The Japanese Youth title scene is a really interesting one, even though it doesn't get a great deal of attention. The creation of the Japanese Youth title was one that originally questioned, and some felt it wasn't needed, and wouldn't be valued particularly highly. There was some worries that it would prevent youngsters from chasing for the main Japanese title, and others failed to see just how many positives the title could have. Thankfully it has quickly become a staple of the Japanese domestic scene and has been responsible for many gems since it was created. Today we look at a thrilling gem between two young men each looking to win their first title, and proof that the Japanese Youth title is a prize that fighters genuinely want.
 
Toshiya Ishii (2-0, 1) Vs Haruki Ishikawa (8-1, 6)
Neither Toshiya Ishii or Haruki Ishikawa are fighters that we expect fans to be aware of, though both men looked to make a name for themselves in December 2019 when they put on a thriller for the previously vacant Japanese Youth Bantamweight title. 
 
The two men had been part of a 4 man tournament for the belt. They had both come out as the clear winners in their semi-final bouts before clashing in this final, which was expected to be good, but nothing amazing. Both had shown they could fight, Ishikawa had looked like a real rugged puncher, willing to walk through bombs in the belief that his chin would take anything coming back at him, whilst his power had proven it's self as a game changer. Ishii on the other hand had been an impressive amateur before turning professional and over-coming Fumiya Fuse in just his second bout.
 
What we ended up getting was a brilliant mix of boxing, fighting and drama. They styles of the two men ended up gelling well, with Ishikawa looking to march down Ishii and take him out with massive power shots and Ishii feeling confident enough to box when he could and trade when he needed to.
 
Whilst the first round was good round 2 was absolutely insane, with some breath taking moments, including one sequence where both men were caught at the same time and both were badly staggered. Due to the fact both were staggered so badly neither man got the chance to capitalise, but by that point both had already been down, and both believed they had the power needed to stop the other.
 
This wasn't two kids playing boxing, this was two excellent young fighters, putting it all on the line for a belt that has been used to launch fighters towards bigger and better things, and former Japanese Youth champions like Junto Nakatani have helped prove the value of this level of title. This was a youth title bout worthy of every second of action, and one that swung one way, then the other. A truly fantastic fight and a bout that well truly belong in the 2019 Treasure Trove series.

One of the sad things about boxing is when we see a fighter get their big chance, a bit too late. It's something that leaves us wondering what could have been, and wondering whether or not the fighter could have gone all the way with a big more luck and good fortune. One of the hidden treasures of 2019 was a great performance, in a loss, by a 34 year old Light Flyweight against one of the rising of the division.
 
Hiroto Kyoguchi (13-0, 9) vs Tetsuya Hisada (34-9-2, 20)
We suspect anyone who follows us has heard of, and seen, Hiroto Kyoguchi's rise through the ranks. The Watanabe Gym promoted fighter raced through the early part of his career and took the IBF Minimumweight title just 15 months after making his professional debut. He then moved to Light Flyweight and became a 2 weight world champion at the end of 2018, stopping Hekkie Budler.
 
We suspect many won't have been too aware of Tetsuya Hisada however, at least not until October 2019, when he challenged Kyoguchi for the Light Flyweight title. He was, until then, a fighter who had mostly been fighting on the Japanese domestic scene. He was in great form, but with 45 bouts under his belt the 34 year old was expected to put up a brave effort before being stopped by the much younger Kyoguchi. Even with the Osakan fans well and truly behind him, he was still being given next to no chance to even see the final, never mind make the bout interesting.
 
What we ended up getting was a real thriller, that wasn't a purely competitive bout, but was certainly fought on a much more even keel than many had anticipated, and at times it seemed like the old man was coming out on top. Overall it did seem like Kyoguchi, the younger yet more proven fighter, was stronger, but after being wobbled and left with some serious swelling there was a sense of drama. Especially with Hisada digging deeper and deeper. It was, potentially, Hisada's only chance to become a world champion, and unlike many he wasn't willing to give up that dream without giving everything he had.
 
What we ended up with here, was something special, something thrilling, yet had technically skills on show through out. It was overshadowed just a few days later by Gennady Golovkin going to war with Sergiy Derevyanchenko, a bout with bigger names, but in reality little separated them in terms of quality, action, heart, desire and drama. This was a real hidden gem, despite being a world title bout.

​For this weeks "One to Watch" I had originally covered the scheduled bout between Carl Jammes Martin and Renoel Pael. Unfortunately that bout was cancelled at the start of the week due to worries about the Coronavirus. With a lack of fights this coming week I've decided that instead of covering a different fight, with almost all of them being less than great on paper, I thought I'd have a look back on the fights covered in this series.
 
The first fight I covered was Aidos Yerbossynuly Vs Rocky Jerkic, and this was actually a good start to the series with Yerbossynuly taking a career best win over Jerkic in a good solid bout. Not a spectacular bout, but a solid one. Yerbossynuly notched another win 4 months later.
 
After a solid start I did pick a bit of a one sided stinker in the second bout in the series, with the debuting Katsuya Fukui stopping Sang Hoon Kim in the second round. Exactly 2 months later Fukui scored another quick win, that time over a Thai foe.
 
The third one of these looked at ZongLi He's bout with Hamson Lamandau, which He won by clear decision in September. Sadly He has yet to fight following this win, however Lamandau lost in December to go 0-3 in 2019.
 
Our fourth bout looked at Kudura Kaneko Vs Moon Hyon Yun, which I expected to be a competitive bout. Instead it was a huge win for Kaneko, and helped put him in place for his upcoming OPBF title fight, which takes place at the end of February. As for Yun I wouldn't be surprised by him hanging them up.
 
A week later I looked at Batyrzhan Jukembayev's fight with Mexican Miguel Vazquez, which was a step up for the Canadian based Kazakh, and a career best win. Since this win, a decision victory, Jukembayev has scored a win over Ricardo Lara and continued edging towards a world title fight.
 
As with Katsuya's Fukui debut I also covered Shigetoshi Kotari's debut in the series, and that also ended up being a mismatch, as he stopped Indonesian foe Lasben Sinaba in 2 rounds. Kotari will return to the ring in early March for his second pro bout.
 
Rather strangely our next bout never actually took place. I had looked at Yelieqiati Nihemaituola Vs Ryan Rey Ponteras, but Ponteras was replaced late on by Ardin Diale. The "Kazakh Warrior" Nihemaituola took a clear decision over Diale, who was fighting well above his best weight.
 
In mid-October I got a bout that really delivered, with Xiang Li Vs Ryu Horikawa being an absolute thriller. I felt Horikawa was very unlucky to not get the win, with the bout being scored a draw, but this was a real standout bout from October and well worth a watch back if you missed it. Sadly neither of these two talented and exciting youngsters have fought since their October clash.
 
We remained in China for the following week's "One To Watch" and it turned out to be less exciting than I expected, as Wenfeng Ge easily beat Kompayak Porpramook over 12 rounds to retain the WBO Oriental title. Since this bout neither man has fought, though Porpramook is expected back in the ring shortly. Sadly for Ge any plans are currently on hold due to the outbreak of Coronavirus in China.
 
The following week we returned to Japan for the East Japan Rookie of the Year final between Katsuki Mori and Shu Nawai, who were meeting for the second time. This was expected to be good and competitive, but in reality it was just a showcase of Mori's tremendous ability and only weeks later he claimed the All Japan Rookie of the Year crown.
 
Sadly the bout I had covered on November, a mouth watering clash between Seiya Tsutsumi and Kenya Yamashita never took place, with Yamashita failing to make weight for the God's Left Bantamweight tournament semi-final. As a result Tsutsumi got a bye, and then fought to a draw in the final with Kazuki Nakajima. Just a draw later I did an extra one to watch on the other tournament semi-final, which saw Kazuki Nakajima blast out Jin Minamide to book his place in the final.
 
We remained in Japan for the international bout between Keita Kurihara and Sukkasem Kietyongyuth. This was, on paper, a great test for Kurihara, but his power proved too much and he crushed his Thai foe with no issues, to take a step closer to getting a world title bout.
 
I then got one really wrong as Koshin Takeshima and Daisuke Watanabe gave us one of the worst bouts in the series. On paper this had the ingredients to be something great, but sloppy action, head clashes, and styles that didn't quite gel forced the bout to be halted in round 4, resulting in a technical draw. Strangely this was the worst of the three "Hajime No Ippo 30th Anniversary" quarter final bouts on the same show. Watanabe will return at the end of the month for his semi-final bout with Filipino Richard Pumicpic.
 
A week later we expected to go over to China for a bout between ZongLi He and Alphoe Dagayloan. Sadly this bout failed to materalise.
 
The following week I picked another stinker as Zhilei Zhang took an easy decision over rugged Ukrainian Andriy Rudenko, himself a late replacement for Sergey Kuzmin. Zhang really just controlled this bout with ease, and we got very, very little drama at any point. It was a chance for Zhang to make a statement in the division, but instead he just cruised his way to a decision win.
 
We stayed with Heavyweights for Mahammadrasul Majidov's bout against Tom Little, in what proved to be an horrific mismatch. This was Majidov doing what he needed to do, and he didn't play with his food. Instead the Azeri battered the out-of-shape British fighter in 2 rounds. Sadly, given Majidov is already 33, he's not fought since and like many fighters under the Matchroom banner he seems to be getting left out in the cold, when he should be kept busy.
 
Dropping back down the scales we saw exciting young Light Flyweight Tsuyoshi Sato take a hard earned win over veteran Masashi Tada, in what turned out to be a solid bout, and a real test, for Sato. Up to this point Sato had been blowing opponents out, with 4 quick wins in his previous 5, and this was the type of test he really needed heading towards 2020.
 
I went back up to Heavyweight action the following week as Kyotaro Fujimoto faced Daniel Dubois. This was a mismatch, we all knew it would be, but it was interesting to see Kyotaro fighting outside of his homeland. He seemed to enjoy the UK before the fight, but stood no chance with the fast rising British puncher and was stopped in 2 rounds.
 
The same week I did another extra "One to Watch" as I covered Katsuki Mori for the second time. This time it was Mori's All Japan Rookie of the Year final against Takumi Chono. This was a showcase for Mori,who looked sensational at times and stamped his name as one to watch in 2020. The youngster from the Ohashi gym will return in March and I expect massive things from the youngster. Despite the loss Chono will actually return a day before Mori, fighting on March 16th whilst Mori fights on March 17th.
 
Rather oddly the bout I covered next was delayed. It was originally scheduled for late December, then pushed back to early January and saw Da Won Gang take on Jin Su Kim. I was looking forward to see Gang in action, but I didn't expect to see him in just a cameo, as he quickly blew out Kim to secure a Korean title fight in 2020.
 
On the same show as the re-arranged Gang Vs Kim bout was Sung Min Yuh's win over Se Yul Yang. This was a frustrating watch with Yuh being far too good for Yang, but he refused to put his foot on the gas and got for the kill. He looked genuinely class and we're going to look forward to him getting a KBM title fight on May 3rd against Do Ha Kim, in an excellent rematch of the Battle Royal bout form 2019.
 
In mid-January I looked at the Knockout Dynamite tournament final between Ribo Takahata and Marvin Esquierdo. This turned out to be a pretty solid bout, nothing too amazing, but a solid fight and a great day for Esquierdo who scored a good bonus for his stoppage win. I'd love to see more of Esquierdo, who comes to fight and looks like he was made for the 5 round Prize Fight format of the tournament.
 
Staying with mid January I had another solid pick as the KBM Super Bantamweight title bout between Han Bin Suh delivered Shin Dong Myung. We saw Suh bringing the pressure but what was more impressive was Myung keeping his form and out boxing Suh for 10 rounds. It's a shame Myung turned pro so old as he has the skills to make a mark at a much higher level, but with his 32nd birthday in March he really needs to be fast tracked. Interesting Suh is set to fight in Japan in April against Tatsuya Takahashi.
 
At the end of January I featured the God's Left Bantamweight tournament final and saw Kazuki Nakajima fight to a very controversial draw with Seiya Tsutsumi. We felt, as did many fans, that Tsutsumi did more than enough to earn the win, but was denied the prize as some how the judges failed to recognise his performance. Worse of all, Nakajima "won" the tournament on the majority point rule, giving him the financial prize of the competition.
 
We had a second consecutive controversial draw as Alphoe Dagayloan was held by Carlo Caesar Penalosa. I felt Dagayloan, who is a hard luck fighter in general, deserved the win here due to a late charge, but Penalosa managed to just scrap a draw, likely on the basis of his name. A rematch for this, and the Nakajima Vs Tsutsumi bout, would make sense, but we suspect that Penalosa will feel no need to face the nightmare that is Dagayloan again.
 
In a genuine thriller for the WBC Youth Flyweight title, we saw Kento Hatanaka being given a real test by Roland Jay Biendima. This was a war, a thrilling, action packed 10 round war. At times Hatanaka looked class, but he was dragged into a fire fight and fought fire with fire. A really great fight.
 
A week I picked another great fight when Yuki Nakajima and Shisui Kawabata gave us a thriller. This was pure brilliance from two men who knew how to box and how to fight. Nakajima had to over-come a tough start, force his fight on to Kawabata and then stopped Kawabata with one of the best punches of the year. Real class stuff.
 
Since starting this series I have picked some duds, of course I have. The Takeshima Vs Watanabe bout and Zhang Vs Rudenko were both terrible, and I've seen bouts I've picked fall through. On the whole though I feel this has been a good series and is something I've enjoyed doing, and something I'll continue to do going forward. The entire idea of it has been to shine a light on a bout that will be watchable, be it streaming, television or PPV, and I think I've done that well. I hope you guys agree!

The Heavyweight contenders are an interesting bunch which probably could be split into "veterans and established world level contenders" and "emerging novices". It's a relatively deep division on paper, but a number of the fighters are probably only a loss away from retirement, whilst a lot of the emerging talent still have some way to go to get a world title fight.
 
Tyson Fury (29-0-1, 20)
Lineal champion Tyson Fury is the most awkward boxer in the division but the 31 year old Englishman hasn't scored a win of note, officially, in over 4 years. His huge 2015 win over Wladimit Klitschko was the changing of the guard that the division needed in some ways, but his inactivity following that win, then his competition since it really have killed his momentum. An excellent performance in 2018 saw him controversially held to a draw by Deontay Wilder, and the two are set for a rematch later this month.
 
Oleksandr Usyk (17-0, 13)
Former undisputed Cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is the WBO mandatory challenger for the and at 33 years old we don't expect him to wait long for his shot. We do wonder what Usyk will be like at Heavyweight, but stylistically he's the best pure boxer in the division, with a high out put, sharp punching, a lot of skill and high ring IQ. We do wonder if he will be under-sized, and whether he has the skills to over-come the size difference, but he is definitely a top contender, just based on what he did at Cruiserweight.
 
Kubrat Pulev (28-1, 14)
Bulgarian veteran Kubrat Pulev is lined up for a second world title fight, with a bout against Anthony Joshhua expected to take place in May. The 38 year old Pulev had one of the best jabs in the sport, but we do wonder what he has left given his age. In his only world title fight to date he was dismantled by Wladimir Klitschko way back in 2014, but has rebuilt with 8 straight wins to earn his second shot.
 
Luis Ortiz (31-2-0-2, 26)
We suspect we've probably seen the end of Cuban veteran Luis Ortiz, who has twice for world titles, as a world title challenger. The 40 year old "King Kong" has shown enough in both of his losses, both to Deontay Wilder, to suggest he belonged at world level, but with a brutal KO loss last year, and one in 2018, we suspect he'll be too much "risk" and not enough "reward" to get another big fight before he hangs them up.
 
Joseph Parker (26-2, 20)
Former WBO world champion Joseph Parker seems to have been around for years, but the 28 year old is more than young enough to mount another series run, if not a couple of runs, towards the top. Parker has proven to be skilled, tough, talented and deserves to be in the mix despite a 2018 loss to Dillian Whyte. Sadly his competition since losing to Whyte, in July 2018, have been poor and his February 2020 bout with Shawndell Terrell Winters has done little to get people excited in the former champion. Lets hope he begins to demand better from his team going forward.
 
Andy Ruiz Jr (33-2, 22)
Mexican-American Andy Ruiz Jr had a weird 2019. He reached the top of the world in June, stopping Anthony Jsohua to claim the WBA "super", WBO and IBF titles, with one one the biggest upsets in recent memory. Then put on 25lbs, and came in looking like a tub of large in December's rematch. He admitted there was issues with his commitment to training, then split with the trainer that had helped him beat Joshua. It's fair to say that 2020 is going to be a massive year for the 30 year old "Destroyer" who needs to find his hunger back in the ring, not the kitchen.
 
Dillian Whyte (27-1, 18)
Outspoken and controversial Jamaican born British fighter Dillian Whyte has one of the best records of anyone in the division, and on paper he certainly deserves a world title fight. The issue however is that he's offered opportunities and pulled out or turned them down, including fights with Joshua, and a world title eliminator with Kubrat Pulev. His fans will scream that Deontay Wilder has avoided him and Wilder's fans will scream that Whyte is all talk. At the end of the day Whyte is very much a controversial figure, despite his talent. He'll likely get a shot, but questions need to be asked in why he has turned down previous opportunities whilst suggesting he is being ducked.
 
Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1, 24)
Russian veteran Alexander Povetkin looked like he was pretty much spent last time out, when he fought to a draw with Michael Hunter in Saudi Arabia. Although still a very talented and heavy handed fighter Povetkin looked slow, old, and like a man who can no longer do 12 rounds at a comfortably pace. Expect him to retire in 2020 if he can't win a big fight. He's very talented, but father time has almost caught up with the 40 year old. 
 
Michael Hunter (18-1-1, 12)
Former Cruiserweight world title challenger turned Heavyweight contender Michael Hunter has seen his career have a breathe of new life since moving up in weight and scoring wins over the likes of Iago Kiladze, Alexander Ustinov, Martin Bakole and Sergey Kuzmin. Technically Hunter is sound, sharp, quick and smart. Sadly a lack of real fire power at Cruiserweight and a relative lack of physicality is likely to be an issue going forward. In 2019 he fought to a draw with Alexander Povetkin and a rematch between the two would be great to see later this year.
 
Filip Hrgovic (10-0, 8)
Croation fighter Filip Hrgovic is a hard fighter to get a read on. He sometimes shows flashes of real potential, and was a very good amateur, but at other times it seems like he's going through the motions. We'd like to see him get a meaningful fight in 2020, though we suspect his slow burn rise to the top will continue. Sadly it seems like a lack of tests could prove to be a very series problem for Hrgovic who put on a significant amount of weight last year, adding over 16lbs between his first and third bout. If he doesn't get a serious test we expect his weight will continue to increase, taking away some of the fluidity that makes him a compelling prospect.
 
Efe Ajagba (12-0, 10)
US based Nigerian puncher Efe Ajagba is an interesting hopeful who had a rather curious 2019. He had entered the year 8-0 (7), with his only none T/KO win being an opening DQ win over Curtis Harper and looked like an invincible puncher. In 2019 however he was taken the distance by Ali Eren Demirezen and then dropped by Iago Kiladze, in a sensation December bout. Those two fights showed that Ajagba needs to be given time, and developmental fights, but they could be hard to land for such a perceived danger man.
 
Daniel Dubois (14-0, 13)
Englishman Daniel Dubois is one of the most interesting prospects in the division. Although he comes across as a genuinely boring person outside of the ring, he is as exciting as they come inside of it. Blessed with power in both hands, under-rated speed and skills that are developing well he is one of the true stars of the future in the division. At 22 years old he ticks every box inside the ring. Give the likes of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, who love to talk, Dubois is kinda refreshing in that he wants his work in the ring to speak for him. He'll be back in the ring on April 11th, when he faces Joe Joyce, in a mouth watering British showdown in London.
 
Joe Joyce (10-0, 9)
Olympic silver medal winner Joy Joyce is a very weird guy to get a read on. Watching him he looks slow, stationary, sluggish, and easy to beat. At 34 years old he's not going to get any quicker or more fluid in the ring. Despite that he's physically strong, power, rugged, tough and seems to just grind down fighters, taking wins over decent, though not great opponents. Last time out took a decision over Bryant Jennings, showing he could do 12 rounds, but looked like he was struggling at times with the faded American veteran. He'll be in action, as mentioned, in April against Daniel Dubois in a mouth watering clash. A loss there could well spell the end for the "Juggernaut"

​This week's one to watch is an interesting clash in Japan that pits professional novices against each other on a Kadoebi show, so we'll likely get it on tape delay on youtube. The men involved really afford a loss, but that just adds to sense of both men going out there wanting to not only win, but to win impressively. This is perhaps not one that will get much attention from the Western fans, but is certainly a very interesting, and potentially very explosive, match up.
 
The One to Watch?
Yuki Nakajima (3-1, 3) Vs Shisui Kawabata (2-1, 2)
 
When?
February 14th (Friday)

Why?
Two former Japanese amateur standouts facing off, both of whom have shown a lot of ability already in their short careers. Despite both having a loss against their names both should still be regarded as talented prospects, with a lot of potential, and both men will know a win here will help them take a huge step towards a Japanese ranking, even this early in their career.

Who?
Yuki Nakajima, 24, is the younger brother of Ohashi Gym hopeful Kazuki Nakajima, and is a talented youngster himself. Fighting out of the well established Kadoebi gym Nakajima went 52-21 in the unpaid ranks and impressed early as a professional with his heavy handed style and aggression. He suffered his first loss last August, being out pointed by the excellent Ryu Horikawa. Since that loss Nakajima has bounced back with a win over domestic veteran Yasuhiro Tanaka.
 
Aged 23, though he turns 24 in March, Shisui Kawabata is a very highly regarded young who had impressed as an amateur, where he ran up a misleading 29-18 (11) record and was selected as a sparring partner for Naoya Inoue before he'd even debuted. Despite being dropped on his professional debut, by Natchaphon Wichaita he has impressed since. Sadly he was beaten last time out, losing a competitive decision to Rikito Shiba in September in a Japanese Youth title fight and since then has been developing at the Watanabe Gym.
 
What to expect?
Both of these kids can fan, but are skilled but aggressive, both hit hard for smaller weight fighters and both are well schooled from their days as amateurs. We expect there to be a lot of early respect. Both will want to see what the other has to offer before putting their foot on the gas. For Nakajima the key will be figuring out Kawabata's southpaw stance and this will be his first bout against a southpaw. As for Kawabata the key will be neutralising Nakajima's power. 
 
After a couple of rounds of seeing what each other have we see the pace of this stepping up, and both men letting heavier bombs go as they try to not only beat each other, but stop the other. The respect will be there, and it won't become a wild brawl, but it will be high speed chess, with dynamite being thrown by both.
 
The bad news?
Sadly the loser here will have a big hole to climb out of, and they will seriously need to be given some confidence building bouts later in the year. Sure 2 losses this early in their career won't be the end. The likes of Ryoichi Tamura, Keita Kurihara and Kyosuke Sawada have all proven that losses can be used as learning experiences. But the loser here will need to be given easier buots to rebuild before they get another serious test.