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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.
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This weeks one to watch comes from Kariya City where we see a touted Japanese prospect taking on a young Filipino with a point to prove, in what looks likely to be a very interesting match up.
The One to Watch? Kento Hatanaka (10-0, 9) Vs Roland Jay Biendima (15-5-1, 8) When? February 11th (Tuesday) Why? The bout, a WBC Youth title fight, pits a talented young prospects against someone who is a solid challenger to their crown. It comes after the champion was given a real gutcheck and lets us see what improvements he's made since his last bout. It also allows the challenger to aim for his biggest win to date. A good, solid match up between two youngsters, one of whom is destined for big things and the other is likely to have to work for everything he gets. Who? The 21 year old Kento Hatanaka is regarded as one of Japanese's most exciting young prospects and is following in the footsteps of his father, Kiyoshi Hatanaka. The elder Hatanaka was a world champion back in the 1990's and his on is certainly a fighter being groomed for success. Blessed with a naturally exciting style, explosive power and speed Hatanaka does look like one to watch. He impressed early in his career, stopping his first 9 opponents in a combined 32 rounds, whilst claiming the WBC Youth Flyweight title and recording a defense of the title. Last time out he got a genuine gutcheck, as he went 10 rounds with Jaysever Abcede, being dropped in the bout, and for the first time there was real questions asked of Hatanaka, who was a little lucky to get the win. Aged 23 Roland Jay Biendima is a Filipino who has been a pro for almost 4 years and has proven to be a fighter who's better than his record suggests. He's no world beater, but he's not been embarrassed so far and his losses have come to good fighters, with defeats to Jayson Mama, Samuel Salva, Taiyo Inoue, Wulan Tuolehazi and Bin Zhou. Comparing his opponents to Hatanaka is really unfair as Biendima has been genuinely up against it, and 3 of his losses have come in the homeland of his opponents. Sadly he's yet to score a notable win, with his best being a stoppage against Ronie Tanallon, but here's proven to be a solid fighter in his losses. What to expect? We don't expect to see Hatanaka struggle in the same way he did with Abcede, but we still expect to see him being given a genuine test here. Biendima is a strong fighter, with a powerful jab and is physically imposing, despite not being the biggest puncher or the quickest. He's the sort of fighter who pushes forward behind his jab and keeps up a solid output. We suspect the technical flaws of Biendima will be his undoing here against a technically sharp Hatanaka, but the Filipino will certainly make Hatanaka work for his success. The real issue Biendima has is that his hands do low and that will give Hatanaka chances to catch him clean. If he does that he could stop Biendima, which we eventually think will happen, at some point. The bad news? At the time of writing it's unclear how this is being made available. We expect CBC to release it online, as they have done with other Hatanaka fights, but it's not obvious when they'll make it available or in what form. This week I had planned, and written, a "One to Watch" regarding the new cancelled Masayuki Ito bout with Yongqiang Yang. That bout is now off, due to Ito suffering a nasty injury, as as a result we have looked elsewhere and managed to come up with an excellent replacement bout for this week's hidden fight, as we head from China to the Philippines.
The One to Watch? Alphoe Dagayloan (14-3-5-1, 5) vs Carlo Caesar Penalosa (14-2, 7) When? February 1st (Saturday) Why? The Filipino domestic scene rarely gives us a bout that genuinely excites us, and it's a shame that the scene in Manila has been flooded by mismatches, often involving over-matched foreign talent. Here however we have a brilliant Filipino Flyweight title bout between two men who will both be in the ring looking to win, looking to claim the Filipino title and take a huge step towards securing another bout on the international stage, where they both suffered a loss in 2019. This is a bout with actual meaning and purpose on a Filipino domestic card! Who? In one corner is the criminally under-rated Alphoe Dagayloan, a 28 year old southpaw who began his career with an ugly looking 4-2-4-1 (1) record before reeling off a run that saw him go 11-1-1 (4). That 13 fight run saw him scoring notable wins over Mateo Handig, Madiyar Zhanuzak, Ronggup Wu, Danrick Sumabong and Esneth Domingo. The only loss in those 13 bouts was an ultra close one to Japanese fighter Ryota Yamauchi last year. We rate Yamauchi very, very highly and the fact that Dagayloan gave him genuine fits was impressive, showing how good the Filipino is. He's not the biggest puncher, or the fastest, but like countryman Richard Pumicpic he's nightmare to fight, with under-rated skills, a gritty toughness and an impressive work rate. A real horror to fight and physically strong to boot. The 26 year old Carlo Caesar Penalosa is also a southpaw and is part of the huge Penalosa fighting family. He's the grandson of Carl Penalosa and the nephew of Dodie Boy Penalosa, the inaugural IBF Light Flyweight champion. From such a deep fighting family the expectation was on Carlo to achieve things in the ring, but sadly he's not yet managed to make a major mark on the global boxing scene. He would win his first 7 bouts before suffering a slip up to Reymark Taday and another 7 fight winning run ended last year when he came up short to Maximo Flores. Despite those losses Penalosa is a talent, he hits harder than his record suggest and he can box. He's just coming into his physical prime. In fact right now he's probably the most determined he has ever been following last year's loss Flores. What to expect? We don't expect this to be pretty, rarely are all southpaw bouts pretty. Instead what we expect to see is a messy yet exciting battle between two well matched fighters who will stand their ground and fight. Penalosa is the better boxer, and the better puncher, but that's not always the decider and with Dagayloan being a rugged fighter who will press up close and look to turn it into a fight. We don't think Penalosa wants a fight with Dagayloan. If the bout is fought at mid range, and Penalosa is allowed to box and dictate the tempo he should be able to win. We however to see Dagayloan work on the gameplan that Maximo Flores used against Penalosa. Roughing up the third generation fighter and forcing him to fight fire with fire. The bad news? Obviously we have mentioned this could be ugly and it really could. It'll be potentially very exciting as a bout, and again we love seeing Filipino bouts with meaning, but it could be a real eye sore at times. Action is a bit thin in January but there are a few standout bouts, and today we cover one of those. In fact we cover one of the most interesting looking bouts of the month, and better yet, it's a tournament final which features two men who have serious power in their hands!
The One to Watch? Kazuki Nakajima (8-0, 7) vs Seiya Tsutsumi (5-0, 4) When? January 28th (Tuesday) Why? The brilliant God's Left Bantamweight tournament comes to it's conclusion with a final between two hard hitting, former amateur standouts risking their unbeaten records in what looks like a truly mouth watering bout. This promises to be explosive and will put the winner into the mix for a title later in the year. On paper this is brilliant, and given the styles of the two men there really is no way this going to be anything but a thrilling shoot out! Who? Kazuki Nakajima, 26, is one of a number of talented and promising fighters from the Ohashi Gym. He was an excellent amateur, going 70-15 (30), before turning professional in in 2017. His career started explosively, with back to back opening round wins, before he got a serious test from Taiga Higashi in his third bout. Since then Nakajima has impressed bout after bout, and has reached the tournament final after opening round wins over Kenichi Watanabe and Jin Minamide. In the ring he's a boxer-puncher fighting out of the southpaw stance and is well polished with very heavy hands, good composure and patience. Seiya Tsutsumi, 24, is also a former amateur standout, running up an excellent 84-17 (40) record in the unpaid ranks. He began his professional career with the Watanabe Gym in 2018 and quickly impressed, destroying Junpei Inamoto in an under-the-radar classic in September 2018. Sadly in 2019 he fought only once, stopping Ryan Rey Ponteras inside a round in March, before transferring to the Kadoebi Gym. He got a bye in the first round of the tournament, where he was the sole seed, and then got a walk over in the semi-final when Kenya Yamashita had to pull out. In the ring he's an aggressive pressure fighter with dynamite in both hands. What to expect? Both fighters will be well aware that the other man is a big puncher and that risks can't be taken recklessly. On paper things point towards Nakajima being the favourite. He's the naturally bigger man, he's been more active recently, and he's the more polished fighter. However Tsutsumi is a smart offensive fighter who is physically very strong, and will hold his own on the inside, if he can get up close and personal. We see this as being a bout where the distance decides the outcome. If Nakajima can keep it long he'll be able to dictate being his more polished boxing and his southpaw stance. If it's fought up close however Tsutsumi has a fantastic chance to take out Nakajima. We expect explosive action, no matter what the range for this one, and we do not expect it to go the distance. We expect bombs to be thrown, and this will be a bout that could end at any second. This could end up a blink and you miss affair, with both having the power to take the other out. The bad news? The bout will only be available on Boxing Raise, as the service delivers yet another amazing show. If you're not a Boxing Raise subscriber you will, sadly, miss out on this potential firecracker. One thing we're really excited about for 2020 is Korea. The country over delivered, massively, in 2019 and if it does the same again this year it's going to be hard to not be raving about it by the end of the year. With the country able to provide great action, interesting low key match ups and some solid tournaments it's the place where we turn for this weeks "One to Watch".
The One to Watch? Han Bin Suh (5-0-3, 4) Vs Shin Dong Myung (2-0) When? January 18th (Saturday) Why? We genuinely love watching Korean fighters and here we have two Koreans with very different styles. In one corner is a technically well schooled fighter whilst the other fighter involved is a guy who fights with the intensity set to 11. Stylistically we're interested but it also puts two unbeaten men and it's a great fight for a Korean title! Who? Although not a star, by any stretch of the imagination, 19 year old Korean Han Bin Suh is the KBM Super Bantamweight champion and one of the most legitimately fun to watch fighters on the planet. The teenager is technically rudimentary but is everything we love about Korean boxing. He sets an incredibly high pace and throws so much leather that every fight of his is a fight worth watching. Although limited he swarms people to the point where they need to match him and few can do that, especially over 10 rounds, as Suh has shown he can do. He doesn't slow down, and worryingly for his opponents they do. Suh doesn't hit particularly hard, but hits that often, and takes a shot so well, that every single one of his bouts end up being amazing to watch and gruelling wars. Shin Dong Myung is a former amateur standout who made his professional debut in September 2018 though failed to really build on impressive debut win over Hiroyuki Sagehashi by only fighting once in 2019. Prior to turning professional he had been a very successful Korean amateur with a reported 175-25 (50) record, including multiple national championships. Despite not being busy as a professional his talented has been obvious from his two professional bouts. He looks super relaxed in the ring, controls distance well and is one of the very few Korean fighters who could be described as being very technical. He's not very busy, but he is very accurate, very efficient and very clean punching. He is, however, also a bit of a slow starter, and we wonder whether he has the gas tank to go 10 rounds. What to expect? We expect to see Suh set a Suh like pace from the opening round, and force Myung to fight his fight. If you stand off Myung he will outbox most fighters at this level, he's simply too good. But against a little terrier like Suh, who marches forward, throws a lot and dictates the tempo so well, we think Myung will be the man forced to change his style. Early on Myung may be able to fight his fight, though given he's already looked like a slow starter we wouldn't back that idea too strongly, but as the rounds pass Suh will get more and more success and make this into a thriller. This will end up being an incredible fight by the end. The bad news? The live stream for the bout is on SPOTV, which isn't easy to get access to. Thankfully however BoxingM and SPOTV do tend to make things widely available on youtube in the weeks following tjhe contest. So keep your eyes out for this one! The Knock Out Dynamite tournament was one of a number of tournaments that began in 2019 and will finish in 2020, hopefully with another version of the tournament coming later in the year. The concept is simple, the tournaments are 4 man knockout tournaments with a twist. Knock your opponent out, and you get a bonus, do it quicker for a bigger bonus. It's not original concept, but putting it into a 4 man tournament format, with bouts scheduled for 5 rounds, does make for an interesting idea, and puts together a few things that other promoters need to think about.
We love tournaments, and we love promoters trying to do things to push action. The money is there for the fighters, if they want to try and grab it. This weeks one to watch will be one of those of those bouts where we expect the tournament's bonus structure to give us an extra intensity in a lower level bout. The One to Watch? Ribo Takahata (16-8-1, 6) vs Marvin Esquierdo (15-2-1, 9) When? January 12th (Sunday) Why? As mentioned the Knock Out Dynamite Tournament has it's own format, and will see fighters going into the ring in the hope of blowing out their opponent and getting paid a nice bonus. One man who made the most of that in the first round of the tournament was Marvin Esquierdo, who took out Koichi Iro, and we suspect to see him trying to do the same here with Ribo Takahata. On the other hand Takahata is a more defensively minded fighter who will be looking to land counters on his foe, potentially giving a very nice styles clash. Who? Ribo Takahata is a 40 year old Japanese veteran who has been a professional since 2008. He's never been the most active, but has always been a very capable fighter able to test better fighters and has proven to be a rugged chap, even as he's gotten older.Coming in to this he's riding a 3 fight winning run. He's a true veteran who looks relaxed in the ring, though isn't very busy, very heavy handed or quick. Like Bernard Hopkins late in his career Takahata relies on what he has learned during his career, rather than what gifts he was given, to have success. Filipino 24 year old Marvin Esquierdo was a relative unknown outside of the Philippines, where he'd fought all but 2 of his bouts. That was until entering the Knock Out Dynamite Tournament, and winning a shoot out with Koichi Ito, in a performance that made us sit up and take note. He looked exciting, hard hitting and like he got into the ring with the intention of making a statement. He's got a touch of crudeness to how he fights but he lets his hands go and looks very much like the sort of fighter that this sort of tournament was made for. What to expect? Given how Esquierdo fought Ito in the very first bout of the Knock Out Dynamite Tournament it's clear he's going to look to claim another big bonus and set off fast. He'll be looking to drag Takahata into a war and set a high tempo, a tempo with which to drown the 40 year old body of Takahata.If Takahata can take the early pressure and fire back we could end up with an all out fire fight here! If Takahata crumbles then Esquierdo will be looking to get more and more fights in Japan, though Takahata has rarely crumbled during his long career. We expect the veteran to stand up to the early storm, and try to given back, in a thrilling little war. The bad news? Although Eqsuierdo was really exciting in his first bout Takahata wasn't and there is a risk that Takahata could again use his veteran skills to take the heat out of the bout. We don't imagine that'll happen, but there is certainly a risk of it Our final One to Watch for 2019, or rather our first one to watch for 2020, sees us focus on Korea where we had a really surprising amount of great action in 2019.
The One to Watch? Sung Min Yuh (3-0) Vs Se Yul Yang (3-4-2, 1) When? January 5th (Sunday) Why? Firstly lets make it very clear, we love boxing in Korea! The Korean scene is starting to get off life support, at long, long last, and the KBM system appears to be leading the charge and slowly developing a workable eco-system based on developing fighters from novices to title fighters. Here we see one of their most promising young prospects moving a step towards a title fight as he fights in an eliminator. In the opposite corner with a tough, but limited, foe, looking to get his career back on track after 3 straight losses. Who? The 18 year Sung Min Yuh debuted in March, and despite struggling to get a win over fellow debutant Jae Woo Kim he managed get better through the year, and closed 2019 with a big domestic win over the then 6-0 Yoo Seung Jun. That win over Jun was a stellar victory for the youngster, who showed a good boxing brain, dictated the distance, landed good solid counters, and also showed a willingness to mix it up when he needed to. It wasn't a flawless performance, far from it, but for a youngster in their third fight there was a lot more positives than negatives to take from the bout. Despite being a Korean fighter he shows smart defensive work and looks rather slick, not a word we would often use to describe a Korean fighter. Aged 23 Se Yul Yang is a bit older than the teenage hopeful, and a bit shorter, but he is also much more experienced and aggressive. He's been in tough, recently facing Japanese hopeful Rei Nakajima on the road, and has lost his last 3 however he shouldn't be written off here. He has proven he's tough, he's game and he comes to fight. His limitations, lack of power, and relatively short stature will always be a problem at Light Middleweight, but he takes a shot well and comes back looking to return fire with interest. In many ways he's your typical Korean domestic level fighter. Lots of will but limited skill. What to expect? We are expecting to see Yang's aggression really forcing the best out of Yuh, who will need to be at his defensive best. If Yuh can establish his jab, control the distance and box at range he can make this easier for himself, but we have seen, time and time again, that Yang will take risks, rush forward, cut the distance and let shots go. Yuh will be able to rack up rounds behind his boxing, but will, sooner or later, get dragged into a brawl, and it's he responds to those moments that really matter here. The bad news? Don't expect world class skills. We like Yuh a lot, but he is still a novice, and doesn't appear to have had a strong amateur background. Yang is pretty much a limited action fighter. Also these two could end up having styles that clash like curry on mash potato. Over the coming week or so all the big bouts in Japan, the ones that are worth talking about at least, are getting the full preview treatment, so with that in mind we have to look around for a bout worthy of being our "One to Watch", which of course looks at boxing beyond title level. Look at this weeks action there was a few bouts of interest, the only allows to talk about one of the fighters we mentioned as an honourable mention in 20 for 20 break down. Not only that, but it's a bout in Korea and we all know what that means! It means we're in for some serious fun!
The One to Watch? Da Won Gang (3-0, 1) Vs Jin Su Kim (3-3, 1) When? December 28th (Saturday) Why? Korean fighters aren't what they used to be. The days of Jung Koo Chang mowing through the Light Flyweight division with his staggering aggression, or In Chul Baek clubbing people into submission with his brutish power, are well and truly gone. Despite that Korean boxing is finally moving in the right direction and going forward thanks to BoxingM, or KBM, who have managed to unearth some exciting. Here we see one of those talented youngsters in action in what is a KBM title eliminator. Who? Those who read our 20 for 20 list, including the honourable mentions, may recall Da Won Gang getting a mention. We suggested the 19 year old had energy, aggression and brought excitement, and with that in mind every Gang bout is worthy of attention. Earlier in 2019 he won the Battle Royale, the KBM answer to Rookie of the Year, and now he's moving towards title action. The youngster is regarded as one of the top prospects in South Korea and although that perhaps that is damning with faint praise, he does look like a youngster that likes to fight. Sadly his Rookie of the Year final wasn't a great chance to do that, coming against the frustrating Yoon Ki Kim, but this is a great chance for him to show what he can do. Jin Su Kim is a 23 year old southpaw who is perhaps best known for either a brutal KO on debut against Andrew Silva, in which Andrew was sent face planting one of the tiniest rings we've ever seen. Although no world beater Kim has challenged for a Korean title before, losing a competitive 10 round decision to Min Ho Jung in their second bout. As well as the two losses to Jung he has also lost, understandably, to Japanese prospect Kaiki Yuba. Whilst his record isn't great he has faced better competition than Gang, and will go into this bout with the desire of getting back to winning ways, and securing his second title fight. What to expect? This is Korea, and Korean boxing isn't exactly known for it's technical show cases of patience. Sure the top Koreans were capable technical skills that many top fighters wish they could have, but more often than not Korean fighters are known for their incredible will to win, their hunger, desire, toughness and energy. Technically Kim looks a decent boxer, he's light on his feet a very long frame and he tries to fight to his strengths, though often gets dragged into the wrong type of fight. With a good team behind him, he could have been built slowly, and been built into a decent enough domestic prospect. Gang on the other hand is real prospect, he's aggressive, he cuts the distance and he enjoys fighting on the inside. Physically he's still on the "boy" side of things, and hasn't yet matured into a man. He lacks real power on his shots, but makes up for it in terms of volume, accuracy and physical strength. Despite being a kid he bullies people, he drags them into his fight. Up close and personal is where he looks at home, and where he will be looking to get against Kim. We'd expect Gang to get inside, go to work and drag Kim into a war. This is unlikely to see a 1-punch KO from either guy, but will be an action bout up close and personal. Kim look to fight fire with fire, but be broken up and broken as a result. Expect this to be a fun coming out party for Ganf, ahead of a title fight next year. The bad news? It's currently unclear how the bout will be distributed live, though thankfully it will be made available after the bout on the KBM Youtube channel in the days following the event. Due to the way that Christmas seems to split big shows only at the end of the year we have brought forward next week's "One to Watch" so as to talk about one more fight that deserves a light on it before we all tuck into our wonderful Christmas lunches, present and celebrate the best day of the year. Yeah we might be biased but Christmas is great! Thankfully there is a really notable show this coming Sunday that fits in perfectly with the ethos of "One to Watch" and this is the All Japan Rookie of the Year finals which take place at Korakuen Hall. We've picked a final that pits unbeaten youngsters against each other, and looks like a brilliant match up on paper!
The One to Watch? Katsuki Mori (5-0, 1) vs Takumi Chono (5-0, 3) When? December 22nd (Sunday) Why? Rookie of the Year launches some fighters on to big things in the years that follow, with fighters like Masayuki Ito, Ryoichi Taguchi, Daisuke Naito and Katsunari Takayama all turning Rookie success into world title success. The tournament is really a major competition and a proving ground for novices in Japan who use the tournament as a great way to kick start their careers. Here we have two young and unbeaten men looking to launch themselves towards a title fight in 2020, and this is a great platform to shine on. Who? In one corner is 19 year old Ohashi gym hopeful Katsuki Mori, who has progressed to the all Japan final on the back of his excellent boxing skills, lighting quick movements, a brilliant jab and smart footwork. For a 5 fight novice it's clear he is picking up a lot from being in a gym that has Noaya Inoue and Taku Kuwara in it. He does lack power, but in terms of boxing skills, body punching and clean punching technique he is leaps and bounds above move 5-0 prospects. Notably for someone who doesn't have power he is a strong kid and he easily backed up the supposedly bigger punching Shu Nawai in the East Japan final in November. Somethin that is well worth noting is that through his first 5 professional bouts he has only had 1 round, by 1 judge, go against him. That's the level of his ability, and how in control and dominant he has been so far. Takumi Chono, on the other hand, is a 21 year old from the little known Chunichi Gym in Nagoya. The gym is a legitimately tiny one, and whilst Mori is getting time to bounce back world class fights Chono is essentially training with follow local novices. On one hand that limits the people he can train with and the progress he can make at the gym, though on the other hand it could give him more determination and fire to prove that he can win the Rookie of the Year with out a big team behind him. So far his career has been pretty hidden, but he's already given 4 men their first loss and has also made his international debut. In the ring he lacks the polish and the skills of Mori, but he makes up for it in some ways with heavy hands and aggression. He has a raw puncher look to him, and although he can be caught he does seem to take a shot well. What to expect? We'll not lie, we see Mori as the clear favourite. There just looks to be something very special about the teenager, who seems like the type of fighter who will go on to do big things down the line. He needs time to physically mature, but the foundations are there and he is naturally a very skilled young kid. Despite those skills Mori has shown no fear of fighting on the inside and that could, potentially, give Chono a chance to make the most of his power. We suspect Chono will know he can't outbox Mori, but he can out punch him, and will look to invite Mori in and land counters. It's a risky strategy to give rounds away, especially in a short 5 round bout like this, but his best chance to win is use his power. We expect a showcase from Mori, but Chono is certainly a live under dog and will go in with the belief that he has the power to win and as the bout goes on, and his desperation kicks in, we could end up having very exciting back and forth action. The bad news? There isn't really much bad to take away from this one! It's not a high profile bout by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a good bout, and as with all All-Japan Rookie of the Year bouts both men will be there to make an impression on the viewers tuning in live on G+. For the third time in 4 weeks we take our focus and put it on Heavyweight action, and this time we go all the way over to the UK for "The Fight Before Christmas". The bout is a real oddity in many ways, and will be the first time a former Japanese Heavyweight champion has fought in Europe, and will also see said Japanese Heavyweight take on one of the sports rising stars.
The One to Watch? Kyotaro Fujimoto (21-1, 13) Vs Daniel Dubois (13-0, 12) When? December 21st (Saturday) Why? Japanese Heavyweights rarely make any mark at all on the sport, in fact only 2 days before this article goes live we had a very rare Japanese Heavyweight title fight that we suspect very few people outside of Japan were even aware of! This weekend however we see the highest profile bout to ever feature a Japanese Heavyweight, win or lose this is pretty significant bout for Japanese boxing. Who? Japanese 33 year old Kyotaro Fujimoto is the second ever man to have held the Japanese Heavyweight title, though he went much further than his "predecessor" Noburu Kataoka who won the title in 1957 and failed do anything with it. During his reign Fujimoto made 4 defenses before unifying it with the WBO Asia Pacific and OPBF titles, to essentially become the undisputed champion of the Asia, Oriental and Pacific region. His reign, with all 3 titles, wasn't hugely impressive but getting to the point of becoming a triple champion at Heavyweight was notable for the former kick boxer turned professional wrestler turned professional boxer. Unbeaten Englishman Daniel Dubois is regarded by many as one of the very best Heavyweight prospects on the planet, and the 22 year old "Dynamite" had been cutting a swathe through his opponents in recent fights. His last 4 opponents have lasted a combined 12 rounds in total and only Kevin Johnson has managed to last more than 6 rounds with Dubois. Despite being very destructive and heavy handed the Englishman has a lot of questions still to answer before mixing at world level. We've rarely seen him tagged, though Richard Lartey did seem to buzz him, and we've never seen him being forced to fight at his opponents pace. However what we have seen has been excellent from the young Englishman who looks like a star in the making. What to expect? Those who don't see much Japanese boxing will likely assume that Kyotaro is usually a face first, come forward fighter who takes one to land one. For many that is the stereo typical Japanese fighter, even in this era of highly skilled Japanese boxer-punchers. Kyotaro is a million miles away from that stereotype. He is very much a fighter who is happy to get on the back foot, move, dodge dive and stay away from his opponents when he can. It was a tactic he used with success in K1 and has had success with in professional boxing. The thing is that works perfectly when you're the quicker man, facing lumbering and slow fighters like Herman Ene Purcell and Nathan McKay. It doesn't work when your opponent can cut the ring off, has power, and throws combinations. We expect Kyotaro will try his usual schtick of moving, but it won't be particularly effective against Dubois who will take a round, if needed, to figure out Kyotaro's game plan and will then turn up the pressure. Kyotaro might have some moments of success, but they will be short lived and Dubois should take him out within 3 or 4 rounds, at most. The bad news? The bad news is rather obvious here. This will not end well for Kyotaro. If he manages to make it to the half way point that would be a huge moral victory. The good thing is that he gets the big fight he has craved, it's just a shame it's not going to be a fight that ends with his arm being raised. |
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
February 2020
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