Tokyo, Japan After a rather quiet June we see action really pick up in July, and to begin with we get a stacked Ohashi card with a wonderful mix of notable names, novice prospects interesting match ups. The main event will see Japanese Light Welterweight champion Koki Inoue (13-0, 10) making his first defense of the title, as he takes on the limited but fun to watch Ryuji Ikeda (14-5-3, 9). Inoue, the cousin of Naoya and Takuma Inoue, won the title earlier this year, when he out pointed veteran Valentine Hosokawa and has suggested that he's wanting to put on a fun fight for fans here. Ikeda can punch, but is defensively open and we suspect he has been selected as an opponent to make Inoue look good. A full preview of this bout can be read here Inoue takes on Ikeda in Japanese title defense An excellent supporting bout will see the hard hitting Tsuyoshi Tameda (19-4-2, 17) take on Japanese based Korean Tae Il Atsumi (16-2, 8). Whilst the main event looks like it will be an easy one to pick the winner in this bout is the opposite, with a real 50-50 feel to the bout. Atsumi is a tough, aggressive and skilled with a lot of potential whilst Tameda is an explosive puncher, but one who hasn't looked was stopped last December, by Hinata Maruta, and didn't look his most destructive in his March win over Renerio Arizala. The once touted Sho Nakazawa (12-3, 6) has a must must win bout as he takes on Jinya Ito (7-5-1, 2). Nakazawa was a solid Japanese amateur but with 3 losses in his last 7 bouts, including one to Tae Il Atsumi, and he looks like his potential won't be realised due to real question marks about his durability. Ito should pose no real threat, and has lost 5 of his last 8, but Nakazawa needs to do more than "just win", he needs to look good. Touted prospect Katsuya Yasuda (3-0, 2) takes on his biggest test as he faces off with Japanese based Filipino foe Jerry Castroverde (10-6, 5). The talented Yasuda has a lot of potential, but has had issues with inactivity and at 27 years old now he needs to kick on and try to make the most of his potential, likely why Ohashi has matched him with Castroverde. The 22 year old Castroverde is a good young test for anyone at this level, and although he has lost 4 of his last 5 he should ask questions of Yasuda Another touted prospect on this card is Taku Kuwahara (4-0, 3), who looks to continue his winning run as he takes on domestic foe Kyomu Hamagami (4-2-2, 4). The 24 year old Kuwaha really impressed us last December, when he beat Takamori Kiyama over 8 rounds, but since then his competition hasn't been the best and we're really hoping to see him stepping up again before the year is over. He's a real talent who should be pushed hard and fast. The 22 year old Hamagami is limited, but the guy can punch, and could, potentially, give Kuwahara his first chin check, though we do suspect the unbeaten man to be too sharp to really be tested by the hard hitting but technically limited younger fighter. Interestingly one of the worst looking bouts on paper may end up being one of the most interesting. The bout in questions sees Ohashi puncher Kentaro Endo (7-9-1, 6) take on the in form Fumisuke Kimura (9-4, 6). Endo is very limited, but really can punch and will be looking to take Kimura out. Kimura on the other hand comes into this bout following big domestic wins over Hayato Ono and Giraffe Kirin Kanda, which have pushed him to the verge of a Japanese title fight. This could be very exciting and very explosive. After June this card is an ideal way to kick off a packed July!
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Pattaya, Thailand
Attention is split this coming Sunday with two Asian shows, the most notable which takes place in Pattaya in Thailand and is a card with a really international feel with fighters from all over the globe taking part. The main event will see Malaysian based Uzbek Anvar Turapov (3-1, 2) take on Filipino foe Roberto Gonzales (28-5, 17) in a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Light Welterweight title. On paper this looks like a mismatch, with a huge gulf in experience between the two men, but the reality is that Turapov, even with a loss, is a highly regarded prospect. Gonzalez has one of the sports most padded records and given that Gonzalez has been stopped in 3 of his last 4, we wonder what his ambition is like here. We wouldn't be surprised at Gonzalez looking for a way out when the pressure amps up. Another title bout on this card will see the unbeaten Thai based Englishman Michael Alan Flannery (5-0, 5) battle Thai local Uthit Punsen (20-5, 11) for the lightly regarded ABF Middleweight title. Flannery, originally from Ormskirk in England, has scored 5 blow out wins in Thailand already, including 3 already this year. This is a step up for the Englishman but we are expecting him to quickly take out his Thai foe, who has already been stopped in 4 of his 5 losses. Flannery isn't the only fighter with a 100% KO rate on this card, with Malaysian puncher Muhamad Farkhan (9-0, 9) looking to extend his perfect start against Indonesian veteran Alexander Bajawa (43-8-4, 16). On paper this looks a really good test for Farkhan, however the 37 year old Bajawa has been stopped in 7 of his 8 losses and been stopped 5 times in the last 3 years, including a 3rd round loss to Farkhan last December. As well as the two title bouts we've already mentioned there will be two other minor title bouts, though neither of these are hugely exciting on paper. One will see Murodjon Yokubov (2-0, 1) against 37 year old Thai loser Thongchai Kunram (7-17, 3) whilst the other will have Vaibhav Singh Yadav (5-1, 3) up against Phongsathon Sompol (11-6, 6). Ulsan, South Korea The card in Korea is must less deep, but does feature an interesting Korean hopeful in the main event. The notable hopeful is Korean Middleweight Sung Jae Jo (8-0, 6), who risks his unbeaten record against Thai foe Somprasong Chuenchana (12-15-1, 3). The unbeaten 23 year old Korean is a genuine talent, but has a lot of developing to do if he's to reach his potential. He needs bouts like this to develop his experience, but we don't expect him to be tested too much here. In a good supporting bout we'll see Ki Chang Go (6-3, 2) take on Joo Ho Lee (5-3-1) in an all-Korean bout at Super Flyweight. Of the two men Go is the more well known, though he is best known for being stopped earlier this year by Masahiro Sakamoto. Lee on the other hand has never fought outside of Korea, though will fancy his chances to score a career best win here. Incheon, South Korea The biggest bout for us this Saturday will see WBA female Super Featherweight Hyun Mi Choi (16-0-1, 4) defending her title, for the 7th time. The Korean fighting queen will be up against 38 year old Japanese challenger Wakako Fujiwara (8-2-2, 3), in what we suspect will be a bit of a mismatch in favour of the Korean. Choi, who has fought in well over 10 world title bouts, has almost all the advantages here and should be too good for the veteran challenger. A full preview of this bout can be found here Korean queen Choi takes on Fujiwara in 7th defense Noida, India In India fans get a small but notable card featuring a host of local hopefuls. The card isn't big, by any stretch, but does feature a number of unbeaten fighters. One of the bouts on the card is a 6 rounder between Sachin Dekwal (4-0, 2) and Chiranjit Bauri (0-2). It's hard to not imagine Dekwal extending his unbeaten record here, but it's good to see him staying busy after 4 fights last year, and fingers crossed their will be a step up later in the year. Another 6 round bout on this card will see females clash as the heavy handed Urvashi Singh (4-2, 4) battles against debutant Bhawna (0-0). Again it seems obvious that the fighter with experience should pick up the win, but it's still nice to see her staying active, and this will be her 5th bout in the space of 12 months. China As well as all the other action in Asia there will also be a small card in China featuring novices in low key bouts. There's not much to talk about here, though from what we under-stand much of the card will feature all-debutant bouts. Singapore, Singapore Another low key Asian card is in Singapore where local talent will be on show. The fighters in action on this show include Nurshahidah Roslie (13-2, 10), Muhammad Ashiq (6-1-1, 5) and Rey Caitom (7-0-1, 2), though none of the fighters had their opponents names at the time of writing. Quebec, Canada Outside of Asia we do get some interesting action, with two highly regarded Kazakh prospects. The more highly regarded of the two men is Sadriddin Akhmedov (8-0, 7), who looks to bounce back from his decision win over John Ruba as he takes on Mexican fighter Daniel Vega Cota (14-3-1, 11). This should be a straight forward win for Akhmedov, especially given Cota has been beat in a few recent fights, but questions will be asked about how Akhmedov has recovered following an injury suffered in the Ruba fight. The other touted prospect is Nurzat Sabirov (9-0, 8) who will battle against Hungarian puncher Laszlo Toth (7-0, 6), the less well known fighter with this name. Sabirov is regarded incredibly highly as a prospect, has power, skills and a very good amateur pedigree but we wouldn't be surprised if he was given a bit of test here by an unbeaten fighter with a point to prove. Whilst Hungarian fighters do have a reputation of not travelling well Toth's namesake, a very solid Welterweight, has proven a capable fighter so hopefully this Toth can also prove to be a solid fighter on the road. Also on this card will be the debuting 21 year old Aman Kazankapov (0-0),who was an excellent amateur and looks to be another excellent young Kazakh signing for Eye of the Tiger Management. Kazankapov's debut will be against Mexican novice Ismael Molina Moreno (2-1, 2) and although Moreno has been dangerous in the opening round he isn't expected to live with the Kazakh debutant, who is expected to be a real top prospect. Connecticut, USA Staying outside of Asia we'll also see Filipino fighter Neil John Tabanao (17-5, 11) take on the unbeaten, and extremely skilled, Tramaine Williams (17-0, 6) in Connecticut. The Filipino is a bit of a road warrior, though he's struggled in bouts away from home recently, and has lost 4 of his last 5 outside of the Philippines, including a very wide loss to Angelo Leo in the US in April. The unbeaten Williams has already fought twice this year and looks to be making up for what was a frustrating 2018, in which he fought just once. He is a very talented, quick and sharp fighter and could well find himself using Tabanao as a punch bag here. Compostela Valley, Philippines The most notable card this coming Friday is in the Philippines where we get a small but interesting card with several notable domestic clashes taking place on the show. The main event will see PBF Flyweight title bout between Arnold Garde (10-7-3, 4) and Renz Rosia (14-8-1, 7), in what is easily the best bout of the show. Garde was last seen going 8 rounds with Hayate Kaji in Japan, and show he was tough and a little awkward. Despite that showing it needs to be noted that he has only scored 1 win in his lat 5 and it's hard to know what ambition he really has. Rosia, of course, is no world beater himself but another loss for him really could be the end of any hopes he has of landing another big fight, and would leave him win-less in 5. For both guys this is essentially a must win bout. In a supporting bout we'll see talented Light Flyweight Rene Mark Cuarto (16-2-1, 9) look to bounce back from a recent loss to the world ranked Samuel Salva. The talented Cuarto will be expected to get a relatively straight forward win here, as he takes on the limited Mike Kinaadman (6-9-2, 4), who has lost his last 7 in a row. One other fighter on this card worthy of a note is Aries Buenavidez (13-3, 7), who will be expecting to pick up his 14th win as he takes on limited domestic foe Kim Lindog (5-6-1, 4). Tokyo, Japan As well as the Filipino card there is also a small card in Toyko thanks to Flash Akabane. Sadly the most interesting fighter scheduled for this card, Zirolian Riku (8-0, 3), has had his bout cancelled and won't be on the card despite being announced for the show to begin with. The main event of this card will see Akihiro Yamanaka (7-7-2, 3) battle against Yuki Uchida (6-6, 1), in an 8 round bout. Given the records of the two men it's clear neither is a world beater. However both are well matched and this should be a very competitive and well contested bout between two men with very similar records, and two men who will be coming into this with the belief they can pick up a win. The co-feature will see Ken Achiwa (11-15-5, 4) take on Hikaru Ota (9-9, 5), in another bout that should be competitive, but not an incredibly high quality bout. Achiwa may have the worse looking record on paper but he has been matched incredibly hard and run guys like Suguru Muranaka and Yuki Nasu and Yuku Fukimoto close, and he could have had a very, very different record with a little bit of luck through his career. Thailand One other card, that we got late notice of, was a show in Thailand, set to be headlined by OPBF Flyweight "silver" champion Panya Pradabsri (25-1, 14), who will be looking to get past tough Filipino Robert Onggocan (12-5, 8) before beginning a run for a Light Flyweight world title later in the year. His team had planned to petition the WBO for a shot at Angel Acosta before Acosta's recent loss, and will likely still push forward with their desire for a world title fight at 108lbs. Nevada, USA In the US we'll see Uzbek fighter Sanjarbek Rakhmanov (11-2-1, 5) look to rebuild his confidence after losses in 2 of his last 3. Having started his career 10-0-1 Rakhmanov has really faltered in recent fights, losing to Marquis Taylor and Keith Hunter in the last 12 months. He's not a bad fighter, but we don't expect him to be one of the stars of Uzbek boxing in the future. Tokyo, Japan This coming Tuesday we'll see a really good card from Tokyo as Japanese and Korean fighters clash, and we get a female title fight featuring a fighter who has been put on the fast track. The female title fight will see Japanese female Minimumweight champion Chie Higano (8-8-1, 2) defending her title against touted novice Mizuki Chimoto (1-0, 1), who looks to win a Japanese title fight in just her second bout. Chimoto was a former amateur standout who looked sensational on her debut and is clearly being pushed hard by her team at the Watanabe Gym. Higano is a nightmare to fight with her aggression and style, but she will enter as the under-dog against the talented upstart in what should be a very interesting match up. A full preview of this bout is available here Chimoto goes up against Higano in Japanese title fight! The title bout is actually in the middle of the card, with the main event being the Japan Vs Korea bout that looks most likely to have fireworks. The match up in question will see unbeaten Korean teenager Jeong Han Cha (5-0, 5) take on Japanese puncher Takahiko Kobayashi (8-3, 6) in a bout at 140lbs. This has the potential to be a very exciting bout between two heavy handed, but flawed, young fighters who will be in the ring attempting to stop the other, rather than win a decision. Another Korean teenager on the show will be In Soo Jang (5-1-1) who will battle former Japanese amateur standout Suzumi Takayama (1-0, 1), in what could be a very interesting match up. Jang is only 19 but already has a 6 round bout under his belt. Takayama on the other hand made his debut in February and is taking a clear step up in class here, though was a very accomplished fighter on the amateur scene. Another Japanese novice on this card will be Ai Tomomatsu (0-0), a former amateur stand out who will be up against unbeaten Korean puncher Sang Geun Lee (6-0, 4). This is a baptism of fire for Tomomatsu, but a win will give his career a huge boost straight away and we wouldn't be surprised by him showing his amateur skills to shine here. Lee is dangerous, but Tomomatsu will be favoured. One other interesting bout between fighters from the two countries will see Do Jin Lee (6-1-3) take on Mirai Naito (7-1, 3), the brother of OPBF Light Welterweight champion Rikki Naito. On paper this looks like a really competitive bout, and although we don't expect thrilling fireworks this should still be a very compelling match up. This coming Sunday we won't see much action but there is a Korean show, with a title fight, and a Japanese show. Cheorwon, South Korea The Korean card is a BoxingM show, headlined by a Korean Heavyweight title fight and supported by some international bouts with Korean fighters taking on visitors from China and Japan. The title fight will see Sung Min Lee (6-1, 2) battling against Hoo Won Lee (4-5) in a bout for vacant Korean Heavyweight belt. It's hard to get too excited about this bout, especially given the differences between the two fighters records. We suspect the 28 year old Sung Min Lee will record a 6th straight win here, though his competition to date has been pretty limited so far. Despite the limitations of Sung Min's competition Hoo Won Lee has not really score any winss better than that of his name sake, and has actually lost his last 3, including a decision loss in 2017 to Japan's Kotatsu Takehara. The undercard will see a pair of Korea Vs China bouts and 4 Korea Vs Japan bouts. On paper the most competitive of those looks like a 4 round bout between Kyung Min Hwang (5-0, 3) and Yutaka Asakura (4-1-1, 3), though and we wouldn't be surprised to see the Korean fighters win most of their bouts, if not all of them. Fukuoka, Japan In Japan we get a show from Fukuoka, but sadly it's a very low level one, with most of the card being 4 round bouts between novices, including a rookie bout. Whilst almost all of this card is low level fighters each looking to get an early career win there is an interesting main event, as the once highly tipped Takumi Sakae (20-3-1, 14) takes on Indonesian journeyman Ellias Nggenggo (13-12-3, 5) in what should be a pretty decent 8 round headliner. Sakae showed some real promise early on, winning the 2013 Rookie of the Year and his first 13 bouts in a row, though has sadly gone 7-3-1 since and not managed to fulfil his early promise. The 30 year old Nggenggo was one a very serviceable fighter, going the distance with the likes of Tibo Monabesa, Ryuji Hara and Paipharob Kokietgym. Sadly however Nggenggo has bee stopped in 5 of his last 8 and we'd expect him to be taken out again here. Bang Phun, Thailand Attention turns to the Work Point Studio in Bang Phun for the next WP Boxing event, which will be aired on Work Point in Thailand, as we're also expecting it to be aired on DAZN in the US. One of the two main bouts on this card will see Thai based Dutch fighter Nick Frese (9-0, 7) take on Filipino foe Sonny Katiandagho (12-4, 7) in a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Welterweight title. The unbeaten Frese is a real talent and and is likely to find himself in big fights by the end of next year, and this is a very good step up in class for him. Katiandagho has lost 3 of his last 4, but they include losses to Baishanbo Nasiyiwula and Downua Ruawaiking. The Filipino can fight, and if he's up for this he could test Frese, though we do question his confidence coming in to this. The other main bout on this card will see the very highly touted Apichet Petchmanee (3-0, 2) take on his most notable test to date, as he battles former world title challenger Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (61-3, 41). Apichet is a former amateur standout and is now a very good prospect, who can fight at either Lightweight or Light Welterweight. He failed to shine last time out, taking a decision over Shota Suito, though was still a very clear winner. Chonlatarn is best known for losses to Chris John and Vasyl Lomachenko, down at Featherweight. At 34 years old Chonlatarn is a long way removed from his prime and his best weight. Scotland, United Kingdom In Scotland, of all places, we see the return of Pakistani fighter Muhammad Waseem (8-1, 6), who fights for the first time since losing a razor thin decision to Moruti Mthalane in 2018. The talented Waseem, who was previously fighting out of Korea, signed with MTK global and this will be his first bout with the ever growing management group. His opponent for this bout will be Tanzania's John Chuwa (17-3, 9), who looks like a good test on paper, but is unlikely to give Waseem much of a test, given how good the Pakistani fighter is. Pennsylvania, USA Unbeaten Tajik hopeful Anvar Yunusov (7-0, 3) looks to take his next step towards a big fight as he battles against Angel Luna (11-5-1, 6) at the 2300 Arena. The unbeaten man was a 3-time Olympian before turning professional just over 2 years ago and at the age of 32 he really needs to speed up his pursuit of a big fight. The 29 year old Luna has lost 5 of his last 6, including losses to Tevin Farmer and Christopher Diaz, and we suspect this will be another from the Dominican. Shanghai, China In terms of low level action in Asia there will also be a card in Shinghai, featuring novices. There's not too much to get excited about. One bout of some interest here will see Li Liu (1-0) take on Xiru Ma (0-0) at 140lbs whilst an all debutant bout at Super Featherweight will pit Zhaoxian Cai (0-0) against Xiaolong Han (0-0). Given that those are most interesting bouts on the card it's fair to say there's nothing too big on the show. Chiba, Japan This coming Wednesday attention turns to Chiba for a world title triple header. The show not only has a trio of world title bout but also features a couple of promising Japanese prospects, both taking a step up in class. The main event of the show will see Japanese 3-weight world champion Kazuto Ioka (23-2, 13) have his second shot at the WBO Super Flyweight title, as he takes on Filipino puncher Aston Palicte (25-2-1, 21), who also gets his second shot at the title. These two both fought Donnie Nietes for the vacant title late year, with Palicte earning a draw and Ioka suffering a narrow loss, and with Nietes vacating the title to pursue a legacy defining fight, the two men get the chance to face off with each looking to make the most of their second chance. This should be a high skilled battle between two very talented fighters, with very different strengths. We're not expecting a FOTY style war, but we are expecting a very, very good bout. Our preview on this bout is available here Ioka and Palicte vie for vacant WBO crown! Another fantastic looking world title fight will see unbeaten men collide, with WBA Light Flyweight "Super" champion Hiroto Kyoguchi (12-0, 9) defending his title against unbeaten Thai challenger Satanmuanglek CP Freshmart (11-0, 5) , aka Tanawat Nakoon. For Kyoguchi this will be his first defense, following his title at the end of 2018 against Hekkie Budler. The Japanese star will be strongly favoured here but it should be noted that the Thai challenger is a former Muay Thai stand out and should not be regarded as a push over. This should be very interesting and a real chance to see if the Thai is a legitimate threat in the world of professional boxing. Our preview of this bout is available here Kyoguchi takes on unbeaten Thai challenger Satanmuanglek The third of the world title fights will see a second WBO Super Flyweight world champion being crowned, this time the female champion as in form Japanese fighter Miyo Yoshida (12-1) takes on Casey Morton (8-1-3, 1). Yoshida has managed to win Japanese and OPBF female titles on her climb up to this bout, but this is a bet test on paper, an her first 10 round bout. It should noted that whilst this should be Yoshida's toughest bout to date Morton did not impress in her her last bout at Super Flyweight, when she was clearly beaten by Thai foe Jutamas Jitpong and it could be that she just isn't suited to the 115lb weight class. Our preview of this bout is available here Yoshida and Morton battle for vacant WBO world title! The more notable of the prospects on this card is the talented Shu Utsuki (4-0, 3), who looks to build on his stoppage win over Jerry Castroverde as he takes on Japanese based Venezuelan Omrri Bolivar (8-1, 3). Utsuki seems on his way to getting a title fight in the next 12 months or so and this is a really good step up in class, against a talented and often over-looked foe. The 28 year old Bolivar is no world beater but he's solid on the fringes of domestic level and should give Utsuki some tough rounds. The other prospect on this card is former amateur stand out Shisui Kawabata (1-0, 1), who made his debut earlier this year. The 23 year old Japanese fighter had been touted as one to watch before his debut, back in March, but was surprisingly dropped in his first pro bout. He'll be hoping for a better performance here as he takes on Thai visitor Mongkol Kamsommat (5-4, 4). It should be noted the Thai is 0-2 in Japan, but did go 7 rounds last year with Kenichi Horikawa and is certainly better than his record suggests. This could be a real test for Kawabata. Wakayama, Japan This coming Sunday attention turns to Wakayama for a small card, featuring some young talent. On paper this is a very easy show to over-look but there are certainly some fighters on it worthy of some attention. The most notable fighter involved on this show is 2018 Rookie of the Year winner Yuri Takemoto (6-1-1, 3), who seeks his second win of 2019 as he takes on Indonesian foe Kiki Marciano (1-3). Coming in to this Takemoto has won his last 5, including taking the Featherweight Rookie of the Year crown last December Hikari Mineta, and will be flying high with confidence. The 34 year old Marciano was in Japan last year, when he was stopped in 2 rounds by Koshin Takeshima, and we wouldn't be surprised by him being stopped again here. Another Rookie king on this show is 2015 Super Featherweight Rookie of the Year Retsu Kosaka (9-4, 3), who takes on Indonesian foe Anshori Anhar Pitulay (9-17-2, 6). Kosaka won his first 7 bouts in a row but has since gone 2-4 and looks like his ceiling is less high than many expected. Saying that however it is worth noting that 1 of those 2 wins came over the very fast rising Ryo Sagawa. The 33 year old Pitulay has suffered 15 stoppage losses so far through his career and we're expecting his 16th stoppage to come here, especially given that he has been stopped in 5 of his last 6 bouts. A third bout on this card worthy of some note will see Taichi Sugimori (7-5, 2) battle against Wataru Ikegami (6-4-1, 3) in what looks like a competitive match up. Neither of these men are likely to make a big name for themselves but this match up, by it's self, is a solid and competitive one. Between them both have been beaten by their better opposition, though it is worth noting that Sugimori does hold a very good win over Dynamic Kenji from back in 2017, in what is the best either man has so far. Ekaterinburg, Russia In Russia we'll see a rematch between Kazakh Firuza Sharipova (10-1, 5) and Russian Yuliya Kutsenko (7-1-1, 3), with Sharipova looking to score her second win over Kutsenko. Shripova gets a lot of attention in the Kazakh press, though much of it is to do with her looks rather than her boxing skill, but she doesn't seem to have the desire to really make the mark that her media suggest. It's hard to see anything but a win for Sharipova, but it's really time she started to take her boxing career seriously and take on serious challengers, rather people she has already beaten and second rate foes. This coming Saturday we get several bouts of note, including a world title fight in Ukraine and a small but notable Filipino card. Kiev, Ukraine The world title bout will see Azeri born Ukrainian Artem Dalakian (18-0, 13) defending his WBA Flyweight title against mandatory challenger Dennapa Kiatniwat (20-1, 15), aka Sarawut Thawornkham, from Thailand. The champion will be looking for this third defense here, and will enter a very clear favourite, though for the first time he's taking on a young challenger, who has real belief. This isn't a washed up challenger, or a veteran who has seen better days, but is instead a man rising a 20 fight winning run. Dalakian has a strong amateur background, a good reign as the champion and a lot of momentum at the moment. Kiatniwat on the other hand has never notched a win on the road, but has shown some real promise despite this being a massive step up in class. A full preview of this bout can be read here Dennapa takes on unbeaten WBA king Dalakian Davao del Sur, Philippines As well as the bout in Ukraine there is, as mentioned, a show in the Philippines thanks to Red Boxing International. The main event of this show is a Heavyweight bout, a real rarity for the Philippines. The bout will see the once beaten Ronald Johnson (15-1, 4) take on the hugely experienced Saul Farah (69-23-3, 60). Johnson is a 33 year old American who debuted at Super Middleweight, back in 2004, and last fought in 2017, more than 60lbs heavier than he was on debut. At 36 years old Farah is a true veteran and will be fighting the 96th time. The Bolivian is certainly no world beater, but he is an active fighter and a win here would be his 70th as a professional, a figure very rarely hit in modern day boxing. One of many good looking supporting bouts will see the once beaten Christoval Furog (7-1, 3) take on Orlie Silvestre (13-5-1, 8), in what should be a very competitive bout. Of the two Furog is the less well known, but he did give Christian Bacolod one of his toughest bouts to date, whilst Silvestre has shown his ability with competitive performances against Reiya Konishi and Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr. This has the potential to be very entertaining. In other notable under-card bouts we'll see the unbeaten Roy Nagulman (8-0-1, 6) take on Jufry Kakahure (4-2, 4) and the promising KJ Natuplag (8-0-2, 7) battle Reynold Kundimang (4-1-3, 1). It's hard to see past the unbeaten fighters here, but they should be tested and we should see questions being asked of both hopefuls. Victoria, Australia In Australia we'll see a number of journeyman from Asia in action, with the only fighter of real note being unbeaten Korean Deok No Yun (3-0, 2), who battles against the once beaten David Drapac (6-1, 3). This will be Yun's third bout in Australia, and sees him stepping up to a 6 rounder for the first time. Drapac has a nice looking record, but has only beaten novices and the professional Aswin Cabuy. This is a pretty interesting match up, and Yun certainly has a good chance to extend his winning run. |
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