (3-2-1, 2), take a decision victory over Thailand's limited Chatpayak Sithkopon Nuengkawkawhok (2-8, 1). Another of the undercard bouts saw Dubai based Ugandan Deo Kizito (1-0) take a very narrow decision win over the previously unbeaten Anusher Abdullaev (4-1, 4). The remaining bout was a 1-sided beat down as Mohammad Akram (2-0-1, 1) dominated Thailand's Kong Windy Sports (1-6) to record a 2nd round victory.

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Another title fight took place in Burkina Faso as Filipino Silvester Lopez (22-8-2, 16) attempted to claim the WBC International Super Bantamweight title. Sadly for Lopez he suffered a wide loss to Alexis Boureima Kabore (23-1, 6). Lopez, now fighting way above the division that he first made his name, really is too small for Super Bantamweight and should be looking to move back down to Bantamweight, at the highest. Of course however he'll fight where opportunities arise.

Lombardia, Italy
In Italy fans saw the return to the ring of Japanese born European based Aniya Seki (25-3-2, 2) who took a decision over journey-woman Claudia Ferenci (8-36-5, 3). This was Seki's first bout following her stoppage loss to Judith Rodriguez a few months back and although Seki won here few will feel she will be a world champion before she calls it quits on a long career.

(Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp)

Kyoto, Japan
In this sport there are fighters destined for greatness. Fighters who has such unreal natural talent that they are viewed as blessed. One such fighter who falls in to that category is Japanese Middleweight sensation Ryota Murata (4-0, 4) who scored his 4th stoppage earlier today with a very straight forward victory over Mexico's Jesus Angel Nerio (12-3, 6).

The bout started with Murata in charge, with him coming forward, showing off lovely variety in his work and generally showing that the two men were in completely different leagues. This continued through to the end of round 4 with Murata hardly breaking sweat whilst dominating the bout with accurate and heavy handed attacks. 

In the 5th round the Japanese fighter began to up his work rate and he seriously rocked Nerio after connecting with a huge head shot. He was unable to put the Mexican down in a follow up attack, with the bell coming just before Nerio was knocked down, but the damage had been down with gust busting body shots and vicious head shots, The minute break between rounds wasn't so much respite for Nerio but more a case of delaying the inevitable which came in round 6 after Nerio suffered a second knockdown in the round and decided to stay down for the count. It was clear the Mexican was done though it hardly looked like Murata had even began in a very impressive performance,

Murata's bout was the headline contest, the main event, though it wasn't the only bout on the show. 

Earlier on the card had featured several other bouts.

For Japanese based Filipino Malcolm Tunacao (34-3-3, 20), the former WBC Flyweight, things were tough but successful as he out pointed South Korea's very tough Joo-Hyun Jung (6-3-1, 2). Jung put up an excellent effort and gave Tunacao the type of work out that he'll have wanted despite the fight being tougher than anyone would have expected.

Tunacao's former rival Christian Esquivel (27-5, 20), a man Tunacao stopped in 7, had a nightmare showing as he was stopped by Japanese youngster Shohei Omori (12-0, 7). Omori, a relative unknown in international boxing circles, was thoroughly impressive and could, or rather should, find himself in the next WBC world rankings considering that Esquivel was the #9 ranked Bantamweight prior to this bout.

Incidentally both Tunacao and Esquivel had been stopped in recent WBC title fights by the sensational Shinsuke Yamanaka. Omori however stopped Esquivel quicker than Yamanaka in a performance that really should open the eyes of a lot of fans.

Tatsuya IkemizuOmori was one of 3 highly regarded man on the under-card. Another one of those men was Sho Nakazawa (4-0, 4) who, like Murata in the main event, scored his 4th successive stoppage. Nakazawa made very light work of Indonesia's Gun Tinular (11-17-1, 6), and ended the bout with a nasty body attack as he continued to impress fans with his speed, skills and power.

The other highly regarded unbeaten prospect on the card was Tatsuya Ikemizu (10-0, 4) who stopped Oke Haryanto (5-2-1, 2) inside a round as he put on one of his most impressive performances so far.

(Image, of Murata landing a body shot, courtesy of boxingnews.jp)

The biggest boxing news on Saturday was all about "Ring of Gold", the latest in Bob Arum's Macau shows. The shows, which may split opinion between fans have been fantastic for exposing some Asian talent to a new audience and we've got to admit that we're huge fans of them, obviously. Though we under-stand that many fans may not like the idea of headlining shows with certain fighters or having shows on at unusual times of the day for the typical US audience.

Thankfully as fans of the shows we'll say that the latest was one of the most interesting and one of the shows that has really revealed just what you can do when you combine good amateurs with elite training.

Macau, China
The card kicked off with Filipino Jerwin Ancajas (19-1-1, 11) looking very impressive. Ancajas looked sharp, fast and skilled as he took apart the over-matched Inthanon Sithchamuang (20-7, 11). On this performance we're looking forward to seeing more of Ancajas and hopefully he will be on another of the Macau cards later this year. Although "pretty boy" Ancajas isn't ready for a world title fight, and won't be for quite some time, he does have all the traits of a man who could well move in to the mix at world level in a year or two. Saying that however the Filipino is the WBA #14 at Bantamweight.

Following Ancajas's win we saw another clear mismatch as Ancajas's countryman Harmonito Dela Torre (12-0, 7) easily stopped Indonesia's Yakobus Heluka (7-6). Heluka came out swinging though was left out lying flat on the canvas before the first round was over and it seems likely that Heluka was still feeling the ill effects of being stopped just a few weeks back.

The show's third contest saw Macau's own boxing prospect Kuok Kun Ng (3-0, 1) score his first stoppage as he defeated Indonesian Rocky Alap Alap (5-11) in 3 rounds. Kuok, known as "The Macau Kid" appears to be a very interesting prospect and although he's short for a Light Middleweight he does seem to be skilled and improving quickly making him a fighter that we have to keep an eye on, especially if he continues to improve. 

In the show's fourth contest, the first to feature an Olympic gold medal winner, fans got to see an improved Ryota Murata (3-0, 3) in action. Murata, a Japanese boxing icon, stepped up a level to fight Brazilian Carlos Nascimento (29-4, 23) though appeared to be well in his comfort zone as he let Nascimento hit him on the arms before firing back with heavier shots of his own. Those heavy shots broke down the Brazilian who was stopped on the ropes whilst taking an unanswered series of punches.

Murata's contest was followed by the first title fight which saw Hong Kong's Rex Tso (12-0, 8) battling Japan's Mako Matsuyama (7-8-1, 3) in the stand out fight of the show. The two men willingly traded through out the contest though Matsuyama was eventually broken down, as much from exhaustion as Tso's shots. The fight, the highlight fight on the card, proved to be a much better match up than the records of the fighters indicated though perhaps suggests that Tso isn't as good as hyped. He is however very fun to watch and the type of fighter who we can't help but want to see in action again.

The best fight on the card was followed by a KO of the year contender courtesy of a thunderbolt landed by former WBO Super Flyweight champion Marvin Sonsona (18-1-1, 15). Sonsona, a slight betting under-dog, left former WBA Super Bantamweight champion Akifumi Shimoda (28-4-2, 12) lying unconscious following one of the best uppercuts we're likely to see this year. This victory will likely see Sonsona given world rankings at Featherweight, where he is now the WBO International champion, and if given time there is no doubt that Sonsona can become a world champion for the second time.

The second Olympic champion to fight on the show was Russian Egor Mekhontsev (2-0, 2) who stopped the previously unbeaten Thai Atthaporn Jaritram (4-1, 1) in a very 1 sided contest. Atthaporn was too small and slow for the very gifted Mekhontsev who clearly has the talent to be moved quickly in a relative weak division. Although Light Heavyweight does have some great champions it is weak below those champions and there is no reason Mekhontsev can't be threatening the top 10 by the end of the year.

Unfortunately after an excellent card the life was sucked out of the venue in the only world title fight on the show. The bout in question was an IBF Lightweight title fight between the talented, yet thoroughly frustrating, Miguel Vazquez (34-3, 13) and Denis Shafikov (33-1-1, 18). Vazquez started well though as soon as he realised Shafikov could get close to him the fight became less about boxing and more about holding, clinching, hugging, spoiling and generally preventing the bout from having any semblance of a boxing contest. Vazquez, who retained his title, certainly won't be welcome to Macau again and Ernie Sharif, the referee of the bout, may well come in for a lot of questioning over the next few days.

Thankfully the crowd came back alive for the show's main event which saw China's very own Zou Shiming (4-0, 1) put in a very impressive performance. Shiming, the reason for these Macau shows, may get a lot of hate internationally though appears to be a fighter making huge improvements between fights. That improvement was fully on show as he scored his first stoppage by wearing down and beating up Yokthong Kokietgym (15-4, 11). Yokthong, who had been stopped quickly by Ryuji Hara a few years ago, came to fight but was unable to cope with the ability of Shiming who appears to have really grasped the core concepts of professional boxing after looking very poor in some of his earlier bouts.

With both Shiming and Murata showing real signs of improvement it's not a wonder both are having their names linked to world title fights already. The rumour seems to be that Shiming could be fighting Amnat Ruenroeng later this year whilst Murata will be hoping to claim a world title next year.

Cotabato del Sur, Philippines
Outside of Ring of Gold there were other contests involving Asian's. These included several bouts in the Philippines.

One of the Filipino bouts saw former world title challenger Richie Mepranum (27-3-1, 6) putting in a very dominant display over Thailand's limited Phupha Por Nobnom (10-9-1, 9) who was dropped a staggering 6 times before retiring between rounds 4 and 5. Phupha was dropped in every round of the bout and showed that he really didn't belong in the ring with Mepranum.

The only other bout we have the result for from this card saw Jetly Purisima (18-13-4, 5) out pointing Jerson Luzarito (8-4-3, 3) over the 10 round distance.

Pennsylvania, USA
In the US things were disappointing for Azerbaijan's Farid Aghayev (1-0-1, 1) who was held to a majority draw by Lanny Dardar (1-0-1, 1) over 4 rounds.

(Picture courtesy of Toprank)