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This week's one to watch is a bout between two novices, but two novices that you should make a note of, as both men have a lot of potential following good amateur careers. We that in mind we are thinking this could be a very high level bout, but also a somewhat entertaining one, with a skilled aggressive fighter against a talented and rangy outside boxer.
The One to Watch? Junya Shimada (0-0) Vs Kotari Shigeotshi (2-0, 1) When? May 6th (Thursday) (Note - This bout has now been postponed to May 20th due to the on going State of Emergency in Tokyo) Why? Unlike many countries Japanese boxing promoters don't like to molly coddle their top prospects, and rather than introducing them to the professional ranks with a series of mismatches they like to test their men early, and see what they have as soon as they can. With this bout we see a perfect example of that as a former amateur standout debuts against another former amateur standout in a match up that looks brilliant, despite the professional inexperience of the two men involved. This should be a compelling, high level, contest that really doesn't match up with the records of the two men involved. Who? It's fair to say that few, outside of those who follow the Japanese amateur boxing scene, will be familiar with Junya Shimada. That however will likely change very quickly with the former amateur standout expected to make a lot of noise in the professional ranks thanks to the backing of Teiken and his own, very accomplished, skillset. He's a 23 year old who went 58-23 in the amateurs and showed a style that was aggressive, exciting and seemed made for the professional scene. Whilst this will be Shimada's debut the views from Japan are that he is a special talent, and he was unfortunate to regularly bump into very good fighters, several years older than himself, in the main Japanese tournaments. Hence picking up 23 losses in his 81 amateur bouts. Despite that he put in some excellent performances and showed a lot to like, with his speed, body punching, light footwork and combinations. The desire and belief he and his team have is clear, given how tough of a debut this is, and a win here would see him put on the fast track to titles. At 24 years old Shigetoshi Kotari is slightly older than Shimada and has 2 professional bouts to his name, though he has yet to really shine as a professional, which is something rather surprising. When he turned professional there was huge hope on Kotari, who went 50-23 as an amateur and was sparring with some high profile Japanese fighters ahead of his 2019 debut. Sadly that debut told us very little as Indonesian opponent Lasben Sinaba was dire. Really dire. He Due to the Covid19 pandemic Kotari was out of the ring for around a year, but returned last October and put in an underwhelming performance as he defeat Motosuke Kimura via decision. In that bout Kotari was dropped and never looked comfortable with Kimura's negative style and counter punching. Whilst he has got 2 wins, it's really hard to give them too much weight. Despite being underwhelmed by his performances so far Kotari is certainly not a bad boxer, just someone who doesn't yet look polished in a way we'd have expected someone with more than 70 amateur bouts. He's a very tall, rangy boxer, with lovely long levers, and he will have height and reach advantage over most opponents, but he looks like a nervous fighter and like someone who doesn't quite believe in their own body. He has the frame to be a brilliant outside boxer, but also the type of frame that looks fragile and given his knack of dropping his hands and over-reaching he could find himself in trouble quite regularly. What to expect? It's always hard to predict how a debutant will look. Likewise it's too early to know what Kotari can really do, and he could easily get over some of his jitters in the next fight or two. If that happens, then he could be a real handful. Despite the issues with predicting this one, what we will say is that both men have a lot to like. Shimada really did look fantastic as amateur, and footage of him shows him to be a fighter who should be a very, very good professional. Should he have taken on an easier opponent for his debut? Sure, but we love the fact he's taking on someone with the ability and amateur track record of Kotari. Is Kotari flawed? Of course, but he's not going to be an easy fighter to beat. Early on we expect this to be a slow bout. A very slow bout. As both men look to find their groove, both look to get a read on the other and both attempt to find out what exactly the other has to offer. After a quite start we expect to see both go through the fears, and when that happens we expect to see Shimada being the happier man, the more aggressive man and the crisper man. He needs to avoid the power of Kotari, but we think he has the tools needed to take a victory here, albeit a very close decision victory. The bad news? With both men being professional novices it's easy to miss out on this one, despite the fact both men were good amateurs. If you can look past their novice status however you're in for a treat with this one!
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To kick off the month of May, WP Boxing are set to give us a treat, which will also be shown on DAZN for those outside of Thailand. The card is certainly not one which will turn heads or get much attention by default but the main event is something of a potential hidden gem, and could be one of the few fights that really helps kick start May, which promises so much later in the month.
The One to Watch? Thananchai Charunphak (11-1, 9) Vs Adrian Lerasan (9-4, 2) When? May 1st (Saturday) (Note - this bout has now been postponed to June 5th) Why? Here we have two men who aren't too well known, but should make for a really great match up. In one corner will be one of the top rising prospects in Thailand, and someone who regular viewers of the WP Boxing series should be familiar with. In the opposite corner is a hungry youngster looking to build on a career best win, which just so happened to be the last time he travelled over to Thailand and faced a highly regarded Thai hopeful! Who? We suspect those who have been following Thai boxing over the last two or three years will have some familiarity with Thananchai Charunphak. The talented and heavy handed youngster is one of the real emerging faces of Thailand and is quickly becoming one of the most promising prospects in the country. He's only 21 but already holds wins over Samartlek Kokietgym, Kompayak Porpramook and Pigmy Kokietgym and another win here would be a big over over a live, young, foe. Whilst Thananchai is somewhat well known the same can't be said of Adrian Lerasan, who's biggest achievement so far is a shock win in 2020 over Tanes Ongjunta. Although not well known Lerasan has faced some solid names and has beaten the likes of MJ Bo, twice, and Jeny Boy Boca. He has also given Dave Apolinario a very solid test in 2019. Lerasan is less than polished, but is tough, he comes to win, and few can doubt his desire and his heart. At 22 years old he is still a young, ambitious fighter himself, despite having 4 losses to his name, and he will enter this bout showing no fear, at all, of Thananchai. What to expect? We expect this to be the hidden gem of a bout. Thananchai will look to dictate, take center ring and box. He is the more skilled and more polished fighter, but also the more deliberate fighter and it can sometimes be clear what he's doing and how he does things. Which could make this interesting as Lerasan is a bit unpredictable, a bit wild, and a bit crude. That crudeness could work in his favour here, and could end up catching Thananchai more often than the Thai would like. Sadly we don't think Lerasan has the power to really bother Thananchai, but will certainly come to fight, have moments of real success and give Thananchai a lot to think about. We saw against Ongjunta that he's tough, gutsy, brave and doesn't come to roll over. Sadly however he is likely to be more of a "valiant loser" here than really come close to picking up the win. The bad news? The bout is unlike to get much attention given the other bouts taking place in early May, including Kazuto Takesako Vs Riku Kunimoto in Japan, Dereck Chisora Vs Joseph Parker in the UK and Erislandy Lara Vs Thomas Lamanna in the US. It's also not really one where we can see an upset as being likely, though we do imagine this will be a very, very fun fight to watch. This coming weekend is a pretty big one in Japan with two different shows, in two different regions, each featuring a genuinely big name of Japanese boxing. With that in mine we picked a bout from one of those shows that we think will be one to watch, and it's a bout we expect to be shown for free, via the Boxing Real Youtube channel. It's not a bout that will get many headlines heading in but should be an excellent bout between two men who are both looking to make a statement and progress their careers forward.
The One to Watch? Ayumu Hanada (5-0 4) vs Mammoth Kazunori (6-3-1, 6) When? April 24th (Sunday) Why? This bout really ticks a lot of boxes. It has two youngsters in action, both of whom have serious power, it has two men with a point to prove and its a bout between two fighters who are getting a big opportunity to show the world what they can do. This isn't just a typical novice bout in Japan, something we love, but is instead a high profile clash of youngsters, who look to be at a similar point in their careers. It has the potential to be one of the most exciting and explosive bouts of the month, and we could end up seeing the coming out party of a prospect with genuine world class potential. Likewise we could also see a brutal KO. Who? Of the two men the more interesting, and the one with the bigger upside, the Ayumu Hanada, who has been on the radar of hardcore fight fans for a few years now. Aged just 19 he's a baby in boxing, but has already proven himself as one to watch. He debuted as a kid in Mexico, when he was just 16, and racked up 4 wins in his adopted homeland whilst getting good training away from home. He took himself there, and he chased the opportunity to learn boxing in Mexico. He then return to Japan in 2019, fighting in a 10 round bout, which doesn't show on his record as it took place outside of the auspices of the JBC. Then he finally secured himself a JBC license and looked tremendous on his "JBC debut", destroying Ryuku Nagamine in just 104 seconds. Dubbed "Flaco" Hanada appears to have a lot going for him. He has explosive power, frightening speed, a fantastic jab, impressive accuracy and a killer instinct. As well as that he's still incredibly young and he also has a mature, confident head on his shoulders. He backed himself to go to Mexico, he backed himself to join a gym which would let him have more control over his career, and he's now backing himself to climb rapidly through the ranks. He's almost certainly backing himself to become a special fighter. He's also someone who regards Ricardo Lopez as one of his favourites and there are some "Finito-esque" traits in his style. In the opposite corner is 22 year old Mammoth Kazunori, a huge punching yet flawed southpaw, who debuted in 2016 and has had an interesting career so far. He has showed brutal power through his career, stopping his first 3, and 5 of his first 6, opponents. But he has also shown some rather flawed actual boxing. He's technically very limited, and very rough around the edges, but when he lands there is always the chance an opponent will be hurt, allowing him to follow up and take them out. Sadly for Kazunori when fighters have shown a bit of ring craft and know how he has struggled to close the distance and get his fearsome straight left hand into play. When that shots lands however it can be devastating, as we saw in late 2019 against Lerdchai Chaiyawed. Although flawed and dangerous, Kazunori is also a man with a point to prove and it can be easy to over-look him coming into a bout like this. He's confident in himself, his power and whilst he is flawed as a fighter he's not actually a bad fighter. More an inexperienced one. There some really promising traits in his arsenal and he often looks relaxed in the ring, strong, tough and man that power. The areas he needs to work on are technical, and with experience and maturity those will come, he just needs to work hard in the gym and develop his skills. He needs to understand range better, and use his ram rod jab more often, using it to set up the big left hand. What to expect? We expect something really exciting, and somewhat tense here. With Kazunori's power there is always a chance he could land something fight changing if Hanada takes too many risks. In terms of boxing skills, the two men are on different levels, and Hanada is much quicker, sharper and cleaner with his work. But there will always be a risk that Kazunori could land something big on him. Something that Hanada will be aware of. We expect to see lots of jabs from Hanada, maybe even a round or two where he looks to figure out exactly what Kazunori has to offer. After that we expect to see more aggression, more hunger and more combinations from the youngster, who will look to break Kazunori mentally and physically. It won't be an easy task but we do see Hanada getting to Kazunori late and going all out to put the cherry on the top of a good performance, and forcing a stoppage. The bad news? To be honest here there isn't much bad news at all. The bout will be over-looked, as it plays a role on the under-card of a world title fight,and it could end up being geo-locked in certain countries, if international TV picks up the main event, but in all honesty VPN's are a wonderful thing. The bout it's self should be fantastic and is one to genuinely look forward to. Although there are a lot of fights this month there are very few bouts featuring Asian fighters at Heavyweight, something that is almost always worth talking about. Especially when the Heavyweight in question is a former amateur standout and potentially the man to put his country on the boxing map. That is what we get this coming Saturday as we see an Azeri banger in the ring for his biggest test so far!
The One to Watch? Mahammadrasul Majidov (3-0, 3) vs Andrey Fedosov (31-3, 25) When? April 17th (Saturday) Why? The Heavyweight division can be a frustrating on to follow at times, especially when good fighters are essentially able to age themselves out of contention. This bout is a massive step up for a man who really needs to sink or swing very soon. We love big step ups and this is certainly one of those as a 34 year old novice professional takes on on someone who should be regarded, quite fairly, as a divisional gatekeeper. Who? In one corner is unbeaten 34 year old Azeri Mahammadrasul Majidov, a former amateur standout and one of the heaviest handed fighters in the sport. As an amateur Majidov was a true star, winning the World Amateur Championships twice and taking bronze at the Olympics. Sadly his best days as an amateur came early in the 2010's and he didn't turn professional until he was the wrong side of 30. Despite that he has the power and technical ability to still become a contender before he "ages out" of the sport. Since turning professional in 2019 Majidov has shown continual development, and looked like a technically well schooled brute. Sadly though he competition has done little to test him, barring a knockdown on his debut. he has needed better tests, especially given his age. Instead he has had an easy win over Tom Little and a bout with the horribly out of shape Sahret Delgado, who shouldn't have passed a medical given how unfit he was. In the opposite corner is 35 year old professional veteran Andrey Fedosov, a US based Russian fighter who has been a professional since 2003. Although never a world beater Fedoosov was the type of fighter who was always a credible foe and is one of the best wins on the record of Bryant Jennings, who stopped Fedosov in 2013. Since that loss Fedosov bounced back, winning 7 in a row and winning the 2015 Boxcino tournament. At his best Fedosov is a genuine test for any fighter coming through the ranks. Sadly however Fedesov hasn't fought since scoring a win over Joey Dawejko in 2018, and has only fought 3 times since winning the Boxcino tournament in May 2015. That level of inactivity really could be a problem against someone as sharp and effective as Majidov. It's a shame in many ways that Fedosov could well have made a good living as a gatekeeper on the European scene, with bouts against the likes of Tony Yoka, Daniel Dubois and Derrick Chisora, where his tough nosed approach to the ring would have kept him busy. What to expect? We don't expect a war here. Neither man is known for fighting with a mega fast out put, and taking huge amounts of risks. Instead we expect something more akin to a showcase of power punching from Majidov, who is methodical, accurate and punches like he has a sledgehammer in his hands. We expect to see that power showing it's effects early against Fedosov who inactivity will be an issue.. If Fedosov can last more 4 than rounds then we suspect things could get very interesting as we finally see whether Majidov has got a gas tank, and can go rounds. The longer this goes the more interesting it'll be. But that's a big if and there is every chance that Majidov's power will simply be too much for an inactive and old Fedosov The bad news? The only real bad news is that Majidov is 34 already and Fedosov has been so inactive. It's a shame that we've not seen the Russian build on his Boxcino success, as he genuinely did deserve so much more on the back of that. Likewise it's a shame Majidov didn't turn professional 5 or 6 years earlier, and lost his prime years as a result. For this week's one to watch our attention turns to Uzbekistan and a show that will be shown on DAZN. Although not officially a world title eliminator it features two fighters who each have at least one ranking with a world title body, and on paper it looks like a mouth watering match up.
The One to Watch? Israil Madrimov (6-0, 5) vs Emmany Kalombo (14-0, 14) When? April 3rd (Saturday) Why? There are two huge reasons to watch this one. One of those reasons is the fact the bout features one of the hottest prospects in world boxing, and the other reason is that the bout is a match up between unbeaten fighters. In fact it's a bout between unbeaten punchers who have a combined 95% KO rate and the are not men who like to hear the final bell. As well as those two reasons it's worth noting that the fight is between two men both knocking on to the door of a potential world title fight! Who? Hard hitting Uzbek fighter Israil Madrimov is one of the most exciting, hard hitting, and talented prospects in the sport. The 154lb fighter was a stand out amateur before turning to the professional ranks, in 2018 and every bout so far has seen him facing fighters with winning records and being scheduled for either 10 or 12 rounds. He has quickly built a name for himself, and has scored a sting of solid wins over the likes of Eric Walker, Charlie Navarro and Alejandro Barrera. He might lack that A level wins, but he already has a number of B tier wins and looks ready for a bigger, more meaningful fight. In terms of his style Madrimov is a stylish fighter who brings switch hitting and power to the ring. He has still got questions to answer, but appears to have all the tools to reach the top, even if there are still areas that need work. The key thing for his team, however, will be to challenge him. Don't let him have easy bouts and get bored. We suspect as he takes on better opponents we will see better performances from him. In the opposite corner to Madrimov is South African based Congolese fighter Emmany Kalombo, who is sporting a perfect 14-0 (14) record and is looking for what would be a massive break out win. In fact if Kalombo won here he would go from being a fighter unknown outside of Africa to someone who would be on the verge of a world title fight. Saying that however he will enter this bout as a massive under-dog, and it would take a career best performance for him to win here. In the ring he's Kalombo has proven to be a hard hitting, exciting, aggressive fighter. He's not the most technically sound fighter or a particularly polished one, though that's no surprise given he only had a very short amateur career and has been learning on the job. Despite needing to essentially learn everything on the job he's a more educated fighter than some would assume, and he's got a very nice jab with solid handspeed and he certainly understand what he's doing in the ring, even if he's clearly a work in progress. What to expect? On paper this looks like a really, really interesting match up. A match up that is worth getting excited about. Having also seen some of Kalombo's bouts it becomes even more interesting, knowing that the Congolese fighter can genuinely box and punch. He might not be a world champion in the making but he's not a scrub either. Whilst we were pleasantly surprised by Kalombo's skill set we can't forget he's in their with Madrimov, a man who can clown all the best in the division. We expect to see the Uzbek clowning early on, but after a few rounds, and after tasting Kalombo's powerful jab a few times, we'd expect Madrimov to get serious and begin to work away on his man. We don't imagine Kalombo will go away easy but by rounds 5 or 6 cracks will begin to show and Madrimov will go through the gears, forcing a stoppage later in the contest. The bad news? The only real bad new is the fact we expect many fans to downplay the ability of Kalombo, who really does look a decent fighter. He doesn't look world class, but he looks better than some recent world challengers, and could certainly mix with some success against the top 30 type guys that we often see being given shots. As an aside, another bit of bad news is the fact that Madrimov's wait for a world title goes on, despite the fact he enters this bout as the WBA #1 ranked contender. This is a bit of a weird week for Japanese boxing with two very good mid-week shows, one from Kadoebi and one from Teiken, as well as a great show at the weekend. Best thing is all 3 shows will be made available to watch, as Japanese boxing ends the month of March with a bang. Today we look at one of those mid-week bouts as we bring you the second "One to watch" for this week!
The One to Watch? Gonte Lee (2-0-1, 1) vs Aso Ishiwaki (8-3-1, 6) When? March 25th (Thursday) Why? This is a bout that really has excited us since first seeing it on the Japanese schedule websites. It's a match up that gives us a lot of reasons to be excited. For one man this is a real step up, following a successful amateur career that saw him turn professional with lefty expectations on his shoulders. The man in questions was one of the more notable Japanese amateurs but has failed to set the world alight since turning professional a few years ago. The other man is a fighter we love watching, and someone who always brings the action, despite being a technically limited fighter. He desperately needs a win after a major set back in December. Not only do we have two guys looking to prove a point, but we also have styles that should gel well, giving us something well worthy of our time and attention. Who? The 25 year old Gonte Lee, also spelled Kuntae Lee, was a sensational Japanese amateur who went 102-10 in the unpaid ranks and ran up more than 60 successive wins as an amateur. When he turned professional in 2018 there was huge expectations on his shoulders, and his February 2019 debut was hugely anticipated. Sadly his opponent seemed to be very wary of him and went down very softly following that debut win Lee won his second bout 5 months later and then had a technical draw near the end of 2019. Sadly since then he hasn't been seen in the ring as Covid19 slashed the opportunities for Japanese fighters to tick over. Lee is an incredibly polished fighter, who looks the deal and has a very smooth technical style. He's quick, sharp, and understands the ring really well. Sadly however with 2020 beign a write off for him the 140lb hopeful really needs to begin motoring on with his career and can't waste any more time sitting and twiddling his thumbs. With that in mind we expect to see him being matched hard going forward and that's certainly the case here against Ishiwaki. In 2018, at the age of 19, Aso Ishiwaki came runner up in the All Japan Rookie of the Year at Lightweight, and impressed with his come forward and aggressive style. In 2019 he built on that with notable and impressive performances against the likes of Yoji Saito, Takuya Matsusaka and Ryuji Ikeda, and heading into 2020 he was one of the fighters we were most excited about seeing again. Sadly though Covid19 essentially put his year on ice until December, when he fought his only bout of the year, and was destroyed by the sensational Jin Sasaki in a Japanese Youth title fight. We expected that to be a much, much more competitive bout than it was, though Sasaki looked absolutely incredible and out performed what we, any many others, expected. This will be his first but since that loss. In the ring Ishiwaki is an aggressive boxer-fighter. He's generally shown to be sturdy, tough, strong and powerful, though the loss to Sasaki may have shown he wasn't quite as strong at 140lbs as he had been at Lightweight. Technically he is flawed, but has a fan friendly style and mentality and makes for fun bouts, win lose or draw, and he is certainly one of the most fun to watch fighters in Japan. What to expect? Given the styles of the two men are drastically different, with Ishiwaki being a pressure minded fighter and Lee being a pure boxer, this should be a compelling match up of styles. We suspect Lee will want to keep this at range, using his southpaw jab and find holes for his crisp straight left hand. Ishiwaki on the other hand will come forward, using a tight guard to try and force Lee on to the back foot. Whilst we do like Ishiwaki, a lot, we do wonder whether the mental scars of the Sasaki bout will be on his mind, and whether he really has the size and strength to compete at 140lbs going forward. If he doesn't then his style, whilst exciting, could be a major issue against the stronger, more mature, 140lbs fighters, like Lee. We're expecting Ishiwaki to press, pressure and come forward, barrelling forward and trying to get inside and work away on Lee. Sadly though we think he's going to take a lot of shots coming forward, Lee's understanding of the ring being too much for him. Despite a good effort, a great deal of desire, we see Ishiwaki being stopped late into this 8 rounder. He'll have success, but on the whole he will be out worked, out fought, out boxed, and out landed by a very skilled man looking to make a statement. The bad news? There really isn't anything bad here, though if we're looking for niggles the bout will be aired on pay TV channel G+ during the middle of the week, so there might be something of a limited crowd and atmosphere. It's also a shame that Ishiwaki is coming into this on the back of a loss an Lee hasn't fought since November 2019, though we dare say those two "negatives" balance each other out a bit here. After a bunch of quiet weeks recently we get to share two bouts this week as action begins to pick up and the boxing calendar starts to look more and more like normal. We have fights coming in thick and fast, and we have plenty to be excited about in coming weeks, and months. For this bout in particular we're looking at two youngster, both with a lot of promise, clashing at Korakuen Hall in a bout we're really looking forward to.
The One to Watch? Seiya Tsutsumi (5-0-2, 4) vs Tulio Kuwabata (3-1-1, 2) When? March 24th (Wednesday) Why? This bout has a lot going for it. Notably we have two youngsters in it, both of who need a win a win after back to back disappointments. As well as their need to pick up wins both are also highly regarded youngsters, who turned professional after notable amateur career, and both know that a win here will be huge for their careers. It is also a very, very interesting match up between two fighters with less than 10 bouts who are both clearly very talented fighters. This is the type of bout we rarely see outside of Japan, and the type of bout which could be something very special. Who? Of the two men the better known fighter is 25 year old Seiya Tsutsumi, who came to international note last year when he earned a 10 round draw against former world champion Daigo Higa. That result was a second straight draw for Tsutsumi, who had been incredibly unlucky earlier in the year with a draw against Kazuki Nakajima. The talented Tsutusmi is a boxer-puncher, who has shown brutal power, fantastic boxing skills, smart ring craft and the ability to go to war, when he's needed to. Sadly the two draws last year have marked up Tsutsumi's record, though we dare say he comes into this bout with a point to prove. In the opposite corner to Tsutsumi will be Tulio Kawabata, also known as Tulio Dekanarudo, a 24 year old who turned professional with a lot of hype but has failed to live up to the expectations. The youngster was supposed to be one of the faces of the Mutoh Gym going forward and won his first 3 bouts with absolutely no issues at all, including making his debut in China and taking the unbeaten record of Eric Pulgo. Sadly however he was "exposed" in late 2019, by Filipino fighter Ken Jordan, who stopped him inside a round, and he failed to get back to winning ways in 2020, when he had a technical draw with Yoshihiro Utsumi. Like Tsutsumi he now desperately needs a win to get back on track. What to expect? We need to start by saying we really like this fight, despite the fact neither man has a win in their last two bouts. Sadly whilst we like the fact we don't see it as the most competitive bout out there. In fact we see it as a bit of a mismatch, as ones man's strength goes directly up against the other man's key weakness. That is Tsutsumi's power against the questionable chin of Kuwabata. Tsutsumi might not be a KO artist at the highest level but he's a big puncher, his power get respect from the likes of Daigo Higa and his KO win over Ryan Rey Ponteras was an impressive one. His power also career up to Featherweight against Jiaqi Yu. That power is brutal at this level and Kuwabata's chin has been smashed by a lesser fighter. Saying that Kuwabata is skilled and if he can settle, dictate the range and tempo we could see some good back and forth in this. It could end up being a pretty high level contest at times, if, and it's a big if, he can survive the early power of Tsutsumi. Sadly however it seems inevitable that, at some point, Tsutsumi's power and aggression will get to Kuwabata and take him out. The bad news? This bout will be tucked away on Boxing Raise, limiting the viewing audience behind a pay wall, but other than that we see no real issue here in regards to watching the contest. However we do suspect some will perhaps write off Kuwabata as a poor fighter afterwards, which is unfair as he isn't. He's just unfortunately not blessed with a cast iron chin, and he is facing a heavy handed guy here. The month of March has seen a clear uptick in fights and action but things still aren't as busy as they usually are as countries continue to get on top of Covid19 and loosen their restrictions around sports and events. With that in mind our "one to watch" this week is a bit of a strange pick in some ways, but one we do suggest making the effort to see, especially if you already have a Boxing Raise subscription. That's because it features a very interesting fighter who will be looking to prove a point after missing out on years of his career.
The One to Watch? Narumi Yukawa (0-0) Vs Yuya Azuma (5-4-1, 1) When? March 18th (Thursday) Why? It's rare that we feature a debutant in our "One to Watch" but that's the case this week as we advise everyone to give a watch to young debutant Narumi Yukawa, who kicks off his career following some major out of the ring issues. In the opposite corner is Yuya Azuma, a solid lower level Japanese domestic fighter who famously took on the debuting Rentaro Kimura last year. Incidentally Kimura and Yukawa are stable mates at the gym run by Suruga Danji in Shizuoka. Who? The 25 year old Narumi Yukawa was an amateur standout at one point, and was being tipped for being things before ruining his amateur career when he got busted by the police for possession of drugs. This saw him being given a suspended sentence in Japan and as a result he spent several years out of the ring, not being allowed to fight until his sentence was over. He was however allowed to train and Danji Suruga did train him, helped him get his life back on track and made it clear that if people wanted to teach Yukawa about drugs and help in various ways that was something he was very open to. Despite having now not fought in almost 5 years Yukawa has a lot of lost time, time he will want to make up for now. With that in mind we're expecting him to make an impression here, and repay the trust and belief he's had from Mr Suruga. We also get the feeling he will want to outshine the aforementioned Rentaro Kimura, who stopped Azuma in 2 rounds last July. On paper the 21 year old Yuya Azuma has an under-whelming record, and has lost 54 of his last 7 bouts. He is however not a push over, and he asked some solid questions of Kimura in the opening round of their bout. He has also shown his ability with wins over decent fighters, like Ryo Tanimoto, and could easily have had wins in a number of his losses, with his loss to Tom Mizokoshi in 2018 being a razor thin one. His record might not show it, but Azuma is a good, technical boxer, though he does lack some pop on his shots. Despite not being the best fight Azuma has the tools needed to test fighters, he has good movement, good understanding of the ring and nice accurate shots. He times things well and he boxes on the move. He also has experience on his side and he is certainly a lot more active than Yukawa, which he'll need to hope is a help here. What to expect? We're expecting to see Yukawa take a round or two to show what he can do, ease himself into the bout, and then spend time beating Azuma up. He will want to win, and win impressively. He could rely on his boxing skills and look to take a clear decision, but we suspect his intention is to make a statement, and to do so quickly. We wouldn't be surprised to see Yukawa take 1 or 2 rounds to shake some ring rust, get a feel of professional boxing, and then, in round 3 begin to amp up his work rate and pressure. When he does that he'll begin to push Azuma back and then break him down, unloading huge bombs on him until the referee jumps in and saves him. Expect the finish here to be brutal, and for Azuma to take a lot of punishment before the stoppage. The bad news? This will be tucked away on Boxing Raise, which we know not everyone has, and it's a shame Azuma hasn't managed to get a win following his loss to Kimura last year, in fact it seems like the lads from the Suruga Danji gym are picking on him a little bit. Despite that there is a lot to like here, and we're looking forward to Yukawa in the ring after all these years and. This week is set to be an interesting one for fight fans, with some huge fights set to take place, and it's going to be very easy to over-look some hidden gems. One of the potential hidden gems is a bout from Thailand which could end up being a thrilling action bout, and a great chance to see one of Thailand's top prospects in action. The bout is one which will take place on Saturday in Thailand, but will be shown in the US on Friday night, and promises to be a fantastic way to start a busy boxing weekend!
The One to Watch? Chainoi Worawut (13-0-1, 12) Vs Pungluang Sor Singyu (54-9, 36) When? March 13th (Saturday) [March 12th - Friday, in the US) Why? This bout ticks two boxes for fights that we like. One of those is that the bout features a really talented young prospect, in fact it features a prospect that many in Thailand regard as one of the nations most promising hopefuls and a future face for the nation’s boxing scene. Secondly it’s a match up that promises a lot of fireworks, with an exciting but flawed power puncher taking on an always fun to watch pressure fighter who smiles when he gets hit and refuses to take a backwards step. This should be a very, very tough test for the prospect, and should be a barn burner. Who? Unbeaten 23 year old puncher Chainoi Worawut, also known as Thattana Luangphon and "Rock Man", is a highly touted Thai Super Bantamweight hopeful who is quickly becoming one of the leading faced of NKL promotions, the same promotional stable that have helped make Srisaket Sor Rungvisai a 2-time world champion. The youngster was a stand out amateur Muay Thai fighter who turned professional as a boxer a few years ago and has been regarded as a potential star for boxing in Thailand ever since. So far into his career Chainoi has looked exciting, aggressive, powerful and like the sort of fighter who can connect with a wider audience. He has however been pretty matched pretty softly so far, often against under-sized opponents or opponents who posed little threat. One of the few men who did ask questions of him was Daichi Matsuura, who lasted 12 rounds with him, and another was Rakniran Muadransarakam, who held him to a draw very early in his career. On paper this is a massive step up for him, and a chance for him to make a name for himself internationally, with this bout being shown live on DAZN. The 31 year old Pungluan Sor Singyu is a fighter who has been a professional since he was 15 and has had a very long and interesting career. He won his first 23 bouts before a decision loss in Belgium against Stephane Jamoye, aged 19. He then rebuilt with 20 wins, including one against AJ Banal to become the WBO Bantamweight champion. Sadly however he lost in his first defense, losing a razor thin decision to Paulus Ambunda. He rebuilt once again, before losing in 2014 to Tomoki Kameda, in his US debut, before finally recapturing the WBO title with a 2nd round KO win over Ryo Akaho. He managed a single defense before losing the belt to Marlon Tapales and retiring. It was, however, a short lived retirement and he has been active since 2018, though has picked up losses since his return going 2-5 in his 7 bouts since returning to the ring. Although Pungluang has been picking up losses since his ring return he has been a really fun fighter to watch. Win or lose he has been in the ring looking for a fight, bringing tense pressure for every minute of every round, and forcing everyone and anyone to fight at a high pace. That actually saw him dragging a really fun to watch fight out of the awkward and frustrating Amnat Ruenroeng last year, in what was a surprisingly entertaining gem. He presses forward, he walks into a fight, and when tagged he smiles before coming again. He is making for fun fights, no matter who he is in the ring with. What to expect? We know, going into this, that Chainoi will be wanting to put in a performance that will catch the eye of international fans. He won’t be wanting to box and move and pick up a rather dreary decision by just moving and neutralising the pressure of Pungluang. Instead he will be wanting to put his foot down, fight fire with fire and make for a fun, exciting clash. That is something that will suit Pungluang, who will trudge forward, walk into distance, take a pounding and smile, before resetting and coming again. We expect this to be really action packed, fought at a thrilling pace and be a very action heavy fight. The quality, at times, might dip a little bit, but the intense, back and forth, action will be highly entertaining throughout the contest. In the end however the natural size and youth of Chainoi should be too much and should take him to a clear, if hard fought, decision win. The bad news? There isn’t really any negative going into this fight. It’s at a suitable time for a US audience, as well as a Thai and European one. It’s set to be a fun, exciting fight and it’s being shown internationally. If any complaints are to be had it’s potentially the fact the fight will be overshadowed by the main event, which will feature Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, however that really is the only negative, and if anything Srisaket’s bout will actually help this one get more eyeballs on it! Thankfully we are almost through a very, very quiet and somewhat dull February and next month we will begin to see the schedule pick up with more bouts and more action. Before the month ends however we do still have some action to go, and we have a very promising Thai fighter in action this coming weekend.
The One to Watch? Yuttapong Tongdee (5-0, 4) Vs Arthit Kaewbantid (3-1, 2) When? February 27th (Saturday) Why? On paper this is far, far from the best bout we’ll be getting this week, but sometimes it’s not about the quality of the fight that makes us want to bring a contest to your attention but instead the fighters involved. In this particular case the bout features one of the most promising hopefuls in Thailand, as he looks to move his career forward and begin the pursuit of titles later in the year. We love drawing attention to prospects, and here we have a prospect worthy of your attention. Who? Although there has been very little fanfare about Yuttapong Tongdee the Thai 27 year old is a prospect to keep a serious eye on. He’s older than most prospects we talk about, but there’s two things that make us less worried about that. Firstly he was a very good amateur with years of international experience behind him. Secondly he and his team seem to realise that they need to move quickly, and he managed to squeeze 5 fights into 2020, despite not debuting until July. Not only did he fight 5 times last year, but he also took on progressively better opponents, and ended the year with a win over Pigmy Kokietgym. Yuttapong might not be creating much buzz, but we suspect he will be fast tracked into the world rankings by the end of this year and given his age and experience it’ll be great to see just how quickly TL Promotions do step him up, and do move him into bouts with notable names. In the opposite corner to the 27 year old Yuttapong will be teenager Arthit Kaewbantid, a 19 year old looking to bounce back from his first professional defeat. Coming into this he is the clear under-dog, and will not be the man many expect to see come out on top. Saying that however he is still a live under-dog and will be in the ring to win, to push his career forward and to get back on track following a loss last time out. Arthit made his debut in 2019 and faced fellow debutants, as he ran his record to 3-0 (2) before clashing with the very talented Phongsaphon Panyakum in September 2020, and suffered a 3rd round loss to the highly touted Phongsaphon Panyakum. Despite losing to Panyakum there was something to like about the teenager, who tried to take the fight to his more experienced and more polished opponent before being stopped in 3 rounds. What to expect? We expect this to be a genuine showcase for Yuttapong, but a showcase against someone coming to win. Arthit might not be a world beater in the making but he comes to fight and will show some ambition. Sadly for him we expect to see that ambition being beaten out of him by Yuttapong, who we feel is too big, too strong and too polished. We suspect a body shot in round 3 or 4 will be the end for Arthit, but he’ll have given an honest account and will be in the ring looking to win, making for a rather fun back and forth fight, but one where Yuttapong always looks in control. Despite how we all want to see boxing, with a winner and a loser, sometimes bouts can be good for both men. We really do see this as being an easy win for Yuttapong, we just think he’s better in so many areas. However for, Arthit sharing the ring with Yuttapon should help develop his skills, and we suspect the 19 year old will learn from sharing the ring with him. He might not be a prospect racing to the top, like Yuttapong, but in 5 or 6 years we suspect he’ll have developed into a good fighter, whilst Yuttapon will have fought at fringe world, if not actual world, class. The bad news? There isn’t really anything too bad here, except for the fact that Yuttapong won’t really get much attention from beating Arthit, especially given his win against Pigmy Kokietgym last year. That aside, there’s nothing particularly bad to take away from this fight, which will be shown for free, live on Thairath. |
Takahiro Onaga
Takahiro Onaga is a regular contributor to Asian Boxing and will now be a featured writer in his own column where his takes his shot at various things in the boxing world. Archives
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