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It's fair to say that January wasn't a busy month, by any stretch of the imagination, but there was a handful of gems that took place over on Japanese subscription service Boxing Raise and with that in mind we felt it was worth sharing those gems as we cover the The Best of Boxing Raise January 2021.
As with our previous "Best of Boxing Raise" article all the fights featured here can be accessed by subscribers by logging into Boxing Raise and adding the "movie/####" to "https://boxingraise.com/". The rising Lightweight hopeful - Shu Utsuki (7-0, 6) vs Masashi Wakita (10-10-2, 5) [movie/9409/] To begin with we don't have a gem per se but a bout you should make an effort to watch as it features one of the most promising Lightweights in Japan. That is the unbeaten, and heavy handed, Sut Utsuki who was up against the rangy and experienced Masashi Wakita. The bout wasn't the most competitive or most exciting, but for fans wanting to see one of the more promising Japanese fighters at 135lbs this is well worth a watch. Japanese Super Featherweight title bout - Kosuke Saka (20-5, 17) vs Takuya Watanabe (37-9-1, 21) [movie/9411/] An obvious choice here for this months list was the first Japanese title fight of 2021, and that saw Japanese Super Featherweight champion Kosuke Saka take on mandatory challenger Takuya Watanabe. On paper this one promised a lot, with Saka being one of the biggest puncher in Japan and Watanabe being a well known tough guy, who has been in some thrilling action bouts during his long career. The bout may not have quite reached the lofty expectations some, including ourselves, had for the bout, but it was certainly worth a watch. Japanese title war! - Yusaku Kuga (19-4-1, 13) vs Gakuya Furuhashi (26-8-1, 14) [movie/9413/] Another obvious choice to enjoy was the sensational Japanese Super Bantamweight title fight between defending champion Yusaku Kuga and mandatory challenger Gakuya Furuhashi. Like the Saka Vs Watanabe bout, the expectation was high, and this exceeded those expectations, giving us a legitimate fight of the year contender. If you like high-tempo, inside, phone booth wars this will be down your alley. And if you don't like those sorts of fights, why are you even following this sport? Genuinely this is going to be a very, very hard fight to beat and we may well have already seen the Japanese fight of the year! Teenager debuts - Seiya Iwamoto (0-0) vs Keisuke Endo (0-0) [movie/9432/] One thing Japan does better than anywhere else is making 4 rounders something, and their regular 4 round shows match novices who both come to win, rather than have a prospect taking a quick and easy win against someone incredibly limited. One example of that was the debut of 17 year old Seiya Iwamoto, who took on Keisuke Endo in a short but fun fight. The skill level here was low but the action came from the opening bell and the bout really is a gem hidden away on the service. Fun, short and exciting. All debutant Lightweight clash - Tomoki Sato (0-0) vs Jun Nakahara (0-0) [movie/9434/] Another 4 rounder that's worth watching is the Lightweight bout between Tomoki Sato and Jun Nakahara. Again these were two debutants and both men were there looking to leave an impression. This wasn't a crude battle, like Iwamoto Vs Endo, but was an entertaining bout, with 2 knockdowns and a chance to see two fighters who may well end up competing in a Rookie of the Year tournament one day. Despite the novice status of both men there was plenty to like here, and it's clear both fighters have got something to work with, even if they are both very, very rough around the edges. Another 4 rounder! - Kei Fujita (2-1, 2) Vs Narimichi Miura (1-2, 1) [movie/9436/] Another exciting 4 rounder was the bout between Kei Fujita, who fought on the under-card of Kazuto Ioka Vs Kosei Tanaka, and Narimichi Miura. On paper this looked like it could be an explosive one given neither man had seen the final bell in any of their bouts. It didn't end up being quite as explosive as anticipated, but it was still a damn good bout and round 2 in particular was thrilling. If you like competitive back and forth action this is fantastic to watch and was fought in really good spirits by two men who believed they could take home a victory. We know some don't enjoy "club level" fights, but to us they are quickly becoming some of our favourites and the 4 rounders in this list are great examples of why, with exciting action and both fighters coming to win. With so few fights taking place in January we really do suggest giving these 4 rounders a watch, as well as the three bigger bouts!
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 With December 2020 now firmly behind us and our feet both into 2021 we thought there was no better time to look back at what Boxing Raise brought us in December, in what was a genuinely excellent month for the service. The month brought us some amazing KO’s, brilliant bouts, thrilling wars and some of the best entertainment the service has provided in the entirety of 2020
As with our previous "Best of Boxing Raise" article all the fights featured here can be accessed by subscribers by logging into Boxing Raise and adding the "movie/####" to "https://boxingraise.com/". Brutal KO in women’s world title bout - Etsuko Tada (19-3-3, 6) Vs Ayaka Miyao (23-8-2, 6) II [movie/9127/] Really early in the month we saw WBO female Minimumweight title bout between former world champion Etsuko Tada and Ayaka Miyao. The bout was a rematch of a draw from earlier in the year and delivered everything we needed for a great contest, with good back and forth action and one of the best KO’s in female boxing in recent memory. This was a brutal finish in a bout between two legitimate world class fighters Japanese title bout! - Masataka Taniguchi (12-3, 7) vs Hizuki Saso (12-6-2, 4) [/movie/9128/] On the same show as the Tada Vs Miyao rematch was a Japanese title bout between Masataka Taniguchi and Hizuko Sasao, who look to fill the vacancy left by Norihito Tanaka back at the start of the year. This wasn’t the most competitive or best of bouts, but it was great to see a new champion being crowned almost a year after the belt was vacated. Even though it’s not the best of bouts it is still worthy of a watch. Women’s world title action in Osaka - Miyo Yoshida (14-1) vs Tomoko Okuda (6-2-2, 1) [/movie/9160/] The second female world title bout to be made available on the service was the WBO female Super Flyweight bout between Miyo Yoshida and Tomoko Okuda. This didn’t end in the brutal fashion of the Tada Vs Miyao bout but was certainly among the most meaningful and significant contests on Raise during December. Well worthy of anyone’s time during the next few days, where there is a lack of fighters in general. War for Triple Crown! - Ryoji Fukunaga (12-4, 12) vs Kenta Nakagawa (19-3-1, 12) [movie/9185/] The best bout on Boxing Raise during December, by some margin, was the tremendous triple title unification bout between Ryoji Fukunaga and Kenta Nakagawa, who fought to unify the OPBF, WBO Asia Pacific and Japanese Super Flyweight titles. This one of the very best bouts of 2020, not just December on Boxing Raise, and saw both men being hurt, both digging deep, both landing some monstrous shots and both fighting incredibly hard. If you like brutal wars and punishing battles this is one you must watch! Hard hitting champion takes on rugged veteran - Masamichi Yabuki (11-3, 11) vs Toshimasa Ouchi (22-9-3, 8) [movie/9266/] The final Japanese title fight of 2020 came on December 26th when Japanese Light Flyweight champion Masamichi Yabuki made his first defense, taking on veteran Masamichi Yabuki. On paper this was a test to see what Yabuki could bring if his power didn’t do the job, especially given the number of early blowouts he’s had, and it was a bout that saw the champion needing to answer a number of questions. Sharp finish between Japanese youngsters - Jinki Maeda (5-0, 3) vs Kaito Okubo (5-1, 2) [/movie/9292/] On one of the final Japanese shows of 2020 we saw youngsters Jinki Maeda and Kaito Okubo clash in what looked like a really compelling match up. This was a tactical battle from the off, with both men looking to control the range until a sudden, and brutal finish in round 2. The bout wasn’t the most exciting but it showcased some stuff from two youngsters, and a finish that really did look incredibly brutal. A gorgeous finish worth watching the bout for. A legend returns! - Reiya Konishi (17-2, 7) vs Katsunari Takayama (31-8-0-1, 12) [/movie/9290/] After more than 4 years away from professional boxing we saw former multi-time world champion Katsunari Takayama return to the ring and take on 2-time world title challenger Reiya Konishi. The bout was one that had been scheduled for November and then got added to a December show after Konishi got a false positive Covid19 test. Despite the delay this one lived up to all the expectations and was a high tempo war throughout. A real gem of a post-Christmas fight between two high tempo fighters each letting shots fly. Veteran takes on former champion - Ryota Yada (20-6, 17) vs Yuichi Ideta (13-15-1, 7) [/movie/9284/] The final bout to be shown on Boxing Raise in 2020 was supposed to be a mismatch as former Japanese Welterweight champion Ryota Yada took on the completely out of form Yuichi Ideta. This was supposed to be a mismatch for the hard hitting Yada though no one told Ideta he was supposed to lose again and the veteran took the fight to Yada making this a thrilling battle of will Vs skill. It’s not the prettiest fight you’ll see but it is a solid one and a real enjoyable watch as Ideta tries to roll back the clock to the days when he was once regarded as a genuine prospect and hopefu.  November 2020 will not go down as one of the best months in the history of Boxing Raise, despite the service having a lot of shows on it during the month. It wasn't a bad month, by any stretch, but it was one where quantity very much out did quality. It was also one where several very promising bouts were derailed late on and we lost two of the more interesting bouts for the month on the week of the fights.
Despite the service lacking in terms of depth there was more than enough good fights to get your teeth into and for those who missed them we've got you covered in Best of Boxing Raise November 2020. As with our previous "Best of Boxing Raise" article all the fights featured here can be accessed by subscribers by logging into Boxing Raise and adding the "movie/####" to "https://boxingraise.com/". The Hidden Gem - Kenta Kamimura (0-0) vs Yuto Kagata (0-0) [/movie/8899/] The hidden gem of the month came from the Midori promoted GREEN Dream 12 and boy what an unexpected gem this was. It featured debutants Kenta Kamimura and Yuto Kagata who managed to get through a rather dramatic, exciting and thrilling 4 rounder. The quality of the action wasn't great, but the drama was, with both men touching the canvas, knockdowns in 3 different rounds and a nasty cut this is worth a watch. This isn't going to win a place on the Fight of the Year shortlist, not even ours, but it is a fun little tear up! The rising Contender - Masanori Rikiishi (8-1, 4) vs Soreike Taichi (7-3, 5) [/movie/8889/] The excellent Masanori Rikiishi dropped shows what he could do when he took on Soreike Taichi, also on the Midori show. This not a competitive bout, and is more a showcase of a real natural talent, but it is still worth watching and could be the last we see of Rikiishi for a while as he really banged up his hand during the fight and will need time to let it heal and recover. The West Rookie War - Taichi Sugimoto (4-0-1, 1) v Yudai Yoneda (3-1, 1) [/movie/8916/] So we've had a up and down tear up and a show case in the first two bouts and now we get a war as Taichi Sugimoto and Yudai Yoneda beat 7 bells out of each other in a West Japan Rookie of the Year Final bout. This started slowly but as the rounds went on got more and more hotly contested with rounds 3 and 4 being absolute brilliant as the two men fought more on the inside and let their shots fly. Again a long way from a Fight of the Year contender, but a damn good fight with skills, and heart on show from both. The Best of the Month - Yoshimitsu Kimura (12-2, 7) v Shuma Nakazato (10-1-2, 7) [/movie/9044/] Easily the best bout this month on Boxing Raise was the highly anticipated clash between Yoshimitsu Kimura and Shuma Nakazato, which was expected to be great but out did all expectations. This was high level stuff through out, with great boxing early on, drama after the first knockdown, a war taking place in the second half of the fight and a gritty fight back in the dying stages. There is no other bout on Boxing Raise this month that was as good as this and it really deserves your time to fully enjoy. This was seen as a 50/50 bout going in and it ended up living up to those expectations in what was, genuinely, a fantastic fight which deserves a place on any top 10 list of fights for the entire of November, not just this Boxing Raise list. Zombie takes on determined youngster - Ryoichi Tamura (13-5-1, 7) Vs Ryu Oba (5-4, 3) [movie/9041/] People who have followed us over the years we know we love the high tempo aggressive fighters who come forward and throw insane amounts of leather. With that in mind we are massive fans of Ryoichi Tamura and his all out aggressive mentality. That was on show here against Ryu Oba who impressed himself by gutting out some intense pressure, fighting back and playing his part in a thoroughly amazing 5 rounder. If you like your boxing to be violent, high tempo, big punches and exchanges this is the one for you. The skill level might not have been the highest but the effort and energy were off the charts. Brilliant fight. OPBF title bout - Rikki Naito (22-2, 7) vs Yusuke Konno (16-4, 9) [movie/9045/] The biggest single bout on Boxing Raise during November was it's only title bout, and that was an OPBF Light Welterweight clash between Rikki Naito and Yusuke Konno. This bout didn't live up to our expectations, and we had expected a longer, tougher bout with the final rounds being a real test, but was still a solid contest with rounds 2 and 6 being absolute joys to watch. This was a nice dynamic between the speed, skills and movement of Naito and the power, strength and size of Konno, which worked well to give an entertaining bout. For those who like the cat and mouse fights this was great, and we really did get skills, style and guts from both men. Novices collide in shoot out - Riku Yamashita (2-0-1, 1) vs Taiga Nagao (2-2-1, 1) [/movie/9059/] Despite all the recent complaints about the Jake Paul Vs Nate Robinson bout, and how it was disrespectful and dangerous, we're not totally sure how but whatever, we absolutely love novice bouts. We opened this with one and now we have another to close this off. This time it was Riku Yamashita and Taiga Nagao who put on a show of inside fighting. From the opening round these two traded shots at will, with big shots coming on the inside. The bout then went from action to drama in round 2 with both men going down in a brilliantly thrilling round. If you need something short, snappy and exciting this is the perfect little war to entertain you for a few minutes. Fantastic stuff!  So, another month is in the books for this weird, awkward, odd, never ending, frustrating year. Thankfully whilst there has been a host of issues, both boxing and non-boxing related, we have, thankfully, had this great sport to following during much of the year and October was no different with Subscription Service Boxing Raise once again delivering some of the most interesting action of the month. As with our previous "Best of Boxing Raise" article all the fights featured here can be accessed by subscribers by logging into Boxing Raise and adding the "/movie/####" to "https://boxingraise.com". Youngster steps up! Rei Nakajima (3-0) Vs Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa (12-5-1, 11) [movie/8644/] First up was the compelling match up between rising youngster Rei Nakajima, who has been impressive but over-looked, taking on former WBO Asia Pacific and OPBF Middleweight champion Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa. This was a compelling bout, rather than an exciting one, with the under-sized Nakajima forced to rely on skills, timing and movement, against the cruder but heavier handed Hosokawa. Thrilling back and forth war! Takuya Kogawa (30-6-1, 13) vs Hayato Yamaguchi (15-8-1, 2) [/movie/8672/] For years we have been huge fans of Takuya Kogawa, a man who could have a full series done in regards to his thrilling wars and all action bouts. In 2019 he suffered the first stoppage loss of his career and many, including ourselves, thought he should probably hang them up. This past month he looked to silence us doubters as he took on domestic foe Hayato Yamaguchi. This turned out to be a real thriller of a fight. The skill levelw asn't the highest but the intensity and action were great, and this was a real fun one to watch. Short war! Yoji Saito (1-1-2, 1) vs Masashi Wakita (10-9-2, 5) [/movie/8676/] If you only have a few minutes and want something fun and enjoyable we highly recommend watching Yoji Saito's bout with Masashi Wakita. This was very much boxing's version of fast food. There was no feeling our process, with Saito just on the front foot from the off. He faced Wakita to fight off the ropes and just threw pretty much non-stop. A great fun, short, action thriller. A really fun one to watch. Cracks show in Kazuki's chin! Tatsuya Yanagi (16-6-2, 6) Vs Kazuki Saito (7-2, 5) [/movie/8679/] There are two things we know when it comes to Kazuki Saito. He is an incredibly talented boxer. He has a poor chin. With that in mind his bout with Tatsuya Yanagi always looked like it was going to be an interesting one. It proved to be interesting, and despite not being the most exciting bout you'll see this month it was certainly one worth watching.  Japanese title bout!
Seigo Yuri Akui (14-2-1, 10) vs Seiya Fujikita (13-4, 6) [/movie/8700/] Probably the best bout on Boxing Raise this month was the Japanese Flyweight title bout between defending champion Seigo Yuri Akui and mandatory challenger Seiya Fujikita. This was just a fantastic bout, with Fujikita looking to take the fight to the hard hitting Akui, and really applying determined pressure early on. This was the type of test the champion needed and it was the sort of bout that helped remind us exactly why we all love this sport. If you missed this one, give yourself a 40 minute window in November to watch it, we advise grabbing a few beers too! Genuinely a great fight. Future Rookie of the year contender? Jinu Lee (2-0, 1) Vs Naoya Nishimura (4-9-1, 3) [/movie/8752/] One of the best things about Japanese boxing is the annual Rookie of the Year competition. The competition serves as a major window into the next generation of Japanese domestic fighters and for many it's their first real chance to shine. With that in mind we were really glad to see 24 year old Jinu Lee in action before he participates in Rookie of the Year next year. Here we saw him battle Naoya Nishimura and we were left really wanting to see more of Lee. A fun, destructive, performance from a man some are already tipping for next year. Utsuki helps Sakai sleep! Shu Utsuki (6-0, 5) vs Takayuki Sakai (9-2-2, 6) [/movie/8857/] Japan has a lot of well known prospects, who have received a lot of press and time, and generate buzz when people just mention their names. The country also has a number of lesser known prospects who deserve some of that attention but don't yet get it. One such fighter is Shu Utsuki, who is trying to create buzz by his performances. He did just that in October with a brutal KO win against the over-matched Takayuki Sakai. This was up there with the very best KO's in Japan this month and even knowing the result shouldn't stop you from giving this one a watch. The KO is worth it! Future Rookie king? Kosuke Tomioka (3-0, 2) Vs Yota Sato (2-0, 2) [/movie/8870/] We mentioned Rookie of the Year a little earlier, talking about Jinu Lee who will enter Rookie of the Year next year and we head back to Rookie of the Year here, for a bout from this year's Rookie of the Year. In one corner was touted teenager Kosuke Tomioka, who has been viewed as a special talent since his debut, and in the other corner was Yota Sato, an unbeaten puncher who looked fantastic in his previous bout. This is short, explosive and exciting. This past month has been one of the least notable in regards to Boxing Raise, who had no live shows at all in the month. Instead they gave us a lot of Rookie of the Year content, not a bad thing but not as good as a live card. Despite the lack of live action we've sifted though the content from September and have found some really great contests that are well worthy of a watch as the service continues to be a must have for those wanting to follow the Japanese domestic scene.
As with our previous "Best of Boxing Raise" article all the fights featured here can be accessed by subscribers by logging into Boxing Raise and adding the "movie/####" to "https://boxingraise.com/". Just to make everyone aware these are all Rookie of the Year bouts, with the 6 cards put up by Boxing Raise this month all being Rookie of the Year shows. Short and to the point! - Shugo Namura (2-0, 2) Vs Kei Fujita (1-0, 1) [movie/8410] One of the best things about Rookie of the Year bouts is the flaws of the fighters involved and their general attitude to making things exciting. That's exactly what we saw in the short, intense, thrilling brawl between Shugo Namura and Kei Fujita. Not too much we can say here without spoiling the contest, but it was short, it violent, it was exciting, and it was bombs away! Lasting less than a round this is a great one if you only have a few minutes. Super Thrilling Super Flyweight! - Yota Sato (1-0, 1) vs Hironori Shioya (2-0, 2) [movie/8414] Another short, thrilling, all action bout saw Yota Sato and Hironori Shioya unloading on each other. As with most bouts this month on Boxing Raise this was very low level action, and rather sloppy, but thoroughly entertaining with Shioya looking to set an intense tempo from the off and take the fight to Shioya who had to respond. This wasn't pretty but was truly enthralling. Blink and ya miss it! - Aito Abe (1-0, 1) Vs Kentaro Omori (2-2, 1) [movie/8418] At just 17 seconds long you won't find many shorter bouts this month than the Aito Abe Vs Kentaro Omori one, but it's worth a watch. You blink and you miss it, and you miss a rather brutal knockout. Seriously folks give this one a watch. It's short, it ends in eye-catching fashion, what more could you want? Ending with a BANG! - Sora Fukunaga (5-0, 2) Vs Shuya Kuwabuchi (2-1, 2) [movie/8518] On the subject of short bouts another short one worthy of attention was the West Japan Rookie of the Year bout between Sora Fukunaga and Shuya Kuwabachi. This wasn't an all out war but was another short one with a fantastic and a show case of one of the most exciting Rookie of the Year competitors this year. This was a bit more of a technical battle than some of the bouts we're including this month, but still a very fun bout. Punches fly in hidden gem! - Riku Kondo (1-1, 1) vs Aito Takabatake (2-1-1) [movie/8542] Enjoy lots of leather being thrown? Inside back and forth? Competitive action from the off? Well this is the one for you! This was pure entertainment with both men being very happy to let shots fly, in some really good 2-way action., It did have sloppy moments, as we tend to expect from Rookie of the Year bouts, but was still utterly enthralling as both fighters gave everything they had. A real hidden gem on a show that was easy to over-look. All action thriller! - Ryo Yoshida (1-0) Vs Ricky Hasegawa (2-1, 1) [movie/8594] Ricky Hasegawa set off at an electric pace and had Ryo Yoshida in all sorts of problems through the first round, dropping him part way through. Yoshida saw out the storm as we ended up getting something very special as he came back and both men fought to exhaustion. This was two men wearing their hearts on their sleeves and providing something exhilarating. If you're a fan of fighters like Kenya Yamashita then this is seriously worth a watch. It was thrilling, intense, and raw. Knockdowns traded in war! - Tsubasa Narai (3-0, 2) Vs Tomohiro Igarashi (2-0, 1) [movie/8600] Drama and action are two of the things we look for in a fun fight and the Super Featherweight bout between Tsubasa Narai and Tomohiro Igarashi had both of those giving us something special from the early going to the eye catching finale. Before we got to the end both men were down, both had landed some bombs and the crowd had been given a spectacular treat. This was genuinely a great fight mixing skills, aggression, action and doing enough to get applause from the scattering of fans allowed into the Korakuen Hall.  It's been a while since we've been able to share the "Best of Boxing Raise" but after the month we've just had we feel it's an ideal time to bring back this series, and celebrate how much boxing has been added to the service this past month. We do that knowing the service has had one of the best KO's of the year and one of the best bouts of the year in recent weeks!
For those unaware Boxing Raise is a brilliant little Japanese subscription service, run by the people behind the DANGAN shows, and combined video on demand with live streams to give us an excellent outlet for non-televised Japanese domestic bouts. At around $9 it's a fantastic value service and is something we suggest all fans wanting to get a deeper knowledge of Japanese domestic bouts considers. Of course August didn't feel like the biggest months for boxing, but we are now seeing regular new and fresh content being added to Boxing Raise, and we saw their first live show since boxing returned to Japan, and it was a good one. With that in mind we really do feel like the month is one worthy of sharing some of the service's highlights As with our previous "Best of Boxing Raise" article all the fights featured here can be accessed by subscribers by logging into Boxing Raise and adding the "movie/####" to "https://boxingraise.com/". Rookie Brawl - Shota Tanaka (2-0, 1) Vs Shunta Terai (2-5-1, 2) [/movie/8214/] Back on August 3rd,in front of an empty Korakuen Hall, Shota Tanaka and Shunta Terai battled in East Japan Rookie of the Year bout, and put on a real brawl! This wasn't high quality but was hotly competitive, exciting, and thrilling back and forth. If you want some thrilling low level action this is well worth 15 minutes of your time! Good night! - Tsubasa Murata (2-1, 1) Vs Yuya Miyazaki (1-1, 1) [/movie/8252/] We stay with Rookie of the Year action for this recommendation, which came in a Central Japan Rookie of the Year bout between Tsubasa Murata and Yuya Miyazaki. This was less of an action fight and is instead more worth watching due to the finish, which is one of the best KO's we've seen this year. This was a sensational finish and one worth watching the full bout for. Blink and you miss it! - Kosuke Hayashi (0-0) vs Kanta Yamauchi (0-2-1) [/movie/8240/] Only got 2 minutes? Then we have the fight for you! This was a short, brutal and intense war between the debuting Kosuke Hayashi and the previously win-less Kenta Yamauchi. The bout really is a blink and you miss it bout that just sees the two men tosses bombs at each other from the opening bell. Short, exciting, and very much bite sized! Blink and You miss it 2! - Kazuki Terasaki (2-1-1, 2) vs Shori Umezu (0-0) [/movie/8242/] Of course it wasn't just Hayashi and Yamauchi who decided to have a shoot out this month, and Kazuki Terasaki and Shori Umezu also gave us a shoot out. This was two young men fighting like they had been told they had 1 round to shine, and both just unloaded on each other. This was entertaining violence from the off and a truly brilliant fight! Regional champion is crowned - Ryota Yamauchi (6-1, 5) vs Satoru Todaka (10-3-4, 4) [/movie/8333/] In the only title bout on Boxing Raise this past month we saw Ryota Yamauchi take on Satoru Todaka for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Flyweight title. This was, for all intents, the most significant bout on the service this month, and it also turned out to be a pretty fan friendly bout, and a great chance to see one of the most promising Flyweights show what he can do. This is again a shorter bout, but one well worthy of watching if you use the service. WAAARRR! - Daisuke Watanabe (10-4-2, 6) vs Shingo Kusano (13-8-1, 5) [/movie/8359/] The best bout of the month, at least in terms of Asian boxing, was actually shown on Boxing Raise and saw Daisuke Watanabe and Shino Kusano go to war in the final of the Hajime No Ippo 30th Anniversary tournament. This was 8 rounds that gave us everything. This had nice boxing early on, with both men showing good skills, and thrilling back and forth action on the inside later in the bout. This had everything we could want from a tournament final. This is the true stand out fight of the month and the one that is worth the 40 or so minutes it'll take to watch. A genuinely brilliant bout that got better and better as it went on!  Another month is over and we again get to look at the Best of Boxing Raise. Which has actually been a disappointing month in some ways, with only 2 "new" shows, but has also been an interesting one with some intriguing old content being made available on the service. Whilst there has been a lack of great fights, there's been a mix of stuff that we would advise checking out if you have the service available to you. As with our previous "Best of Boxing Raise" article all the fights featured here can be accessed by subscribers by logging into Boxing Raise and adding the "movie/####" to "https://boxingraise.com/".  Japanese Taison in action - Taison Morishita (1-0) Vs Yuma Omine (0-1) [movie/7282/] This bout sort of caught our attention before it took place, as we'd been told Taison Morishita was one to watch, and here he proved that he was an exciting and aggressive fighter. Sadly his dance partner, Yuma Omine, seemed to be an unwilling participant at times though we're including this fight regardless as we suggest people begin to take note of Morishita. He might not be a future world champion in the making but he is certainly going to be someone very fun to follow, as far he goes. The first KO Dynamite Final - Marvin Esquierdo (15-2-1, 9) Vs Ribo Takahata (16-8-1, 6) [/movie/7286/] It's great to see an unheralded fighter really impress when given an opportunity, and that's exactly what Filipino Marvin Esquierdo did in the KO Dynamite tournament. In his first round he blitzed Koichi Ito before facing Ribo Takahata in the final. This final was an entertaining one, a nice clash of styles and a a good test of what Esquierdo was able to do with an awkward, tall, experienced veteran like Takahata. Not a war by any stretch, but one of the more entertaining bouts from the month. The second KO Dynamite Final - Tuguldur Byambatsogt (1-0) Vs Vladimir Baez (26-5-2, 24) [/movie/7288/] The other KO Dynamite final was even more interesting than the first, without being as exciting of a fighter. This, on paper, was a disgusting mismatch, a novice professional with just 5 rounds of experience against a 33 fight veteran with more first round knockouts, 6, than his opponents total rounds. Despite the gulf in experience Mongolian fighter Tuguldur Byambatsogt was looking to prove that skills could over-come the experience and power of Japanese based Dominican Vladimir Baez. This was genuinely compelling without being action packed. A very cerebral fighter against a very aggressive one.  Youth title fight - Kaiki Yuba (6-0-2, 4) vs Kanta Takenaka (7-4-1, 2) [/movie/7325/]
We didn't have too many truly impressive performances on Boxing Raise this month, but we were impressed by the second generation fighter Kaiki Yuba, who faced off with Kanta Takenaka in a Japanese Youth Lightweight title fight. This wasn't a particularly competitive bout, but it was a controlled and calm performance from a rising 21 year old who is certainly one to watch. Female World Title fight! - Etsuko Tada (19-3-2, 6) vs Ayaka Miyao (23-8-1, 6) [/movie/7326/] On paper the most significant bout on the service this month was the WBO female Minimumweight bout between Etusko Tada, a former 3-time world champion, and Ayaka Miyao, a former champion at Atomweight. This was compelling from the early stages, with Tada's power and more physical style going against Miyao's speed and combinations. This was hard to score, high level action and a genuinely brilliant contest where both fighters had their strengths, and flaws, shown. Controversial God's Left Tournament Final - Kazuki Nakajima (8-0, 7) vs Seiya Tsutsumi (5-0, 4) [/movie/7327/] The most controversial bout on Boxing Raise this month was also the one we had the highest hopes for, with it being the God's Left Bantamweight tournament final. The bout pitted Ohashi gym fighter Kazuki Nakajima against Kadoebi fight and on paper this looked very explosive. Surprisingly this ended up being a lot more of a compelling boxing contest, than a shoot out, with Tsutsumi coming up with a smart gameplan that really didn't allow Nakajima to use his size advantages. This ended in controversial fashion, started slowly and warmed up brilliantly. A real stand out for the month. A classic war - Takuya Kogawa (23-4, 13) vs Hiroki Saito (9-4, 5) [/movie/7345/] Although this bout didn't take place this month it was one of the classic bouts added to the Boxing Raise archive, and is a genuine must watch. This bout takes us all the way back to July 2015 and saw Takuya Kogawa take on Hiroki Saito for the then vacant Japanese Flyweight title. We always knew Kogawa could put on a show but boy did Saito play his part in delivering an instant under-ground classic. This was amazing, and it's great that Boxing Raise have added it to their library this month.  The month of December was an incredibly busy one, with things like the Rookie of the Year, the New Year's Eve show, the Fuji show on the 23rd, and a host of other cards giving us a truly crazy month. It was also a month that Boxing Raise actually didn't shine, with just 6 tape delay cards, and nothing live. It did however have some interesting, intriguing and exciting bouts hidden away on the service. And now we'll have a look at some of the highlights the services provided during the month. Before we start however we will just make everyone aware that we are totally ignoring the Kadebi promoted "Slugfest 12" card. The reason for this is that the content featured on that show isn't exclusive to Boxing Raise, it's been uploaded to youtube by Kadoebi themselves giving all fans a chance to see all the action from the card without the need of a Boxing Raise subscription. As with our previous "Best of Boxing Raise" article all the fights featured here can be accessed by subscribers by logging into Boxing Raise and adding the "movie/####" to "https://boxingraise.com/".  Compelling more than excelling - Musashi Mori (10-0, 6) vs Takuya Mizuno (17-1-1, 14) [movie/7134/] The WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight title bout between the unbeaten champion Musashi Mori and the heavy handed Takuya Mizuno never really caught fire in the way we had hoped, but in terms of being compelling this was always interesting. Just sadly lacking true drama. Mori, who is just 20, was fighting for the second time under Ismael Salas and it's clear he is developing with every fight, but sadly the styles never really worked here. Still if you want to see one of the brightest Japanese youngsters you could do a lot worse than giving this a watch and getting a head up on Mori before he lands a big international fight. The youngster, is talking about moving into world title level later this year and he's certainly one to be aware of. Boom goes the Dynamite - Mammoth Kazunori (5-2-1, 5) vs Lerdchai Chaiyawed (2-4, 1) [/movie/7188/] We had a lot of brilliant knockouts in 2019 and one of the final ones came in mid-December, tucked away on a Japanese under-card bout. The fight saw big punching Japanese hopeful Mammoth Kazunori take on Thai tough guy Lerdchai Chaiyawed and, well, lets just say this ended in spectacular fashion. The bout hadn't been the most thrilling, but the ending makes it worth a watch. A seriously eye-catching KO!  A prospect to watch - Ryosuke Nishida (1-0, 1) vs Pablito Canada (7-17-4, 1) [movie/7219/] The December 22nd show from Muto gym was a bad idea from the off, putting it on the same day as the All Japan Rookie of the Year, and having one of their brightest beaten in a round. Thankfully though it wasn't all bad news and it was a good chance to see what the hype was regarding Ryosuke Nishida. And in fairness to the 23 year old, he looked damned good. He was the less hyped of 3 Muto prospect and yet was the only one who really shined. If you get the chance give this a watch and keep a close eye on Nishida A change in tactic proves vital - Yusuke Mine (2-0, 1) vs Ardin Diale (35-15-4, 17) [/movie/7221/] Whilst we seriously think Muto will want to forget about their December 22nd show we suspect they will also be proud of the promising Yusuke Mine who showed a lot, both good and bad, in his third professional bout. Taking on Filipino veteran Ardin Diale we saw Mine being dropped in rounds 1 and 3, raising real questions about his chin, balance and durability. Then he bit down on his gum shield and pressured, in an attempt to turn the bout around. His change of tactics, and desire are real positives, but being dropped twice will be a worry. A very interesting bout that had genuine drama.  A debut to view - Kantaro Juri (0-0) Vs Makruf Bambali (0-4-1) [/movie/7233/]
Although many debuts are a mismatch they do give us a chance to see what a fighter can do, and we were genuinely impressed by what Kantaro Juri shows in his debut, against the horribly over-matched Makruf Bambali of Indonesia. Juri, who is a bit of a hidden gem, looked a natural in the ring with a very sharp jab, some nice picking and very fast hands. It'll be an interesting journey to follow with him, but we liked him a lot and the Nakazato gym might have someone a little bit special on their hands here. Polish needs to be done, but they have a genuine diamond in the rough. Wild and even eliminator - Hiroyuki Kudaka (26-18-3, 11) vs Yuta Matsuo (15-4-1, 8) [/movie/7206/] A Japanese title eliminator at Super Flyweight matched together Hiroyuki Kudaka and Yuta Matsuo in what proved to be, unsurprisingly, a really good fight. These two let their shots fly through out and provided plenty of action in a fun 8 rounder. With the men involved we always expected something special could be on the cards, and whilst this wasn't truly spectacular it was a very fun back and forth battle with some truly brilliant moments. The final round of this was truly excellent, as the two tired men put it on the line. IBF eliminator provides action - Sho Ishida (28-1, 15) vs Israel Gonzalez (24-3, 11) [/movie/7242/] The final bout of the month for the service was the best, as Sho Ishida and Israel Gonzalez battled in an IBF Super Flyweight world title eliminator. This was actually fantastic to watch, and it was most down to Gonzalez, who brought so much action and pressure through out. He let his hands go, he forced the fight and it wasn't until late on that Ishida managed to find a foot hold in what was a real gem. It's a shame this wasn't given some form of TV coverage in Osaka as it should have had a bigger viewing audience than it got, but still a very good fight and one that Boxing Raise subscribers should make an effort to watch whilst we're still lumbering through a quiet month of fights. (Images courtesy of boxmob, and Boxingraise)  The month of November has been a strange one in many ways, with some really awesome fights, some disappointments, and some real up and down moments through out boxing. The brilliant WBSS final was certainly one of the highlights of the year but bouts falling through was an issue at times. Thankfully we do have something that is consistent with boxing, and that is that Boxing Raise will show some absolutely amazing fights. This month that was once again true, with some absolutely tremendous action being made available on the Japanese service, that once again made a great case as being the best value service for any boxing fan. As with our previous "Best of Boxing Raise" article all the fights featured here can be accessed by subscribers by logging into Boxing Raise and adding the "movie/####" to "https://boxingraise.com/".  Youngsters go to war - Ryugo Ushijima (3-0-2, 2) vs Taison Mukaiyama (4-2, 3) [movie/7017/] Earlier in 2019 we had our attention grabbed by Ryugo Ushijima, thanks to a thrilling contest with Shota Ogasawara. On Boxing Raise this month Ushijima faces off with Taison Mukaiyama and this was some that possibly exceeded the Ogasawara bout, with the two men really smashing lumps out of each other, in a bout that had an opening round knockdown, and a lot wild action. This wasn't as polished as some of the other bouts from through the month but was genuinely great fun to watch. Bantamweight Shootout - Kazuki Nakajima (7-0, 6) vs Jin Minamide (4-0, 3) [movie/7019/] The God's Left Bantamweight tournament is a genuinely brilliant idea, and although it hasn't managed to quite deliver as hoped it's still given us some great action. That was certainly seen in the semi-final bout between Kazuki Nakajima and Jin Minamide. This wasn't a drawn out war, we do have one of those coming up, but was a thrilling shoot out. It took a few moments for the fighters to light the touch paper, but as soon as that happened you knew the end was night, but weren't sure who would land a bomb first. Genuinely brilliant and hugely entertaining, little battle here!  Extreme Eliminatorion - Taiki Minamoto (16-5-1, 13) vs Takuya Watanabe (36-9-1, 21) [movie/7020/]
Whils the WBSS Bantamweight final was, easily, the best bout of the month we did see some other thrillers during the month. One of best of the rest was an 8 round war in a Japanese Super Featherweight title eliminator between Taiki Minamoto and Takuya Watanabe. This looked great on paper yet massively over-delivered and gave us one of the best fighters we've seen in Japan this year. It pit Watanabe's toughness and strong yet basic boxing against Minamoto's explosive boxing, and delivered what was an absolute barn burner, and a real must watch for any fan who had 40 minutes of time to enjoy themselves. This was amazing and got better and better as the fight went on and both men began to show the damage of war. OH DAMN! - Tsuyoshi Tameda (21-4-2, 19) vs Jae Woo Lee (6-2, 5) [movie/7045/] We've already mentioned a shoot out and a war, but when Tsuyoshi Tameda took on Jae Woo Lee in the Hajime No Ippo 30th anniversary tournament we ended up with something of a hybrid. This was was an up close war, fought as if both men wanted to have a shoot out. Both fighters unloaded bombs from the early going, setting their feet and firing off huge power shots, and trying to take each other out. If you like fights fought on the inside, with machimso being the driving force you'll love this. Absolutely amazing fight, and one that will have you engrossed from the first moment to the last. Knockdowns traded in thriller! - Shingo Kusano (11-8-1, 4) vs Qiang Ma (5-1-2, 3) [movie/7047/] On paper the Hajime No Ippo 30th anniversary tournament looked interesting with out being amazing. That thanking was instantly blown out of the water by he Tameda Vs Lee fight and just moments later we were given another fight as Shingo Kusano and Qiang Ma traded knockdowns in a brilliant war. This wasn't quite as intense as the Tameda Vs Lee bout but was another thriller, with bombs galore, both men being hurt and despite the lower intensity it was a more dramatic bout. Despite the records of the two fighters these two delivered something very special. Whilst we certainly have less great action on Boxing Raise in November than in October, what we did get was some of the months very best fights from anywhere in world boxing. This month we were lucky to get such quality, even if the quantity was lacking! (Image courtesy of Boxing Raise and Boxmob.jp)  One of the great things about Japanese boxing right now is the excellent Boxing Raise service which is quickly becoming a necessity for those wanting to watch the best action in Japan every month. The service is certainly not flawless, and the way they share their schedules is nothing short of infuriating at the moment, but it keeps showing some of the best action in Japanese rings on a month by month basis. With that in mind we've decided to begin a new monthly feature looking at the Best of Boxing Raise. In these articles we will look at the best moments Boxing Raise gave us in the previous month. With this being posted in November we'll be looking over the moments from October, and better yet we'll also include the video reference for those who already subscribe, and briefly explain why the bout is worth watching. We won't, however, share the videos as they are Boxing Raise exclusives, though if you have Boxing Raise and add the "movie/####" to "https://boxingraise.com/" you should be able to go straight to the fight after logging in.  Rematch war-Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa (11-4-1, 10) vs Koki Tyson (14-3-2, 12) II [movie/6862/] Earlier in 2019 we had seen Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa and Koki Tyson fight to a draw in a bout for the OPBF Middleweight title. That was a good bout, but not spectacular. In October they had a rematch and boy was this one good! The two men fought to a standstill, with both landing some huge shots. Tyson was looking to fight at range and Hosokawa refused to let him, and as a result both men were forced to trade on the inside. A truly fantastic battle Boom goes the Dynamite-Shingo Wake (26-5-2, 18) Vs Jhunriel Ramonal (15-8-6, 8) [movie/6860/] The rematch between the world ranked Shingo Wake and Filipino journeyman Jhunriel Ramonal had very few people raving about it before hand, but saw a lit of attention afterwards thanks to a KO of the year Contender. This wasn't the most exciting of bouts to begin with, but was full of drama by the end. A must watch for fans of massive knock outs. Knock Out Dynamite excitement-Marvin Esquierdo (14-2-1, 8) Vs Koichi Ito (11-7-3, 10) [movie/6892/] The first bout from the Knock Out Dynamite tournament saw Filipino fighter Marvin Esquierdo go to war with Koichi Ito and although it was a short lived bout on OCtober 19, it was all action in a full on intense shoot out. For us this was the type of bout that the Knock Out Dynamite tournament was designed for, and man was this fun. Sadly though none of the other bouts lived up to this one. A very fun, if short, shoot out! Prospect Debut-Tuguldur Byambatsogt (0-0) Vs Shusaku Fujinaka (16-11-2, 11) [movie/6899/] The Knockout Dynamite Tournament was designed to encourage fighters to go for early wins. We didn't actually see that happened when Mongolian fighter Tuguldur Byambatsogt made his debut against Japan's Shusaku Fujinaka. Despite not going for the knock out, the Mongolian genuinely impressed, and for a debut this was the sort of performance that allowed fans a glimpse of what he can do.  Japanese Youth Title action-Tetsuro Ohashi (7-0-1, 2) vs Suzumi Takayama (2-0, 2) [movie/6919/]
One of the real hidden gems of the the month was the Japanese Youth Super Flyweight title bout between Tetsuro Ohashi and Suzumi Takayama. This was fantastic, saw both men being dropped and show cased excellent skills and technique from two very talented youngsters. Although there was a winner and a loser we suspect both men will have improved thanks to this truly fantastic bout from October 19th Domestic title bout- Seigo Yuri Akui (13-2-1, 9) vs Shun Kosaka (16-5, 4) [movie/6951/] We've known for a while that Seigo Yuri Akui is a fast starter, though we were interested to see how he'd cope with the usually durable Shun Kosaka in a bout for the Japanese Flyweight title. This looked good on paper, and whilst it didn't live up to expectations it's still well worth a watch for a short and rather explosive performance Prospect Debut- Yudai Shigeoka (0-0) vs Manop Audomphanawari (3-2, 3) [movie/6969/] One of the most anticipated debuts in Japan this year was that of prospect Yudai Shigeoka, who's debut came against Thai foe Manop Audomphanawari on the Watanabe promoted "Fight The Power", on October 30th. This wasn't so much a great bout but a showcase for one of Japan's future stars. (Images courtesy of boxingraise and Boxmob) |
Thinking Out East
With this site being pretty successful so far we've decided to open up about our own views and start what could be considered effectively an editorial style opinion column dubbed "Thinking Out East" (T.O.E). Archives
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