This coming Monday is an exciting day thanks to TV Osaka who will be showing a couple of small shows from Japan. It's from those that we pick our one to watch, and it has the potential to be something very exciting and very action packed. It's also going to be free thanks to TV Osaka who will be allowing fans to watch the bout live on their website, and have typically archived their bouts on YouTube!
The One to Watch? Katsunari Takayama (31-8-0-1, 12) vs Reiya Konishi (17-2, 7) When? November 23rd (Monday) Why? Every so often we get a bout between two men who, stylistically, should guarantee something very, very special and that's what we think we'll be getting here. Both of the men involved like to fight, like to let their hands go and like to dig their toes in. The bout also marks the ring return of one of our favourite little men, who will know that a loss here will almost certainly end their boxing career, which has been one of the most intriguing of any Japanese fighter in the 21st century. Who? In one corner we will have 37 year old veteran Katsunari Takayama, one of the good guys of Japanese boxing and one of the most fan friendly fighters the sport has had. He's really been a man who has been a trailblazer the sport for Japanese boxing and has always been in charge of his career, along with mentor Hiroaki Nakade. Takayama has previously handed in his JBC license to pursue the IBF and WBO titles, chasing the IBF around the world, then turned amateur to chase an Olympic place before coming back to the professional ranks after missing out on Olympic selection. For fans who haven't seen Takayama we really need to say you've missed out on a legendary career. The Japanese warrior has won WBC, IBF and WBO world titles, and the WBA interim title, before they were being handed out like candy, and he has been in sensational wars with the likes of Yutaka Niida, Roman Gonzalez, Mario Rodriguez and, of course, his 2014 epic with Francisco Rodriguez Jr. Sadly however he's now 37 and hasn't fought as a professional in over 4 years, so there are real worries about what he has left in the tank. Unlike Takayama we've never seen Reiya Konishi win a world title, but he has had two shots at world honours, coming up short in a close bout against Carlos Canizales and losing a pretty clear one to Felix Alvarado. Despite not yet winning a world title bout we have seen Konishi involved in some great bouts as his all action style is made for excitement. He's a come forward fighter who's strong, doesn't hit hard, but throws a lot of leather. He can be bullied, as Alvarado did, but he has shown no quit, and has become a cult favourite of sorts thanks to his toughness and tenacity. Sadly for him he is a slow starter, and it does take a few rounds for him to find his groove, and this could be a potential issue here. At the age of 27 this is Konishi's big chance to bounce back from the loss to Alvarado and to plant his flag for another world title fight, potentially against a fellow Japanese fighter in 2021. A loss, however, would likely spell the end of any dreams he has to reach the top of the sport. What to expect? If these two men were in their primes we would have no problem in marking this down as a "potential FOTY candidate", sadly however there are a lot of questions over it, and it's only scheduled for 6 rounds. We expect a lot of action, a lot of excitement, but we don't expect it to be FOTY contender. Sadly. We expect a fast start from Takayama. Whilst he has been away from professional boxing for 4 years he has been dabbling with amateur boxing, over the shorter distances, and we expect that will show here. He'll probably still look rusty, but will move around the ring, use his feet well, and rack up the first few rounds on his boxing skills. In rounds 3 and 4 however we expect to see Konishi getting closer, bulling in, and making things tough. We then expect Konishi to begin to take over by rounds 5 and 6. We expect hoitly contested action, a lot of punches being thrown, and cuts. We almost expect to see Takayama's paper skin cut every time he fights, and we don't see this being any difference. The real question is "when will he be cut?" If the skin holds up for 4 rounds we see Takayama taking the razor thin decision, any earlier and we suspect Konishi takes home the win. The bad news? Obviously this is going to have a 37 year old, ring rusty Takayama, with damaged paper skin. It's not the Takayama of 2014, who went to war with Francisco Rodriguez Jr. There's also a very, very real chance that he will bust open early, especially with head clashes. We are, genuinely, looking forward to this, but there is a worry it could be a bloody, messy, bout with a very early, disappointing ending. Fingers crossed we avoid that!
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This week for our one to watch we focus on a bout in England, as we see a talented Kazakh take a step up and go for his first professional title in a mouth watering match up for a minor title. For once this is actually a case of a minor title being used properly and a chance for a talented youngster to show why so many fans are excited about him. For those wanting to tune in it will be shown in IFL TV in much of the world and ESPN+ in the US.
The One to Watch? Tursynbay Kulakhmet (1-0, 1) vs Macaulay McGowan (14-0-1, 3) When? November 11th (Wednesday) Why? In one corner we have arguably the most exciting Kazakh prospect on the planet, and a man who is being tipped to be raced to the top in a fashion seen by very, very few others. In the opposite corner we have a man unbeaten in 15, who will not be wanting to be beaten by a professional novice. This is, to us, the type of bout that top prospects should be having, and the type of bout that fight fans should be very, very excited about! Who? The 26 year old Tursynbay Kulakhmet was one of the outstanding Kazakh amateurs of recent years and unlike many fighters who get molly coddled early in their career he has made it clear he wants to moved quickly, rapidly rising through the ranks. On his professional debut, in August, he looked like a star in the making, showing everything we could want to see from a young fighter and we're expecting more of that here. As early as the first round in to his debut it was clear he understood what professional boxing was about, and not only out boxed, out punched and out fought his more experienced professional but also entertained. He's very much fitting in the mould of current general of Central Asian and Eastern European fighters with the right mentality of the correct understanding of what being a professional boxer is. Macaulay McGowan on the other hand is a 25 year old English fighter who has been a professional since 2014. His career has been a bit of a slow burn one so far, but he has developed a good amount of experience over the last 6 years and has answered plenty of questions whilst running up a 15 fight unbeaten run. Sadly he has never fought above British level, and his best wins, to date, are over the likes of Sullivan Mason and William Warburton. However this is his big chance to claim a WBC International title, get a big win, and win the backing of MTK Global. In fact a win here would legitimately change his career, and help him secure the fights he needs to make a name for himself, just days before his 26th birthday. What to expect? Whilst this is a chance for McGowan to make a name for himself we suspect it's not much of a chance. A win over over Kulakhmet would be massive for him, though it would also be one of the biggest boxing surprised of 2020. What we expect to see here is for Kulakhmet to begin slowly, get a feel for McGowan before going through the gears, breaking the Englishman down, and using the opportunity to show case exactly what he can do. We could even end up seeing the 1-0 fighter play with his man, toying him to the point of mental defeat just as much as physical defeat. It's perhaps unfair to write off the chance of McGowan but for him this is a massive step up in class and it's hard to see what he has to offer to really test Kulakhmet. The Englishman lacks the fire-power, size, strength or speed to get Kulakhmet's respect, and we suspect this will be a very, very dominant victory for the Kazakh, potentially in just 4 or 5 rounds. The bad news? Whilst this is very much one to watch, it's also expected to be a total mismatch, and little more than a show case for Kulakhmet, who will be looking to make a statement. For this week's one to watch we're going to go over and focus on Thailand for a compelling match up that, in all honest, we didn't think we wanted, until we saw the two men in the ring essentially announcing the bout live on Work Point TV. From the moment they did that we have been massively excited about the contest and the compelling mash of styles.
The One to Watch? Pungluang Sor Singyu (54-8, 36) Vs Amnat Ruenroeng (20-4, 6) When? November 7th (Saturday) Why? It's rare, at least in Thailand, to get two pretty well known domestic fighters in the ring against each other. Typically Thai shows are "big name against unknown" or "rising prospect against faded fighter" here however we have two past their best former world champions facing off in what looks like a match watering, well matched and truly intriguing match up. This isn't one we expect will be a war, but we are anticipating a very, very interesting contest. Who? Of the two men we would assume that the 40 year old Amnat Ruenroeng is the more well known fighter. The former IBF Flyweight champion is a truly compelling character who was once in prison due to drug offenses, before turning his life around, having success in amateurs and then in the professional ranks. At the age of 34 he won the IBF Flyweight title and defended it against some top fighters, such as Kazuto Ioka, McWilliams Arroyo, Zou Shiming and John Riel Casimer, before losing the belt in 2016. It was assumed that would be the end of him, but he later went to the Olympics, fought Tenshin Nasukawa in kick boxing, and has a boxing resurgence in 2019. Now aged 40 it's fair to ask what Amnat has in the tank, though he showed he was very much a tricky master last time out, giving Srisaket Sor Rungvisai a real test in August and the awkward, frustrating Thai is certainly not shot, but is shop worn. Despite being less well known Pungluang Sor Singyu is a 2-time WBO Bantamweight champion who has been a professional since 2001, and is still only 31. Some how. He first won the WBO Bantamweight title in 2012, beating the popular AJ Banal, but lost the belt just 5 months later, to Paulus Ambunda. He worked his way into a second world title shot, and was giving Tomoki Kameda fights before being taken out by the brilliant Japanese fighter. when Kameda vacated the title Pungluang had his second reign, beating Ryo Akaho before losing the bout in a great bout against Marlon Tapales. In recent years Pungluang has toiled a little bit, going 2-4 following the loss to Tapales, but scored a notable upset earlier this year, against Campee Phayom, and that has opened the door for a fight like this, for him. What to expect? One thing we expect with Amnat bouts is that they can get ugly, and Pungluang isn't against making fights ugly himself, when he needs to. So there is a risk that this could end up being a mess. Thankfully however we expect that risk will be somewhat low, with the weight, Featherweight, being one that would favour Pungluang in an up close wrestling match. Instead we expect to see Amnat trying to play the role of move-boxer, getting on the outside, jabbing, slipping, tiping Punluang. The younger man will be coming forward, looking to throw his own heavy, straight shots, trying to get inside and work away with hooks. Interestingly Amnat is probably the naturally longer, taller man, and he'll try to use that to his advantage early on. As the bout goes on however we expect his legs to slow, and for Pungluang to try and ground down the veteran. In regards to outcome this is a very, very hard one toi predict, and we wouldn't be surprised by a close decision either way. The bad news? For once there isn't really any bad news. The bout is an interesting one, it'll be available for free on WP Boxing's YouTube and Facebook pages and, better yet, it won't clash with Dynamic Glove, as the Japanese show will be shown on Tape Delay and not live! This weekend we're all going to be focused on a show in Las Vegas right? So with that in mind we thought it would make sense to have our "One to Watch" be a bout from Las Vegas, after all you'll be watching anyway! So with that said let us shine a light on one of the under-card bouts from this weekend's big Top Rank card, and perhaps talk you in to tuning in for more than just the main event!
The One to Watch? Andy Hiraoka (15-0, 10) Vs Rickey Edwards (12-4, 3) When? October 31st (Saturday) Why? The bout features a rare Japanese prospect at 140lbs, fighting in the US for the second time. On paper it's his biggest bout to date, though probably not his toughest. The prospect in question has the tools to be a genuine player in the west as he understands English, has the size to fight in popular divisions, has an exciting style and, at just 24, has years of his career ahead. In the opposite corner is a unheralded American looking to be a banana skin to the touted Japanese hopeful. Who? Japanese fighter Andy Hiraoka is a 24 year old boxer-puncher form Yokohama. He's from the same Japanese stable as Naoya Inoue, who's headlining Saturday's show, and has long been tipped as one to watch. He is a natural athlete, having been a long distance running at one point, and has been guided through his career by his father. Despite only being 24 he has been a professional since 2013, and has been regarded as one to watch since 2014, when he won the East Japan Rookie of the Year. Watching Hiraoka in recent bouts we see a fighter who is still learning his trade. He is still very much a work in progress, however he's got tools that could take very far in the sport. He's huge for a Japanese fighter, standing at close to 6', he's long and rangy, very athletic, and explosive, and has good straight punches as well as good movement. Technically he's still learning, he's still rough around the edges, and the lack of a strong amateur background is clear, but he's improving with every fight. In Rickey Edwards we have a 30 year old American who has been faltering in recent bouts, but should make for a good opponent here. Edwards has lost 4 of his last 5, but they have included defeats to the then 10-0 Kent Cruz, the then 14-0 Mykquan Williams and the then 10-0 Jesus Alejandro Ramos. Sadly those recent results have made him look like a worse fighter than he is, and he is actually quite talented. He does however have no career momentum right now, and a style that shouldn't be much of an issue for Hiraoka. Back in 2016 Edwards' bout with Cruz was shown on a PBC show, back when Edwards was 11-0. Although that bout is quite old there was plenty to take from it. He's a tall rangy guy himself, much like Hiraoka, and he has a lovely crisp jab, but he does lack power, and doesn't appear willing to commit to much behind that jab. When he throws combinations they are quick and sharp, but there's not enough of them. There's a good skill set there, but there was a lack of urgency and energy. He was also dropped in that fight from a single right hand, and has since been stopped. What to expect? To start this, we expect a win for Hiraoka, however we expect him to have to work for it. Edwards is good enough to ask questions, his jab is good enough to keep Hiraoka honest, and catch the Japanese fighter, despite the fact Hiraoka's a southpaw. The real difference makers however will be power and work rate. Sadly Edwards lacks in both areas. We expect this to start slowly, both men feeling each other out. As the rounds go on however we expect to see the energy and youthful exuberance of Hiraoka play the big difference maker as he goes through the gears. When that happens we don't imagine Edwards will be able to get Hiraoka's respect, or back him off, and as a result Hiraoka will begin to chip away and break down the American. We're not expecting a stoppage for the Japanese visitor, but there is a chance he could get one, late. He's a heavier puncher than Edwards, he's younger, busier, and more aggressive. All of that could lead to a stoppage, but we're actually expecting a wide decision for Hiraoka here. The bad news? Sadly the bout, however good it is, will be over-shadowed by the Inoue bout. Whilst it's understandable, it's still a shame that Hiraoka isn't getting much attention here, won't get much afterwards and, at the time of writing, this bout isn't even listed on BoxRec! For the first time our one to watch will sadly not be shown during the week that the bout takes place, but it's one that we know needs to be on the radar of fight fans, and deserves attention, even if we do need to wait several weeks to see the TV version of the bout. We know this one is going to be a lot of fun, very exciting, and bombs being thrown from both men.
The One to Watch? Daigo Higa (16-1, 16) vs Seiya Tsutsumi (5-0-1, 4) When? October 26th (Monday)-Being televised on November 18th Why? We all like exciting action right? Well this ticks that box. It will feature one of the most exciting Asian fighters in the sport, who always excites, taking on a man who is looking to announce himself on the professional ranks. It also sees the exciting, more well known professional, looking to earn some revenge for two amateur losses. We have history, we have exciting styles, and we have a potentially amazing bout here! Who? We suspect anyone reading this will known who Daigo Higa is, but if not, and if this is the first time you've come across his name you can have a lot of fun checking out some of his previous bouts. Stylistically he's very similar to Roman Gonzalez, with smart, pressure boxing, gorgeous combinations, an under-rated defense and vicious power. He's a free flowing, offensive monster who was the WBC Flyweight champion a few years ago. Sadly though Higa lost that title on the scales, suffered an upset loss to Crisofer Rosales, and then had a lengthy suspension, due to missing weight. He's now back, and looking to make up for lost time. Seiya Tsutsumi on the other hand is a fighter that you'll be forgiven for not knowing much about. He's a heavy handed boxer-puncher. He began his career as a puncher, but has recently shown more and more to his boxing, and he looks like a fantastic all rounder, with a smart boxing brain, a lot of power and good technical ability. He's unlucky to not have a perfect record, with his one draw being a controversial one against Kazuki Nakajima. In that bout we felt Tsutsumi out boxed Nakajima but was thwarted by some rough scoring. As professionals both men have shown an ability to punch, with Higa having the advantage there, and fight. Higa is the more experienced, though we dare say that Tsutsumi is the more well schooled, and he holds 2 amatuer wins over Higa. What to expect? We expect to see something very, very special here. From the opening seconds we expect to see Higa pressuring, pushing and coming forward. That will almost certainly force Tsutsumi on to the backfoot, where his boxing, counter punching and jabbing, trying to get Higa's respect and force him to think twice. Sooner or later Higa will get Tsutsumi into the trenches, and when that happens expect to see a war breaking out, with both men taking it in turns to let their hands go up close. We might not see too many rounds like this, but boy oh boy they are going to be great. This is going to be violent, destructive, high tempo action and, sooner or later, one guy will be ground down. We thing Higa take the win, and will be the clear favourite, but Tsutsumi will certainly not be there to make up the numbers and he could well give Higa absolute fits. The bad news? Obviously the delay in when this is being shown, around 3 weeks after it takes place, is bad news. Avoiding the result will be almost impossible, and it's a massive sham TBS have such a lengthy delay for the bout. Especially given the fact they've not shown any "Guts Fighting" boxing since January! This weeks one to watch is not likely to be one on the radar for many fans, but it's one we think could provide both action, excitement and be a hotly contested bout. It's one that is easy to over-look, but could be very, very interesting.
The One to Watch? Yoji Saito (1-1-2, 1) vs Masashi Wakita (10-9-2, 5) When? October 14th (Wednesday) Why? Although it's not the highest profile bout we'll get this weekend we believe this could be a bit of a sleeper classic between two men each needing a big performance, and each capable of delivering it. One one hand we have a touted hopeful who has struggled to get going, and on the other we have a fighter who's career has stalled, but we've seen enough of him to know he can make a go of things. In both corners we have a man looking for a win, and we have men who's styles should gel fantastically. Who? Kadoebi promoted Yoji Saito turned professional with some pretty lofty expectations on his shoulders. Sadly a loss to Shu Utsuki on his debut prevented him from getting off to a winning start, despite the bout being a tremendous fight. Since then Saito has has gone unbeaten, but has only managed a single win, a stoppage of Tameji Ito. Despite his struggle to get victories he has consistently been in thrilling bouts, including his 2019 war with Aso Ishiwaki. In the ring Saito is a strong, powerful lump. He's not the smoothest, he's got questionable stamina, but boy does he know how to fight. He's blessed with heavy, thudding hands, impressive physical strength, really gritty toughness and a fighters mentality. On paper Masashi Wakita looks really limited, and has won less than half of his career bouts. Despite his record the man from the Mitsuki Gym shouldn't be written off. Wakita is a freakishly tall Super Featherweight, standing at 5'11" he's also a southpaw, with a nice jab, under-rated power and a questionable chin. He's got reach, skills, the ability to box at range and under-rated counter punching skills. He also has valuable expecerience against good domestic competition. Sadly for Wakita his biggest issue isn't isn't his skills, it's his toughness, or rather the relative lack of it. During his 21 fight career he has been stopped 5 times, and he's actually been stopped 4 times in his last 6 bouts. Whilst that's not great he has been matched hard, with losses to the likes of Shawn Oda, Satoru Sugita and Ryusei Ishii. He has also given the likes of Spicy Matsushita and Yuichiro Kasuya very close contests. What to expect? We expect to see Saito coming forward, pressing, pressuring and trying to get to Wakita from the early going. Wakita on the other hand will box, move, and try to avoid a tear up. It question will be "how long before Wakita gets dragged into Saito's fight?" If Saito can cut the distance from the off this could be short, explosive and brutally one sided with Saito stopping Wakita. The longer it goes however the better things are for Wakita, and his movement, clean accurate punching and reach will make live progressively tougher for Saito. If Wakita lasts more than 4 rounds he will give Saito absolute fits in what will becoming a very, very compelling and competitive contest. The bad news? Unfortunately this won't be shown live, and instead we'll need to be patient. Also the bout will be available first on Boxing Raise, limiting the viewership, though Kadoebi do tend to upload their bouts to YouTube in the weeks following. Alko if Saito gets his way this could be a very, very short bout. In the second of two "Ones to Watch" this week we look at a Bantamweight contest that should have a serious over-flowing of fireworks. The previous bout we looked at in the series, between Reiya Abe and Ren Sasaki, might be a bit of a slow one, but this fight will more than make up for it in terms of action!
The One to Watch? Kai Chiba (12-1, 8) vs Haruki Ishikawa (8-2, 6) When? October 13th (Tuesday) Why? We all love wars and that's exactly what we expect to see here between two men who have shown power and aggression and under-rated boxing skills. We suspect the styles will gel almost perfectly and we should end up with something of a thriller, where we suspect both men will be hurt before we hear the final bell. Not just do the styles match up well, but so do the mentalities of the two men, who both like a fight. Also it's worth nothing that both men have been stopped before, suggesting that neither is carrying titanium up top. Who? Of the two men it's probably Kai Chiba who is the more well known, and the more technically developed. The 27 year old has been a professional since 2015 and won his first 7 bouts, scoring noteworthy wins over Ikuro Sadatsune and Ryo Matsubara along the way. By that point he was 7-0 (6) and looked like he was on his way to something big. And then he was upset by Filipino Brian Lobetania, who stopped Chiba in 4 rounds. Since then we've not really seen the same Chiba, who has gone 5-0 (2) and has focused more on his boxing than his puncher. Although Chiba has changed his style, and is more cautious following the loss to Lobetania, he can still get dragged into a fight. We saw glimpses of that last time he faced a domestic opponent, battling against Matcha Nakagawa, where despite boxing he always seemed happy to let shots go. Aged just 21 Haruki Ishikawa is still a boxing baby, but he has already been involved in some great action and his 2019 bout with Toshiya Ishii was one of the Japanese highlights last year. Ishikawa turned professional in 2017 and went 6-0 (5) before losing a razor thin decision in the All-Japan Rookie of the Year final in December 2018. Since then he has gone 2-1 (1) and has been fighting at a decent level, against the likes of Alvin Medura and Atsushi Takada. At his heart Ishikawa is a fighter. He's a heavy handed type of guy, willing to let his hands go, throw bombs and take one to land one. At times he can look unpolished, raw, and green but he also looks very powerful, energetic, strong and is so much fun to watch. He'll stalk his man, march forward, look to get into range and then unload. Sadly his raw approach is likely to see him having a short career, but a very exciting one to follow. What to expect? We expect to see bombs away! The pressure and aggression of Ishikawa will likely force a high tempo on the bout, and even when he's not throwing he's always pressing and coming forward. That will likely work in Chiba's favour and from early on it'll be clear that Chiba is the more skilled fighter. The big question here isn't about skill however, but how much can the two men take. Sadly we think this is another area where Ishikawa comes up short compared to Chiba. Yes both men have been stopped once, but of the two chins we feel Chiba is the tougher and move proven man. Whilst we suspect Chiba will take home a win, likely by stoppage in the second half of the fight, we do expect this to be so much damn fun from the opening round to the end. We expect both men to take some huge head shots up close, have thrilling exchanges, and put on a show. The bad news? There isn't really isn't anything negative about this. It's a low-ish domestic level fight, and we know some fans do tend to avoid that level of bout, but for fans willing to put that to the side and just enjoy the bout they will not be disappointed here! For this weeks one to watch we've got a bout that we don't expect will be a war, but it is one we expect will be a compelling chess match. Both men are very talented but negative, and focus more on fighting at range than we typically see in Japan, which can be quite jarring at times. Despite that the bout should be a hotly contested one and a very, very interesting one, even if the pace isn't what we typically see in Japan. The bout will also serve as the headline for the upcoming A-Sign show.
The One to Watch? Reiya Abe (19-3-1, 9) vs Ren Sasaki (10-0, 6) When? October 12th (Tuesday) Why? Here we get the chance to see a brilliant talented, though often over-looked, Japanese Featherweight taking on an unbeaten hopeful looking to prove what he can do. We have two talented fighters up against each other in what both will view as a must win bout. Although the bout is set to be shown for free on A-Sign boxing, so there's really no excuse to miss this one which has the ingredients of a technically enticing chess match. Who? World ranked Featherweight Reiya Abe is one of the many talented Japanese fighters at 126lbs that doesn't get much attention. Dubbed a "Genius" Abe is a brilliant boxer, with a fantastic boxing mind, fantastic counter punching and great control of range. Sadly for all his talent and ring craft he does lack killer instinct and the extra gear needed to reach the top level of the sport. In terms of skills there are few that can compare to him in Japan, but there are fighters who have shown more will, and that's the one thing he has been lacking at times. Notably 2019 was a bad year for Abe, in which he went 1-1-1, and hopefully the set backs to Taiki Minamoto, who he drew with, and Ryo Sagawa, who he lost to, will help him add some fire to his boxing. If he can increase his output, use his jab more, and show more killer instinct in the ring there's no reason why he can't go much, much further in the sport, especially given he has really under-rated power in his left hand. The unbeaten Ren Sasaki has been quietly making a name for himself but yet to really break through. His most notable performances came in 2017, when he won the All Japan Rookie of the Year but sadly since then he has failed to make much of a name for himself. That's despite wins over Kanehiro Nakagawa, Ge An Ma and Morihisa Iju. In fact last year he won the Knock Out Dynamite Tournament, though did so by default after Yuki Yamauchi was forced to pull out of the final before the bout took place. In the ring Sasaki is a cagey fighter who looks to create distance, box off his jab and keep opponents at range. It's only really when he has someone hurt that he opens up, and when's done that in the past he has been clipped, with Ge An Ma wobbling him last year. Technically he is solid but as with Abe there is a feeling that he simply doesn't do enough at times, and as a result he has had some very close decision. What to expect? The first few rounds we expect to see both men cancelling each other out really well. Both are, at heart, counter punchers and neither enjoy leading off. Sadly this could make the bout feel like it's very slow to get going. Thankfully though we expect to see Abe take the advantage in these slow, almost tedious rounds, and force Sasaki to become more aggressive. If Sasaki is forced to let his hands go more, chasing the fight, we see that playing right into Abe's game plan and giving the talented Abe counter opportunities. When that happens expect to see him draw leads from Sasaki, and counter them with thunder bolt left hands. If Sasaki doesn't fall behind early on, and isn't forced to chase things, expect a very, very high level chess match. It might not be the most exciting or the most thrilling action war, but it will be very interesting and a bout fought with very high level skills on show by both men. The bad news? Not everyone likes a chess match, and this could end up being a stinker if both men feel they are in control. The styles of the two men are pretty similar, and both are rather risk-averse. This could be a very, very interesting bout, but could, just as easily, end up being horrific to watch. This coming week is an interesting one with several notable shows taking place in the space of just a few days. Whilst not all the bouts are huge, some are certainly notable and this weeks one to watch we want to direct your attention to the Korakuen Hall for a Japanese bout at Featherweight between two men who are world ranked and in need of a big win after a few frustrating years.
The One to Watch? Kenichi Ogawa (24-1-1-1, 18) vs Kazuhiro Nishitani (21-4-1, 12) When? October 2nd (Friday) - Being televised on delay on October 5th (Monday) Why? We don't get two world ranked Japanese fighters facing off too often, sadly, but here we have just that as Kenichi Ogawa, who is ranked by the IBF, WBA and WBO takes on Kazuhiro Nishitani, who is ranked by the IBF. Essentially this is a world title eliminator, and although it's not a final eliminator the winner will move towards a shot, whilst the loser is likely to be removed from the rankings, or at least from the top 10. Not only is it two world ranked guys, but it's also a pretty interesting match up from a style perspective, and a bout that neither man can afford to lose. Who? Of the two men Kenichi Ogawa is the more well known. The Teiken gym man is best known for his controversial 2017 bout with Tevin Farmer, which he originally won by decision but the result was later over turned due to a drug test failure. Due to the drug test result he was suspended by the JBC for a year. Prior to that bout he had been the Japanese national Super Featherweight champion and had scored notable wins over the likes of Ribo Takahata, Deivi Julio Bassa and Rikki Naito. Since returning from his ban he has fought three times, taking two low level wins and fighting to a technical draw with Joe Noynay. In the ring Ogawa is quite a basic boxer-puncher. His right hand is solid, hurtful and damaging, and he uses his left hook and jab well. Like many punchers however he wants the bout to be fought at range, getting full extension on his shots. Physically he's strong, with heavy hands, and good straight punching. He is however quite slow, his inside game is relatively limited and at times he can be a bit too patient. He can be out worked, and he can be out boxed, though he's always dangerous, as Kyohei Tamakoshi learned in 2016 when he was knocked out in the dying seconds of their Japanese title bout. Sadly Kazuhiro Nishitani has not really made much of a mark for himself, despite being in the IBF rankings for a few years now. The 33 year old won his first 7 bouts before back to back losses slowed his climb through the rankings. He went on a good run again but was 14-3-1 (7) after 18 bouts and his career seemed to be going nowhere. Despite that he was able to get a Japanese Lightweight title fight in 2015 and put in a solid effort, en route to a close decision loss to Kota Tokunaga. In 2017 he got a second shot at the title and upset Shuhei Tsuchiya to claim the title, scoring an 8th round TKO win over Tsuchiya. Sadly he never defended the belt, instead choosing to vacate and move down in weight, with 4 tick over wins since that career defining victory. Against Tsuchiya we saw Nishitani look relaxed but slow, basic, a bit clumsy, but tough, brave and determined. He was dropped by Tsuchiya but fought back, gritted out some hard times and broke down the then defending champion. He looked big and strong against Tsuchiya, and looks even bigger at Super Featherweight, but will also look slower at 130lbs than he did at 135lbs. Unlike Ogawa we do see Nishitani as more of a counter-puncher come boxer. He will look to draw mistakes out of opponents, counter them, frustrate them and look after himself. What to expect? We expect to see Ogawa having scouted Nishitani really well, and not make the same mistake Tsuchiya did. Tsuchiya had success at range, had success with single shots, but struggled when Nishitani dragged him into a war. Although not a big puncher Nishitani's physical strength, toughness and sustained success wore down Tsuchiya, and that will be what Ogawa is looking to avoid. We see Ogawa fighting at range, using his jab and straight shots well and using his under-rated footwork to keep things at range. The power and footwork of Ogawa should allow him to pick off Nishitani at range. For Nishitani the key to success is to get inside, prevent Ogawa from getting full extension on his straight right hand. He needs to smother and grind down Ogawa, working away on the inside and pushing and pulling Ogawa around. If he can do that there's a real chance he could grind down the Teiken man. Sadly though he's not had a win of note since his 2017 win over Tsuchiya. The bad news? Obviously the bad news here is the tape delay aspect of the bout. It was originally planned for September 5th though was delayed due to Teiken having to close for a while due to a positive PCR test. As a result it lost a live TV slow and will be on delay a few days after the bout takes place. For those who want to watch without knowing the result this does suck, but at least we are still getting it shown on G+, and it's not a long wait for the bout, just a few short days. Once again we have two fights to share this week in our "The One to Watch" series, and this is the second of those, following the Shun Kubo Vs Takashi Igarashi one. The reason we want to share this isn't that we think it'll be a competitive FOTY of the year but because it's on a free online stream and it features one of the best prospects in Japanese boxing fighting for the second time since turning professional earlier this year. For those who do want to watch it, it will be streamed on the Suruga Boys YouTube Channel.
The One to Watch? Rentaro Kimura (1-0, 1) vs Takafumi Iwaya (4-3) When? September 27th (Sunday) Why? We always want fans to get on board with prospects early on, especially Japanese and Uzbek prospects who are being moved quickly. With that in mind we are suggesting a bout to watch featuring one of the hottest young prospects in Japan, Rentaro Kimura. The bout is his second in the space of a few weeks and will be his first at home in Shizuoka. Although there's not going to be a huge crowd there will be a live stream available, giving us all a chance to see Kimura in action. Who? The 23 year old Rentaro Kimura was a former Japanese amateur standout who is tipped to be a future star. He's the big hope for Shizuoka, and signed with local promoter Suruga Boy in the hope of becoming their first champion. Like some other fighters however he's training at the Misako Gym, where the hope is that their success, and training will help develop Kimura and turn him from a very good amateur to a professional world champion. On his debut in July Kimura looked brilliant in stopping Yuya Azuma, scoring one of the KO's of the year with a brutal finish and further built on his reputation as one of the best prospects in Japan. Aged 32 Takafumi Iwaya has been a professional since 2018 and has had mixed success. Notably he lost 3 of his first 4, including one to recent Japanese title challenger Yuri Takemoto, but has won his last 3 and has certainly turned his career around. Sadly however his competition has been poor and this is, by far, the biggest and most notable bout of his career, as he takes on a top level prospect. Whilst Iwaya hasn't had any fights televised yet he has twice had bouts shown on Boxing Raise. These included his debut, where he looked very raw and showed poor balance, little in terms of punching technique and was very easy to hit. He was game but terrible and very easy to hit. Thankfully he looked far better when he faced Takayuki Takino in 2019, and showed a lot of improvement from his debut, though was still relatively easy to hit. That improvement actually saw him beating Takino as he began to turn his career around. What to expect? Although Iwaya has clearly improved from his debut he is still easy to hit, very basic and defensively raw. Against Kimura that is a problem. In fact that is a big, big problem. We expect Kimura to be aggressive from the off but box somewhat carefully in the first round, maybe even two. After that we expect to see him putting his foot on the gas and slicing through Iwaya in spectacular fashion. When Kimura puts his foot down, this will look like a showcase, and will look horribly one sided. It will, however, serve the purpose it's supposed, making Kimura look like a star. The bad news? This is a mismatch. There is no way to dress that up. It's a showcase for Kimura who will be getting bigger and tougher tests in 2021. He wants to win a world title in 2 or 3 years and we expect much stiffer tests very soon, but this is a simple showcase back in Shizuoka before he looks to rise through the domestic rankings and move towards his first title fights in the new year. |
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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