For this week’s Treasure Trove article we thought we’d go back to early 2020, a time before empty venues, and crowd less boxing, but . A time when the world was a different place and when it seemed like we were set for a brilliant year of fights. The fight in question was a match up that was easy to overlook internationally, but saw a Japanese fighter take on a Filipino in a contest that delivered sensational action and seemed like a platform for the winner to move on to bigger and better things. Sadly, however, the Pandemic essentially saw the winner left on the side for the rest of the year, and unable to build on the momentum from this barn burner. Kento Hatanaka (10-0, 9) vs Roland Jay Biendima (15-5-1, 8) The bout in question was a WBC Youth title fight that took place at the Aioi Hall in Kariya. It pitted two youngsters against each other, and delivered something genuinely thrilling, even if the result was never really in doubt. Heading into the bout 21 year old Japanese fighter Kento Hatanaka was the WBC Youth Flyweight champion and was a second generation fighter, following in the footsteps of his father and former world champion Kiyoshi Hatanaka. Through his first 10 bouts he had quickly become a fan favourite with an exciting and explosive style that made for fun fights. He had also shown enough vulnerabilities to look beatable. With his power he always looked dangerous and his offense was always great to see but his defense was a major issue, and he had been dropped just 1 fight earlier by Jaysever Abcede. He was also very willing to go to war with opponents, as he had in his first defense of the WBC Youth title against Songsaeng Phoyaem in 2019. His opponent was 23 year old Filipino challenger Roland Jay Biendima, a less well known fighter but a promising one himself. Coming in to this he had won 2 in a row, but was 3-3 in his previous 6 and had never won a bout on foreign soil. That sounds bad, but he was unlucky in a previous visit to Japan, losing a razor thin decision to Taiyo Inoue, and had lasted 9 rounds with Wulan Tuolehazi, who fought for a world title at the end of 2019. On paper there wasn’t much on his record to get too excited about, though he had run future world title challenger Samuel Salva close very early in his career, and had proven to be tough, with his only stoppage loss in 21 bouts coming to Tuolehazi. On paper this looked like an easy second defense for Hatanaka against a tough, but limited, challenger. In reality however this ended up being anything other than easy for the unbeaten “Prince” Hatanaka. The bout started quickly, with Hatanaka trying to establish his jab and use his explosive speed to keep Biendima at range. The Filipino, for the most part, took shots on the gloves whilst occasionally swinging for the moon. The opening round went pretty much as perfectly for Hatanaka as he could have hoped for and the pre-fight conception of this being an easy win for the Japanese local looked right. In round 2 however we began to see Biendima come to life, taking more chances and was being punished for his ambition. The fight was starting to warm up nicely, and the Filipino was the one starting to press the action, coming forward, and trying to turn the bout into a fight. His uncultured approach wasn’t netting him sustained success, but was starting to make things more exciting. The pressure and work rate of the Filipino was making the fight exciting and in round 3 saw him have some major success as he left Hatanaka with a bloodied nose. The pressure of the Filipino saw him getting inside and the two men began to trade uppercuts, with Biendima getting the fight he wanted. That continued in round 4, when he began to land uppercuts with alarming regularity. The smooth movement, speed and explosiveness of Hatanaka was unable to shine as he was being cramped for space, limited in where he could go, and unable to force Biendima to respect him. For fans watching things were getting exciting, quickly, and for Hatanaka’s team things were getting just a touch nervous. He was fighting his opponent’s fight far too often. Whilst he was having success, this was not the type of fight he would have been wanting and not the type of fight that suited him against a less skilled, but gritty challenger. Through middle rounds we continued to see the two men trading big headshots, trying to take each other out. The results of the headshots saw Hatanaka’s face being bloody and swollen as he continued to exchange shots up close, far too often. Biendima was taking the cleaner punches, being punished time and time again by the classier shots of Hatanaka, but wasn’t showing the damage in the same way as the local hero. In fact if anything the facial damage of Hatanaka was adding extra tension to a hotly competitive fight, with not just his nose bleeding, but also a nasty cut forming around his left eye. As rounds went by it seemed to become harder and harder to score. A number of rounds were incredibly close, and could have gone either way. It felt like Hatanaka would get them, given he was pretty much fighting at home, but he was being pushed all the way and the blood and cuts were certainly making it look like he was coming off worse. He looked the more talented, but it became a case of will Vs skill and Biendima’s will was giving Hatanaka’s skill all it could handle. The action never really slowed down in the later stages, as the two men looked to state a case for them deserving the win. Both had to battle like stubborn bulls at times, whilst the fight captivated with a mix of fantastic action and drama. This wasn’t an all out war, at high intensity, but it was a captivating back and forth battle. A really, really good fight, and a bit of a forgotten gem. Sadly however it was marred by very wide scorecards in what felt like a clear but very competitive, bout. The judges barely gave Biendima anything, despite his effort and successes through the contest. Sadly the Pandemic saw Hatanaka sit on the sidelines for the rest of 2020 after this contest whilst Biendima was out of the ring for 10 months, before returning in December and being stopped, in a round, by the world ranked Christian Araneta.
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The Rookie of the Year tournament always throws some amazing fights our way and 2020 was no different, with a good number of really thrilling fights and excellent match ups. Today we share one of those bouts from the 2020 Rookie of the Year, with the bout in question being the East Japan Rookie of the Year final, pitting two unbeaten men against each other in a mouth watering match up. Akira Hoshuyama (3-0, 2) vs Shugo Namura (4-0, 4) In one corner was Akira Hoshuyama, a 24 year old fighter originally from the Shirai Gushiken Gym and a man who had once trained alongside Daigo Higa in the amateurs. Early in his career he was regarded as “Gushiken II”, due to being at the Gushiken gym and a similar style to the Light Flyweight legend, but had transferred to the Misako Gym when Yoko Gushiken closed his gym earlier in 2020. In September he had taken a 4 round decision over Shoji Matsumoto to book his place in the final and was looking to win here and move to a place in the All Japan final, in February. Shugo Namura was a little bit more experienced and, at 26, a little bit older but had looked like a destructive fighter under the guidance of former multi-time world title challenger Hiroyuki Sakamoto. His first 4 opponents had lasted a combined 5 rounds, and he was destroying everything he hit. There was a crudeness to his style, but in many ways it was a style reminiscent of Sakamoto, who was a star back in the 1990’s and one of the most popular fighters in Japan when he was active. Going in this hard everything. It had unbeaten men, it had men who could punch, fighters with exciting styles and it had the East Japan Rookie of the Year crown on the line. It ticked all the boxes we like to see for a fight. An even looking match up, with a really notable reward for the winner. From the off it seemed clear that Hoshuyama was the more polished fighter, with his southpaw stance immediately giving Namura issues. Despite the stance advantage for Hoshuyama it seemed clear that Namura’s physical strength was a strength for him and Namura looked to tie up when the men were up close, rather than wanting to go to war with his man too early. After about 2 minutes of the bout a fight broke out with both having success, before Namura found himself on the canvas, giving Hoshuyama a huge 10-8 round to start the fight. In round 2 the two men stood and traded bombs up close in what was a thrilling round of action. Despite the fact both were novices, it was clear both men were trained professionals, sadly for Namura however he was on the wrong end of many of the most telling shots. Despite taking more shots, Namura never backed down and always looked the more dangerous puncher, even if his defense was more open and letting him down. As a result of Namura’s flaws, his defense, and his dynamite power, the bout felt like we were walking a tight rope and that either man could end up being hurt, especially given how much leather was being thrown and how close the two men were. Round 3 was much like round 2. It was another round fought up close, fought with bombs from both and with Namura always looking dangerous, but open, and Hsohuyama looking more polished, but like a fighter who needed to be careful, just in case Namura caught him clean. This made for a brilliant dynamic, and it was made even better by the fact both men were looking to score a stoppage, with neither wanting a decision. This ran over into round 4, as the two continued to box up close, with the cuter skills and better boxing of Hoshuyama neutralising the power, strength and hunger of Namura who refused to just sit and accept his loss. For fans who haven’t seen this one, it’s great to watch. A really thrilling Rookie of the Year bout, and despite the scores being one sided, it was certainly a lot, lot better than the scorecards would suggest. For this week’s Treasure Trove article we turn our attention to Russia for a bout that took on Christmas Eve. It was on a big Russian card, stacked with talent, but it was also a bout that we suspect many missed, due it being around Christmas, being in Russia and featuring fighters they may not have been too aware of. Despite how few people saw it, the bout was one of those gems that had people talking about it afterwards, yet still, somehow, remained under the radar. With that in mind it was a perfect bout for this series! Bakhodur Usmonov (0-0) vs Vildan Minasov (4-0, 3) In one corner was 23 year old Tajik debutant Bakhodur Usmonov, a former amateur standout who was one of the crowns in the jewel for Tajik boxing. As an amateur he had been very impressive, winning gold at the 2019 Asian Boxing Championships in Bangkok, and later qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. He had impressed in the unpaid ranks and had signed professional papers with MTK Global, who seemed to see him as a potential long term success story. After all he was a proven fighter and still just 23. He was also from a country not known for professional boxers, Tajikistan, but a country that had good links to Russia where he could begin his career and begin to develop his professional skills. In the opposite corner was the unbeaten Vildan Minasov from Russia. He was 24 years old and relatively unknown, though just 3 months earlier he had battered Kazakh teenager Dastan Saduuly in 2 rounds, really given Saduuly a lesson in a clear example of a boy fighting a man. That win aside there was nothing on Minasov’s record to suggest he was anything more than a can crusher. Despite that he was unbeaten, very early in his career and hungry to prove himself. A win here, against a touted prospect making his debut, could be the sort of result that would put him on the map and build on the momentum following his victory over Saduuly. On paper this looked like a match up where Usmonov could get a win against an unbeaten fighter on debut. A win that that would look good on paper, but, on further inspection, not be as impressive as the numbers suggested. In reality however he got a lot, lot more than he, or MTK bargained for. He got a real test against a man who was determined to win. This gave us, fans, something brilliant to watch, with drama, action, excitement and controversy. From the off Usmonov looked to box on the outside, use his polished amateur skills and fight long. Minasov on the other hand didn’t want to play that game and looked to apply pressure, coming forward and trying to bully Usmonov around the ring. This immediately gave us a thrilling opening round, with styles that were polar opposites, but gelled immediately and left Usmonov trying to box off the ropes. At times Minasov looked crude, wild and open, but he was the one pressing the fight and looked to be the much more dangerous man in there and not the patsy that Usmonov and his team may have been expecting. In fact with around 20 seconds of the opening round left Usmonov found out Minasov’s power was legit, as he got put on his backside. It was a horror opening round for Usmonov in his pro debut and left him in a serious hole. A hole that Minasov was hoping to increase in round 2 as he applied more pressure, again pinning Usmonov on to the ropes and going to work on the Tajik hopeful, who looked skilled and showed some nice touches, but was taking some very clean shots upstairs. By round 3 it was clear Usmonov was going to need to turn things around and he began the round by doing just that, and letting his hands fly. He was showing more aggression, more hunger and more output than he had earlier in the fight. He looked relatively feather fisted in comparison to Minasov, but was starting to turn the tide, and repel the Russian. He was starting to get respect from Minasov and starting, finally, to find his footing in the contest. It was great to see him turning around the tide and trying to hurt the heavier handed man, despite blood coming from his nose. Despite his success in round 3 Usmonov couldn’t keep Minasov at bay in round 4 as the Russian got back on the offensive, giving us a brilliant round of action. We had Minasov, looking slightly slower and energetic than the first 2 rounds, trying to press and pressure as he had done earlier. We had Usmonov trying to unload and fight off his man, and we had some absolutely amazing back and forth action. With Usmonov knowing he had to make a statement and build his momentum had let his hands go more often again in round 5, despite Minasov trying to walk him down. The tactics of the Russian seemed to be all about pressure, but he lacked the energy to let his hands go, walking forward and taking shots more often than landing his own. This allowed Usmonov to have some real success and he even wobbled Minasov at one point late in the round as the Russian began to run out of steam and have his face begin to look like he had been in a meat grinder. Going into the final round the bout had been utterly compelling. Both men had taken a lot of leather, both men were showing clear signs of battle and both looked like they had been giving their all. They had been involved in something special, and we still had 3 minutes to go. 3 minutes that could decide the winner of the bout. It seemed Usmonov knew that. He knew he was flirting with a defeat on debut and he dug deep, again taking the fight to Minasov, who looked a little bit sorry for himself at times but still stood tall and dug deep himself. Usmonov was the man with the energy, the man letting his shots go more, but Minasov was conservative, picking his moments and landing the heavier shots through the round. A round that really was the deciding factor in a thrilling, and hugely over-looked, 6 round slobber knocker. If you missed this one back in December make sure to give it a watch now. It is well worth 30 minutes of anyone’s time. For this week's Treasure Trove we're digging a little bit deeper than usual as we get the rare chance to share a bout that was shown not on TV, or even a free stream, but on Boxing Raise! The bout was shown live on boxing Raise before the promoter of the event, Dangan, put the fight on their own YouTube for fans to enjoy and share. Before we get into the bout we do need to talk a little bit about Boxing Raise, which is a premium Japanese service which combines a VOD service with a streaming service, showing boxing. The service is relatively cheap, has an insane amount of on demand content and is a service we do use. Sadly however so many of the best bouts on the service remain behind a paywall, which is why this fight being available to share is a little bit different. Thankfully it's not just one that's freely available, but it's also a very good fight, a controversial one and a hidden gem. Kazuki Nakajima (8-0, 7) vs Seiya Tsutsumi (5-0, 4) The bout in question saw the unbeaten pairing of Kazuki Nakajima and Seiya Tsutsumi clash in a scheduled 8 rounder back in January 2020. The bout wasn’t just a typical 8 rounder between two unbeaten prospects however. Instead this was a bout between two amateur standouts and was also a tournament final, serving as the final bout of the God’s Left Bantamweight tournament, which had begun in 2019. The tournament had been a 7 man tournament. Tsutsumi had originally gotten a bye into the semi-finals, and then got a bye to the final when his semi-final opponent, Kenya Yamashita, was unable to compete. Nakajima on the other hand had had to fight twice to reach the final, stopping Kenichi Watanabe in the quarter finals and Jin Minamide in the semi final, blowing both out in the opening round, earning his place in the final. For those who don’t follow Japanese domestic level boxing we will quickly talk about the two men before getting on to the fight. Nakajima is an Ohashi promoter hopeful, fighting out of the same gym as Naoya Inoue. He’s a big, strong, powerful, Bantamweight, who has since moved up to Super Bantamweight, and although technically somewhat rigid, he is a very destructive fighter and when he lands clean he tends to hurt people. He’s not only big and powerful, but also a rangy southpaw, making him a true nightmare to get in the ring with. Tsutsumi on the other hand is a smaller fighter, a natural Super Flyweight who has dipped his toes into the Bantamweight division a few times, and is best known for his bout with Daigo Higa that came after this. He’s also heavy handed, but is more of a rounded fighter who can move more and is more cerebral with his in ring work. Technically he is a lot more polished than Nakajima, but was giving away natural size and power. He had also fought just 112 seconds in the previous year due to the two bye’s he had had in the tournament. Going in we had expected a war. We expected the styles of the two men to give us something of a tear up, and a short firefight. It seemed clear this was made to be a shoot out and was going to be short, but thrilling. Seemingly however no one told Tsutsumi that was the plan, and instead we ended up with a much, much more compelling bout, even if it wasn’t intense as expected. Instead of tearing chunks out of each other from the off what we saw to open the bout was a smart boxing contest. Tsutsumi bucked the preconceived ideas and instead of standing and fighting with Nakajima he used his feet, moved, jabbed and try to prevent Nakajima from setting his rhythm. He also came out southpaw, not his usual orthodox stance. It was clear he had a gameplan and he wanted to fight to it, getting into Nakajima’s head immediately. The unexpected tactics from Tsutsumi threw everyone, and saw him really leaving Nakajima looking bewildered to begin the fight. The smaller man continued to box and move through the early rounds, putting on a display that would have convinced many that he was a natural lefty. When Nakajima made a mistake he was punishment, when the fight was slow Tsutsumi was using the ring, using his jab and being incredibly smart. As the bout went on the action began to pick up, with desperation from Nakajima forcing him to let his hands go more, especially given the large financial bonus set aside for the winner. This forced us to edge towards a shoot out, with Nakajima desperate to force his style of fight on the action. We never got a full on shoot out, but in the middle rounds it was clear Nakajima knew he had to do more, but even then he was still trying to solve a problem he didn’t expect, Tsutusmi as a southpaw. By the final rounds Nakajima was starting to find his range and had was landing more regularly. He clearly closed the gap on the scorecards, though seemed to still be behind as we entered the final round and it seemed like Nakajima was either going to lose a decision or go all out in an attempt to win. Given the controversy we don’t want to ruin the result of this one and instead let you watch it “as live”. What we will say is there was controversy and although it wasn’t the fire fight we expected it was a truly compelling bout. It always felt like Nakajima’s power could turn the tide, but Tsutsumi’s gameplan was near perfect. Despite a technical display from Tsutsumi it was a long way from being a “dull” performance, and was instead an exciting, technically smart showing from him against a very dangerous fighter. The Rookie of the Year tournament in Japan is one of the annual highlights of the Japanese boxing calendar and something that often brings highlights throughout the entire tournament. From the preliminary bouts, to the regional finals and the All Japan finals we get so lucky with Rookie of the Year and the consistently fantastic bouts that it delivers. The competition really is a Treasure Trove on it’s own and is one of the key reasons why Japanese boxing is so much fun to follow. The match ups are, generally, competitive, well matched and evenly fought between novices. The tournament tends to develop prospects and unearth real talent, and fans usually get the chance to join a fighter early in their professional journey. It is a tournament format that really should be copied in other parts of the world and it would certainly help make under-cards more interesting in the West. We’ve said all that to begin with as this week's Treasure Trove bout is one of the East Japan Rookie of the Year finals, which took place on December 20th at Korakuen Hall. And boy did this deliver. Big time. Kenji Yoshino (1-2, 2) vs Eiki Kani (2-1-1) II Before we talk the actual bout we need to go back a little bit to just lay down the foundations of the bout, but we’ll get there in a little bit. In February 2019 Kenji Yoshino made his professional debut at the age of 18, losing in 4 rounds to Taigo Ito. Some 5 months later he suffered his second loss, being stopped in 4 rounds by Eiki Kani to end 2019 0-2. Like most fighters he ended up sitting out most of 2020 due to Covid19 but returned to the ring in November 2020 and stopped Taiga Ito in a rematch of his debut, to secure his place in the East Japan Rookie of the Year final around 6 weeks later. Eiki Kani on the hand had debuted all the way back on December 30th 2018, at the age of 17, on the under-card of Masayuki Ito’s win over Evgeny Chuprakov. He had fought to a draw in his debut before fighting his second bout in July 2019, when he stopped Yoshino in 4 rounds. He then added a win over Daijo Kogo towards the end of 2019. He then scored a win in an East Japan Rookie of the Year bout against Tomohiro Ishida which should have led him to a clash in the semi finals with Masanori Iwai, who pulled out of their bout giving Kani a bye to the East Japan final. So for those who followed that, Yoshino and Kani had fought back in 2019, when both men were fighting in their second professional bouts, with Kani stopping Yoshino in the 4th round. Despite that, the two men had fought their way to the finals of the East Japan Rookie of the Year in 2020, with Yoshino now out for revenge and Kani looking to do the double over Yoshino. There was a lot on the line for the two youngsters, who were fighting for a place in the All Japan final, which will take place in February, the chance to call themselves the East Japan Rookie of the Year and to settle chapter 2 of their personal rivalry. This was more personal than pretty any of the other Rookie of the Year bouts from the year, and it was also among the most exciting. The bout started relatively slowly but within a minute both men were starting to let their shots go, and both managed to find real success. Yoshino, who sported the Teiken shorts, looked the bigger man, and the heavier handed fighter, but was putting a lot into his shots, and he even wobbled Kani late in the round. Kani on the other hand seemed to be the smarter man, landing the better counters and covering up better. The dynamic of the two men made for an exciting first round, which got better and better as it went on, and the final 40 seconds or so of the round were tremendous as both men looked to make a statement for the judges. Although the first round was great it was fought in bursts, from both. The second round however was a lot more consistent, with both men looking to go tit for tat. Again it was Yoshino who looked the bigger single shot puncher, but Kani was regularly finding excellent counter shots, punishing Yoshino for his wider shots. Almost the entire final 90 seconds of the round was thrilling back and forth up close with neither man wanting the other to have the final say. Both rounds were hard to score, but both were brilliant to watch. The action continued to be enthralling through round 3. By now Yoshino’s pace was dropping. He was still throwing hard shots when he threw, but was throwing a lot less, and Kani was starting to land more. This felt like Kani was starting to finally break up a tiring Yoshino. That was until Yoshino got a second wind and started to connect with his bombs, forcing Kani to hold for a few moments until he came back trying to shine at the very end of the round. It was another compelling round, and it left the bout very finely balanced as we entered round 4. In round 4 Kani began to look tired, backing off, letting Yoshino come to him, and then tried countering. It was a somewhat negative tactic, especially given how he’d fought earlier in the bout, but it was clear that he was feeling the pace of a hectic bout, and he was desperate not to be stopped by Yoshino in round 4, like he had been in their first bout. With just over a minute left Kani was rocked, but gritted it out, once again spoiling and trying to catch his breath. With that done the two men then exchanged some big shots as they each looked for a decisive blow to secure a win. After 4 rounds both men had given their all, they had each taken a lot of heavy shots, and they had each battled through exhaustion. They had gone to a decision and amazingly the judges were unable to split them, leading to a majority decision draw in one of the best 4 rounders we saw in the entire of 2020. Yes the action might be bitty, the quality of the fighters might not be the highest, and the fight itself might not be anywhere close to a Fight of the Year contender, but this was certainly a war and was a thoroughly enjoyable 4 round tear up. One day, somewhere down the line, we hope these two youngsters clash again in a third bout. Given how good this was when both were novice we can only hope a third bout in 3 or 4 years, manages to be just as good! Note - There are some minor issues with the signal for this video. They should only last a few seconds. For this Treasure Trove we continue to stay away from Japan as we head over to Kazan in Russia for another genuine hidden gem of a fight featuring a Kazakh fighter and a Belorussian. Although the bout was certainly not a big one, and the names involved were certainly not well known ones outside of the hardcore boxing fans the two men put on a genuinely thrilling 2-way back and forth war. The bout didn’t last long but it had more action in it than many 12 rounds, and for the most part it was fought at a really high level with both men showing tools they developed in their days as amateurs. Arman Rysbek (7-0, 6) vs Mikhail Dauhaliavets (2-0, 2) For this bout we go back to September 27th and a show promoted by “All Champions”, the promotional company serum by Artem Evseenko. The card was a pretty interesting one with a number of competitive bouts, a few shocks and several really, really good bouts, with this being the pick of them. It was also a super rare thrilling all-southpaw bout, with both fighters being lefties. In one corner war unbeaten 29 year old Kazakh hopeful Arman Rysbek. Rysbek was a fighter who had been slowly making his name. After debuting in the US he had also gone on to fight in Argentina and Kazakhstan whilst compiling his 7-0 (6) record. From his 7 bouts he had scored 5 wins in the opening round, but had faced mostly very poor opposition since his 2018 debut. Prior to turning professional he had been a solid amateur competing in numerous international competitions and had also been successful domestically, with notable amateur wins against the likes of Magomed Madiev, Tursynbay Kulakhmet, Ali Akhmedov and Adilbek Niyazymbetov. He had also impressed in the WSB, winning 5 of his 7 bouts in the pro-style tournament. The opposite corner was hosting 30 year old Mikhail Dauhaliavets from Belarus. He had turned professional at the start of 2020 and his competition was terrible, with both of his early opponents being taken out very early on. Despite his professional competition being low level he, like Rysbek, had been a solid amateur and had been involved in the WSB. As an amateur Dauhaliavets had competed at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and had well over 100 amateur fights. Those included wins against the likes of Dmitry Bivol, Damien Hooper, Vladimir Shishkin, Serge Michel, Oleksandr Khyzhniak. Sadly in the WSB he went a less than stellar 3-6, though did beat the well regarded Carlos Mina giving him his only loss in the WSB. As well as his two professional bouts in 2020, prior to facing Rysbek, Dauhaliavets had also fought in a number of amateur bouts at the start of the year. On paper this looked like it could be interesting, especially given their amateur pedigree, but we didn’t expect what we got which went well beyond “interesting” as the two men traded blows for the lightly regarded Eurasian Boxing Parliament Super Middleweight title. From the opening seconds the men met in the center of the ring and immediately got down to business, fighting up close and personal with big shots traded pretty much from the opening seconds. There was no feeling out process at all with the two men banging in hooks and uppercuts almost immediately. The balding Dauhaliavets looked the more technical and classy but Rysbek looked the more aggressive and heavy handed. The entire round almost was fought with the two men never more than a step or two away from each other and rarely was their time to breathe in what was one of the best rounds seen in Russia all year. This was technical, exciting, action packed and a fantastic way to start the fight. The first round was genuinely brilliant, and logic suggested that both men were going to slow down in round 2, especially given the fact that between them they had scored 7 of their combined 9 wins in the opening round. That logic failed and they continued to fight at a fantastic pace through round 2. It was slightly slower than the opening round, but it was still a high tempo round with heavy shots from both. Jabs were used to set up the heavier artillery at times, but they came at a premium as hooks and uppercuts continued to be the order of the day and a counter right hook from Dauhaliavets snapped Rysbek’s head back about 2 minutes into the round. By the end of the round Rybek’s face was visibly reddening. Round 3 saw the pace continue to be a hot one, with both men giving and taking some solid leather. It was again the more technical stuff from Dauhaliavets that seemed the more eye-catching, but Rysbek looked like a man who was willing to walk through anything to land his own shots and got through with some very nice single shots up top, despite taking combinations in return. Right through the round the two men barely left the All Champions logo in the centre of the ring, and they were damn knee toe-to-toe for the entire 3 minutes. Despite the action being relatively even through the first 3 rounds it was Dauhaliavets who seemed to be doing enough to edge in front as we entered round 4. Despite the great action neither man had looked in too much trouble, despite Rysbek being rocked in round 2. In round 4 however Dauhaliavets really began to put Rysbek to the sword, finding holes in his defense and leaving his face even more red than it had been earlier in the bout. By the end of the round Rysbek was starting to look like a man whose body was still in the fight but his mind knew he was up against someone better than himself. He also seemed to have some sort of issue with his eyes when he went to the corner. Rather than continue on his team made the right move and pulled Rysbek from the bout between rounds 4 and 5 giving us an anti-climactic ending to what had been a very fun fight through 4 rounds. It was a sad ending, but that shouldn’t overshadow what we had seen prior to the stoppage, and that top tier action. This was genuinely a hidden gem of a fight and despite the Asian fighter losing the bout is one that fight fans deserve to watch. It really is a shame that there wasn’t a louder audience for such a thrilling, action packed contest. Note - Fight begins about 5 minutes into the video After spending the last few weeks of this series in Japan we’ve decided to go on the road this week and take our treasure Trove over to China for a late year bout between two debutants who put on a genuinely unexpected gem in Qingdao. The bout wasn’t a high profile one, it wasn’t even that got much attention afterwards, but was certainly a tasty post-Christmas treat for those actively following boxing in China. This was just a fun fight that deserves to be seen by far more people than those who saw it the first time around. Apudureyimu Maimaiti (0-0) vs Xiyuan Liu (0-0) The bout, at 140lbs, saw Apudureyimu Maimaiti and Xiyaun Liu face off on December 26th as part of a show promoted by SECA Ltd. Neither of fighters really had much at all known about them. In fact other than the two men being debutants there is almost nothing we can really do to try and introduce either man. The limited bits of information about the two men seemed to suggest that Maimaiti, from Urumqi, was something of an amateur, but his record in the unpaid ranks was poor and incomplete at best. As for Liu we had nothing to go on. Instead we just had to watch the fight, and we’re glad we did. Straight from the opening seconds the two men went at it. There was no feeling out process at all and instead bombs were being thrown from the very start. Neither man seemed to know what a jab was and despite some holding the action was fast and frenetic with both men deciding their big shots were the key to victory. From early on however it was clear that Maimaiti was the much better boxer, and the one with an amateur background, mixing body shots into his work, and looking to create some space to work. Liu on the other hand just looked like a tough nut wanting to release some pent up frustration after 2020. The entire first round was just brilliant 2-way action that started fast though did slow down near the end of the round as Maimaiti began to grab control of the action and Liu’s face began to redden. In round 2 Liu went back on the offensive, as if realising he couldn’t out box Maimaiti and had to turn it back into a war. Sadly for him the tactic backfired with Maimaiti riding shots well, firing back, and breaking down his hungry but flawed foe. That was despite Liu having some genuine success part way through the round. The problem for Liu was he was putting so much into everything he did, he was tiring himself out with effort, and having his face smashed in by Maimaiti’s clean head shots, that left him a swollen mess. After 2 rounds of wonderful, intense and exciting action this one didn’t get to see the end of round 3 with Liu dumped on his backside within seconds of round 3 starting and the referee knowing there was no point in letting the gutsy take any more punishment. Sadly the video of the fight does have a blip in it early in round 2, just to make those watching aware. This series is about the fun and exciting bout that don’t get attention, giving a chance to relive some of the exciting and unheralded bouts that took place last year, with that in mind this is a perfect bout to include and we hope you enjoy this exciting little tear up as much as we did! One of the great things about this series is that we get away with completely ignoring the big names and instead focusing on the unheralded fighters who gave us some amazing action in 2020. The Treasure Trove is full of the unknown fighters who put on a show, rather than the big names. With that in mind we can quite happily enjoy sharing bouts between two men that most fight fans won’t be aware of. For today’s Treasure Trove we’re doing just that, once again, and looking at men who went into their televised bout with just a combined 6 professional bouts between them. Despite the novice status of both men they had both been solid amateurs on the Japanese scene and both knew this was a great chance to make a mark on the domestic boxing scene. Toshiki Kawamitsu (4-0, 1) vs Kenshi Noda (2-0, 2) One of the notable facets of Japanese boxing is the fact youngsters don’t pad their records for years. Instead they take risks, they have faith in their teams and belief in themselves, allowing good prospects to be matched against each other early on. There is no long drawn out process of “tick over, after tick over” fights but instead bouts over the 4 and 6 round scheduled are regularly competitive bouts, matched to genuine test fighters. Today we get to share one such case from August 2020, with two talented youngsters clashing in a genuine barn burner of a fight In one corner was the almost unknown Toshiki Kawamitsu, who had been a solid but unspectacular amateur before turning professional in late 2018. The notable takeaways from his amateur career was that he had been regarded as being in the top 10 in Japan at his weight, behind some big current names, and that he had been from the same region as Daigo Higa. Other than that there was little to really note about the 25 year old who had shown little power in his first 4 professional bouts, stopping just 1 of his opponents. Despite the lack of power he did look like a man who would, down the line, make a mark of some kind on the domestic title scene. Admittedly it did look like he was a long way from challenging for a national title, but it did seem to be where he would head, one day. In the other corner was Teiken hopeful Kenshi Noda, who was a much more proven amateur and seemed to be getting groomed as a future contender for Teiken. Like Kawamitsu he was 25 but since turning professional he seemed to show a lot more physicality and power than his opponent, blowing out his first 2 opponents inside a round. Notably he looked the more natural puncher, but his competition had, for the most part, been more limited than Kawamitsu, who had been forced to prove himself against domestic talent whilst Noda was blowing out limited foreign fighters. Despite his poor competition Noda was regarded as the better amateur and the better prospect and went into this fight as the favourite, with the expectation that he would have far too much for the lighter punching Kawamitsu. What we ended up with was a genuine hidden gem of a bout, and one of our favourite bouts from 2020. From the first moments of the first round it was clear both men felt this was their chance to shine with both men happy to ignore the typical feeling out round and getting to work from the first few seconds. Despite some wrestling in the opening minute we saw a lot of shots thrown, by both men who looked to establish their game plan. For Noda the key was 2 and 3 punch combinations, looking to get full extension on his shots whilst Kawamitsu looked to set a higher tempo, getting inside with his hooks, and use smart footwork to stop Noda from lining up his straight shots. Through the round both men had real success making for an exhilarating start to the fight. After a fantastic first round the bout went up a gear in round 2 and both men began to open up even more, with both taking some heavy head shots during what was a brilliant 3 minutes of action. Again there was a little bit of holding and wrestling, but for the vast majority of the round this was clean and exciting back and forth action. It wasn’t a slugfest as such, but was a very exciting technical war, with both men showing their amateur skills, and the way they had adapted to the professional ranks. After a great first round the second was somehow even better. With great action and fantastic back and forth, it was clear that both men were going to have to answer serious questions as this went on and early in round 3 that was shown when Kawamitsu seemed to hurt Noda, and was then stumbled himself by a left hook. Noda seemed to feel his man was there for the taking and went all out trying to take out Kawamitsu who gutted it out and sent a tiring Noda to the canvas. It was ruled a push or a slip but it was clear that Noda was suddenly coming apart, and he was pushed down again just seconds later. Knowing he was in trouble Noda tried to fire back big shots but was hurt again as the bout seemed to move up another gear. Noda looked like he was almost out on his feet at times, but was firing back huge bombs at others as we ended up with a chaotic final minute of the round, with Noda finally having a count against him late on, after being on the floor numerous times. It seemed clear that Noda, the man who had blasted out his first 2 opponents was in trouble, and was starting to run on fumes. Kawamitsu on the other hand was like a terrier, biting away at his man. In round 4 the terrier got to his man once again, and a tired Noda couldn’t keep Kawamitsu off him, eventually being worn down, dropped again and finally saved by the referee who had seen enough. For fight fans who like exciting little wars this is genuinely brilliant and a bout that deserves the 20 or so minutes to watch. High octane action from the off, relentlessness from Kawamitsu and incredible toughness and bravery from Noda who still looked very uneasy on his feet when he left the ring. Last week for the Treasure Trove series we shared a bout that was made available thanks to Seki-chan and Sakana, who purchased the rights for and filmed the show respectively. This week we return to that very same show from back on November 29th for another brilliant fight. This one is less dramatic but is even more compelling than last weeks Treasure Trove, with the two fighters being matched very well and giving us a thrilling back and forth action bout. Naoya Shiotani (0-1) vs Sho Akatsuka (0-0) As with last week’s Treasure Trove, between Hummer Taku and Yuma Yamanaka, we’re not looking at big names this week. In fact we’re looking at two rank novices, both looking to claim their first win, and make their first positive mark in professional boxing. In one corner was Naoya Shiotani, a 33 year old fighter who had made his debut in April 2019 and been inside a minute. He was looking to bounce back from that loss some 19 months after suffering it. He had debuted in his home Prefecture of Mie, and was now the away fighter, travelling over to Kariya for this bout. He was from the little known Ichino Boxing Gym, a gym in Suzuka that really doesn’t get much attention at all The other corner played host to the debuting Sho Akatsuka, a 23 year old from nearby Nagoya. Although he was making his debut he was from the more well established Nagoya Ohashi Gym, not to be confused with the Ohashi Gym run by Hideyuki Ohashi. Other than this being his debut, not much at all was known about the 23 year old, who seemingly had no amateur experience to talk about at all. From the opening moments of this bout both men started quickly. It was immediately clear that Akatsuka, in the gold and black shorts was the more comfortable man, even when he got caught by a clean head shot in the opening few seconds. He did look polished, but he looked comfortable, calm and somewhat relaxed. Shiotani took a while to get going, but as the round progressed we began to see quite a few exciting exchanges, often on the inside. This wasn’t a slow feeling out round to begin the fight, a fairly active opening round that saw both men forced to cede ground and taste what the other man had to offer. If round 1 was a taster of what each man had round 2 was a nice big meal of what both had as a slow start to the round erupted into a bit of an inside war, with both men getting inside at times and letting good solid shots go. What started as a good round Shiotani swing to Akatsuka, who lets a big flurry of shots go late in the round, before taking some back and then continuing his charge. The pace rose massively in round 3 as Akatsuka immediately took the fight to Shiotani, who tried to stand his ground and fight back. The result almost a minute of back and forth high intensity action. The shots might not have had much on them, and neither guy ever looked in any distress, but the action was captivating, intense and brilliant, with both men teeing off inside the pocket. This was the sort of action that, at a higher level, would see people raving about it, and yet we were seeing it from two novice, desperately fighting away in search of their first win. Whilst the first two rounds were compelling the third was special, as both simply tried to break the other down. The crowd, who were allowed to chant and cheer due to Covid19 rules, gave both fighters a round of applause at the end of the round, a sign of their respect and enjoyment of the action they had seen over the previous 3 minutes. The final round took off exactly where round 3 ended, with the two men trying to replicate some sort of movie scene. Standing just inches apart, and throwing leather on the inside, taking it in turns to throw a flurry before awaiting the response. It wasn’t technical, it wasn’t smart, it wasn’t boxing, but it was fighting. It was fighting where both men were wearing their hearts on their sleeves and letting the desire of victory take control of the action. It was completely and utterly compelling and the sort of rock em sock em action that is almost impossible to look away from. If you can look past the low quality of the fighters, their lack of name value, and just enjoy boxing, this will be an ideal taste of what makes Japanese boxing so good for the fans in attendance. Like last week’s Treasure Trove this isn’t a Fight of the Year contender. It’s not an all out war. But it is a brilliant little insight into a part of Japanese boxing, the Central Japanese boxing scene, that we rarely get to enjoy. It was also a chance to enjoy the heart of Japanese boxing, the well matched 4 rounders. Whilst we all tune in for the big names, and the glitz and glamour, the core of Japanese boxing isn’t the stars. It’s the young men and women taking part in the sport for the enjoyment of boxing, and that is what we saw here. Two men who wanted to enjoy the sport. It’s highly unlikely either will be a star in the future, but for 4 rounds they had us glued to them. We were in their hands. This was a genuine treat for us, and another example of what makes the Japanese 4 round bouts so special, so exciting and so meaningful to the fans and the fighters. The last few Treasure Trove bouts have all been from Thailand, where we got a lot of great fights in 2020. For today’s fight however we’re off to the Aioi Hall in Japan to share a bout that was streamed live by a fan, who bought the rights to the event in what, we believe, is possible the first time a fan has ever bought rights in this manner. The rights holder has allowed the fights to be archived online and this one in particular stood out as one of the most dramatic and exciting fights of the year. Se before talk about the actual fight, a huge thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to Seki-chan and Sakana for what they did for this show in November! Hummer Taku (0-2) Vs Yuma Yamanaka (0-0) As anyone who follows this series will know, the Treasure Trove series is where we find the hidden gems from the year, as well as sharing some of the biggest fights. Typically shows from Central Japan don’t get much attention, despite how good some of the fights end up being. This bout however deserves all the attention we can give it. Yes we know some of you have looked at the records and already turned away, but come back! This is a genuine treat of a fight! Seriously. Hummer Taku, also known as Hikaru Kawase, had made his debut in October 2019 and had been blown away inside a round, with his corner throwing in the towel. He then returned to the ring in August 2020 and suffered his second loss, by TKO. Heading into his November bout his career looked to be hanging by a thread, dispute the fact he was only 23. He was from the relatively small Gifu Yokozeki Gym, in Gifu and there was little to say about him to get excited about going into this bout. Yuma Yamanaka on the other hand was a 27 year old debutant from the Midori Gym, a pretty successful gym in Aichi. He was making his debut and, on paper, it seemed like he had a good chance to overcome a man who had been stopped in his two previous bouts. Although both men were novices, what we ended up getting was something very, very special, and a bout where the novice status of both men helped make for a thrilling encounter. From the off there was no real feeling out stage. Both men tried to use their jabs, in the opening moments but that less about setting the pace and more about trying to line up their power shots. Those power didn’t take long to land and around 1 minute into the bout Yamanaka was down from a hard right hand. He was up quickly, and looked fine, and only moments later the two men were back to throwing bombs. The action was the most intense, or smoothest, but there was a feeling now that either man could land something wild and drop the other. That was almost seen in the dying seconds of the round. Round 2 started at a great pace as a now clear headed Yamanaka looked to turn things around. Sadly for him he walked on to a big right hand, but took it well and continued to try and turn the fight around. Several times he caught Taku with some heavier leather, and seemed to shake his man, who would fire back. It was a crude, but exciting round that again made both men look like novices, but men wanting to fight. It wasn’t pretty, by any stretch, but was certainly entertaining. We again saw Yamanaka have success early in round 3, and at one point he seemed to be genuinely getting to his man, who was momentarily in trouble. Taku however seemed to know this was his chance to get a win, and weathered the storms that Yamanaka was putting him under, despite clearly being made to feel very uncomfortable. It was a clear round for Yamanaka, until the dying seconds, when, almost out of nowhere, Taku landed a sensational right hand that dropped Yamanaka. The poor got to his feet but had no idea where he was. Officialt this bout was stopped at 3:06 into round 3. It’s not pretty. It’s not gorgeous boxing. It’s not even a good boxing contest. But it is a very entertaining, dramatic and engaging fight, well worthy of your time. And it’s the sort of thing we don’t see often enough from Japan, as event held in Central Japan rarely get shown online or on TV. Once again thanks to Seki-chan and Sakana for making this available, and we hope you enjoy the crazy, wild, novice level brawl we got here! |
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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