Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Thursday attention returns to Korakuen Hall for a small, yet relatively notable, card with a Japanese female title bout and a bout between touted novices, each looking to move their respective careers forward. The title fight will see Japanese Female Featherweight champion Kimika Miyoshi (16-13-1, 6) defending her title against the once beaten Akane Fujiwara (5-1, 2). Aged 38 Miyoshi has certainly a long career, with 30 bouts over her 14 year career. Sadly though she has very much been inconsistent with wins and losses scattered fairly evenly through her career. Coming in to this bout she's enjoying her second reign as the champion and will be looking to make her first defense since reclaiming the title this past February. As for Fujiwara she's rebuilt well after a loss on her debut, and comes into the bout on the back of 5 straight wins, though they have all come against novices and it's hard to read too much into her results so far. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Japanese champion Miyoshi takes on Fujiwara! In a really interesting support bout Junki Shirasaki (1-0) will take on Yudai Murakami (1-1). As an amateur Shirasaki came 5th in the national championships and turned professional with a lot of expectations on his shoulders, though had sadly has his career curtailed by the pandemic and he has been out of the ring since his debut in November 2020. There is real skill her, but a lot of lost time and the 29 year old now needs to make a move and get his career under way, properly. As for Murakami he looked good in his debut, and moved into 6 rounders last time, but was surprisingly stopped by Yudai Yakabu last December. We expect a high level of skill on show here, with both being well schooled amateurs before turning professional, and although not likely to be a war it should be a very interesting match up.
0 Comments
Nissan Arena, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
There isn't much Asian action scheduled this Wednesday, but we are expecting to see Filipino fighter Gretel de Paz (6-6-2, 2) in action in Australia, with the 29 year old Pinoy scheduled to face Australian Bantamweight champion Taylah Robertson (4-1, 1). The Aussie is someone to keep an eye on, especially given some of the other top international fighters at 118lbs and 122lbs, and we suspect her team will feel confident of matching her hard in the future, given her razor thin loss to Shannon O'Connell last year. As for de Paz, the Filipino is limited but tough and has gone the distance in losses to the likes of Susie Ramadan and Miyo Yoshida. We don't expect this to be a great bout but it is a nice chance to see the emerging Robertson, who was a very solid amateur before beginning her professional career Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Tuesday fight fans at Korakuen Hall get an interesting card, with two solid title bouts and two interesting bouts featuring prospects. The main event of the card will see hard hitting Lightweight champion Shu Utsuki (10-0, 8) take on the highly skilled Izuki Tomioka (7-5-1, 2), in what will be Utsuki's first defense. Utsuki won the title earlier this year, when he stopped Masahiro Suzuki in 9 rounds, and rather than taking on an easy opponent with a style that could make him look amazing he's taking on an awkward, quick boxer who has a style that could well make him look limited. As for Tomioka this is a third shot at a title, and whilst he's come up short in his previous two he has been very competitive, before being stopped, with Shuichiro Yoshino and Masayoshi Nakatani, suggesting he could be a nightmare for Utsuki as well. Our in depth preview of this bout Utsuki seeks first defense of Japanese title as he takes on Tomioka The other title bout will see OPBF Light Welterweight champion Koichi Aso (25-9-1, 16) defending his belt against fellow veteran Akihiro Kondo (33-10-2, 18), in what could be a genuinely thrilling war. Both of these men are heading towards retirement, both have slowed and are edging towards 40 years old. However their styles, even at an advanced age, should gel with Aso being an aggressive pressure fighter letting shots go and using physicality whilst Kondo is a slower, more intelligent fighter who relied on timing and ring craft. The slowing feet of both men, and their styles should lead to something of an intense and thrilling action bout. Our preview of this bout can be read here OPBF king Aso takes on tough veteran Kondo! In a notably supporting bout the once touted Go Hosaka (5-1, 3) looks to bounce back from his October loss to Ryo Nakai as he takes on the experienced Kazuma Sanpei (20-7, 9). When he turned professional, in the Philippines, Hosaka was tipped for big things and he looked like one to keep an eye on straight from his 2018 debut. Sadly however the closure of the ALA Gym and the pandemic really slowed his ascent and he hasn't looked good in either of bouts in Japan, a narrow win over Kanta Fukui and the loss to Sakai. As for Sanpei he's got a good looking record, but has lost his most notable bouts and is 1-2 in his last 3 with his last notable win coming back in 2019. He needs a win to remain genuinely relevant, but it's fair to say that he's been selected as the opponent here to give Hosaka's career the boost it needs. A loss for Hosaka really would be the destroy the expectation for him as a prospect. Another supporting bout will see former Japanese amateur sensation Ryusei Baba (1-0) fight in his second professional bout, as he takes on the hard hitting Shugo Namura (5-1, 5). Baba, who really was a stand out amateur winning an All Japan crown and competing internationally, is expected to be moved quickly through the ranks with big bouts expected sooner rather than later. As for Namura, the hard hitting 27 year old has scored all 5 of his wins in the first 2 rounds, but has come up short against his only notable opponent, with Akira Hoshuyama beating him in the the East Japan Rookie of the Year final in 2020. If Baba can see out the opening two rounds, he should get the chance to shine here and take a controlled victory to move his career forward. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Monday we get the next show under the Dynamic Glove banner, and it's a really notable one, with the Japanese ring return of a notable Lightweight, an interim Japanese title fight and a chance to see 5 notable unbeaten prospects in action. The main event will see Masayoshi Nakatani (19-2, 13) return to Japan for the first time in well over 3 years, as he takes on Harmonito Dela Torre (22-3, 14). The talented Nakatani hasn't fought in Japan since he beat Hurricane Futa back in 2018. Since then he has fought 3 times, fighting Teofimo Lopez, Felix Verdejo and Vasyl Lomachenko. Despite not fighting in Japan recently Nakatani's profile has risen massively with those 3 fights and he has gone from being a fighter only known in Asia to a fighter with something of an international profile. As for Dela Torre, he's a talented fighter, but someone who has come up short in his most notable bouts, with losses to Tugstsogt Nyambayar, Yongqiang Yang and Shuichiro Yoshino, with that loss to Yoshino happening in his only previous bout in Japan. Whilst we suspect that Nakatani could see off Dela Torre early on, we actually expect to see him take a few rounds, enjoy the the feel of a Japanese audience and then, finally, get to work on finishing Dela Torre in the middle rounds. In the co-feature bout we'll see former Japanese Welterweight champion Yuki Nagano (19-3, 15) take on Takeru Kobata (11-5-1, 4) for the interim Japanese Welterweight title, with the bout being organised following an injury to Japanese Welterweight champion Keita Obara. Notably Nagano was supposed to face Obara for the Japanese title earlier this year, with that bout being cancelled due to Obara's injury which appears to be series enough for an interim title to be created. Coming into this Nagano knows he has everything to lose, and a loss to Kobata would end any hope of that Obara bout being re-arranged. As for Kobata this is a massive chance for him to make a name for himself, and coming in to this he really isn't well known, even in Japan, so this opportunity is absolutely massive for his career. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Nagano and Kobata clash for Interim title! One of the many prospects on this card is the much touted Mikito Nakano (5-0, 4), one of the very best prospects in Japan, who takes on Filipino Juanito Paredes (9-7-1, 4). The talented Nakano didn't fight at all last year, and has fought just once since the start of the pandemic. Despite his career stalling during the pandemic there is no denying Nakano's ability, and he's incredibly smooth in the ring, with a solid amateur career and an impressive transition to the pro ranks, which should see him fighting for a title of some sort within 3 or 4 fights. As for Paredes he's unlikely to put up much of a test for Nakano, though we wouldn't be surprised to see him take Nakano into the later rounds of the bout. Notably Paredes has turned his career around well, after a 1-4-1 start to his career, but he has lost 2 of his last 3 and is facing arguably the most talented fighter he's faced so far. A second unbeaten hopeful taking on a Filipino visitor is Katsuya Fukui (3-0, 2), who will face off with Jason Buenaobra (8-6-3, 3). The talented Fukui began his career in 2019 but sadly was out of the ring for the entirety of 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. He return last year with a career best win, over Hiroki Hanabusa, and will be looking to build on that win here. As for Buenaobra, he is best known for his 2020 loss to Daigo Higa, in what was Higa's long awaited and since then has gone 1-1 suggesting. Sadly for Buenaobra he is 1-3 in his last 4 and it would take a career best performance for him to over-come the must touted Fukui. Another former amateur standout taking on a Filipino visitor is Subaru Murata (1-0, 1), who battles against John Mark Tihuk (6-1-2, 2). The talented Murata, who is one of the most notable Japanese amateur in recent memories, debuted last June in Las Vegas, when he stopped Keven Monroy on a Top Rank card, and he'll be expected to be moved very quickly now, especially given the time that he's wasted since hanging up the vest and turning professional way back in 2020. Notably the Japanese local isn't being matched easily here, and Tihuk is no push over, in fact the 23 year old Pinoy reached the semi final of the UBS tournament in 2020 and has reeled off 4 straight wins since then, taking 3 unbeaten records along the way, including that of Ranelio Quizo. This should serve as a genuine test for Murata. One other bout worthy of note will be the debut of 24 year old hopeful Kota Kaneko (0-0), who went 56-13 as an amateur. The promising 24 year old will be up against Thai visitor Pasith Visetso (6-2, 4), who is ranked #9 in Thailand. Kaneko really did look like a promising talent in the unpaid ranks and there are big hopes in the Teiken gym for him, and his future in the sport. As for the Thai, he's a 21 year old who will be fighting outside of Thailand for the first time. On paper Viseto doesn't look anything special, and his wins have come against fellow novices, though it's worth noting that he faced Kongfah CP Freshmart, though he was stopped in 3 rounds in that bout. L-Theatre, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
This coming Sunday is a busy one for Japanese fight fans with 3 shows in the country. Sadly none of the shows are major or have huge bouts, but there is some interesting action all the same. The most notable single bout takes place at the L-Theatre in Osaka, on a show being promoted by Taiho promotions. The bout in question will see JBC number 2 ranked Super Featherweight Ken Osato (17-4-1, 5) take on Yuna Hara (11-2-1, 6) in a very good 8 rounder match up. The talented comes into the bout 2-2 in his last 4, but they did include a razor thin loss in a Japanese title bout against Masaru Sueyoshi in 2019. As for Hara he comes into this with momentum, having won his last 5, with 4 stoppages. Osato should be the favourite, but Hara is very much a live under-dog here. Sadly that bout aside this is a weak card, with 4 supporting bouts, all of which are 4 rounders. L-Theatre, Osaka, Osaka, Japan After the Taiho card fans at the L-Theatre will also get the chance to see a West Japan Rookie of the Year show, with a scheduled 6 bouts set for it. The show will serve as the semi-finals for the West Japan Rookie of the Year tournament. One of the bouts on this card will see Taito Nakamura (1-0) take on Gakuto Yamaguchi (6-0, 4) in a Featherweight bout. On paper this is a bit of a mismatch, given the clear experience edge for Yamaguchi, though it is worth noting he's only 20 years old and has had a very stop start career since debuting in Thailand in 2017, aged 15 and only made his Japanese debut last July, going 3-0 (1) in his homeland. As for Nakamura, who's 19 himself, he made his debut this past April and will come into this with plenty of belief himself. The only debutant on this card is Super Flyweight hopeful Kohei Konishi (0-0), who takes on Ken Watanabe (2-0). The 23 year old Konishi is, like many debutants at this level, a total unknown whilst Watanabe debuted late last year and has struggled in both of his bouts so far, only narrowly defeating Genki Kakiuchi in April. At Super Bantamweight Kirei Yasumura (1-0, 1) takes on 19 year old southpaw Seia Oshiro (3-0, 1). Yasumura, who's 22, debuted in November with an opening round KO win over Shinya Saito but sadly with that bout lasting just over 2 minutes it's hard to read much into it. As for Oshiro he debuted in August and has looked better with every fight so far, making this one a great match up to see what both men may have in the locker. Arena Tachikawa Tachihi , Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan Outside of Osaka there is also a show in Tokyo which will feature a couple of good 8 rounders. One of those 8 rounders will see the hard hitting Hayato Ono (8-4-2, 8) take on under-rated 34 year old Fumisuke Kimura (9-9-1, 6), in a rematch of a clash the men had in early 2019. Ono is heavy handed, but looks to be a bit of a faded force, having gone 0-2-2 in his last 4, with the first result from that win-less run being an opening round loss to Kimura. As for Kimura the veteran isn't a future title contender, but he is an upset minded fighter, who beat Ono and Giraffe Kirin Kanda in back to back fights, but is now win-less in his last 6, going 0-5-1. This really is a bout where both men will feel they need a win to keep their relevant career's alive. The other 8 rounder is the main event of the show and will see JBC ranked Lightweight Shinnosuke Saito (9-4, 2) take on Ikemen Atsushi (7-8-2, 2). The talented Saito won the All Japan Rookie of the Year in 2019 and has gone 3-1 since then, with his most recent win coming in December against Mirai Naito. Although not yet ready for a title fight he is slowly edging his way there and we suspect the 26 year old is maybe 4 or 5 fights from a domestic title fight. At for Atsushi he's lost his last 4 and really hasn't been competitive. This focus here seems to be on getting Saito some ring time after a few months out, with bigger and better fights coming for him later in the year. Holywings Club, Gatot Subroto, Jakarta, Indonesia As well as all the action in Japan, we also get a small but very notable, card in Indonesia. The card features one of the brightest hopes in Indonesian boxing, a once touted Indonesian hopeful and a Croatian-Australian Heavyweight. The rising star of Indonesian boxing, Andika D'Golden Boy (18-0, 8), will be seeking his 19th win as he takes on professional novice Wandi Priman Hulu (1-0). Andika was once linked to a fight with Hiroto Kyoguchi, before the pandemic ended those hopes, and in many ways the 26 year old hopefully has probably been saved from a loss, and given time to match, develop and prepare better for a high level bout like that. Sadly though we're not sure what he'll get from beating a Hulu, who struggled in his only recorded bout, last October. In a more even looking bout we'll see the once touted Defry Palulu (24-2-1, 14) takes on Indian visitor Asad Asif Khan (11-2-1-1, 3). At one point Palulu was tipped as the big hope for Indonesia, but now aged 31 his career looks like it will never reach the heights once expected of him. Despite that he is still one of the countries best fighters and should be too good for the 28 year old Khan, who will be facing his most notable opponent to date. Khan has gone unbeaten since losing his first 2, but he has been matched very softly so far and this is a legitimate step up in class for him. The most bizarre bout on the show will see former David Haye opponent Mark De Mori (39-2-2, 35) face off with Indonesian fighter Satria Antasena (5-19, 3) in a real "WTF?" bout. The 40 year old De Mori is no world beater, as we saw when Haye stopped him in just over 2 minutes, but he is riding a 9 fight winning streak, all by KO, and will likely extend that here. Antasena is a well travelled Indonesian fighter, but also someone who tends to pick up very early losses and has been stopped 15 times in his 19 losses, with 6 losses in the opening round. We expect another early blow out for him here Aktau, Kazakhstan
The most notable Asian action this coming Saturday comes from Kazakhstan where we'll get the chance to see some of the top Kazakh hopefuls in action. In one of the main bouts the unbeaten Meiirim Nursultanov (16-0, 9) will be looking to defend his WBO International Middleweight title, as he takes on Argentina's Sebastian Horacio Papeschi (18-3, 6). The talented Nursultanov is now 28 and will be looking to move towards a more serious title fight in the near future, but will have to work his way there and the WBO International title will be his key to climbing up the WBO rankings towards a shot. As for Papeschi this bout will be only his second outside of Argentina, following a 2021 win in Panama. Notably the Argentinian does hold a win of note over over former world title challenger Marcelo Esteban Coceres, but a win here would be regarded as an upset by him. In another leading bout the once beaten Bekman Soylybayev (13-1, 5) will be up against former world champion Tomas Rojas (52-20-1, 34). The 31 year old Soylybayev suffered his first loss last year, losing a close decision in Dubai against Ramiro Cesena, and has picked up a low key win since then though if we're being honest the jury is still out on how far he can go, especially as a 31 year old in the talent laden Super Featherweight division. If he can come close to a world title fight we would be very surprised. As for Rojas the Mexican veteran, who had his biggest success at 115lbs more than a decade ago, is now 41 and is still, surprisingly, having some success with recent wins coming against Jhonny Gonzalez, Jairo Lopez and Ranfis Javier Encarnacion. It's easy to pick against Rojas here, especially with 4 losses in his last 5, but he is upset minded and will not be there to just roll over for the local. Arguably the most notable hopeful on this card is former amateur standout Bekzad Nurdauletov (4-0, 2), who is looking to score his 5th win as he takes on Argentinian Durval Elias Palacio (9-2, 6). The talented Nurdauletov is one of the best talents in Kazakhstan and we suspect over the next 12-18 months we'll see him face progressively better opponents with a potential bout against a notable name in late 2023 or early 2024. He is a genuine talent, though his opponents so far really haven't asked many questions of his ability so far. Palacio on the other hand won his first 9 bouts, but has lost his last 2, and will come into this fight with no real confidence or momentum. This should be a good chance for Nurdauletov to get some more rounds under his belt, but we don't imagine Palacio really testing him here. One other bout of note will see former Kazakh amateur Berik Jedibayev (0-0) make his professional debut, taking on Uzbek fighter Burgut Hodjiboyev (8-4, 3) in a 6 rounder. We can't find much about Jedibayev's amateur days, but he does pop up in a few reports of amateur shows, and when a fighter begins their career in a 6 rounder it is a good sign that they will be moved quickly. As for Hodjiboyev he comes into this on the back of 3 straight losses, but all of his losses so far have come to unbeaten fighters, and he'll be there looking to upset the local hopeful Rumours International, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia In Queensland we'll see former world title challenger Apinun Khongsong (18-1, 15) take on Steve Spark (14-2, 13). The heavy handed Apinun, also known Downua Ruavaiking, is best known for his 2020 loss to Josh Taylor, in which he was stopped in a round. Since then he has bounced back with two low wins but will be looking to give his career a big shot in the arm here as he takes on Steve Spark, a gutsy and exciting Australian fighter who has plenty of power his own. Although Spark, like Apinun, lost his most notable bout, a 2021 clash with Tim Tszyu, he showed his toughness and fire in that bout, and we'd expect this one to be a genuinely tense, yet exciting bout that could end at any moment. Hobart Netball and Sports Centre, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia Staying in Australia we'll also see Indonesian veteran in action, as Arief Blader (27-33-3, 11) takes on Luke Jackson (19-2, 8), in what looks like an horrendous mismatch against Blader. The 36 year old Blader, dubbed "The Ice" has got some rare momentum coming in to this, having won his last 4 bouts, but that momentum is unlikely to help when you consider those wins came against very poor domestic foes, and he has never scored a win on his travels. As for Jackson a win is expected as he looks to bounce back from a 2020 loss to Tyson Lantry. A bit of a confidence builder for Jackson and little else. Domo Alcalde, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
The main bout for us this coming Saturday comes from Mexico where we see the WBA Light Flyweight title being unified, as the "super" champion Hiroto Kyoguchi (15-0, 10) takes on "regular" champion Esteban Bermudez (14-3-2, 10), in what should be a wonderfully explosive war. The unbeaten Kyoguchi has, sadly, not fought since beaten Alex Aragon Vega back in March 2021 and with more than a year out of the ring he has lost much of the momentum he's hard, which was already slowed due to the Pandemic that kept him on the sidelines for 2020. Despite that he will be the favourite here and will be hungry to leave Mexico as the WBA king, and as a man in a great position to set up unifications. As for Bermudez he has been inactive for almost as long, haven't not fought since his huge upset win over Carlos Canizales in May 2021, for the WBA title. That win aside there is little on Bermudez's record, but that win was a destructive one against a top divisional talent. We expect this to be a really, really exciting battle. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Kyoguchi and Bermudez battle for WBA supremacy Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York, USA Staying in the West we'll also see Big Uzbek Heavyweight hopeful Bakhodir Jalolov (10-0, 10) headline take on Belgian based Congolese born fight Jack Mulowayi (11-2-1, 7). On paper this looks like a great chance to Jalolov to break out as a professional, making the most a great opportunity on a ShowBox card. The Unbeaten 27 year old has promised a lot, but lacks a major win as a professional, and a win here won't change that, but will help him connect with fans and help open doors in the future for him. As for Mulowayi he's best known for going the distance with Frank Sanchez in 2019, and since then has gone 4-0 (4) and done so on the road, with a very notable win in Russia against Apti Davtaev. This is, on paper, a step up for Jalolov, but a step up he should make en route to some much bigger fights later in the year. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan In Asia it's self we are also set to get a 4 round Dangan card, as Dangan Promotions and Watanabe Promotions work together. Sadly this card doesn't have any sort of notable fighter on the show, but as with all the 4 round bouts like this the action is quick, fun and typically exciting, with young fighters looking to kick their career off and make an immediate impact. On this particular card there are two bouts we want to briefly touch on. One bout will see 18 year old debutant Ryoma Yamamoto (0-0) take on the unbeaten Kensuke Suzuki (4-0, 1), up at Welterweight. Yamamoto is only 18 and is small for a Welterweight, even by Japanese standards, but will be go into this bout with the hope of picking up a debut win. As for Suzuki he's not a puncher but he is an unbeaten 22 year old looking to secure his 5th win in less than 2 years. The other bout worthy of attention, albeit for a very different reason, is an all debutant bout between 34 year old Yasuomi Soda (0-0) and the brilliantly named 33 year old Anju The Bull (0-0), a Japanese based Indian fighter. There really isn't much to add here, but Anju The Bull is a great name, and with this bout taking place at Middleweight we are expecting some really explosive action here. Super Arena, Saitama, Saitama, Japan
This coming Tuesday is one of the most anticipated days of the boxing calendar this year with a huge rematch taking place in Saitama, along with two other title bouts and notable bouts for two other prospects in what is a genuinely mouth watering Japanese show. The main event of the card is a sensational match up as WBA "Super" IBF and Ring Magazine Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (22-0, 19) takes on WBC champion Nonito Donaire (42-6, 28) in a highly anticipated rematch. The two men had an instant classic in 2019, when Inoue dropped Donaire en route to a unanimous decision, in the WBSS Bantamweight final. That bout was however Inoue's toughest and the Monster suffered a number of serious injuries in the bout despite his win. Since then both men have looked destructive, with Inoue going 3-0 (3) and Donaire going 2-0 (2) and they come into this bout unifying 3 of the 4 major world titles. This is a bout that should have skills, fireworks and genuine excitement. Our in depth preview of this bout is available here The Drama In Saitama II - Inoue Vs Donaire "The Rematch" In the chief support bout Andy Hiraoka (19-0, 14) will be defending his Japanese 140lb title against the hard hitting Shun Akaiwa (7-3-1, 5), in what is expected to be bit of a break out bout for Hiraoka. The talented, and world ranked, Hiraoka is expected to move towards major international bouts in the next year or two and a win over Akaiwa on a bit platform like this show is key to helping him build his profile. Although Hiraoka will be the favourite it is worth noting that Akaiwa is no push-over and he will be there looking to over-come Hiraoka and claim a career best win. Akaiwa will be dangerous, can hurt fighters, but we suspect his lack of overall polish will be the difference maker here. Our preview of this bout can be read here Hiraoka defends Japanese title against Akaiwa Another major supporting bout will see former world title challenger Takuma Inoue (15-1, 3) face off with Gakuya Furuhashi (28-8-2, 16) in a bout to unify the WBO Asia Pacific and Japanese Super Bantamweight titles. Coming in to this Inoue, the younger brother of Naoya, will be the favourite, and is expected to have the skills, speed and energy to take home the win, however Furuhashi has been on a roll in recent years and comes into this looking to make a war and keep his career alive. The bout should be a brilliant clash of styles with a boxer against a swarmer, and it could, genuinely, be a brilliant tease for the main event, even if international fans aren't too familiar with Furuhashi, who is a genuine warrior. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here WBO Asia Pacific and Japanese titles to be unified as Inoue faces Furuhashi In a notable, and mouth watering, non-title bout we'll see the highly touted Toshiya Ishii (5-1, 3) take on Hikaru Fukunaga (9-2, 6) in what is a brilliant teaser for the three title bouts. Ishii is widely regarded within Japan as a special talent, and his sole loss was a very controversial one to Sho Ishida in Osaka, one that we felt he was very harshly treat by the judges. Since then he has scored two solid domestic wins and will know that another win here will put him well in the mix for a Japanese title fight. As for Fukunaga, who won Rookie of the Year in 2020, the bout comes on the back of a good TKO win over Dominique Kenshin, and he also proved his quality last year in a loss to the much touted Rentaro Kimura. This won't steal the show, but is an excellent 8 rounder between two young, talented, promising fighters willing to take on tough tests. Another of the notable prospects on this card is the unbeaten 19 year old hopeful Kanamu Sakama (5-0, 4), who won the All Japan Rookie of the Year back in February, as he takes on Fuki Ishigaki (4-4, 2). The bout will be Sakama's first contest since he won the Rookie of the Year and see him coming in with plenty of momentum and a lot of expectation on his hard hitting shoulders. As for Ishigaki the bout will be his first since losing in December against Daisuke Sumita, who stopped him in 4 rounders. Sakama should be too good, and too big, but we do expect to see him being made to work for his win here. Marvel Stadium, Docklands, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
The main show in world boxing this coming weekend comes from Australia on Sunday as George Kambosos and Devin Haney clash in a bout to unify all 4 Lightweight titles, and leave us with an undisputed champion. Although that huge Lightweight bout doesn't feature and Asian fighter one of the main support bouts does, as former Naoya Inoue foe Jason Moloney (23-2, 18) takes on former 2-time world title challenger Aston Palicte (28-4-1, 23), from the Philippines, in a bout for the WBO International Bantamweight title. For Moloney, a talented 31 year old Australian boxer-puncher, the bout will be his third since losing to Inoue, and he'll know that if he wants to land another world title fight he will need to over-come Palicte here. As for Palicte, who has fought to a draw with Donnie Nietes and was stopped by Kazuto Ioka, this will see him looking for a 4th straight win, and he'll know that if he wins here he may well find himself getting a shot at a Bantamweight title following the June 7th Inoue Vs Donaire rematch. Sun Rise Park Gym, Saga, Saga, Japan As well as the action in Australia we'll also be getting the Western Japan Rookie of the Year final in Saga, with 5 bouts scheduled for the show. Although it's always hard to get too excited about Western and Central Japanese Rookie of the Year shows, these are still generally entertaining, and we're expect to be excited by this one, with bouts as Super Flyweight, Bantamweight, Super Bantamweight, Featherweight and Welterweight. Of the 5 bouts one of the most interesting is the Welterweight bout, which will see 24 year old Rintaro Shiojiri (1-2, 1) take on the debuting Ryushin Ueda (0-0), who himself is 23. As we see time and time again, the Japanese novices at Welterweight and Middleweight tend to put thrilling action bouts, albeit low level crude bouts, and that's what we're expecting to see here. It's hard to really know what either man can do, but we have always enjoyed watching "bigger" Japanese novices and it's because they tend to have wars, and that's what we're likely in for here. Another bout worthy of some attention is the Featherweight bout, which will pit 18 year old Kyosuke Okamoto (2-0, 1) against 35 year old Takayoshi Kurokawa (1-4-1, 1). Okamoto debuted in March and has been busy since then, with this being his third bout in less than 3 complete months. Given he's 18 we're excited to see what the youngster can do. As for Kurokawa he began his career in 2013, and and was 1-2-1 by the end of 2015, before he vanished from the sport for almost 5 years. Sadly since returning in 2020 he has gone 0-2 and been stopped in both bouts Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
The big bout to feature an Asian fighter this coming Saturday comes from Wales as IBF Super Featherweight champion Kenichi Ogawa (26-1-1-1, 18) defends his title against unbeaten Welsh challenger Joe Cordina (14-0, 8), in what will be Ogawa's first defense since winning the belt late last year. The hard hitting Ogawa is regarded by many as a weak champion at 130lbs, but his win over Azinga Fuzile last year showed his class and his power, and he'll be looking to replicate that form here and become the first ever Japanese fighter to successfully defend a world title in Europe. As for Cordina, a former British amateur stand out, this bout has a feel of now or never for him, and it's hard to imagine him getting another world title shot if he comes up short here. As for the bout it will be Ogawa's power against the speed and skills of Cordina, which should make for a very interesting match up. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Ogawa takes on Cordina in first defense! Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Ogawa isn't the only Japanese fighter in action, and in fact over in Tokyo we get the next show under the Dynamic Glove banner. The card isn't the biggest or best, but there are two notable bouts on the show. The main event of the card will see former world title challenger Takeshi Inoue (17-2-1, 10) take on Nath Nwachukwu (7-2-2, 3), in what is the second bout between the two men. These two clashed in 2020, with Inoue taking a wide decision win, but since then both men have been some what inactive, with Inoue losing to Tim Tszyu last year, and Nwachukwu beating Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa and losing to Wade Ryan. Despite the inactivity of the two men their styles should gel and we should have a pretty fan friendly bout, as both look to secure something bigger and better later in the year. In a really promising chief support bout we'll see former notable amateurs clash as Jun Ikegawa (2-0-1) and Issei Ochiai (3-0, 2) put their unbeaten records on the line in a mouth watering 8 rounder. Ikegawa debuted last year and immediately looked like a genuine talent, but someone with a style that needed major changes if he was to become a star in the professional ranks. We suspect we'll see the best of him here in what is his most dangerous bout to date. As for Ochiai, he made his debut in 2019 as a highly touted teenager and although he filed to really shine in his debut, he has impressed since and there is big hope for the unbeaten 21 year old. This promises a lot, and the winner will almost certainly be fast tracked to some sort of title fight in the next 12 to 18 months. Daegu, South Korea Staying in Asia, though moving over to South Korea, we're set for a lower level card headlined by a minor title fight. That minor title fight will see Korean veteran Hee Jung Yuh (24-3, 12) battle against limited Thai foe Phannaluk Kongsang (8-8-1, 5), with Yuh defending her WBC International Female Super Flyweight title. The 42 year old Yuh has long been one of the more notable Korean fighters out there, but aside from her 2015 loss to Naoko Fujioka she hasn't really been willing to test herself against the better fighters out there, and that's the case again here as Kongsang really shouldn't be in the ring with her. The Thai challenger has won her last 3, but she has struggled when she's fought outside of Thailand, and we suspect she'll struggle again here, despite being the much, much younger fighter. Expo Five Dome, Louisville, Kentucky, USA Another fighter who's scheduled to fight, though knowing how his career has gone so far will likely see his bout fall through, is Ivan Dychko (11-0, 11). The unbeaten Kazakh Heavyweight hopeful has promised much since turning professional in 2016, following a brilliant amateur career, though has sadly done very little as a professional fighting against awful competition and proving next to nothing in the professional ranks since his September 2017 debut. Now aged 31 it really is time for Dychko and his team to get serious and start moving him forward with his career, before he ages his way out of possible contention, before even even getting there. Sadly for this scheduled bout, his opponent hasn't been named at the time of writing. |
Categories
All
Archives
October 2022
|