This coming Monday is a big one in Japan, especially in Aichi where fans get a really notable card, featuring an all-Japanese world title bout, a WBC Youth title bout and a contest featuring a really promising Japanese prospect. As well as the Aichi card there will also be a small show in Oita. Aichi, Japan It's the Aichi card which will get all the attention, though sadly appears set to only be televised live in small Japanese market on CBC, rather than receive national coverage. A huge disappointment. The main event of the card will see WBO Flyweight champion Sho Kimura (17-1-2, 10) go for his third defense, as he faces the unbeaten Kosei Tanaka (11-0, 7), who is looking to become a 3 weight champion in just 12 fights. The bout is seen as something that will come down to how Tanaka's handles the pressure and tempo of Kimura and whether or not Kimura can deal with the movement and skills of Tanaka. Stylistically this should be very interesting, and the winner will have doors swung wide open for big Flyweight bouts later in the year. In fact the winner of this will likely be featured on the year ending “Kyoguken” show on TBS. Notably we should have a live stream of this bout on our site so please keep your eyes peeled for that! A full in depth preview of this contest can be read here courtesy of George Delis. The second title bout on this card will see second generation fighter Kento Hatanaka (6-0, 6) fight against limited Indonesian foe Aprilianto Rumahpasal (1-2, 1) in a bout for the WBC Youth Flyweight title. Hatanaka, the son of former WBC Super Bantamweight champion Kiyoshi Hatanaka, is tipped for big things in the future and will be looking to move from a “Prince” to a “King” by taking his title here. The Indonesian visitor is unlikely to pose much of a threat here, in what will likely be a mismatch. Another likely mismatch will see former 2-time Japanese Bantamweight title challenger Yushi Tanaka (21-2-3, 14) take on Rusli Yanto (2-1). This should be little more than a stay busy win for Tanaka, who will be hoping to get another title opportunity in 2019. Former amateur standout Koshin Takeshima (1-0, 1) will be having his second contest on this show, and will also be facing an Indonesian visitor, Kiki Marciano (1-2). The 22 year old Japanese Featherweight looked great on debut, back in July, and is expected to be in the title mix sooner rather than later. This bout however is more about getting him some ring time and keeping him active rather than chasing belts. Despite the familiar surname Kiki Marciano is nothing like the great Rocky Marciano and we would be very surprised to see him last the scheduled 6 rounds. Oita, Japan As well as the action in Aichi there will also be a small card in Oita. The main even here looks to be a well matched 6 round bout between Takeru Kobata (6-3-1, 2) and Tomoki Takada (5-4-2, 3) at 140lbs. These two aren't likely to find themselves fighting for titles any time soon, but should make for a compelling match up together, give their limitations. In the chief support bout Kanta Takenaka (5-3-1, 1) will battle Shun Imuta (4-1-2, 3), in another 6 round contest. This also looks like it could be a compelling contest, albeit at the lower end of the Japanese domestic scene.
0 Comments
This coming Saturday isn't the busiest day for Asian boxing, especially given some of the other big contests that we've had recently, but it is still a pretty notable one with a number of interesting contests involving prospects and a clash of former world title challengers. Metro Manila, Philippines The pick of the bouts, on paper, is the aforementioned clash of former world title challengers, as former 2-time world title challenger Jonathan Taconing (27-3-1, 22) takes on recent title challenger Vince Paras (13-1, 11), with Taconing defending the WBC International Light Flyweight title against his compatriot. At the age of 31 Taconing is likely on the back end of his career, though he is still a very dangerous, hard hitting, tough southpaw who is a nightmare for anyone at 108lbs. Paras on the other hand is just 19 and looking to immediately get back into the title mix following a recent loss in an IBF title fight against Hiroto Kyoguchi. This could end up being a very special and very brutal contest. Benguet, Philippines Staying in the Philippines we get a pretty notable card taking place in Benguet. The main event will see former OPBF title challenger Cris Paulino (18-3, 7) facing off with the upset minded Jomar Fajardo (16-11-2, 7) in a bout for the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Super. Flyweight title. Paulino has been stopped in all 3 of hos defeats, to Ardin Diale, Koki Eto and Vic Darchinyan, but is a very capable fighter who is riding a 4 fight winning run into this fight. “Wallopman” Fajardo is best known for his two fights with Francisco Rodriguez Jr, earning a draw in the first of those bouts. Despite being upset minded Fajardo is 1-7-1 in his last 9 and and a win here would be one of his very best. A bout that should be better than the records of those involved suggests will see Ryan Rey Ponteras (22-13-2, 11) take on Cris Alfante (14-7-1, 6). Neither of these men are world beaters, by any stretch of the imagination, but they should make for a very good contest between each other. Ponteras, on his day, can hold his own with fringe OPBF level opponents but is very inconsistent and can end up losing to opponents he should be. Alfante is the naturally smaller man, but also the younger man, and the fighter who will be looking to build on recent wins over Reymark Taday and Roilo Golez. This could be a pretty interesting match up, if we get the best from both guys. Also on this card is promising youngster Jayson Vayson (7-0, 4), who looks to continue his unbeaten start to professional boxing as he takes on Ronald Alapormina (3-2-1). We like the 20 year old Vayson, a lot, and are looking forward to seeing him let off the leash in the near future. On paper this isn't a step up in class, but it will be his first 10 round contest. As for Alapormina he has gone 0-2-1 in his last 3 and will be wanting to end that win-less run. We expect a win for Vayson, but do hope to see him getting tested in the near future. Ibaragi, Japan In Ibaragi Japanese fight fans get a small yet notable card featuring a former Japanese title challenger in what looks to be a mismatch, and interesting 8 round under-card bout. The former Japanese title challenger is Tatsuya Takahashi (28-8-5, 20), who pushed the then Japanese Bantamweight champion hard Kentaro Masuda incredible hard back in December 2014. Takahashi will be up against domestic journeyman Masahide Shinabe (8-16-2, 4) in what should be a straight forward win for Takahashi, however Takashi will be coming in to this having lost last time out, losing a decision to Ikuro Sadatsune in a bout he was expected to win. The interesting under-card bout will see Naoto Fujimoto (9-9-1, 4) face off against Ryuta Wakamatsu (11-13-1, 8). This is a bout between two limited domestic fighters, but they often give us some of the best action, with both men believing they can win, and putting it on the line to claim a relatively rare victory. This could, in terms of action at least, over-shadow the main event. London, United Kingdom One other bout with an Asian interest takes place on the biggest card of the weekend and will see 2016 Olympic silver medal winner Shakhram Giyasov (4-0, 3) face off with unbeaten Nicaraguan Julio Laguna (14-0, 10) on the under-card of the huge Anthony Joshua Vs Alexander Povetkin fight. For both men this will give them a chance to shine in front of a huge audience, and on paper it's a very interesting match up. The reality however is that if Giyasov is as good as he has looked in recent bouts then he will really impress here and move a considerable way towards getting a huge fighter in 2019. This is a good test on paper, but one that Giyasov should pass with no issue. Bang Phun, Thailand In Thailand our attention turns to Workpoint who will be showcasing a small but notable card. The headline bout of which will see unbeaten 29 year old local Atchariya Wirojanasunobol (11-0, 9) take on Japanese visitor Taisho Ozawa (21-10-2, 13) for a WBC regional title at Light Welterweight. Atchariya has fought twice this year, winning and defending the WBC Asian Boxing Council title at 140lbs, and we expect him to come out on top here as well. Oazawa on the other hand will be fighting for the first time in 2018 and is without a win almost 6 years, a combination of inactivity and 3 straight losses. Beijing, China There is also set to be a small card in China, which will be main event by a 6 round contest between Yu Che Li (3-1-2, 2) and Hongpeng Zhang (5-5-1, 2). Given that that's the main event it should be little surprise that this card isn't going to get much attention. Coming in both men are on a 3 fight unbeaten run, with both men being 2-0-1 (1) during that 3 fight run, but neither has faced anyone of real note. This coming Friday isn't a particularly busy day, but there are some bouts of real interest and intrigue. New South Wales, Australia The most significant bout will be in Australia, as OPBF Light Heavyweight champion Aaron Lai (10-4, 9) defends his belt against Japan's Shintaro Matsumoto (14-6, 10). Australian puncher Lai won the title in February 2017 and has made just a single defense of the title, against the horribly limited Panya Chomphoophuang. On paper this is a step up for the champion, but it should be noted that Matsumoto has been stopped in 4 of his 6 losses including a 4th round TKO loss earlier this year. Matsumoto is a former OPBF Super Middleweight champion, though his reign was short and we don't suspect he'll become a 2-weight champion, given the power of Lai. Jastrzebie Zdroj, Poland In Poland we get interesting match up as unbeaten local Damian Jonak (40-0-1, 21) takes on Russian based Uzbek fighter Sherzod Khusanov (21-0-1, 9). With a combined 61-0-2 (30) record the bout really does seem like an odd one. Both men are risking their unbeaten records, against each other, despite neither really needing to. Khusanov, aged 38, has fought just twice in 4 and a half years whilst Jonak is 35 and has only fought once in 3 years. This is a bit of a crazy match up to think about, between two men who aren't just unbeaten but both seemed retired not that long ago. It probably won't be a sensational fight, but it'scertainly worth making a note of. Metro Manila, Philippines This coming Thursday attention turns to the Philippines for a rather notable card in Metro Manila, featuring a couple of title bouts as well as several notable names in the supporting bouts. One of the two title bouts will see the touted Joe Noynay (14-2-1, 4) take on Chinese visitor Qixiu Zhang (9-4-1, 3) in a bout for the WBO Asia Pacific Youth Super Featherweight title, which Noynay will be defending for the second time. The talented Noynay may not have a perfect record but his two losses have come to excellent fighters in the form of Richard Pumicpic and Reiya Abe, and he didn't embarrass himself in either of those defeats. Zhang on the other hand is a bit of an unknown, though is riding a 3 fight winning run including a big victory in South Korea over Nak Yul Park from back in May. Noynay is the clear favourite, but Zhang is certainly not going to be there to make up the numbers. The other title bout will see 20 year old Al Toyogon (8-2-1, 5) face off with the experienced Nathan Bolcio (14-14-3, 4) for the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Super Featherweight title. Coming in to this Toyogon is riding a very impressive 3 fight run of opening round wins, including a notable victory over Naotoshi Nakatani from back in February. As for Bolcio his form is poor, with just a single win in his last 6. Bolcio has fought a relative who's who of the Asian scene, such as Hisashi Amagasa, Tomoki Kameda and Pungluang Sor Singyu, all of whom have have taken victories over Bolcio. We expect to see Toyogan taken a few rounds, but can't see him coming up short. The under-card really is a mixed bag, with one of the best of the under-card bouts being between the unbeaten Denmark Quibido (7-0, 5) and Jayar Diama (7-15-7, 3), who is much better than his record suggests. We expect Quibido to come out on top, but we wouldn't be surprised to see him forced to work for his win. Diama has gone 0-10-2 in his last 12 bouts, but is no push over and this is a step up for Quibido. Another interesting supporting bout will see Ricardo Sueno (8-2-3, 3) face off with Robert Onggocan (9-4, 5). The 24 year old Sueno has won his last 6 wins, after going 2-2-3 to begin his career, but this is a genuine step up in class for him. Onggocan, 22, is out of form with 3 straight losses coming in to this, but he has mixed with good company through his career, losing to Pedro Taduan, Mirco Martin, Jeronil Borres and Jonathan Taconing, and will feel like that level of competition will help him over-come Sueno. We wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be the bout of the night. Tokyo, Japan Action returns to the Korakuen Hall this coming Wednesday for a small Flash Akabane card, which really lacks in terms of quality match ups, but should give us some competitive action, even if it's not at a very high level. The main event of the card will see Fumio Ujihara (6-8, 4) take on the limited but heavy handed Shinnosuke Hasegawa (6-2-1, 5) in an interesting lower level 8 round Super Featherweight bout. The 31 year old Ujihara has scored 2 wins in his last 8 bouts, but he has mixed with some good company through that run of results such as Shuya Masaki and Sho Nagata. Hasegawa on the other hand has been in good form, stopping his last 5, but has yet to score a win of any note and will be the one stepping up in class for this bout, which could tell us a lot about him and his potential. In the chief support bout, also an 8 rounder, Akihiro Yamanaka (7-6-1, 3) will face off with Masayuki Ichikawa (7-6-1, 2), in what looks like an excellent match up in terms of competitiveness. At 28 years old Ichikawa is the younger of the two men, slightly, but he's also very out of form with just 1 win in his last 6 bouts. Yamanaka, aged 30, is also struggling for form but has won 2 of his last 3 and should be considered the fighter with the slight edge in momentum, albeit a very slight edge. After a few big days of fights this coming Sunday feels more like a day to unwind, with only two small Japanese cards scheduled for the day.
Chiba, Japan The bigger of the two events takes place in Chiba and is an 8 round bout card promoted by Flash Akabane. In an 8 round bout, which is strangely in the middle of the card, fans will see the unbeaten Fire Ikkyu (6-0-1, 4) take on one time Japanese title challenger Masashi Tada (11-5-3, 7). At 30 years old Ikkyu really needs to kick on if he's looking to have a shot at holding gold in his professional career. Ikkyu is unbeaten but really needs a big performance and will know that a potential Japanese ranking is in his grasp if he can defeat Tada. As for Tada, who lost in a Japanese Minimumweight title bout back in 2014 to Go Odaira, this is a chance to put a 4-fight win-less streak behind him. Tada has yet to return to winning ways since the loss to Odaira, and was notably stopped inside a round last year by Masamichi Yabuki. This isn't a huge bout on paper, but is a notable bout for both men. A second notable bout on this card is a well matched contest between Atsushi Suzuki (5-3-2, 2) and Ryuki Ishii (7-3, 4). The 28 year old Suzuki has been a professional since early 2015 and has had very mixed for through his career. He's riding a 2 fight winning run into this, but had lost 3 of his 4 bouts prior to his recent wins. Ishii on the other hand is a 20 year old who had had better form over-all but had suffered losses to his most notable foes, including Shawn Oda and Kazuma Sanpei. This is a tough match up to call, but we dare suggest that Ishii is the fighter with the more upside. Osaka, Japan The second card is the West Japan Rookie of the Year Final in Osaka. As with many of the Rookie of the Year cards this is an interesting card, with 10 bouts on it, but doesn't feature any notable names. In fact the most notable name involved is promoter Nobuhiro Ishida, who has 3 of his fighters in the final. One of those Ishida promoted fighters is Middleweight hopeful Takeshi Dohi (1-0, 1), who battles against Hammer Gorilla (1-1) in a 4 round bout. Dohui made his debut in April, and it was a 101 second cameo as he quickly saw off Takenori Tsuchimoto and made an immediate impact on the professional ranks. The 30 year old Gorilla actually lost on his debut, in July 2017, but took a split decision this past April to advance to this final. In another bout featuring an Ishida promoted fighter fans will see Lightweight hopeful Ryuhei Uchimura (3-0, 1) will face off with Aso Ishiwaki (3-1, 2). The unbeaten Uchimura, is a 24 year old who has scraped two split decision wins in his first 3 bouts and is perhaps lucky to have an unbeaten record. Ishiwaki on the other hand is a 19 year old Ishida promoted hopeful, who lost inside a round on his debut but has improved markedly since then and is looking to continue his rise here. This could be a very exciting contest, with the winner knowing they will take a huge step towards the All Japan Rookie of the Year final. This coming Saturday is a big day with a lot of action, though from an Asian point of view there's only really one major bout, with a lot of lesser quality contests floating around in Asia it's self. Nevada, USA That one big bout is the hugely anticipated rematch between Gennady Golovkin (38-0-1, 24) and Saul Alvarez (49-1-2, 34), for the WBA and WBC Middleweight titles. These two men fought to a very controversial draw last September, when Adalaide Byrd's 118-110 card for Canelo got much of the ire, and had been planned for a rematch earlier this year, before Alvarez failed a drugs test. Now it seems the respect from their first bout is gone and both men seem to genuinely dislike the other, which should add a intensity to the action. Their first bout was good, but we expect this one to be even better, with the backstories, the drug testing, Golovkin needing to give up the IBF title and various other sub plots, all helping to build towards something amazing. A win for Golovkin would set him aside as the clear #1 Middleweight of his era whilst a win for Canelo would be impressive, though likely come with a dark cloud hanging over it. It's also worth noting that Ryota Murata is said to be wanting to face the winner of the Golovkin/Alvarez bout, in what would be the biggest ever fight for a Japanese Middleweight. Qinzhou, China Outsiude of the big show the next most notable is in China, where we see a former world champion essentially fighting to keep his career alive, whilst a Chinese local looks to take a huge step forward. The Chinese fighter looking to make huge strides is Jing Xiang (14-4-2, 3), who will be facing off with former WBO Minimumweight champion Merlito Sabillo (27-5-1, 13), in a bout for the WBC Silver Flyweight title. Of two it's the 34 year old Sabillo who is better known, but he's now almost 5 years removed from his second world title fight, and since then he has gone 4-5 with notable losses to Francisco Rodriguez Jr, Ryuya Yamanaka and most recently Edward Heno. The 28 year old Chinese hopeful lost 3 of his first 6 but has since gone 11-1-2 giving Ben Mananquil his only defeat so far and also holding a victory over Dexter Alimento. Form is certainly with the Chinese fighter, who we suspect will have the edge in size and also youth, as he hunts for the biggest win of his career. In a supporting bout we see China Vs Japan in a Heavyweight clash, as Zhiyu Wu (8-2-1, 2) takes on Kotatsu Takehara (15-11-3, 8) for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Heavyweight title. Aged 35 Wu is the CPBA National champion, having won the title last time out. Despite wearing a title around his waist Wu is certainly nothing special. At 40 years old Takehara is a real veteran of the Japanese scene, and is a 2-time national title challenger. Coming into this Takehara is riding a 5 fight winning run, but has faced very limited competition during that run. This is potentially an interesting match up, we're just not expecting anything too exciting when the two men get in the ring. Aktjubinsk, Kazakhstan Another notable Asian show will come from Kaakhstan where fans will get a regional title double header. On paper the more interesting of those two fights will see Kazakhstan's very own Aidos Yerbossynuly (8-0, 7) take on Azeri foe Rufat Hajiyev (7-0, 7) in a bout for the WBA Asian Boxing Council Continental Super Middleweight title. Although neither Yerbossynuly or Hajiyev have yet to make a big mark on the sport this give both a chance to boost their name and to put on a show in what we're expecting ton be a very exciting and explosive encounter. A second title fight on the show will see unbeaten Kazakh prospect Bobirzhan Mominov (8-0, 7) take on Filipino foe Junjesie Ibgos (13-3, 11) for the interim WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Welterweight title. Mominov is a talented prospect, who has sparred with Canelo in the past, but this is a notable step up in class for him. Ibgos is no world beater, by any stretch of the imagination, but is a power puncher and will be looking to show that power here against Mominov. Thsi could be a good test for the Kazakh, or a chance for him to shine. Yongin, South Korea On a KBF show in Korea fight fans will be getting a title double header. One of those title bouts will see Korean based Uzbek Khusniddin Pulatov (9-3, 5) face off with Indonesia Sahlan Coral (17-6, 10) in a bout for the lightly regarded WBA Asia Light Middleweight title. For Pulatov this will be his 4th bout of 2018 as he looks to put 3 losses from 2017 behind him and rebuild his career. On the other hand Coral has been inactive for just over a year, though did win last time out against Benny Tamaela. Coral is tough, but we suspect he'll come up short here. The other title bout will be a KBF Welterweight title bout, which will see In Duck Seo (9-1-2, 6) battle against Moon Sung Choi (6-1-1, 2) in a very good looking contest. For Choi, who lost on debut, this will be his first bout in 13 months and looks to be a step up in class against his most accomplished. Seo on the other hand lost his unbeaten record in May, but this will be his third bout this year and he is certainly active and hungry for a Korean title, having twice fought to draw for a Korean title. Cavite, Philippines There's also a small card in the Philippines. One of the two 10 round bouts scheduled for this show will see Robin Langres (9-2, 4) take on Jason Buenaobra (6-3-3, 3). The 22 year old Langres is riding a 2 fight winning run coming into this, including a respectable win over Jomar Fajardo, and will be looking to continue that form over Buenaobra. On the other hand Buenaobra, the only man so far to have heard the final bell against Carl Jammes Martin, is riding a 4 fight unbeaten run into this, including a notable upset win over Jerry Pabila. The other 10 round bout on this card will see the unbeaten Claudevan Sese (6-0-3, 1) take on domestic journeyman Junjie Lauza (6-23-2, 1). The 23 year old Sese seems to be taking a backwards step with this bout, but he's been out of the ring since December, so it's better to see him fight than not fight. As for Lauza he has lost his last 3, and 5 of his last 6, and will be expected to pick up another defeat here. Gurgaon, India There's another small card taking place in India, which will feature a single title fight, and a number of low key contests. The title bout will see unbeaten Indian Rajesh Kumar (9-0-1, 2) take on Bright Ayala (16-1, 11), with Kumar defending the WBC Youth Lightweight title for the first time. The unbeaten local won the title back in April, when he defeated Glenn Enterina, and will not be wanting to relinquish that title just 5 months after winning it. Ayala, from Ghana, hasn't fought anyone of real note though was beaten last time he faced an unbeaten opponent, losing a decision to Oluwaseun Joshua Wahab. This bout should let us know how good both men are, or aren't. The lead supporting bout is a female contest which will see 20 year old local Kirti (4-1, 2) take on Kiwi visitor Cherneka Johnson (10-0, 5). Coming into this Kirti is looking to build on a big win over Noemi Bosques but she will be regarded as the underdog against the iunform Johnson, who has stopped 3 of her last 4. This coming Friday is a pretty big day in Asian boxing, with a female world title bout in Japan and the US debut of a notable Japanese hopeful. Tokyo, Japan The female world title fight will take place at the Korakuen Hall on a small but interesting card. That title fight will see Japanese female star Naoko Fujioka (17-2, 7) defending her WBA Female Flyweight title against interim champion Irma Sanchez (30-7-1, 8) of Mexico. The talented Fujioka, the first ever 5 weight world champion from Japan, is a veteran at 43 years old but is the golden girl of Japanese boxing and is widely regarded as one of the top pound for pound female fighters. Aged 30 the Mexican challenger won the interim title last time out, narrowly defeating Brenda Ramos, and is an accomplished world class fighter who has faced a number of top foes, including Jessica Chavez, Carina Moreno and Mariana Juarez in her 12 year career. We suspect Fujioka will come out on top, but this is a genuinely tough match up and should be a really good test of what Fujioka has left. The best of the supporting bouts on this card is a mouth watering domestic clash, as veteran Takafumi Nakajima (29-10-1, 13) takes on under-rated youngster Yuki Iriguchi (9-2-1, 4). Last time out Nakajima pushed Mark John Yap all the way in an OPBF Bantamweight title fight and us a proven quantity around title level, with notable contests against the likes of Shingo Wakes, Kinshiro Usui, Kosuke Saka, Hidenori Otake and Jonathan Baat. Although a proven fighter Nakajima is now 34 and it's unclear much longer he can go on. Another under-card bout of some inter-rest will bee between Yutaka Motoyoshi (7-12, 5) and Ryuto Araya (11-7-1, 3). The 30 year old Motoyoshi has lost 4 of his last 5, including his last 3, and will know that he cannot afford another loss if he's to move his career to the next level. Also aged 30 Araya was once regarded as a promising fighter, but has himself struggled recently, losing in an OPBF title fight last year and suffering back to back loss to Tatsuya Otsubo. Whilst neither of these men will be competing at world level before they retire, both will come into this fight with belief they can win and that should give us a good contest. California, USA In California we see two Asian fighters in action. The more notable of the two is Japanese Light Welterweight hopeful Hiroki Okada (18-0, 13), who is a former Japanese and WBO Asia Pacific champion and is currently the owner of several world rankings. The Japanese fighter, who recently signed a promotional deal with Top Rank, will be making his US debut as he takes on Argentinian fighter Cristian Rafael Coria (27-6-2, 11). Amazingly this bout will Okada's first outside of the Korakuen Hall but it does appear that he's been matched safely so he can get a win on the road and then begin going through the final stages before a world title fight. The 35 year old Coria is a 12 year veteran who has never been stopped, but has lost to a number of recognisable names, such as Paulus Moses, Daud Yordan and Custio Clayton. Okada should win, but it's less about the result and more about whether he can impress Top Rank enough to push him straight into a world title bout, or whether he will have wait to get his shot at a world title. On the same card fans will be able to see touted American Jamel Herring (17-2, 10) take on Filipino prospect John Vincent Moralde (20-1, 10). Herring was a 2012 US Olympian who had been touted as a potential professional star, but he has lost 2 of his last 4, suffering a 10th round TKO to Denis Shafikov and a 10 round unanimous decision Ladarius Miller. Moralde has promised a lot, and he finally lived up to that promise last time out, when he defeated Ismail Muwendo over 8 rounds. If Moralde can put it together again here he'll give his career a huge boost, and claim the USBA Super Featherweight title. Pennsylvania, USA A second card with some interest comes from Pennsylvania as unbeaten Kazakh Shyngyskhan Tazhibay (6-0, 2) battles against Yasmani Pedroso (2-4, 1), in what looks like a straight forward win for the unbeaten 26 year old. Tazhibay has had some fanfare, but inactivity in 2017 and 2018 has really hampered his development, much like mismatches like this. We hope to see him face better competition shortly, but at this rate it looks like it could take a long time before he faces someone of any note. Zhengzhou, China It's not just Japanese and Filipino fight with something to get excited about as Chinese fans in Zhengzhou also get a notable card with a couple of title fights and a couple of interesting looking support bouts. The main event will see the unbeaten Yelieqiati Nihemaituola (13-0-1, 5) take on Filipino visitor Eranio Semillano (16-8-3, 5) in a bout for the WBA Asian Boxing Council Bantamweight title. The unbeaten local will be looking to make his first defense of the title, which he won in April by stopping Conrado Tanamor, but is facing one of the most notable opponents of his career. The 26 year old Semillano is no world beater but is a solid opponent on his day, as shown with wins over the likes of Wilbert Berondo. Sadly for Semillano he doesn't seem to have the consistency needed to score good wins on a regular basis, and it's hard to imagine him putting it together against Nihemaituola. Another title bout will see Youli Dong (12-0-1, 8) battle Adam Diu Abdulhamid (12-6, 5), in what will be Dong's first defense of the WBO Asia Pacific Youth Welterweight title. The unbeaten Chinese drew in his debut but has built fantastically afterwards claiming a couple of WBO regional titles along the way. Although Dong failed to score a stoppage in his first 4 bouts he has stopped 8 of his last 9 and looks to be building the tools he needs for a bright future. On the other hand Abdulhamid was touted as an amateur but has failed to come good, losing 3 of his last 4, and it's unlikely a bout on the road against a hard hitting Welterweight prospect will be good for his career. Talking about fighters who were once touted it's good to see that Chinese Light Heavyweight Peng Qu (12-2-1, 8) will be returning to the ring 10 months after a surprise loss in China to Gasan Gasanov. The Chinese local has been inactive since losing to Gasanov last November but will be looking to bounce back with a win here, as he takes on Tanzanian visitor Benson Mwakyembe (11-4-1, 6), who should be an easy comeback opponent. Mwakyembe has been stopped in 3 of his last 5 and is naturally smaller than the Chinese fighter, who will likely be looking for a quick blowout. An interesting support bout here will see Mongolian debutant Tsendbaatar Tsendbaatar (0-0) face off with Joseph Omana (12-5-1, 6) in a 6 round bout. We're unsure about Tsendbaatar's background, though we always love to see Mongolian fighters in action so we hope his bout against his Chinese based Filipino foe will be available online. Coming in to this one Omana has lost his last 4, and is without a win in a little over a decade! Despite that he is still only 28. Baden-Württemberg, Germany There will also be Japanese action in Germany, as former WBC Light Flyweight title challenger Atsushi Kakutani (19-6-1, 12) takes on promising German prospect Mirco Martin (12-0, 6) in a Flyweight bout. Kakutani was once a promising fighter but losses in his 3 most significant bouts doesn't bode well for him here, especially given he's now 33 and has been inactive for over a year. Martin comes into this bout on a good run of results, including a bit win last time out against former world title contender Jose Antonio Jimenez. Nevada, USA
There isn't a lot of Chinese fighters showing much potential or ambition to make a name for themselves on the international scene. One of the few that is looking to become more than just a local attraction is the talented Can Xu (14-2, 12), who makes his US debut this coming Thursday in Las Vegas. At the time of writing Xu's opponent hasn't been named but we're not expecting anyone too testing for him, as he looks to adapt to American conditions ahead of a potential world title fight against WBA Featherweight champion Jesus M Rojas. For those who haven't seen Xu he's a talented boxer, with under-rated power and he comes into this bout having stopped his last two opponents, having gone the distance in all of his previous bouts. We expect that stoppage run to continue here as Golden Boy Promotions look to let him impress, and let his reputation grow further. Zhengzhou, China On the subject of Chinese fighters there will also be a Chinese card on Thursday in Zhengzhou. The main event will see the always fun to watch Ainiwaer Yilixiati (13-1, 10) defending his WBC Asian Boxing Council Super Middleweight title against Mada Maugo (23-16, 14), with the WBA Asia Super Middleweight title also on the line. The hard hitting and ultra-aggressive Yilixiati is one of the most exciting fighters in China and should be strongly favoured here against his foe from Tanzania. The visitor has been stopped in 8 of his 16 losses and we suspect another loss inside the distance for the 32 year visitor. Another title bout on this card will see Tonghui Li (10-2, 5) face off with Thai visitor Theerawat Yoohanngoh (20-9, 14) in a bout for the IBF Asia Light Middleweight title. The Chinese fighter was upset in August, by Joon Kyung Lee, and will be instantly looking to get back to winning ways here. Amazingly this will be the Thai's third fight since the start of August, with a notable stoppage loss to Ulugbek Sobirov coming in the first of those. Hard to imagine anything but a home win, but it's good to see Li jumping straight back in so soon after a loss. Another really interesting bout on this card will see unbeaten local Xiaolu Mou (13-0-1, 5) take on Japanese youngster Ryoma Isami (1-0). This is a massive step up for Isami, who only made his debut in August in Thailand, but a win here will put him on the boxing map. Mou has been a been a professional for 30 months, but has fought at a mostly limited level and should see this as his toughest bout to date. A very interesting contest. Vladikavkaz, Russia
On Wednesday attention turns to a small card in Russia featuring a number of Asian fighters on it. It's not a big card, or an exciting looking one, but there is a fair to talk about due to a number of Chinese fighters competing on it. One of the bouts, a 6 rounder, will see Junjun He (0-0) make his debut against the unbeaten Armen Ataev (2-0-1, 1). This Flyweight bout looks like an interesting one on paper, and we always get a little bit exciting by seeing a debutant begin their career with a 6 round contest. This should be a chance for He to show what he can do, but he will need a win if he's to become relevant. Ataev won his last bout in 130 seconds, stopping an Uzbek debutant, but that was almost 18 months ago. Another Chinese debutant in a 6 rounder is Bantamweight hopeful Ping Lu (0-0), who the faces the experienced Mishiko Shubitidze (20-12-3, 8). Again it's hard to say too much about the Chinese fighter, other than that we like the fact he's debuting in a 6 round contest, but he's going up against a bit of a known quantity. Shubitidze, from Georgia, is a 20 year old who was stopped in 5 rounds by the controversial Prince Patel and was stopped in 2 rounds by both Arnold Khegai and Yoan Boyeaux, he of Naoya Inoue fame. Despite those stoppages it is worth noting that the Georgia has lasted 4 rounds with the touted Mirco Martin and 6 rounds with Filipino Jeson Umbal, so he's not going to just fall over. Two more Chinese fighters debut on this card, Lanhai Xiao (0-0) and Tianyi Guo (0-0), both of whom face novices, whilst Azeri veteran Rauf Aghayev (24-6, 11) battles Iran's Bahram Shabazi (3-1, 1). |
Categories
All
Archives
October 2022
|