 Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Monday attention turns to the Shinjuku FACE for the first of two shows at the venue, based around the East Japan Rookie of the Year, with 6 of the 8 bouts on the show being part of the Rookie of the Year. Of the 6 Rookie of the Year bouts on this show only one features an unbeaten fighter, as 21 year old Super Bantamweight hopeful Nagito Miura (2-0, 2) risks his unbeaten record against Taiju Usami (2-2, 1). Miura made his debut last year stopping fellow debutant Taro Taniguchi in 4 rounds before adding his latest win in April against Mizuki Seki. Usami is more experienced, with 4 bouts and 13 rounds to Miura’s 2 bouts and 6 rounds, but the 24 year old has been stopped twice, and had a very stop-start career, making his debut in 2021 and fight once in 2022, 2023 and this will mark his first bout of 2024. Notably Usami is the naturally taller man, but it’ll be interesting to see if he can make the most of a notable height advantage. One other bout that is particularly interesting is the debut of Fuentes Kitajima (0-0), who takes on Shunsuke Nakamura (1-2) at Lightweight. Kitajima is making his debut at the age of 35 and whilst he clearly has a very, very short career ahead of him it'll be interesting to see if he can use his man strength to overcome the 23 year old Nakamura, and progress in the tournament.
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 Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The main card for the day in terms of global boxing comes from Saudi Arabia, where we get the 5 Vs 5 show, pitting 5 Matchroom fighters against 5 Queensberry fighters. Some how one of of the bouts on that card will see Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42), representing Matchroom for some reason, taking on Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1, 21), who has fought under Queensbury a few times but is hardly regarded as a fighter who broke through under Queensbury. Despite the faulty gimmick around the fight, it is undeniably an interesting match up, between two awfully flawed, but in sanely powerful fighters. Wilder, a former WBC champion, is vicious with his power, and although he never really learned how to box, he has had undeniable success as one of the true punchers of his generation. Zhang is the better boxer, and hits just as hard, but at 41 his work and stamina are almost non-existent. This bout could either be a really crazy battle of power, with both men hitting the canvas multiple times. Or it could be one of the worst bouts we see this year, as both stand off, waiting for an opening, until one man lands a bomb and finishes the show early. It is a hard one to predict, other than to say we do not imagine this one going the distance. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Over in Asia the most interesting card comes from the legendary Korakuen Hall, where we get a real mix of bouts, including 2 regional title bouts and two supporting bouts featuring unbeaten prospects. One of the title bouts in Japan is, like the aforementioned bout in Saudi Arabia, not expected to go the distance. That is the OPBF Super Featherweight title bout, as Kosuke Saka (23-7, 20) defends the title against Yamato Hata (14-2, 13). In total the men have only seen the final bell 7 times in 46 bouts, and once 4 times in their combined 37 wings. Both are huge punchers, with Saka being the more proven but also the more flawed whilst Hata is the more intelligent boxer puncher but also the less battle tested. Both have been stopped before, and both make for extremely fun fights. This one, like Zhang Vs Wilder, is going to be one where you can’t really blink, for fear of missing something, and another we expect could end at any time. The other title bout will see former amateur standout Kenji Fujita (6-0, 3) make his first title defense, as he defends the WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight title against unbeaten Filipino Rodex Piala (10-0, 1). Fujita won the title in January, when he beat Joseph Ambo over 12 rounds, and is expected to do something similar against Piala, who is stepping up massively for this bout. Unlike the Super Featherweight bout, we’re not expecting bombs from both men, but instead we’re expecting a much more technical bout here between two talented, but light punching fighters. As for prospects on this card, we’ll see the highly skilled, though somewhat frustrating, Junya Shimada (6-0, 2) take on Yuya Hirose (9-3-1, 4), in what should be a very solid 8 rounder. Shimada took some time to find his footing in the pro ranks, going the distance in his first 4 bouts, but does appear to have settled into the professional at last and has stopped his last 2, including a 2nd round KO win over Jetro Pabustan in February. As for Hirose this will be his second 8 rounder, and comes on the back of a career best win over Chihiro Iwashita in February, though this is a very clear step up in class from that bout. The other prospect of real note on this card is WBO world ranked Flyweight Yoali Mejia Mosqueda (10-0, 7), a Mexican making his international debut as he takes on hard hitting Filipino Eldin Guinahon (9-2, 8). Mosqueda’s world ranking does seem a stretch, given his competition so far has been novices, but he’s an undeniable talent and this is a solid step up for him against a Filipino looking to make a name for himself. Sadly whilst Guinahon does have power, there is real question marks about his own durability, given he has been stopped in his last 2. Regardless, this should be a very fun fight, and we wouldn’t be surprised if the winner landed a WBO world title fight in the next 18 months. Minami Gymnasium, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan A second Filipino card takes place in Fukuoka. This is a much smaller card, packed with 4 rounders, many of which are Western Japan Rookie of the Year bouts. The one bout that isn’t set for 4 rounds is an intriguing Middleweight bout between Kazuki Kyohara (7-2-3, 3) and Katsuhiro Nakata (9-5-1, 5). Coming into this Kyohara just scored the second best win of his career, beating Rei Nakajima in January, with only his 2022 upset win of Tyson Koki being a more important win. As for Nakata he is without a win in his last 3, and was stopped recently by Riku Kunimoto. Given the styles of the two men, who are limited, but both come to fight, throw plenty and lack 1-punch power, this could end up being the opposite of the Wilder Vs Zhang fight, and could end up being a very, very fun, high tempo, brawl, with both letting their hands go and trying to out work the other. Antipas, Cotabato (del Norte), Philippines We also get two shows in the Philippines. On paper the more interesting of those is in Cotabato, with several bouts of note, even if none are hugely significant outside of the Filipino domestic scene.. One of the two 10 rounders on the show will see 23 year old puncher Angelo Beltran (9-2, 7) take on 23 year old Christian Jude Capuno (6-1, 2). Beltran has lost 2 of his last 5, but scored a good domestic win over Jeny Boy Boca last time out, in March. His most notable bout to date is a 7th round KO loss to Coolwell, with the Boca bout being his only one since then. Capuno on the other hand has won his last 4, though 3 of them have come against fighters with double digit losses and the other was a close bout against the 2-0 Justine Digamo. The other 10 rounder will see the pretty solid Richard Garde (9-2, 8) take on the once promising but not badly struggling Clyde Azarcon (17-10-1, 6). Garde is a 27 year old who lost once early in his career and has lost more recently to the very good DianXing Zhu, being the only fighter so far to last 10 complete with Zhu. Garde might not be a world beater, but he certainly seems like he could compete on the regional title scene in the coming years. Azarcon was once 13-1, but has since gone 4-9-1, and has been stopped in his last 7 bouts as his career has completely imploded. It’s very hard to imagine anything but a Garde win here. In an 8 rounder we'll see the unbeaten Nathaniel Dorona (4-0, 2) take on light punching journeyman Ramel Antaran (6-25-3), in what should be an easy win for Dorona. Another 8 rounder will see Crisalito Beltran (5-0, 4) take on the limited Rey Ramos (8-15-3, 3), who has proven himself as a durable fighter, but now aged 34 he has started to see the miles catch up with him and has been stopped in 3 of his last 5 bouts. Fingers crossed both Dorona and Beltran get to show what they can do here and move on to bigger and better things. Midas Hotel and Casino, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines The other Filipino card is in Pasay City, and in terms of quality, this has a better main event, but doesn’t have much to support a very good bill topper. The main event here will see the once beaten John Vincent Pangga (10-1, 7) take on fellow Filipino Danrick Sumabong (13-3-1, 9) in a bout for the lightly regarded WBF Super Flyweight title. Pangga suffered his sole loss to Alvin Camique in March 2023, and has bounced back with two stoppage wins since then, and looks to have quickly rebuilt his confidence following his loss. As for Sumabong he is 1-1-1 in his last 3, and whilst he did score a win last time out, against Anferne Palarca, it does appear that the stoppages that he had earlier in his career, with 8 of his first 9 wins coming earlier, have dried up with only 1 of his last 4 coming inside the distance. As for prospects on this card there is the promising Kevin Villanueva (3-0, 2), who faces Ernie Samoyag (2-1, 2). Coming into this Villanueva has stopped his last two inside a round, following a decision win on debut. Samoyag stopped his first 2, both debutants, before being stopped byu John Dave Villamor in December. Given that both have power and both like to throw shots earlier, this might be something of a "blink and you miss" affair. Uijeongbu Gymnasium, Uijeongbu, South Korea We have title action in South Korea, as the unbeaten Sung Chul Kang (5-0-1) defends the South Korean Lightweight title against Dong Young Lee (3-6-2, 1). Kang has won his last 4 bouts, beating Juanito Paredes for the title in March, and despite being the champion he really lacks any sort of quality on his record, which does say a lot about the Korean scene still. As for Lee he's not won any of his last 5, going 0-4-1, though did notably hold Min Jang to an unexpected draw in March. The draw with Jang shows there is something about Lee, but he’s going to be the very clear under-dog here. Nehru Centre, Mumbai, India Over in India we also have a small card, this show is all 4 rounders, and at the time of writing, almost half of the fighters on the show haven’t been announced, and from the ones that have they are all single digit fight novices. It’s a shame that we’re not seeing cards in India fully announced with much notice, but we do like the fact these cards are taking place, and are laying down the foundations in the most populated country in the world. It’s not a historical boxing country, but, a bit like China, it’s a potential sleeping giant in boxing, and one that has had success in the amateurs ranks, suggesting their is talent there, and eventually some of that talent will break out in the pros. This coming Friday our attention isn’t actually in Asia, but in Australia, where we see a number of Asian fighters in action over two shows “down under”
Gold Coast Turf Club, Bundall, Queensland, Australia On paper the best match up will see the once beaten Indian fighter Karthik Sathish Kumar (13-1, 5) take on unbeaten puncher Alexander Devyatov (15-0, 14). The 27 year old Kumar is pretty well travelled, having fought in Thailand, India, United Arab Emirates and the UK. Notably however he was stopped early in his UK bout, being stopped in 2 rounds by the unbeaten Sam Noakes in April 2023. That bout was his one “step up”, and showed his limitations. Devyatov is a 26 year old Russian born Australian who has been a total wrecking ball since his September 2017 Debut, and has stopped 11 in a row following a 6 round decision over Iiya Shcherbakov. Like Kumar he has traveled, picking up wins in Spain and Greece, before making his Australian debut last July. Given Kumar’s loss to Noakes it’s hard to see anything but another stoppage loss for the Indian fighter. Metro City, Northbridge, Western Australia, Australia Over in Western Australia there are a number of Chinese fighters in action, against Australian locals. On paper the most significant of the fighters involving Chinese fighters will see Steve Gago (13-2, 6) take on Aketelieke Jieensi (13-4-3-2, 4).Gago, who has family ties to East Timor and is known as the Timorese Terror, has a busy scheduled lined up for this year after being out of the ring a lot since 2020 , fighting once in 2020, once in 2021 not at all in 2022 and once in 2023. At his best he’s a solid domestic to regional level fighter, at Welterweight, but with the inactivity his career really has been frustrating in recent years. As for Jieensi he's well traveled, with this being his 6th bout outside of China, however his limitations have been seen and he was stopped by Jalen Tait last time he fought down under. On paper we have something of a mismatch as the unbeaten Joel Lewis (4-0, 1) takes on Zixiang Wang (4-4, 2). On paper this is a mismatch, however Lewis has fought opponents with a combined 3-11 record, and it’s fair to say that Wang is better than anyone Leis has faced so far. As for Wang the Chinese fighter is limited, with 4 losses in his 8 bouts, but he has yet to be stopped, and could give Lewis some good rounds here. Interestingly this is Wang's 4th straight fight against an unbeaten opponent. On paper a pretty interesting match up will see Australian based Nigerian born fighter Kazeem Soyoye (7-1, 5) take on the light punching Yangyang Li (8-3-2). Soyoye lost his most notable bout, a 10 round decision against Francis Chua very early on, and has won 4 in a row, though the quality of opposition has been poor. Li started his career in mixed form, going 2-1-2 in his first 5, before reeling off 5 wins, however he has lost his last 2, both on the road in Vietnam. In many ways both men are stepping up from their best win, but both are relatively unproven, and the bout will tell us more about both, even if neither is expected to go too far in the sport. Southport Sharks AFL Club, Southport, Queensland, Australia
This coming Wednesday we get a very quiet day in regards to Asian fighters, and the bouts they are involved in, however there is one bout of note, taking place in Australia. The bout of note for us will see Korean punched Tae Kyun Kim (9-1-1, 8) take on once beaten Australian fighter Dan Hill (5-1, 2). Kim , who is 7-0-1, in his last 8, will be looking to build on a recent win over and keep his momentum going. As for Hill, the Australian fighter was stopped 2 fights back by Dylan Biggs, but has bounced back with a win in April against Nathan Webber. Coming into this Hill will be the clear favourite, though knowing the Korean mentality, it’s fair to say Kim will not be there to just roll over.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Monday fight fans at Korakuen Hall are in for a low key domestic card, that might not be a sensational show, but should be one that features some interesting action, with some well matched bouts and some returns after lengthy layoffs, of some very solid fighters. The main event of the card will see the unbeaten Takara Kawaguchi (7-0-1, 4) take on hard hitting veteran Ryuji Ikeda (15-9-5, 10). The 26 year old Kawaguchi looked impressive before suffering a surprise draw in 2023 against Yusuke Konishi, that draw however seems to have changed him, and since that draw he has scored two stoppages, including one in a rematch with Konishi. He doesn’t look like a future regional contender, at this point, but could very easily be a contender on the domestic scene in the near future. As for Ikeda, who is still somehow only 28, he’s looking to get his career back on track and score a second successive win, after a 0-4-3 slump. Ikeda is heavy handed, experienced, has fought at a good level including a Japanese title fight, but is very much a man who appears to have taken a lot of punishment in recent years and is on the slide, despite only being 28. The chief support bout sees the in ring return of Hideyuki Watanabe (8-15-3, 6), who has been out of the ring for more than 2 years. The popular Watanabe, who always comes to fight but has lost 9 in a row dating back to 2015, will be up against Yuta Nakayama (8-6-2, 5). Although never regarded as a huge prospect Watanabe does make for fun fights, and became something of a regular feature at Korakuen Hall before his break, due to his fights being fun, win or lose. Sadly though with the long lay off and now aged 39 it’s hard to know what he has left to offer the sport. As for Nakayama the 28 year old has gone 0-3-1 in his last 4, and is without a win since 2019, and will know he needs a win here, which is likely why he’s been matched with Watanabe. The JBC ranked Lightweight contender Ryugo Yanagibori (10-3, 1) will be looking to bounce back from a recent loss to Shu Utsuki as he takes on professional glass cannon Kazuaki Miyamoto (9-8, 8). The light punching Yanagibori was riding a 6 fight winning streak before being stopped by the heavy handed Utsuki in December, including a win over the aforementioned Ryuji Ikeda, and will be expected to come out on top here, though we suspect his team are wanting to see how he reacts when Miyamoto catched him. In his 17 fight career Miyamoto has only seen the final bell once, way back in 2017 when he went 6 rounds with Monkey Shuhei, and since then he has had 13 bouts, obviously none have gone the distance and only 7 haven gone beyond round 2. Another popular fighter making a ring return on this card is the ever popular, but light punching, Joe Tanooka (15-9-5, 1), who faces off with Koya Sato (12-6-1, 2). Tanooka, who has long been a favourite fighter at Korakuen Hall, has been out of the ring since a loss in late 2021. Sadly he's gone 0-5-1 in his last 6 and it’s hard to know what he still has to offer. He’s a high tempo fighter, who is somewhat feather fisted, but makes up for it with a high output and fan friendly southpaw style. As for Sato the 34 year old was last seen in August last year, losing to Ryuto Oho in what was his only bout since 2019. Hard to know what he has to offer, but it should be enough to get a read on whether Tanooka is back for a new chapter of his career, or whether it’s part of a farewell for the popular southpaw.  Big Wave, Wakayama, Wakayama, Japan
This coming Sunday fight fans in Wakayama get a small but notable show featuring two interesting bouts. One of the main bouts here will see the unbeaten Yamato Moriguchi (7-0-1, 2) take on 21 year old Thai visitor Anantachai Duanyai (2-1, 2). The 20 year old Moriguchi won the All Japan Rookie of the Year last year, beating Ryoto Miura in December in the final, and certainly seems to have momentum behind him, in fact he’s now headlining in his hometown, in what is only his second professional bout in Wakayama. Interestingly for this bout he will need to drop weight, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if his team are looking to have him drop from Bantamweight to Super Flyweight. As for Duanyai he made his debut last June and won his first 2 bouts, before making his international debut, and being stopped by the fast rising Sho Nogami last October. Whilst this bout will be a chance to compare Moriguchi to Nogami, the reality is the two men are on very, very different career trajectories. The other notable bout on this show will see unbeaten Thai Chatpayak Srisuwa (3-0, 3) risk his record against Japanese fighter Shinsei Otani (7-2, 4). The local fighter was really unlucky last year, in a bout for the Japanese Youth title, when he narrowly lost to Kai Watanabe, and has since lost in Korea to Min Ho Jung. Coming into this with back to back losses he needs to get his career back on track with a win. As for the visitor, Srisuwa debuted last November and has won all 3 bouts, but all 3 have been at the Singmanassak Muaythai School, in Pathum Thani, and all 3 have been against complete professional novices. Meenayothin Camp, Bangkok, Thailand
In Thailand we have a small card, headlined by a pretty odd bout between Chinese fighter Yifeng Zhang (5-6, 3) and Thai veteran Wicha Phulaikhao (64-28-2, 28). Aged 33 Zhang has fought his last 3 bouts in Thailand, winning all of them early, and this is a major step up, on paper, for him as he takes on a former world title challenger. As for Phulaikhao the 42 year old Thai, also known as Pigmy Kokietgym, he was once a top contender, but has lost 10 in a row by stoppage, and is a very, very long way removed from the fighter who was once 42-5-2 and 52-6-2, the record he was when he fought for world titles. Hard to imagine either of these two doing much with their careers going forward, but it does make for an interesting match up. Nova Boxing Gymnasium, Incheon, South Korea Over in South Korea we get a card with 4 round bouts. As with the Japanese shows of this nature, the action is hot and well fought, with bouts typically being exciting, low level brawls rather than technical chess matches, making for fun and interesting action. Many of the fighters on this show are either debutants or 1 fight novices, and we suspect their lack of experience, and amateur pedigree will make for great action. Morais Clarion, Trichy, India We also get a 4 rounder show in India, with again novices making up much of the card, which, like the Korean show, should be a fun show, but one that shows a lack of technical ability. The one, potential, exception to that statement, is 26 year old Sehran Sandhu (10-0, 10), who has proven to be a heavy handed fighter on the Indian scene, and is expected to move to 11-0 when he takes on Syed Sikander KK (0-1) ProBox TV Events Center, Plant City, Florida, USA
The ProBox events have been of the best things in boxing over the last few years, regularly giving us great match ups, against B and C tier fighters who have been struggling to secure notable fights, either lacking the name to draw an offer or being high-risk/low reward fighters that promoters don’t want their want their fighters to face. It’s been a breath of fresh air and not only have they been well matched bouts, but also exciting clashes, with fighters who are not just evenly matched, but also stylistically interesting. This Wednesday we get another ProBox show and like the others it’s a card that should over deliver, and be much more than the sum of it’s parts. For us the most notable bout on the card is the 10 round clash pitting the once beaten Canadian based Kazakh fighter Batyrzhan Jukembayev (22-1-0-2, 16) takes on US based Ukrainian fighter Ivan Redkach (24-6-1-1, 19). Both of these men are on the back end of their career, with Redkach being 38 and with only 1 win since a 2019 win over Devon Alexander. At his best he was a fringe world challenger, though did often fall short against the notable opponents he faced. He’s never been a bad fighter, but was never a top tier fighter, and has slipped notably from his prime. As for Jukembayev, he’s 33 himself and is certainly not the fighter he once was, though he has bounced back really well since his 2021 loss to Subriel Matias, in what was a world title eliminator. We’re not expecting this to be one of the best ProBox bouts, but it will tell us whether or not Jukembayev has enough in the tank to remain a contender, or whether his best years are behind him. Dhaka Residential Model College, Dhaka, Bangladesh
This coming Sunday we’re set for a small card in Bangladesh, as they look to build their local scene like other countries in the region, such as India and Pakistan. Most of the bouts on this card are 4 rounders, with many of them being novices against debutants. The one bout of actual note however will see Brishti Khatun (2-1-1) battle against Jui Lima (3-0) in a rematch of a bout that took place in March, with that being a 6 rounder and this rematch being an 8 rounder. In their first bout the judges were split with Lima taking the win to retain her unbeaten record, and she’ll be looking to repeat that result here, whilst Khatun is looking to avenge her first professional loss. Whilst it can seem odd to have immediate rematches at times, at other times it can be good, and we dare say that if these two are well matched, their rivalry could, potentially, help raise the quality of boxing in Bangladesh, something that would be good for the sport in the long term.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
On paper the main card in the Orient is in Tokyo, where we get a Japan Vs China and Thailand show Although the card is Japan Vs China and Thailand, there is actually only a single bout featuring a Thai, and that’s the bout pitting the brilliant Mikito Nakano (9-0, 8) against Sathaporn Saart (13-1, 8) in the show’s main event. On paper this looks like a really good bout, though in reality Nakano is one of the best prospects in Japan, and seems to be on the verge of a domestic, or regional title bout. As for the Thai he lost on debut, in a baptism of fire against the then 24-1 Thiranan Matsali, before reeling off 13 straight wins. Many of those wins are relatively low key, but he did beat Pipat Chaiporn, Ken Jordan and Nattapong Jankaew during that run. Notably this is Saart’s first fight outside of Thailand, and it’s a really tough one against a very talented and hard hitting hopeful Talking about hard hitting and talented Japanese hopefuls, few are as explosive as former amateur standout Hiroto Yashiro (5-0, 5), who clashes with hard hitting Chinese visitor Jun Zhao (13-4-2, 10). Yashiro has scored 5 wins in just 13 rounds, with 7 of those rounds coming in his 2023 clash with Nattapong Jankaew, and he has looked like a real talent so far. As for Zhao, he was one of the better Chinese fighters out there at one point, but at 31 he has likely started to decline just a touch, as seen by a 3-fight win-less streak coming into this. In fact he’s not scored a win in over 4 years, and he’ll likely know he needs a win here to keep his career alive. Another man needing a win right now is former Japanese Welterweight title contender Masaya Tamayama (14-4, 8), who fights for the first time since November 2022, and seeks his first win since May 2021. He’s up against the once beaten Fan Zhang (6-1-1, 4). Sadly for Zhang he was blown out inside a minute last time out, and many of his wins have come at a very, very low level making it hard to know how good he really is. One bout where China might be expected to pick up a win is a bout between the light punching Eikichi Ueno (4-2-2) and unbeaten Chinese fighter Lite Dawuxi (6-0, 4). For Ueno this is his second 6 rounder and he’s 2-1-2 in his last 5, all against novices. Dawuxi, who’s making his international debut, has also mostly fought novices, but did stop the experience George Lumoly last time out, in what is a career best win. Higashin Arena, Sumida-Ku, Tokyo, Japan Staying in Tokyo, we’ll also get a Dangan card at the Higashin Arena. This card, which we won’t go into much detail about, is a card packed with 4 rounder bouts. The bouts, by themselves, aren’t really worthy of much attention, but one thing we do know about these shows is they tend to give us great action, and a lot of fun fights. The men involved are all novices, and none of them are expected to develop into top international contenders, but they will put it all on the line on what will be a very fun and wild show. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan A third noteworthy Japanese show takes place in Osaka where Juiki Tatsuyoshi (15-0-1, 10), the son of the legendary Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, takes on limited Thai veteran Chaiwat Buatkrathok (41-9, 27). Tatsuyoshi is a flawed but fun fighter who has been developed slowly, and whilst he’s never going to become the fighter his dad was, he will always be fun to watch due to his offensive style, power and defensive flaws, all of which he actually shares with his father. Sadly though he is clearly much more limited than his father and lacks the X-factor charisma his dad had. As for the Thai, Buatkrathok is a very limited fighter and despite having 50 bouts to his name he still fights like a novice, with a lot of flaws and has a very, very padded record. Cheongpyeong Family Hotel, Cheongpyeong, South Korea Outside of Japan we also get a small but notable South Korean card In a scheduled 8 rounder unbeaten 21 year old Korean based Uzbek hopeful Egamberdi Nuriddinov (4-0-1, 2) takes on Chinese fighter Biegezhati Suosailehan (7-3-2, 6). For Nuriddinov this will be his second bout of the year, and his first career 8 rounder, and it’s fair to say his team have got strong expectations for him, even if he’s still very much a developing and maturing youngster. Suosailehan on the other hand will be in his second 8 rounder, though he has also fought in a pair of 10 rounders, and is 5-1 (5) in his last 6, dating back to 2020. Suosailehan is likely to look the bigger man, having fought as high as Light Heavyweight, but Nuriddinov definitely has the more class and pedigree, and we suspect that will be the difference here. In a battle of unbeaten men Uzbek Doniyorbek Khaitaliev (6-0, 4) will face off with China’s Balihenbieke Balihenbieke (2-0-0-1, 1), over 6 rounds. Khaitaliev looks good on paper, but when you scratch beneath the surface you notice that 5 of his 6 wins have come against novices, and the only time he fought someone with some experience he went the 4 round distance and lost one of those rounds. Aged 20 Balihenbieke went 6 rounds back in January, giving the then 3-0 Han Mi his first loss, and it’s fair to say he’ll be coming into this to take another unbeaten record. This could be much, much more competitive than it looks at first glance. The show was also set to see former Korean amateur standout Jong Hun Shin (1-0) take on Run Zhao (2-3-1,1), with Shin looking to build on his impressive debut in against Ranelio Quizo in December 2022, but sadly that bout has now been scrapped, and it seems like we’ll never really see how good of a professional Shin could have been Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Whilst the main action involving Asian fighters is taking place in Japan and Korea we can’t forget the card taking place in Saudi Arabia. There is a lack of notable Asian fighters on the show, but one man does deserve a mention, and that’s 23 year old Afghan fighter Hasibullah Ahmadi (16-1, 5) who takes on British fighter Isaac Lowe (24-2-3, 8), with Lowe looking for a 4th win since back to back stoppage losses against Luis Alberto Lopez and Nick Ball. As for Ahmadi he is looking for his second win since a loss in March 2023 to the under-rated Dana Coolwell. Ahmadi will be the under-dog here, but is an upset minded fighter who has sprung a few surprises during his career, and will see this as a chance to really make a name for himself on a huge card in Saudi Arabia. |
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