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After a couple of really exciting days back-to-back in Asian boxing it's a shame to see the quality drop off, though thankfully March 2nd is one of the weakest days in the month which really is nothing short of packed!
Philippines, Camiguin Unfortunately after a couple of days with multiple cards we are given just a single one on Sunday though it works as the sort of card to let us have a break between a number of big, action packed, fight filled days. One of the most interesting bouts on this particular show sees the big punching Jenny Boy Buca (6-1, 6) taking on the experienced but very limited Amero Ricablanca (7-41-2, 1). Buca comes in to this bout after having lost his last contest, an 8 round split decision to Jerson Luzarito, though had taken his previous 6 opponents out in a combined 8 rounds. This guy is dangerous and a victory by stoppage really should be expected here and hopefully the loss to Luzarito will have served as a learning experience rather than a disappointing set back. Buca isn't the only big puncher on the show and fellow banger Rege Pahayag (6-1, 5) will look to prove his power is legitimate as he takes on the experienced Richard Betos (20-8-1, 7). Betos is a much better opponent than Ricablanca and like Buca, Pahayag also lost his most recent bout via decision. This will be his hardest test for Pahayag and if he loses it could well be the end for him as a promising prospect. A third puncher on the card is Jeson Umbal (5-1, 5) who fights against Arlon Batingal (7-8, 4) in what is one of the shows better matched contests. As well as the two huge punchers the card does feature some unbeaten men in action. These include Charles Canedo (6-0, 3) and Dexter Alinento (2-0, 1) who face off in a very interesting looking 6 rounder as well as Rimar Metuda (2-0) who we expect to see fight Joel Escol (7-13-3, 4) in a credible enough test for the young Metuda at this point in time. As far as we are aware, they are all the fight on the card.
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 Boxing through much of January and February has been slow. We know we sound like a broken record with the sheer number of times we've said that but it's true, it has been slow, it's been relatively dull and on the whole it's not had that much to keep us entertained. Worst of all their has been gaps between notable fights and every time we seemed like their was something exciting happening, it ended up not being as exciting as we expected.
Thankfully that is set to change in March and and things kick off as they mean to carry on and to begin the month we get two notable cards one in the Philippines and one in Japan. Philippines, Metro Manila Originally the better card of two in Asia was easily the Filipino card, "Pinoy Pride XXIV: The Future is Now". Unfortunately the card has had to have some alterations this week, though has still remained very interesting, just not the run away "better card" that it was a week ago. The main event here sees the unbeaten Genesis Servania (23-0, 9) defending his WBO Inter-Continental Super Bantamweight title against former WBA Super Flyweight champion Alexander Munoz (36-5, 28). Although Munoz isn't the fighter he once was, he is still a superb puncher and not the type of guy you want to take risks against. If Servania want's to put on a show for the fans he'll have to be very careful. We think he should win but there will certainly be an air of risk going in to this fight. The co-feature was supposed to see the unbeaten Arthur Villanueva (24-0, 14) defending his WBO International Super Flyweight title against Mexican Juan Hernandez (23-3, 16) unfortunately however Hernandez has been forced to pull out after suffering an injury in an auto-mobile accident. Given the short notice it was obvious ALA promotions weren't going to get an equally as good of an opponent on such short notice and that's been shown in the fact Villanueva will now be facing Fernando Aguilar (9-6, 1). The change of opponent hasn't just caused Villanueva to share a ring with an opponent who simply doesn't belong to be in the same fight as him, but has also seen the fight relegated down the card. Instead of Villanueva/Hernandez being the co-feature that honour now belongs to Albert Pagara (18-0, 12) who will take a notable step up to face Indonesia's Isack Junior (22-4-2, 8) in what looks like a decent enough step up for Pagara, who many are tipping as a world champion in the making. Of course ALA are the biggest promoters in the Philippines and arguably the diamond in the rough for them is the unbeaten Mark Magsayo (4-0, 3) who will be hoping to continue his development as he battles Roy Sumugat (9-9-1, 5) in what should be a great test for the young Magsayo. Also on this card are Melvin Gumban (15-0, 7) and former Cuban amateur Reymi Castellano Aleye (3-0, 1) who was based in Cambodia though now seems to have set up base with ALA. Although this card wasn't as good as first announced it's certainly not a poor card, if anything it's still a very strong show. Japan, Tokyo Whilst the card in the Philippines is still strong, the card in Japan has arguably the best Asian bout of the day as Akio Shibata (21-8-1, 9), the Asian Middleweight champion, battles the big punching Daisuke Nakagawa (22-3-2, 17), the Japanese Middleweight champion, in a much anticipated Middleweight title unification bout. It's a hard one to call this on as Shibata does hold a win over Nakagawa though with Nakagawa's power we do favour him to take home both belts here, especially after the job Ryota Murata did on Shibata on debut. Unfortunately for this show, the "522th Dynamic Glove", the rest of the card is weak with the best under-card contest being a contest between former world title challenger Makoto Fuchigami (20-8, 11) and Hikaru Nishida (9-6-1, 3). Whilst this bout is important and both fighters are ranked by both the OPBF and the JBC it's a bout we imagine will be one in favour of Fuchigami. The only other bout worth making a note of at all is the bout involving world ranked Shin Ono (16-5-2, 2). Ono, a former OPBF Light Flyweight champion, is talented though has suffered injuries in recent bouts which have curtailed his climb up the rankings. He continues his comeback by taking on the very limited Takumi Suda (10-9-2, 2) in what should be a complete mismatch in favour of the fringe world title contender. There are a total of 7 bouts on this card though we've covered the 3 notable ones, the rest really are at a low level and have next to no significance to them unfortunately. That's why we still consider the Filipino show the better one, despite the unfortunate pull out by Hernandez. (Picture courtesy of Watanabe Gym)  Courtesy of boxmob February, despite it's occasional highlight, feels like it's been a very long and very slow month in terms of boxing. Thankfully it comes to an end this Friday in a crescendo of action around Asia, perfectly bringing in a new month which looks like it has more action than both February and January combined.
Thailand The first of the action will be in Thailand on Thai channel 7. Unfortunately we've got to confess we've very unsure who this will be, though an educated guess suggests it could be Morakot CP. Freshmart (3-0, 2) defending his WBC Youth Flyweight title for the third time. Japan, Tokyo Whilst we're uncertain on who is featured on the Thai show we are pretty confident on the action in Japan which has 2 separate shows. The more interesting of the two takes place at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. This show, "Dangan 94", features an outstanding bout made at 141lbs. This contest, the highlight of the show, will see the big punching Shinya Iwabuchi (22-4. 18) taking on Filipino veteran Jimrex Jaca (39-6-3, 22) in what could well launch the winner into an OPBF title bout. Both are highly ranked by the OPBF and with the title being fought for in the coming weeks this really is an important match up. The undercard features several other ranked fighters including Tsuyoshi Tojo (12-12-3, 2) who defends his Japanese ranking against and Koji Umetsu (20-14-3, 9) and Koshinmaru Saito (19-5-1, 10) who will be risking his OPBF and Japanese rankings against Yuichi Ideta (13-9-1, 7). These bouts may not set the pulses going but both have real significance to the men involved who will likely fall away from any possible title fight if they were to lose. In total there are 8 contests on "Dangan 94" though we feel we've covered the 3 most significant. Japan, Hyogo The other show in Japan is "Real Spirits 35" which features a total of 7 bouts though very few bare any real significance or any sort of a "competitiveness" to them. The one bout that is competitive, at least on paper, is the show's main event which will see Kota Fukuoka (15-3-2, 12) fighting against Akihiko Katagiri (13-7-2, 4). Fukuoka is the the #10 ranked Featherweight according to the OPBF whilst Katagiri is the #12 ranked Featherweight by the JBC meaning that we have a pretty good looking contest here. As with the other show, it's not just the fighters in the main event who are ranked and the show will also feature Ryotaro Kawabata (9-2, 3) the #12 ranked Super Flyweight according to the OPBF, Tokiya Nishioka (7-3-2, 3) who holds rankings with both the JBC and OPBF and Kazuki Hashimoto (8-4, 4) who is ranked by the JBC. Unfortunately it appears these three men are in "gimmes" and really shouldn't have any risk of losing their rankings. United Arab Emirates, Dubai A third Asian country getting involved in the action on Friday is the United Arab Emirates. Although details on this show are scarce we're lead to believe that the main event will see Joseph Chingangu (27-9, 20) fighting against Francis Zulu (17-3-2, 8). Rather oddly the vacant IBF Continental Africa Heavyweight title will be apparently be on the line. Although both fighters are from Zambia we don't understand why they'd be going to Dubai to contest a regional title belt. USA, California Outside of Asia we get another Asian fighter in action. This time it's the Filipino born Bruno Escalante (11-1-1 5) who will be attempting to claim the International Boxing Association Super Flyweight title. In Escalante's way will be the very experienced Lorenzo Trejo (33-28-1, 20). Although Trejo has a huge edge in experience it's difficult to imagine him beating Escalante, in fact it's difficult to even see him testing Escalante after suffering numerous stoppage losses in recent contests. This Thursday sees no boxing in Asia but it doesn't see a total lack of Asian's in boxing with a sole state side bout featuring a Kazakhstan born fighter.
USA, New York The one Asian fighter who is in action on Thursday is the unbeaten Dimash Niyazov (4-0-2, 3) who takes on the limited Jonathan Cuba (7-5-1, 5) in a 4 rounder. Although Niyazov is unbeaten it's hard to know how good he is due to how limited his opponents have been so far, though he did draw his last two bouts which would suggest he's far from a "hot prospect". Cuba does look to be a step up for the unbeaten man though is pretty poor himself and was stopped just 2 fights back. If Niyazov's power is as legit as looks on paper he may stop Cuba, if not this could be a very interesting match at a very low level. In the wake of "Ring of Gold" we all knew that there wasn't going to be a busy Sunday. Despite that we do actually have some fights through day with a Japanese show taking place Japan.
Japan, Hyogo The card in question is an 8 bout show at the Akashi Municipal Industrial Exchange Center and will be promoted by VADY. The main event here is an 8 rounder between Shinichiro Morikawa (14-4-1, 9) and the once beaten Kosuke Isono (6-1-1, 1) in a bout set to be fought at a contracted 53KG limit. The limit, between Super Flyweight and Bantamweight, shouldn't be a problem for either man with both naturally fighting at Super Flyweight. Of the two men Morikawa has been in with the better competition, notably a novice Sho Ishida, though he has also lost 3 of his last 10. On the other hand Isono is on a 4 fight winning streak since losing to Kohei Yoshikawa. We've got to admit the main event is a very tough one to pick though so to is the co-feature. In this bout the once beaten Yuta Oshiro (5-1, 3) will be fighting the big punching Takahito Osaka (4-0-2, 4) over 6 rounds. Oshiro's only loss came in June 2012 to Ryuto Maruo and has since been avenged whilst Osaka is pretty limited but very powerful. This could be a potential barn burner for the lucky fans in the venue. The final we're going to note is the show's 6th contest which features the promising Daiya Shimazu (5-0, 4). Shimazu takes on his biggest so far as he climbs in to the ring against Chikashi Hayashizaki (4-4-1, 1) and whilst it looks like a mismatch on paper we do expect Hayashizaki to put up a very good fight. If Shimazu is as good as touted however then we could see Hayashizaki stopped for just the second time in his career however we do have questions about just how the unbeaten youngster really is.  Courtesy of Top Rank It's not rare in boxing to have action all over the place but one show gets all the headlines. That's the case this weekend as we get one massive blockbuster of a show that has been stealing the headlines for weeks and been by far the most anticipated show of the year so far. Whilst that, admittedly, isn't saying much considering how slow the year has been, this is still a huge and really notable show and there is no real shame in ignoring most other shows to pay attention to just the one.
Macau The show in question is the massive "Ring of Gold" show in Macau's amazing Venetian Resort. The resort, which is one of the biggest buildings on the planet looks good with out boxing though this Saturday it will look even better with 3-Olympic champions, 3 title bouts, 2 former world champions, one world title and 9 different countries being represented! This is what global boxing is all about! The card kicks off with a Super Flyweight contest scheduled for 8 rounds. This bout sees Jerwin Ancajas (18-1-1, 10) fighting against Inthanon Sithchamuang (20-6, 11) in what we expect to be a relatively straight forward victory for Ancajas. Although he has lost one and drawn one Ancajas is a real talent and the draw, a technical draw, came very early in his career whilst his loss was a narrow one to the very under-rated Mark Anthony Geraldo. He's a very solid and improving fighter who will title aspirations. Following the cards opener we expect to see Harmonito Dela Torre (11-0, 6) fighting against Indonesia's Yakobus Heluka (7-5, 3) in a 6 round bout at Super Featherweight. We do like Dela Torre a lot, though wonder what the point of this bout is and whether Heluka is even fit to fight having recently been stopped in Japan. By "recently" we mean less than 4 weeks ago and we don't think Heluka could possibly have recovered in that time. We're expecting at least one of those two to end early and if it does we could see the "swing bout" moved up to being the show's third bout. The swing contest is between Macao's very own Kuok Kun Ng (2-0) and Indonesian Rocky Alap Alap (5-10). Although neither has a stoppage to their name we wouldn't be shocked if Ng did stop Alap Alap inside the scheduled 4 rounds. In fact we'd be more shocked if Alap Alap was dwarfed in the ring by a much bigger fighter. The reason we're expect the swing bout to be so early is because the next scheduled bout is Ryota Murata's (2-0, 2) contest which has got a set aside time slot to appease Fuji TV. The bout, which will start at around 7PM local time, sees Murata fighting against former world title challenger Carlos Nascimento (29-3, 23) in what looks like a good step up for Murata. Unfortunately the bout isn't likely to be as testing as it looks as Nascimento is 40 years old and several years past his best though it's still a positive step up from the Japanese Olympic champion. After Murata's bout we get the show's first title bout as Hong Kong's insanely popular Rex Tso (11-0, 7) battles Japan's Mako Matsuyama (7-7-1, 3). On the line here is Tso's WBC Asia Council Continental Super Flyweight title and the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Super Flyweight title as well as Tso's recent WBO world ranking. At lost at stake forTso but the expectation is that he will easily cope with Matsuyama. Following the first title fight we're then scheduled to go to the second title bout which see's former world champions colliding in the best looking contest on the show. This bout sees former WBA Super Bantamweight champion Akifumi Shimoda (28-3-2, 12) fighting Filipino power puncher Marvin Sonsona (17-1-1, 14), himself a former WBO Super Flyweight champion. The winner of this bout will likely be moved to within a fight or two of a world title bout, though will immediately claim the WBO International Featherweight title and a big boost to any possible WBO rankings that they have. The Shimoda/Sonsona bout is followed by the second Olympic champion on the show as Egor Mekhontsev (1-0, 1) faces unbeaten Thai Atthaporn Jaritram (4-0, 1). On paper this is an interesting bout between unbeaten fighters but in reality it's hard to see anything but an impressive victory for the talented and much more experienced Russian who was a former standout amateur and multi-medal winning fighter in the unpaid ranks. Mekhontsev's contest merely gives us a break between title fights before his fellow Russian Denis Shafikov (33-0-1, 18) attempts to claim his biggest victory as a professional. Shafikov, fighting in his first world title fight will be hoping to dethrone talented and rangy Mexican Miguel Vazquez (33-3, 13) of the IBF Lightweight in what promises to be an incredibly interesting and tough contest. Interesting since this bout was first listed on the sports books the odds have closed remarkably and there are many smelling a possible upset here. The main event, scheduled to take place at 10PM local time, is to be local star Zou Shiming (3-0) fighting Thai teenager Yokthong Kokietgym (15-3, 11). On paper this looks like a huge leap of faith from Shiming's side but when you consider Japanese youngster Ryuji Hara stopped Yokthong in 2 rounds it's fair to assume that Shiming's team have just been very cynical with their match making. Oddly one of our writers has gone against the tide and confidently predicted Yokthong to win, be the rest of us aren't buying it. Philippines, Benguet As we said when we started this, the Macau card is the big, but it's not the only one with one also taking place in the very pleasantly named Peoples Park in Baguio City. The card, expected to feature 6 contests has just one of note and that's the bout featuring Rex Wao (7-0, 6) who will be attempting to extend his unbeaten record as he fights Gerry Pateno (4-5-2, 2). Wao has stopped his last 5 and some in the Philippines are very excited by him. Hopefully another win here, in style, will see him given more notable opportunities in the near future. USA, Arizona Outside of Asia we're also expecting to see Tajikistan's Azamat Umarzade (0-1) in action. Umarzade, who has been inactive since losing on debut back in 2010 is being matched with Joey Ruelas (6-0-1, 3) in what is one of the most pointless matches we can ever remember mentioning on this site.  Courtesy of boxrec.com It may be fair to admit that we're really excited about February 22nd an the great looking Macau card dubbed "Ring of Gold", before then though we have an amazingly busy day across Asia with a bit of everything. We have former world champions, unbeaten prospects and men who are looking to claim national titles. Really is one of those days that is worth keeping a really serious eye on.
Laos, Savannakhet If Boxrec are right the most interesting card of the day takes place in Savannakhet on the west coast of Laos. This card is to include former WBA Super Flyweight champion Tepparith Kokietgym (25-3, 15), pictured, in the main event. Tepparith is set to defend his WBC Asia Council Continental Bantamweight title and at just 25 he surely has aspirations of a second world title reign somewhere down the line. In the opposite corner to Tepparith will be Filipino Alvin Bais (13-3, 3). Bais, who began his career 13-0, has lost his last 3 contests, all to Thai's, and it would be remarkable if he could give Tepparith anything close to a competitive contest. As well as the Tepparith/Bais bout we're expecting a second title fight on the show with Saenmuangloei Kokietgym (18-5-3, 3) defending his WBC silver Asia Flyweight title against Filipino Michael Landero (16-10-4, 5). A few years ago this would have been a decent contest but Landero has lost his last 4 and 6 of his last 7 suggest that his best days are behind him, despite the fact he is only 27 years old. From what we under-stand this show will be shown on Thai Channel 3, though we're unsure on specifics. Indonesia, Jayapura Tepparith isn't the only former world champion in action as Indonesian veteran Muhammad Rachman (64-11-5, 34) returns to the ring for the first time this year. Rachman, a former IBF and WBA champion at Minimumweight will be hoping to capture the IBO International Light Flyweight title as he fight Thai journeyman Thongthailek Sor Tanapinyo (18-15, 7). Aged 42 Rachman is 16 years older than his opponent and has more than twice as many fights. He certainly has miles on the clock, so to speak. Thonthailek however isn't the best traveller and is 0-5 on the road suffering all 5 of those losses by KO including a loss to Sofyan Effendi in the only other fight he has fought in Indonesia. Whilst Rachman's fight is the big talking point on this card we're also expecting to see Geisler AP (4-1, 2) fight Sonny Manakane (17-14-3, 9) in a battle for the Indonesia Boxing Commission (KTI/IBC) interim Lightweight title and a battle featuring veteran Heri Amol (33-14-4, 13). Amol's opponent has been named differently from differing sources though it seems likely he will be fighting a Thai foe. We're unsure if this is being televised though it would be a huge shame if it wasn't considering what Rachman managed in his great career. Japan, Tokyo As well as the show in Loas and Indonesia we also get a card in Japan. Unlike the other two however this one isn't headlined by a former world champion instead the headline act is a man seeking a second Japanese Super Flyweight title fight after having lost in his first attempt to Teiru Kinoshita. The man in question is Toyoto Shiraishi (23-8-1, 11), #12 ranked by the JBC, who will be hoping to defeat fellow Japanese fighter Yuki Fukumoto (15-8, 5) in a bout that, if Shiraishi loses, could be the end of the line. Shiraishi comes into the contest with back to back losses and has lost 3 of his last 5. Like Shiraishi, Fukomoto hasn't had great performances recently and has lost his last 2 and 4 of his last 7 though will know that a win could lead him on to a national title fight in the next year or two. Although this card has 6 other bouts on it it's hard to say any of the other 6 are worth making much of a note of with no one really jumping out as fighters to make a note of. USA, Delaware Outside of Asia we'd advise fans to be keeping an eye on action in the US with two unbeaten Russian's in action. In Delaware the unbeaten man is Aslanbek Kozaev (25-0-1, 7) who takes on the under-rated Ray Robinson (16-2, 7). Whilst "Ray Robinson" isn't that "Ray Robinson" he is still a good fighter and Kozaev will have to be at his best to beat the American with the famous name. Kozaev has shown glimpses of class though we do need to be honest and admit that we wish his younger brother Khetag Kozaev was still alive. Khetag was an exceptionally promising Super Middleweight before he was shot to death in 2010 aged just 19. USA, Nevada As well as Kozaev's bout in Delaware there is also an all-Russian clash in Nevada as the unbeaten Fedor Papazov (14-0, 9) battles former world title challenger Petr Petrov (32-4-2, 15). This bout, part of the "Boxcino" tournament on ESPN, looks like a great contest on paper and should act as a high profile bout for both men giving them both a chance to make a name for themselves. The "Boxcino" tournament, for those who haven't read about it, will feature 8 boxers in the 2 divisions fighting in what is a knock out competition. This means the winner of the Papazov/Petrov contest will move on to another ESPN televised contest. The hope is that the winner will become a star, or at very least a credible title challenger at the end of the competition. Mexico, Distrito Federal Amazingly there is even more action of note in the west as Hisatoshi Furukawa and his newly licensed promotional company "HI Promotions" put on a show in Mexico City. The main event on this show will see Japan's Yoshihiro Sasaki (8-9-2, 3) taking on Mexico's Willy Velazquez (16-3-1, 10) in what appears to be a mismatch. This card is set to feature 7 contests in total though we only have information about the main event at the moment. Action returns to Russia on Thursday with a small but yet interesting card that features one of the most interesting prospects from central Asia. The area might not get the attention that the Orient gets but it is one of the growing areas in boxing and one of the areas that seems likely to really grow into one of the big forces in world boxing.
Barnaul, Russia With 5 fights on the card the most interesting man to us is Kazakhstan's Welterweight prospect Roman Zhailauov (10-0, 7). Aged 19 Zhailauov is already the "interim" PABA champion at 147lbs and seems to be one of the most promising teenagers out there right now. Although he's still very young, and relatively short for a Welterweight, we would advise keeping an eye on him. Although Zhailauov has yet to have his opponent named we'd expect him to take on a limited foe as he continues to develop his very promising skill set. Zhailauov isn't the only promising unbeaten fighter on the card. Another is 27 year old Russian Cruiserweight Yury Kashinsky (1-0, 1) who battles against Elyor Gulomov (8-2-1, 7) in what looks like a very tough test. Kashinsky, if he wins, will likely be put on the fast track and we'll be really excited to follow that. Although there are 3 other contests on this card none of them are as interesting as the two we've mentioned.  Courtesy of boxrec.com Although they were once a regular thing fights on Tuesday do seem an oddly bizarre occurrence now a days, especially when they include a notable fighter and are shown on television. This week however gives us one of those rarities as Thai channel 7 pick up live action from Bangkok with a potential world champion in action.
Thailand, Bangkok The man in action is the unbeaten 22 year old Nawaphon Por Chokchai (19-0, 13), pictured, who many tip as one of the best promising young Thai's currently in action. Ranked #6 by the WBC at Flyweight Nawaphon is a man who is viewed very highly several reasons. Firstly he is the younger brother of Suriyan Sor Rungvisai, the former Super Flyweight title holder, secondly he is a gym mate of current WBC Super Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and thirdly he has shown his skills in the ring numerous times. Unfortunately for Nawaphon we're not certain who he will be fighting on Tuesday. We do know that he will be putting his WBC ranking on the line and will be defending his WBC Asian Boxing Council Flyweight title for the 7th time. Hopefully it'll be a semi notable opponent who can help prepare Nawaphon for a world title fight, which we'd expect him to get in the next 24 months as long as he continues to pick up victories.  Courtesy of boxrec.com Filipino fight fans are amongst the best in the world. Whether you prefer the noise crowds or respectful crowds it's hard to argue that Filipino's aren't dedicated, loyal and genuinely love their fighters. It the love of their fighters that does allow some Filipino promoters to put on some relatively poor shows of mismatches but it's also the same love that allows us to have fighters like Manny Pacquiao and Donnie Nietes.
Philippines, Laguna It's those same brilliant fans who will be turning out on Monday to go to the Balibago Sports Complex for the next Filipino show from Ariel Araja and the Brunsmick Boxing Promotion. As with many Filipino shows it's not packed with big names, it's not packed with known fighters but yet it does look like we've got some competitive action and the next step for a very promising youngster. The youngster in question is the unbeaten 24 year old Ernesto Saulong (13-0-1, 5). The promising Bantamweight will be looking for his first win of the new year as he takes on Mike Espanosa (12-6-1, 7) for the second time. The two men met late last year and were unfortunately involved in a technical draw after a clash of heads opened up a cut on Espanosa's eyelid. For Saulong this is about clearing up that draw, for Espanosa it's a chance for him to score a notable victory and move towards a title fight of some variety. This is the sort of bout that gets over-looked by those in the west but domestically it's a fantastic bout with a lot of meaning. The Saulong/Espanosa bout is expected to be 1 of 3 bouts scheduled for 10 rounds. Another one of those sees the 22 year old Benezer Alolod (13-5-4, 3), pictured, taking on the highly experienced Rodel Tejares (20-28-5, 5) in what looks like a good bout for Alolod at this point in his development. Although unlikely to ever be a star Alolod does hold a notable win over Rey Loreto, scored less than a year ago, and we'd hope that he can get a notable fight in either Japan or Thailand where he could collect a notable payment and a possible world ranking. Tejares is experienced though is going on a bad run with just 1 win in his last 11 contests and it'd be a genuine surprise to see him turning that around here. The remaining 10 rounder will see Desson Cag-ong (14-9, 8) fighting against Raymond Sermona (15-4-5, 8) in what looks like an excellent match up. Both have similar experience, both have a similar number of wins and both have the same number of KO's. Neither man is great or a future world champion, but both are better than their records indicate and both could move up to the OPBF level if they get proper development and management. One other bout we're interested in is the contest between the hard hitting Al Rivera (8-1, 7) and Ronald Postrano (7-18-2, 3). With Rivera having such great power it's hard to avoid him and he's certainly got the potential to be very exciting to follow. Unfortunately however Rivera does already hold a stoppage victory over Postrano. As well as the 4 bouts mentioned there are 2 others expected to be on the card, both of which look very competitive. |
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