Sadly it's been hard to find many Filipino bouts from 2019 that we've been to include in this series. It's a shame and something that we expect to see become even more difficult if we continue this series for 2020. That's not because the Philippines hasn't got good fights, but because so few of them are internationally available in good quality. Thankfully however we do have one really interesting bout, that we advise people to watch, from February 2019 and better yet, it sees a young unbeaten hopeful being given his first real test. Dave Apolinario (9-0, 6) vs Romshane Sarguilla (7-1-2, 4) In one corner was rising prospect Dave Apolinario, a really talented and unbeaten Filipino fighter who was following in the footsteps of his brother, John Mark Apolinario. At just 20 years old the talented southpaw hopeful needed to be tested, and needed to be in the ring with someone who was going to ask questions of him. He needed to fight someone wanting to beat him, someone who came to win. Thankfully we saw Apolinario finally facing a fighter trying to beat him when he stepped in the ring with Romshane Sarguilla in a scheduled 8 rounder at the Midas Hotel and Casino in Pasay City. Sarguilla was not a special fighter but he was a hungry fighter, who's only loss up to this point was a close decision to Powell Balaba at Super Flyweight, not his more natural Flyweight. He was tough, hungry, young and wanting make a name for himself, rather than a fighter happy to roll over for the touted prospect. From the opening round you could see Sarguilla was there to win, pressing forward against the more skilled and talented Apolinario. The under-dog was pressing behind his solid jab, moving when he needed to showing enough respect to Apolinario to not leave himself open, but enough ambition to make it clear he was here to win. Sadly the ambition and belief alone weren't going to be enough against the more rounded, and very skilled, Apolinario. He knew he had to take some risks and did so towards the end of the first round, making Apolinario look uncomfortable as the pace picked up. The unbeaten man, who was in against his first opponent who had come to upset him, had the clear edge in skills but had to do more than just rely on the skills he had, and had to try and get respect from Sarguilla, landing his own big shots to close out the opening round and open the second round. The fight continued to be an intriguing test throughout, with Apolinario being forced to answer questions by a fighter there to win. It wasn't an all out war, as a number in this series are, but was instead a brilliant test for a youngster who was forced to show what he was about against an opponent looking to make the most of a big opportunity. If you like seeing prospects being given a test then this is well worthy of your time. Interestingly this wasn't the only hidden gem featuring Sarguilla from the year, with the Filipino travelling over to Thailand to play his part in a cracking little bout with Siridech Deebook in August as well.
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This week we head to China for our Treasure Trove, as Beijing played host to a very interesting card. Despite this bout being in China it's worth nothing that neither of the fighters involved are Chinese, with a Japanese 33 year old taking on a Ukrainian 19 year old. The bout saw the two men clashing in one of the IBF Silk Road tournament bouts up at Super Featherweight and it was genuinely compelling when the man got in the ring. We don't think many would have seen this one, but really, you should take the opportunity now as it's a very solid little bout that was pretty easy to over-look at the time. Ryo Takenaka (18-4-1, 11) vs Heorhii Lashko (7-0, 4) The 33 year old Ryo Takenaka had made his name at Featherweight originally. He had debut back in 2008, following a respectable amateur career, he had suffered a couple of losses in 2012 but had continued on and in 2015 claimed the OPBF Featherweight title by stopping Vinvin Rufino. After 3 defenses, including a sensational KO against Ryuto Araya, he came up short against Korea Sa Myung Noh, in what was a great come from behind win for Noh in 2017. After a year out Takenaka moved up in weight and took part in an IBF tournament, beating Lorence Rosas in December 2018 to advance to the next stage. In the ring Takenaka was technically very good, with solid power, and his wins KO's against Rufino and Araya were very impressive, but there was questions about his durability, and at 33 there was also question marks about just what he had left in the tank. The 19 year old Heorhii Lashko, who really was a baby faced youngster, had done nothing as a professional up to this point. He had never fought anyone with a winning record, had never been in a bout scheduled beyond 8 rounds, had never gone more than 6 rounds and had never fought outside of Ukraine. On paper he looked like he was up against it, big time. Despite his low level of professional experience the teenager had looked promising, with some nice skills, and looked good in regards to the eye test, however his competition did make that relatively easy for someone as talented as Lashko. From the very early moments it was clear we were going to get a bout that was going to be a fast paced boxing bout with both men trying to feel the other out at super speed. Lashko was the quicker man, in terms of foot speed and hand speed, but Takenaka seemed to land the harder single shots, getting through with several solid straight right hands. Although Lashko was the quicker man he was being continually pressured by Takenaka, who didn't look like he was bothered at all by Lashko's power. As the bout continued on the fight continued to be a high paced boxing contest between two men who were incredibly well matched. Stylistically they were different, but both let their hands go, both looked confident through out and both were will to throw first. They rarely clinched, and their was rarely a moment without something happening. For those who like well matched boxing bouts this is genuinely a gem. It's not a toe to toe war, but it doesn't need to be to be an entertaining fight, and this was certainly entertaining, fought at a high pace, and saw both men show a high level of skill. A very nice bout. People who follow our Closet Classic series will know we love a good rematch, and a number of the bouts featured in that series are brilliant rematches that see fighters who had a great first bout go on to have a great second bout. Of course not all rematches are greats fights and not all bouts that get rematches were originally great. Here we look at a rematch that took place last year. Whilst not an amazing bout it was short, action packed, and well worthy of a watch. Ryota Murata (14-2, 11) Vs Rob Brant (25-1, 17) II In 2018 we saw Ryota Murata lose the WBA Middleweight title in rather embarrassing fashion as he was easily out boxed, out fought and out worked by Rob Brant. In July 2019 they faced off again. This time Murata was out for revenge in an attempt to recapture the title. Murata had been a Japanese star since the 2012 Olympics, where he won the gold medal. He had been groomed for professional stardom, but had put in some mixed performances during his 16 fight pro-career. At his best he was an aggressive brute, with huge power, an iron chin and an impressive will to win, with under-rated hand speed and scary physical strength. He was a bit rigid but regularly fought to his his strengths with intense pressure. When he struggled to get opponents to back up however he typically looked poor, due to his slow feet and need to set himself before letting shots go. If he couldn't cut the ring off he could be beat, as we saw in the bout with Brant. American fighter Rob Brant wasn't the number one choice for Murata's 2018 title defense. In fact the bout was essentially forced on Murata as a mandatory by the WBA and it seems like this played a part in Murata over-looking the American. The reality is that there was little on his record to scream world title challenger. He had no wins of note prior to facing Murata in October 2018, and had lost his notable bout to that point, being easily outboxed by crafty German veteran Juergen Braehmer. Despite being unheralded before beating Murata the American had shown what he could do in the first Murata bout, and it seemed logical that his style was always going to be a nightmare for Murata. He had quicker feet and quicker hands than the Japanese fighter, and was a more athletic talent than the strong, but rather rigid, Murata. From the very start it was it was clear that Brant felt full of confidence, like his previous win over Murata was going to be repeated again here. He was on the move, letting his hands go and fighting in a similar style to the one which had seen him easily beat the Japanese fighter in their first clash. Murata on the other hand looked like he was more intense, applying more pressure and finding gaps to lands his shots in. He was going to the body with success, and was looking more active and hungrier than he had in their first bout. Brant was still busier, but Brant was being forced to work, rather than choosing when to work. What's forgotten now is just how great the first round of this bout was. It set the stage for an equally fantastic second round as the two men continued to let leather fly. Whilst the bout wasn't a long one it was short, thrilling and action packed, with a lot of heavy leather being thrown. If you saw this originally it's worth reliving again now. If you missed it's worth a watch and was a very short bout full of big shots from two men each fighting like they had a point to prove. It wasn't a fight of the year contender, but it's a bout that was a lot better than we were expecting, very exciting, and full of explosive shots. A very intense but short thrilling war Fights in China tend to get over-looked. Streams for them are possible but for the most part western fans only really watch the biggest bouts from China, the world title bouts. This leaves a lot of gems that get over-looked. Today we look at one of those gems as we roll back to August and see an unbeaten Chinese hopeful take on a hungry Filipino, looking to take a win on the road. Zhong Liu (13-0, 5) vs Jess Rhey Waminal (13-2-1, 8) Chinese southpaw Zhong Liu isn't someone we expect many fight fans to be too familiar with. The Super Bantamweight prospect made his debut in late 2015 and spent the first year of his career fighting as a very low level, with his most notable early opponent being Filipino journeyman Landy Cris Leon. He began to step up his competition in 2017, when he beat Noldi Manakane. He continued to face progressively better competition and in 2019 Liu took another step up as he took on Filipino fighter Jess Rhey Waminal. Liu had shown plenty of promise but still had a lot of questions to answer, and we expected to see him being asked those question by Waminal. Whilst Liu is an unknown Chinese fighter it's fair to say that Jess Rhey Waminal is also a relatively unknown outside of hardcore fans of the Asian scene. The Filipino had developed a reputation as an exciting fighter to watch with an aggressive style and was fringe regional level, having given Ben Mananquil a real tough bout in an OPBF "interim" title bout in 2017 and his only other loss was an early career defeat to the under-rated Carlo Demecillo. Despite those set backs he had beaten the likes of Joe Tejones and Jin Wook Lim coming into this bout. Technically he's raw, but he's aggressive and has power that can turn fights around. Coming in to this we knew it could be a lot of fun, as any bout with Waminal can be, but we didn't know what to expect from Liu, who was showing promise but had so many questions still to answer. To start the bout Liu was the one coming forward as Waminal tried to see what the local had to offer. It was smart from the usually aggressive Waminal, giving him a chance to get used to the reach and southpaw stance of Liu. Midway through the opening round we began to see more from Waminal as both men showed more willingness to let their hands go. Liu did more than enough to take the opening round, but we were starting to see Waminal respond to everything. Liu tried to stick to a game plan of fighting at range, using his southpaw jab and straight left hand to keep Waminal at bay in round 2. That was easier said than done as the Filipino mixed things up well, backing off at times, then rushing Liu, and hammering him with body shots when the two got close, trying to take Liu's legs. Waminal became more aggressive in round 3, and was on the front foot early as the bout began to resemble the fight he was wanting. Liu was being forced backwards and being forced to work very hard. Although the bout never became an all out war it was a thoroughly engaging and had two men with contrasting styles that worked well together. A worth while watch for those who missed it live, back in August. Not all fun of our treasures from 2019 had much fan fare, and today we look at one of the more hidden gems from China. This bout was on a card that featured two world title bouts and as a bout was very much over-shadowed at the time, but may have oddly ended up being the best bout on the card. It was fun, it was exciting and it was compelling clash of two men who's styles gelled surprisingly well. Wulan Tuolehazi (11-3-1, 5) vs Ardin Diale (35-13-4, 17) At the end of 2019 we saw Chinese fighter Wulan Tuolehazi challenge WBO Flyweight champion Kosei Tanaka. That was Tuolehazi's 5th bout of 2019. In his third bout of the year he clashed with Filipino veteran Ardin Diale in what turned out to be an entertaining little scrap in Fuzhou. Tuolehazi had started his career in 2015 and suffered back to back losses to begin his career, and was actually 2-3 after 5 bouts. He then went on a solid unbeaten run which had included wins over Noldi Manakane, Kwanthai Sithmorseng, Jayr Raquinel and Ryota Yamauchi. Although not an impressive fighter to watch he has proven to be tough, tricky and very awkward. He's sneaky good, rather than eye catching good, and his straight right hand had proven to be a very good weapon against Yamauchi. He could be out worked, and was sometimes too patient, and could be out boxed, but he knew how to wins rounds, and how to neutralise opponents behind his under-rated boxing IQ. On the other Diale was a certified veteran of the sport. He'd had 52 bouts at this point, was 30 years old and had been a professional since 2006. During those 52 bouts he had faced a genuine who's who including Rodel Mayol, Wanheng Menayothn, John Riel Casimero, Julio Cesar Miranda, Koki Eto, Daigo Higa, Andrew Selby, Moruti Mthalane and Jonas Sultan. Although he had lost plenty very, very few fighters had had an easy time with Diale. Although not a world class fighter Diale was a handful, with under-rated power, an impressive work rate, and a veteran's head on his shoulders. He could be stopped, but wasn't really a fighter that many could blow away, and had real will to win. The opening moments were the typical feeling out process, with Wulan getting the better of it, and landing a decent body shot. Diale however quickly put his foot on the gas and the tempo rose quickly in the second minute of the first round. We weren't getting a war, but things were certainly getting more active. By round 3 we starting to see more and more activity, with the output from Diale picking up, and Tuolehazi looking to take center ring and responding with flurries of his own. By now the fight had gone from the two men scouting each other to two men trying to match each other in some brilliant back and forth exchanges. The tempo continued to be solid, with glimpses of real thrilling action through out, with momentum shifting regularly. Whilst this was a million miles away from a flat out war, this was still an excellent little bout that was far too easily over-looked at the time. The Boxingraise service has been truly fantastic and one of the best additions to the boxing scene over the last few years. Whilst it's not the cheapest service out there, costing 980JPY a month, it is a service that has promised a lot, and in terms of quality it has over-delivered with some amazing battles. Today we get to enjoy one of those as part of the The 2019 Treasure Trove. Boy is this a good one! Yusaku Kuga (17-3-1, 12) vs Ryoichi Tamura (12-3-1, 6) II To put some quick backstory behind the bout. In 2017 the hard hitting Yusaku Kuga won the Japanese Super Bantamweight title, stopping Yasutaka Ishimoto. In his first defense he retained the belt by beating Ryoichi Tamura in a sensational 10 round war. Kuga would make one more successful defense, blasting out Ryo Kosaka, before losing the belt in July 2018 to Shingo Wake. In his second bout following that loss he got a shot at Tamura to reclaim the belt, with Tamura winning it after Wake vacated. For those who haven't seen Kuga he is a rough and tough boxer-fighter. He's got heavy hands, though due to being a bit crude around the edges he can't always land the big power shots clean. When he does connect he hurts opponents. Sadly for Kuga his biggest issues have always been his defensive issues. Whilst he has a solid chin, he can be out boxed, and fighters who are smart, like Wake was, managed to out box him comfortably in 2018, showing up major flaws with Kuga. Whilst Kuga is tough and heavy handed Tamura is more tough and high octane, but has the same defensively flaws as Kuga. What Tamura does so well is physically bully opponents around, pushing them around the ring and unloading an incredibly intense barrage of punches. That energy and output was seen brilliantly in his title win, in January 2019 against Mugicha Nakagawa, but like Kuga he could be out boxed. It was always going to take a very, very good fighter to beat him, but he was beatable. When we get iron chinned puncher against an iron chinned swarmer we can get some spectacular fights and that's exactly what we got here. In fact this was one of those rare fights that got better the longer it went on. In the early going Kuga took control, boxing and moving well, landing good clean shots and avoiding many of Tamura's wilder shots. The first 2 rounds weren't bad, by any stretch, but they were surprisingly quiet. Then things came alive in round 3, and in round 5 he put Tamura down. Following the 5th round we had open scoring and that point the bout seemed a foregone conclusion with the scorecards reading 50-44, 49-45 and 48-46 all in favour of Tamura. Then the bout moved up a gear as Tamura fought like a man possessed trying to keep his title and drag himself out of the hole he was finding himself in. It was with Tamura trying to take Kuga out that we ended up going from a great bout into great bout territory. If you like rough brawls, a lot of heavy leather and great action this is for you. The bout isn't the quickest to get going, but when it moves through the gears it quickly becomes a sensational war and something that is well worthy of 40 minutes of any fight fan's time. For a second week in a row we are looking at a world title bout from late in 2019 as he head to the Treasure Trove again, and bring you a very interesting bout. In fact this was the final world title bout of 2019 and is one we feel is very much an over-looked bout, which combined skills, heart, toughness and competitiveness. It was a bout that was very well fought, swung one way then the other, and saw both men having moments, with very, very different styles. Was it a Fight of the Year contender? No, was it a damn good bout? Hell yes! Kazuto Ioka (24-2, 14) vs Jeyvier Cintron (11-0-0-1, 5) Japan's Kazuto Ioka is one of the most accomplished fighters to ever come from the country. He is, at the time of writing, the only Japanese man to win world titles in 4 weight classes and is a genuine star in his homeland. The Osakan won the WBO Super Flyweight title in June, stopping Aston Palicte in another under-rated bout, and was making his first defense here as he took on his mandatory challenger. Although not too well known in the West, sadly, Ioka has managed to win titles from Minimumweight to Super Flyweight, and has a genuine who's who of lower weight fighters on his resume. He's beaten the likes of Oleydong Sithsamerchai, Akira Yaegashi, Felix Alvarado, Juan Carlos Reveco and McWilliams Arroyo, and has spent a huge chunk of his career fighting at the top. Although technically a well schooled fighter Ioka is a small Super Flyweight, he makes up for that however by being versatile and one of the best body punchers in the sport. In the opposite corner to Ioka was talented Puerto Rican Jeyvier Cintron, a 2-time Olympian. The 24 year old Cintron was a wonderfully talented technical boxer, who looked like a natural Super Flyweight when compared to Ioka. He was big at the weight, very polished from his days as an amateur and a southpaw. In the eyes of some it was perhaps a bit too early for Cintron to get his shot, though he had earned it by beating Koki Eto in a title eliminator and he had also beaten the likes of Eliecer Quezada and Marvin Solano in the professional ranks. Although clearly a talented fighter this was seen as a big leap up in class, despite how good of an amateur he was, and this was to be his first bout at world level. He had travelled to Japan with a lot of self belief and seemed confident of upsetting the Japanese star. From the opening moments it was clear that Cintron had the edge in speed, size and reach, and he was using his jab brilliantly to dictate the distance and tempo of the bout. Ioka was being coming forward but was struggling to cut the distance as Cintron began to show he was ready for this level of a bout. The challenger looked every bit a star in the making, whilst Ioka was quickly forced to change from trying to box with Cintron. As we went through the early rounds Ioka managed to adapt. He moved from trying to box, to turning things into a fight, cutting the distance and working the body of Cintron. It was a needed change, and was something that managed to get Ioka a foot hold in the contest, something he was starting to need. The change in tactics not only got Ioka some control of the action but also began to see him slow Cintron, as the challenger had to dig deep and look to change his own tactics. For those seeking tactical chess matches this is a real over-looked gem. The 2019 Treasure Trove - Age doesn't matter as veterans put on a war to close out the year!5/13/2020 To end 2019 we got a host of world title bouts, one of which saw a pair of veterans put on a great showing in a bout that easily outshone all expectations and was much, much, more entertaining than it had any right to be. It wasn't a Fight of the Year contender, in the grand scheme of things, but was certainly a sensational post-Christmas treat for fight fans as we began to prepare for the end of the year. Akira Yaegashi (28-6, 16) Vs Moruti Mthalane (32-8, 25) In one corner we had former 3-weight world champion Akira Yaegashi, a popular Japanese warrior who had losses piling up but kept a solid cult following for the way he fought, and his in ring mentality, which focused more on thrilling fans than doing things the easy way. At the age of 36 and with a host of wars behind him it seemed almost certain, win or lose, that this was going to be his final bout at world level. He had given more than he needed to to the sport, and it had a taken a toll on his body over the years. He had suffered numerous injuries over the years, most notably to his eyes but also a nasty injury to his jaw early in his career, and yet was determined to reach the top one more time. In the other was the often over-looked Moruti Mthalane, a sensationally talented South African who was defending the IBF Flyweight title. Mthalane had been unbeaten in 11 years coming in to this, with 3 world title reigns. Had Mthalane been heavier he would have been someone fight fans would have adored. He was aggressive, smart, and technical. He had given Nonito Donaire one of his toughest bouts, way back in 2008, and had been involved in a number of over-looked classics, including a brilliant 2012 clash with Ricardo Nunez. Sadly poor decisions had seen Mthalane lose a number of his prime years, but he remained very fresh faced at the age of 37 and was looking to record a third straight win over a Japanese opponents, having stopped Masahiro Sakamoto at the end of 2018 and the beaten Masayuki Kuroda in May 2019. Despite a combined age in their early 70's hardcore fans knew these two could fight. What few expected was a really sensational bout. We knew they could go, but we also knew neither man was in their physical prime. What we ended up getting however was something amazing. Early on we saw Yaegashi fighting on the move, setting distance and a high tempo to try and neutralised Mthalane's compact pressure. It was a smart gameplan from the Japanese warrior, who knew that mixing it up close with Mthalane wasn't going to be a good idea. Mthalane stayed tight defensively and pressured well, with the champion obviously knowing this wasn't going to be a sprint. As the rounds went on Yaegashi began to go through the gears before Mthalane forced the bout to become a war, using his footwork to cut the distance. As early as round 3 the men were standing toe to toe and unleashing big shots, then trying to avoid the response. It was incredible to watch some of the back and forth we were getting, and it was very easy to forget that both men were the wrong side of 35. Going into round 4, we knew we were getting something rather damn special. Though questions were hanging over both fighters. Could Yaegashi's body and engine hold up for 12 rounds? Could Mthalane, who had looked fantastic in beating Kuroda, really take the win against Japanese boxing royalty in Japan? For those who missed this at the end of 2019 do your self a favour and enjoy this treasure from late in the year. For those who watched it live...you know it's worth a re-watch! Many of the bouts we feature here are relatively long ones, but today we go into the Treasure Trove and grab a short bout, with a brutal finish. This is one of the shortest bouts we'll cover in this series, so our write up of the fight will be short, but it's one that really you have no excuse to not watch. It's short, it's exciting and it ends in one of the best KO's of 2019. Shuichiro Yoshino (10-0, 8) vs Harmonito Dela Torre (20-2, 12) Although not not well known in the west Shuichiro Yoshino is one of the rising stars in Japan in the Lightweight division. He's a very heavy handed boxer-puncher, who has scored a number of very eye catching KO's, including a truly brutal shot to lay out Kazumasa Kobayashi in December 2018. Coming into this bout he had pretty much proven to be the best Lightweight in Japan, with 4 defenses of the Japanese title. He was looking to make the move up from Japanese class to Asian class with this bout, as he was looking to unify the Japanese title with the vacant OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific titles. On paper this was a chance for him to graduate from domestic class, to regional champion, and move towards a potential world title fight. Filipino fighter Harmonito Dela Torre had once been seen as a top Filipino prospect. He had debuted at the age of 17 and had won his first 19 bouts in a row, before losing to Mongolian Tugstsogt Nyambayar. He had struggled to bounce back from that loss, losing to Chinese hopeful Yongqiang Yang, but had beaten Richard Betos in a confidence builder before facing off with Yoshino. Despite the set backs Dela Torre wasn't to be over-looked. He was just 23 years old, but had managed to drop Nyambayar, and was very competitive with the Mongolian, his record didn't reflect his power. For him this was a chance to jump from prospect to regional champion, if not world title contender. Despite being the under-dog it was Dela Torre that started the bout on the front foot, pressing forward and backing up Yoshino. Yoshino managed to regroup but was backed up again as Dela Torre continued pressing, launching off huge right hands, and connecting with a number of them. This was no feeling out round, in fact there wasn't even a feeling out minute, as Dela Torre looked to jump on Yoshino before the local man could settle. Given how short his bout is, we won't go any further than this, but for a short, sweet, exciting fight, this perfect. For those with only 10 minutes to spare, watch this, you will not regret it! Every so often a fight comes along that really surprises us in how action packed it is. It might be a sloppy mess of a fight, but it's still a watchable, almost fun, sloppy mess of a fight. Today we pick one of these from the Treasure Trove, and it's a really fun fight, that's much better on replay than we remember it being live. Heuk San Lee (10-1-2, 5) vs Gyung Mo Yuh (5-6-3, 1) Korean based Cameroonian born fighter Heuk San Lee, also known as Abdoulaye Assan, is a man we hope to cover in more detail in a total stand alone article one day. The former Cameroonian standout fled his homeland in 2015 and became a refugee in Korea, boxing to help secure his refugee status in the country. He managed to secure his status after a real battle outside of the ring and adopted the Lee Heuk San name. As part of his fight to become a refugee he essentially had to prove a number of things, such as his life being at risk if he went home and his ability in the ring. In 2017 he won a Korean 154lb title and continued the battle. At the start of 2019 he was 35 years old, 8-0-2 (3) but with a loss to In Duck Seo in March he lost his unbeaten record. He was hoping to end the year on a high as he attempted to capture a the KBF Korean title, taking on Gyung Mo Yuh for the vacant title. As for Gyung Mo Yuh, he wasn't someone getting much attention at all. He had lost more than he had won, he was 33 and had shown almost no promise early in his career. In fact Yuh had started his career 0-4 way back in 2007, and was 1-5-2 after 8 bouts. He had, in fairness, turned things around going 4-1-1 in his previous 6, but was still mostly fighting at a low level, and lost to the only fighter of any note up to that point, losing a decision to Sung Jae Jo in January 2019. Also, rather notably, this was was going to be his 4th fight of 2019, and he had already fought 23 rounds before stepping in with Lee. From the opening round it was clear we were set for something rather fun. About half way through the round Lee got Yuh in the corner and went to work on the Korean national, who showed some nice defense skills before turning the tables and taking the fight to Lee, bullying the Cameroonian on to the ropes, time and time again, unloading on him repeatedly. Everything he had taken in the corner was being repaid with interest. Round2 was similar, but Lee was now starting to make Yuh pay for his aggression, landing some clean counter shots. Yuh wasn't going to be discouraged by the counters of Lee and kept the pressure going in round 3. By now the action was getting sloppier, but we were sold on what we were seeing. We were seeing hunger and will form Yuh, and skills from Lee. We were seeing one man determined to wear the other one out, even if it came at a cost and risked seeing Yuh empty his tank. For those who like battles of attrition, high volume of heavy leather and don't mind sloppiness slipping in as the fighters tire then this is genuinely great. Even when it gets sloppy late on we still see a number of thrilling, toe to toe exchanges as both men unload. This might not be the cleanest bout in history but it's a genuine hidden treasure from 2019, and a great example of what Korean boxing managed to deliver last 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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