Goa, India
This coming Friday our attention will be turning to India of all places, for what appears to be one of the biggest and most notable Indian shows in history. It features their biggest name professional in the main event and several other notable fighters on the show in what looks like an interesting event, albeit one that won't create waves outside of India. The big name in action on the show is the unbeaten Vijender Singh (12-0, 8), a former amateur standout who has been promoted by both Frank Warren and Bob Arum, with neither managing to turn him into the star they had been expecting. Sadly for the now 35 year old Singh his career seems unlikely to go much further, but it's nice to see him back in the ring after more than a year of inactivity. In fact this will be his first bout since November 2019. Sadly however his opponent for the bout, Russian fighter Artysh Lopsan (4-1-1, 2), really brings nothing to the table. Last year Lopsan was stopped in 7 rounds by novice Pavel Silyagin, and we suspect he'll likely be stopped again here as Singh looks to shake some ring rust and put on a show for local fans. Although Singh's bout appears to be a mismatch we do love the look of a supporting bout between Karthik Sathish Kumar (6-0, 3) and Sachin Dekwal (9-0, 6). A bout that actually looks like a real 50/50 match up, something we rarely see in India. The 24 year old Kumar has been matched incredibly softly, but has experience of fighting in Thailand, Dubai and India and has been, for the most part, fairly impressive against fellow novices. Dekwal on the other hand is the more experienced, more proven and slightly older man, and will likely be the favourite. Whichever way this one goes we suspect the winner will begin to be viewed as one of the key figures to build Indian boxing around. Also on this card will be the once beaten Ramandeep Kaur (7-1, 1), who will be looking to avenge her loss in rematch with Rinky Inder Kishore (1-0). The two women battled in January 2020, with Kishore taking a 6 round split decision win over Kaur and Kaur will be looking to right that wrong. This is nothing amazing on paper, but with the back story between the two women the bout does have some genuine interest and intrigue to it.
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Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Thursday we get world title action at Korakuen Hall on a show that features not only a world title bout, but also the long awaited debut of a man with a real point to prove, and rather unique back story, at least for Japanese boxing. The world title bout will see IBF Atomweight champion Saemi Hanagata (16-7-4, 7) make her second defense, as she takes on the unbeaten, and fast tracked, Eri Matsuda (4-0, 1). The experienced Hanagata won the title in 2018, winning a world title in her 5th world title bout, and made her sole defense of the belt in September 2019, when she narrowly over-came Nao Ikeyema, ending their trilogy that had previously consisted of two draws. Matsuda on the other hand turned professional in 2018 and has moved incredibly quickly through the ranks, unifying Japanese and OPBF female titles in her first 3 bouts. In the ring this will be Hanagata's work rate and come forward pressure going up up against the movement and technical boxing skills of Matsuda, and it should make for an excellent match up in terms of styles and skills. Our preview of this bout can be read here IBF Queen Hanagata takes on unbeaten challenger Matsuda In the chief support bout we'll see the long awaited debut of Narumi Yukawa (0-0), who was a talented amateur before being caught in possession of marijuana, which resulted in him getting a suspended sentence and putting his boxing career on hold. He's now served his time and will be debuting against Yuya Azuma (5-4-1, 1) in what should be a decent debut match up for the youngster. Interestingly Azuma was used as the debut opponent for Yukawa's stablemate Rentaro Kimura last year, and it's fair to saw that Yukawa will be looking to do better than the very highly touted Kimura. Just to add, Yukawa has set him self a lofty goal for the sport, with Boxmob reporting his goal for boxing is to "defeat Naoya Inoue", maybe a rivalry for the future? One other under-card bout on this show worthy of some attention is a match up between Ryu Oba (5-5, 3) and Mizuki Akima (5-3-1, 3). On paper this isn't anything special, though we were impressed by Oba last year, in his close decision loss to former Japanese champion Ryoichi Tamura, and there is clearly plenty to like about the 25 year old. The 29 year old Akima on the other hand won last time out and will feel confident of picking up another win here. This could end up being a bit of a sleeper hit given the toughness and styles of the men and the fact both will feel confident that they can pick up a win here in a well matched 6 rounder. Tynyshpayev Academy of Transport and Communications, Almaty, Kazakhstan As well as the Japanese show there is also set to be a low key card in Kazakhstan thanks to Tukeshov promotions. Sadly this card is a pretty poor one, though one with a lot of fights on it. In fact the card is set to feature 20 bouts in total, featuring 20 debutants, and not a single fighter with double digit pro bouts to their name. The only notable name on this card is 19 year old Kazakh hopeful Dastan Saduuly (5-1, 5), who is looking to secure his third win of the year. The once beaten Saduuly, who was destroyed last year by Vildan Minasov, will be up against the debut Aibek Zholdasbekov (0-0) in a scheduled 8 rounder. Whilst this is Saduuly's third bout of 2021 it's not a step up at all and it's a second straight bout against a debutant. Fingers crossed he steps up and gets bouts that are based around developing his skills rather than just padding his record. Sanman Gym, General Santos City, Cotabato del Sur, Philippines
This coming Wednesday we'll be getting Filipino action thanks to Sanman promotions. The card isn't a stacked one but it does feature plenty of noteworthy fighters in a 2-part, 10 fight, event. One of the main bouts will see former world title challenger Froilan Saludar (31-4-1, 22) take on Reymark Taday (10-13-1, 5) in an 8 round Bantamweight bout. This will be Saludar's first bout since losing the WBO Asia Pacific Super Flyweight title in February 2020, to Ryoji Fukunaga. This should be an easy return to the ring for the talented Saludar, but it's hard to know just what he has left to give the sport after being stopped in 2 of his last 5. As for Taday he's experienced but very limited and has gone 1-8 in his last 9. In another main bout we expect to see fireworks as Rimar Metuda (14-6-1, 8) takes on the highly experienced Eden Sonsona (36-12-2, 13), who will be fighting in his 51st bout. Metuda has lost 3 of his last 5, but started to build some success in late 2019, success he would like to build on now. As for Sonsona he was a tricky fighter, who could score surprise wins as he did in 2015 against Adrian Estrella. Sadly however Sonsona has lost his last 6 and seems to lack the hunger and desire for victory now a days. In a supporting bout the unbeaten RV Deniega (4-0, 2) will battle against Jovanie Tagusi (6-3-2, 3), in what looks like a very clear step up for Deniega. The unbeaten fighter will be in his first 8 rounder and has looked promising so far, however Tagusi is no push over and he is 4-1-1 (2) in his last 6. Others on this card include Adam Diu Abdulhamid (15-9, 7), Jake Borena (15-0, 10) and Harmonito Dela Torre (21-3, 13), who add some name value to the rest of the show. Sadly however all 3 men are in what appear to be mismatches. Aioi Hall, Kariya, Aichi, Japan
This coming Sunday attention turns to Aichi for the next show from the Midori Gym. Although not a huge show it does feature two interesting bouts, both of which are rematches and should be entertaining, and it also features two novice bouts that we want to quickly talk about. The main event is one of the two rematches and will see the exciting Tom Mizokoshi (7-2-1, 4) take on the all action Satoru Hoshiba (7-4, 2) for the vacant Japanese Youth Super Bantamweight title. The talented Mizokoshi stopped Hoshiba in 2 rounds when the men first clashed, but was in trouble before Hoshiba walked on to one, and failed to clear his head before the referee jumped in. It's fair to say Hoshiba, who is all about pressure and coming forward, will be after revenge here. As for Mizokoshi he will be looking to repeat his win over Hoshiba, and bounce back from a brutal loss last year to Hiroyuki Takahara. We expect genuine exciting action here, and a solid gelling of styles. For those interested in a deep dive on this bout, our preview of it can be read here Mizokoshi and Hoshiba face off for Japanese Youth title! The second rematch will see 2019 All Japan Minimumweight Rookie of the Year finalist Takumi Chono (6-1, 4) rematch Takefumi Higashi (5-9, 1). These two clashed last year and Chono mowed throw Higashi in 89 seconds. With that in mind we don't see this as a competitive one, but Chono's style is a really fun to watch one, and he is all about aggression and power. Higashi will likely come up short here, but it would be a genuine surprise to see him blown away quickly again as he is usually a very durable opponent and had only been stopped once in his previous 8 losses. Lower down the card we'll see Japanese-Brazilian Felipe Do Prado (0-1) seek his first professional win, as he takes on the debuting Shota Iwanaga (0-0) and we'll also see the wonderfully named Judgement Aizu (0-1) take on Shinsuke Nishii (1-0, 1) in another novice match up. This coming Saturday is set to be a great day for fight fans, some major bouts taking place around the globe, some with and some without Asian fighters involved. For fight fans who have been starved of big fights this month, things really do step up a gear this weekend.
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas, USA The biggest show of the day, by far, is from Texas where we see the long awaited rematch between Roman Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada as well as the massive female rematch between Jessica McCaskill and Cecilia Braekhus. The show will also feature the US debut of Japanese star Hiroto Kyoguchi (14-0, 9), as he looked to defend his Ring Magazine and WBA "super" Light Flyweight titles against Mexican youngster Axel Aragon Vega (14-3-1, 8). Kyoguchi turned professional in 2016 and raced away to his first world title, the IBF Minimumweight title, before moving up in weight in 2018, and winning the WBA Light Flyweight title in Macau, by stopping Hekkie Budler. Since winning the title he has defended the belt twice, and had planned to defend the title in 2020, before he had one bout cancelled due to Covid19 in May and then had to cancel a second bout when he himself tested positive. For the 20 year old Vega, who also debuted in 2016, this will be his second shot at a title, following a 2019 loss to WBO Minimumweight champion Wilfredo Mendez. Despite putting in a good performance against Mendez, and running him close, it's assumed this will be too much, too soon, for the Mexican youngster as he takes on one of the best Light Flyweights out there. Our in depth preview of this world title fight can be read here Kyoguchi makes his US debut, takes on Vega! Workpoint Studio, Bang Phun, Thailand Before the Texas card DAZN we get the chance to see an interesting Thai card, featuring a man who holds a win over both Roman Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada, and two very promising Thai prospects. The man who has beaten both Estrada and Gonzalez is, of course, former 2-time WBC Super Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvidai (49-5-1, 42), who looks to kick his 2021 campaign off with a tune up bout. In the opposite corner to the destructive southpaw will be former world WBA Minimumweight world champion Kwanthai Sithmorseng (50-7-1, 27). The hard hitting Srisaket is expected to face the winner of the Gonzalez Vs Estrada rematch later in the year, and is the WBC mandatory challenger for the winner. Rather than risking that title shot he'll be up against someone who has been stopped in 4 of his last 7, and scored his last major win more than a decade ago. Thankfully NKL and Work Point, in Thailand, are not dressing this up as a serious match up, and neither will we. This should be a regarded as a tune up for Srisaket before a big fight later in the year, and nothing else. In a really good supporting bout WBC Asian Boxing Council Super Flyweight champion Phongsaphon Panyakum (11-1, 6) will be defending his title against former Naoya Inoue opponent Karoon Jarupianlerd (44-10, 20), also known as Petchbarngborn Kokietgym. The once beaten Phongsaphon has reeled off 11 straight wins since a loss, on debut, to Kai Ishizawa, and has looked like a genuinely promising young prospect in recent bouts. Despite now having 10 losses to his name Karoon is certainly no push over, and he gave talented youngster Nattapong Jankaew genuine fits last November, and could end up being a very game challenger here. Aged 35 now Karoon has seen better days but mixing with the likes of Inoue, Akira Yaegashi, Kohei Kono and Sho Ishida has seen him pick up some tricks and he's a good domestic gatekeeper for the Thai scene. In another good supporting bout the unbeaten Chainoi Worawut (13-0-1, 12) will be defending his WBC Asian Boxing Council Super Bantamweight title, as he takes on former 2-time WBO Bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu (54-9, 36). The hard hitting Chainoi has been really exciting and destructive since beginning his professional career back in 2018, and despite an early draw he has looked like one of the most promising young Thai's in the sport. Despite looking promising he has been matched relatively softly and this is a genuine step up in class for him. Pungluang is very much a faded force from what he once was, but he's still a handful and his pressure and work rate should guarantee a really fun fight here. He might be past his best but Pungluang doesn't really understand how to take a step backwards and even got a fun and exciting fight out of Amnat Ruenroeng. We expect this to be a bit of a sleeper hit. This coming Friday is certainly not a busy day for Asian, fighters but there is a Kazakh fighter in action, looking to bounce back from suffering their first professional loss late last year.
Bolton Whites Hotel (formerly De Vere Whites), Bolton, Lancashire, United Kingdom The bout in question will take place in the UK and will see talented Lightweight Viktor Kotochigov (12-1, 5) clashing with the unbeaten Gary Cully (11-0, 5) in a bout for the vacant WBO European Lightweight title. The 27 year old Kotochigov was upset last October, when he lost a decision to the tricky Maxi Hughes in Dubai, and a second straight loss would be a major hit to his career. Cully, from the Republic of Ireland, has impressed in recent bouts, and blew out the unbeaten Joe Fitzpatrick just over a year ago. He'll be looking to build on that win here. Although not the most exciting of bouts, and neither man is a dynamite puncher, this should be a very competitive match up and, on paper, looks very even. --- Note, there was a scheduled bout between Ali Akhmedov (16-1, 12) and Scott Sigmon (35-14-1, 17) for this date. According to Vesti.KZ that bout was cancelled due to the purse offered to Sigmon being less than he was willing to accept. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Thursday we get the next show from the Ohashi Gym and despite once looking like a really good card the show has been ravaged by issues which has resulted in two of the bouts being removed from the show in the weeks leading up to the event. Despite the cancellations on the event we still have a solid show which should shine a light on some of the most promising young talent in Japan. The main event will see unbeaten Japanese 140lb hopeful Andy Hiraoka (16-0, 11) fight in Japan for the first time since 2019 as he takes on domestic foe Fumisuke Kimura (9-6-1, 6) in a scheduled 8 rounder. The talented Hiraoka, who is co-promoted by Top Rank, has had his last two bouts in the US, and now looks to tick over in what should be a straight forward bout here. In the opposite corner to the unbeaten 24 year old will be a 33 year old puncher who has lost his last 2 and would be seeking his first win in almost 2 years. On paper Kimura should be able to ask some questions of Hiraoka early but we suspect he'll come undone and be stopped somewhere in the middle rounds. In the chief support bout we'll see former K-1 champion Yoshiki Takei (0-0) make his professional boxing debut and take on 34 year old veteran Kazunori Takai (6-7-3, 3). Although Takei will be boxing for the first time he has turned to the sport with lofty expectations and has impressed with his hands, in K1 and in his pro-test bout. Despite only taking to the sport in the last few months it's clear Takei has a natural affinity to boxing and with Akira Yaegashi training him huge things are expected from him. It's hard to see this being anything but an impressive looking debut from Takei, who really has looked a natural in the footage that's been released of him training. Potentially the bout of the show will be a Flyweight bout as the unbeaten Taku Kuwahara (7-0, 4) takes on former Rookie of the Year winner Yoshiki Minato (9-3, 4). The 25 year old Kuwahara has been tipped for major success, but was sadly unable to fight in 2020, losing some of the moment he had built following a successful 2019, and will feel a need to shine here. Minato, who's just 22, made his big mark in 2018, when he won the All Japan Rookie of the Year, but back to back losses in 2019 slowed his climb through the rankings. Thankfully for Minato he scored a huge win last year, stopping Kohei Oba, and will be riding that win into this bout. Although not a huge bout this has the potential to be a very, very interesting and competitive one. The show will also have a Japanese Youth title bout on it, as Rikuto Adachi (14-2, 11) and Takeru Kobata (8-5-1, 3) trade blows for the vacant Japanese Youth Welterweight title. For the 22 year old Adachi this will be his first bout in well over a year, and his first since he left the Hiroki Ioka gym and became an Ohashi Gym fighter. Although talented Adachi was stopped juts a few bouts back, for this very title, when Kudura Kaneko broke him down and on paper this looks like it could be a tough bout for him. Kobata, despite having a less than flattering record, looked good last time out, when he ran Shoki Sakai close, and has the style and tenacity that could break Adachi down. Although not the most interesting bout on the show, on paper, this could end up being a very hotly contested one. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here - Adachi and Kobata go for Youth gold at Welterweight! Yurix, Munakata, Fukuoka, Japan
The first Japanese show for the month of March takes place in Fukuoka and although not a big one, by any stretch of the imagination, it is one that promises to have an explosive main event, and a potentially interesting under-card, with a lot of debutants in action. The main event will see the limited pairing of Fumiaki Sueyoshi (5-4, 4) and Yuji Hashimoto (6-5, 4) battle against each other in a 6 rounder. Notably both of these men are locals, born and living in Fukuoka, and there will be some local rivalry, but both are also very limited. Aged 28 Sueyoshi is the younger man, but he's lost his last 3 and 4 of his last 5, and has been stopped 3 times in his 4 losses. At 36 years old Hashimoto is much older man, and the tougher man, having never been stopped, but he has fought just once since 2007, and that was a loss last year to Shinnosuke Saito. We expect this one to be explosive, hard hitting and a crude but entertaining little war. From the 4 under-card bouts the one that looks the most notable is a Welterweight bout between featuring 22 year old hopeful Ken Ando (1-0, 1), who impressed 2 years ago, in his debut, but has been inactive for quite some time. He'll be hoping to make a statement on his ring return as he takes on 35 year old debutant Tatsuya Kidera (0-0). Interestingly this is an all southpaw bout, and could be a fairly explosive one, given how Ando looked in his 2019 debut. March 6th-Panya Pradabsri in action! Indian action! Central Asian's look to shine in the US!3/3/2021 This coming Saturday isn't a huge day for boxing, but there is more than enough to get your teeth into as we begin quite an interesting month for Asian boxing.
Rangsit Boxing Stadium, Rangsit, Thailand Arguably the most notable action of the day, at least for us, is in Thailand where we'll see a world champion in action and a really good looking all-Thai regional title bout. The world champion in question is WBC Minimumweight champion Panya Pradabsri (35-1, 22), who will be in action against a low level domestic opponent in a contracted bout well above the Minimumweight limit. This will be Panya's first bout since his title win, and huge upest, against Wanheng Menayothin. The plan for Panya is to have a tune up here before a potential rematch with Wanheng in the summer, so we don't expect to see him do much more than go through the motions here, but it's still good to see him in action. The most interesting of the bouts, on paper at least, is a WBC Asia title fight at Super Flyweight which will pit Kongfah CP freshmart (35-1-1, 18), aka Jakkrawut Majoogoen, against former world title challenger Wittawas Basapean (34-15-1, 12) aka Samartlek Kokietgym. On paper this might not look the best fight, but if we're being honest we expect a really exciting fight here. Kongfah is the younger and naturally bigger fighter, but Samartlek comes to fight and never takes a backwards step, so we are, genuinely, expecting a bit of a war. Kongfah should win, but he will not have an easy time with his more experienced foe. Aizawl, India Staying with Asian action we also get a show in India, which features a couple of noteworthy bouts. The main event here will see 21 year old Indian hopeful Lalrinsanga Tlau (4-0, 2) take on Ghana's Eric Quarm (4-1, 1) for the WBC Youth Super Featherweight title. The unbeaten Tlau will be fighting in his title bout and so far he has been pretty impressive, barely losing a round since his debut in 2019. The 23 year old Quarm, who is fighting outside of Africa for the first time, was last seen in the ring in 2019 when he lost in a bout for the West African Union Lightweight title. Although neither man is well known, this is a really interesting contest, and one that should provide some really good action, with both men desperate to avoid a loss and desperate to win the Youth title. Also on this card is an interesting match up between Indian fighter Asad Asif Khan (9-2-1-1, 2) and Afghan fighter Aimal Ahmad Sediq Zada (5-1, 4). Khan made his debut all the way back in 2011 and despite going 2-2-1-1 in his first 6 has reeled off 7 straight wins, and done so internationally with bouts in Thailand, Dubai and the Philippines. The hard hitting Zada lost on his debut, in 2018, but also comes into this one with some momentum on the back of 5 straight wins. This could end up being a very good bout, but one that is certainly easy to over-look. Miami, Florida, USA As well as the action in Asia we also have some central Asian fighters in action in Florida. One of those Central Asian fighters is Uzbek hopeful Kozimbek Mardonov (1-0, 1), who was impressive in his January debut. The talented former amateur standout is expected to be moved quickly he's being matched with the experienced Abel Nicolas Adriel (23-20-3, 5) here. The 31 year old Adriel has been collecting losses during his career, but with only 4 stoppage losses he is durable and should be able to survive a few rounds with Mardonov, though the Uzbek will be strongly favoured to pick up the win. Another Central Asian on this card is Tajik fighter Mekhrubon Sanginov (9-0-1, 6) , who looks to build on a career best win over Quincy LaVallais as he takes on Miguel Angel Suarez (15-6, 9). The 25 year old Sanginov will be favoured here, and will be expected to pick up his 10th win, and do so relatively quickly. Suarez, and Argentinian 39 year old, was once 15-0 but has lost his last 6, and has been stopped in 5 of those 6 losses. This looks like an easy win for Sanginov following some struggles vs LaVallais in January. Also scheduled for this show, though with no opponent named at the time of writing, is US based Azeri fighter Elvin Gambarov (14-0, 13), who will be looking for his third win of 2021. Gambarov has already blown away two limited opponents in Colombia this year and he's likely to be facing another over-matched foe here. It's a shame that we really don't know how good Gambarov can be as his competition so far has been beyond terrible. Fingers crossed we see him tasted later this year. Municipal Boxing Gym Felix Pagan Pintor, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
It's fair to say that February was a really, really quiet month when it came to Asian fighters in action. Thankfully March is set to be far busier, with regular action through out the month. The first bout with an Asian fighter for the new month will see the once beaten Kazakh Ruslan Madiyev (13-1, 5) take on the unbeaten Danielito Zorrilla (14-0, 11). We've not seen Madiyev in action since a July 2019 win over Ricky Sismundo, when he took a clear decision over the Filipino stalwart, and it's hard to know how much ambition the 28 year old still has for the sport. He was once tipped for big things but inactivity over the last few years, and a 2018 upset loss to Pablo Cesar Cano, does leave his career hanging by a bit of a thread. In the opposite corner to Madiyev will be a 27 year old Puerto Rican who has looked brilliant at times. The talented Zorrilla is on the verge of breaking out, and he just needs one or two recognisable names on his record. We don't think a win over Madiyev will be enough for him to become a star, but it will help move him forward, and move him towards bigger and better things. And we do expect him to pick up the win here. We think he's going to be too hungry, too big and too strong for the rather easy to hit Kazakh. |
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