 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Wednesday we get the next show from Hideki Todaka, under his long running “The Greatest Boxing” series, which tend to be much better shows than they look on paper, with well matched lower level fights putting on some great action with smart matchmaking at the heart of the events. The main event of the show will see Filipino fighter Danrick Sumabong (13-5-1, 9) return to Japan for his third bout in the Land of the Rising Sun to take on the once beaten Issei Ochiai (5-1, 4). The 25 year old Sumabong has failed to pick up a win in either of his Japan bouts, but did hold Kantaro Juri to a draw in 2022, with the other bout being a wide decision loss to the fast rising Sho Nogami in August. Despite his lack of success in Japan Sumabong shouldn’t be written off here, and is very much a live opponent, as performances against the likes of Jade Bornea, Alphoe Dagayloan and Denmark Quibido all showed, along with the Juri bout. Ochiai is currently going through something of a rebuild, with this being his third bout since being stopped by Jun Ikegawa in 2022. He's heavy handed, well schooled, but can be hurt and against someone with power, like Sumabong, that could be a major issue in a very well matched bout. We get another really well matched bout in the chief support, as JBC ranked Super Bantamweight Asato Mori (9-4-1, 5) takes on Ryuya Nihei (10-3-2, 2), in a bout that promises to be a very competitive one, with both men looking to make the most of their tools. Mori is riding a high with a 5 fight unbeaten run, turning his record around after being 5-4. His last 5 have seen him scoring 4 wins and having a technical draw with former Japanese champion Ryoichi Tamura. He's lacking a real "break out" domestic win, but has got decent victories over Takayoshi Suzuki, Mizuki Akima and Naoto Mizutani. Nihei on the other hand has lot once in his last 7, a razor thin decision to Takeshi Takehara, and has scored some solid wins over the likes of Hiroyuki Takahara, Tom Mizokoshi, Mugicha Nakagawa and Takahiro Murai. Mori is the much more dangerous of the two, with a clear edge in power, but Nihei has shown himself to be very good at dictating the tempo and range of fights and will be looking to negate Mori’s power and take Mori’s ranking off him.
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 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Monday we see the next show from former world champion Hiroshi Kawashima, under his Untouchable Fight banner. The card isn’t a big one, but does have two bouts of note on it. One of those bouts will see JBC ranked Super Flyweight Soara Hirezaki (10-2) taking on Shunpei Kubo (7-4-2, 5) in an interesting match up. Hirezaki lost on his debut, but has and then reeled off 5 wins before losing to Masato Shinoda. He avenged that loss to Shinoda 6 months later and has reeled off 4 straight wins, including good ones over Kanta Kawamura, Norris Yano and Wataru Ikegami, which have helped him climb into the JBC rankings. He’s very much an out boxer who relies on pure boxing skills, foot work, sharp accurate straight punching and movement, much like Kawashima did. As for Kubo he won the All Japan Rookie of the Year a few years ago, but has struggled to build on that success, going 0-3-1 in his 4 bouts since the Rookie of the Year triumph. He once looked like a promising, strong and aggressive fighter but the recent results have left him in desperate need of a win to get his career back on track. With Hirezaki lacking power, we expect to see Kubo go all out for a stoppage here. The other bout of interest here is a rematch between Kanta Kawamura (5-3-1, 4) and Yuta Hasegawa (5-3-1, 4), just over 13 months after their first clash. In their first bout Kawamura stopped Hasegawa in 3 rounds, ending a 2 fight losing streak, but since then has been stopped himself. As for Hasegawa he has bounced back with a win, and will be seeking to build on that victory and avenge his loss. What makes this bout really interesting is how even it is on paper, with both men having identical records, coming down to not just their W-L-D, and their KO’s, but also their stoppage losses, 2 each, and the amount of rounds they have, 29 each. This is about as even a match up on experience and results as you can get.  Ramon Magsaysay Covered Court, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
The main show this coming Sunday is in the Philippines as we get a number of really interesting match ups on a card in Quezon City. One of the many promising fighters on this card is the unbeaten Roderick Bautista (6-0, 5) who takes on the once beaten Arvin John Sampaga (8-1-1, 3). The 20 year old Bautista has needed just 23 rounds to score his first 6 wins with only Reymark Ibones surviving the schedule with "The Bone Crusher". He's incredibly exciting, heavy handed and one of the most exciting prospects in the Philippines right now, though he is still very much a work in progress. Sampaga is no push over himself, the 26 year old has only been beaten by Lorenz Dumam-ag, nothing to be ashamed of, and he has gone 2-0-1 since that loss. Although Sampaga is a fighter with ambition of his own, it should be noted he is the naturally smaller man, and this could be an issue against someone as dangerous as Bautista. Another dangerous fighter on this card is “El Cazador” Fernando Tagpuno Jr. (9-3, 9), with the 22 year old Featherweight being a wrecking ball, who takes a huge step up to take on Jason Canoy Manigos (29-12-2, 19). Tagpuno started his career with two losses but has gone 9-1 (9) since then and scored very decent domestic wins over Bryan Tamayo, Franco Serafica, Ken Jordan and Jing Aguan. The only loss he has had since his second bout came in March against Dana Coolwell in Australia. As for Canoy he was once world ranked, and whilst he has clearly slipped a lot from those days he isn't shot to pieces, and recently upset Kakero Mashimo, and is very much a live fighter at this level. We know he is tough and he has only been stopped once in his 12 losses, losing by stoppage to the world class Luis Nery in 2018. This really should be seen as a chance to see how destructive Tagpuno really is against someone we know is tough. On paper the most interesting bout on the show will see former world title challenger ArAr Andales (15-2-3, 6) take on former world champion Rene Mark Cuarto (22-6-2, 12), in a real crossroads fight. Andales was unlucky back in 2019, when he lost a technical decision to Knockout CP Freshmart, and has gone 5-1-3 since then, with two bouts ending in technical draws and marred by head clashes leaving him in need of a big win to really kick start a career that seemed to promise so much after the Freshmart bout. As for Cuarto he former IBF Minimumweight champion has lost 4 of his 6 fights since defeating Pedro Taduran for the IBF belt, and been stopped twice. Whilst there's no shame coming up short against Daniel Valladares, Ginjiro Shigeoka and Shokichi Iwata, it does feel that one more loss and it will be pretty much the end of his dreams to get back to the world level. Cuarto is still a top level fighter, but another loss and he could well join the “Who needs him?” club or become a fighter that only gets fights on the road against emerging stars, rather than bouts that he and his team believe he can win. One other bout of some interest will see the once beaten Christian Legane (4-1-3, 3) take on the unbeaten Christian Dave Puing (5-0, 4). Legane has been competitive in every bout he’s had, and could well be sporting an 8-0 record had he had some luck. He’s been matched relatively hard, and although he has been facing novices, he’s been facing novices in a similar position to himself, with those novices coming into the ring looking to pick up a win, rather than folding under the slightest bit of pressure. As for Puing, he’s already steam rolled through 3 unbeaten fighters in just 5 bouts and looks to be a man moving towards bigger and better things, but this is certainly a solid step up for him and we expect to see him being given an actual test here. Tsushima Civic Cultural Hall, Tsushima, Aichi, Japan As well as the strong card in the Philippines, we also have a small card in Aichi, which really doesn’t have bouts that look amazing on paper, but should provide some fun for the fans in Tsushima City. The main event on this show is a 6 rounder as 22 year old Aichi native Juta Kashitani (5-2-1, 1) faces 25 year old Daiki Hashiba (4-4-1, 1), from Tokyo. Kashitani is a relatively basic fighter, who builds things off his jab and managed to go deep in the Rookie of the Year last year, losing to eventual All Japan Rookie of the Year winner Yamato Moriguchi.He knows a win here moves him to A class and could see him securing a Japanese ranking in the not to distant future. As for Hashiba he’s a fun fighter to watch, but limited and has lost his last 2, and 4 of his last 6, 3 of his 4 defeats coming inside the distance. Hashiba makes for fun fights, but it feels he has really nothing going for him here, being the away fighter, the man out of form and lacking fight changing power. The co-feature is an 8 rounder between Mizuki Akima (8-5-2, 4), who is looking for his third win of the year, and Tamaki Miwa (8-10-2, 1) who scored his last win in 2022. Akima has had a career best year beating Ren Kobayashi in April and Takahiro Murai in September, and a win here would see him notching a third successive win for only the second time in his career and will know that if he can continue this form he could crash into the JBC rankings next year. As for Miwa he has lost 3 of his last 4, drawing against Daiju Hamaguchi in the other, but has proven to be a tough man to stop, with only Bulldozer Takumi Oshima and Hikaru Fukunaga managing to get him out inside the distance. Miwa’s toughness should make for a good fight, but it’s hard to see past an Akima win, given the form he’s in.  Okcheon Sports Center, Okcheon, South Korea
For us the biggest card this Saturday comes from South Korea, where we get two minor WBA title fights, and the next outing for a promising Korean based Uzbekistani fighter. The main event will see Korean Jae Woo Lee (8-3, 7) battle Filipino Aljum Pelesio (11-3-1, 6) in a battle for the WBA Asia East Featherweight title. Lee , who last fought back in 2022, is a talented fighter and showed that when he traveled to Japan and stopped Tsuyoshi Tameda before losing to Shingo Kusano as part of a tournament. Sadly though he has only fought once since the loss to Kusano and his career has lost all the momentum it should have had on the back of the Tameda win. Pelesio on the other hand began his career 9-0 , before losing in a tournament final himself, to Lienard Sarcon. He bounced back from his maiden loss with 2 wins, but has gone 0-2-1 in his last 3, including a loss to Ryosuke Nishida and a draw in South Korea to Jae Sung Song. This should be a good one, but it does feel like it’s a bout between two men who are currently struggling. A second WBA title bout will see Hye Soo Park (7-10-3, 2) face Ryu Kyung Suh (7-0-3, 5) in a bout for the WBA Asian Women's Minimumweight title. Park has never had a positive looking record, losing her first 4 and 6 of her first 7, but has battled hard, picked up various minor titles, and fought at a very good level, with losses to Anabel Ortiz, Su Yun Hong, Mizuki Chimoto and Ji Hyun Park. As for the unbeaten Suh, she has proven to be a compelling fighter winning 7 of her first 8 before having back to back draws earlier this year. She has plenty of pop on her shots, is dangerous and will be strongly favoured here, sadly however at 33 her potential is relatively limited, even if the division isn’t one of the strongest out there right now. One other bout of note on this card is a 10 rounder featuring the unbeaten Siro Choi (7-0, 4), a Korean based Uzbekistani fighter also known as Sirochbek Ismoilov, as he takes on Filipino veteran Mark Sales (23-48-5, 8), who’s having his 77th bout since 1997. Choi is being moved well and kept active, with this being his 6th fight of 2024 and his 8th bout in just over 16 months, with the 23 year old showing genuine promise. He does need to face stiff tests than he has been, but Sales has the experience and toughness to give Choi some good rounds here. Despite being beaten 48 times during his career Sales has only been stopped 9 times, though a lot of those have been rather recent. Sales was once one of the best journeymen in the region but recently has been fighting well above his best weight and not having the same success he managed earlier in his career. Shangluo, China We also minor regions title action in China, as two regional WBC champions face off in a very solid looking match up. The bout in question will see WBC Asian Super Flyweight champion Jiangtao Cao (10-4-1, 4) take on WBC Far East Super Flyweight champion Lap Cheong Cheong (11-0, 4), in what really could be a very interesting match up. Cao, fighting out of the Chinese mainland, has got 4 losses to his name, but they all came one after the other early in his career, as he fell from 2-0 to 2-4. Since then he has reeling off 8 wins and a draw, including good wins over regional competition like Akira Hoshuyama and Han Sol Lee and he's also scored a draw with Renz Rosia. He lacks that genuine stand out regional level win, but has got good wins to his name, and appears much better than his record suggests. Cheong on the other hand is from Macau an has traveled with bouts in Macau, the Chinese mainland, Thailand and Hong Kong whilst picking up good wins over Han Sol Lee and Fangyong Zhang. He is unbeaten but at 27 it feels like it’s now time for him to step up a level, and if he overcomes Cao he really should be taking on a serious test in 2025. On the same card 21 year old Jimoyipo Jimoyipo (1-0) will take on one of the most uniquely named fighters in the sport, as he takes part in a 6 rounder against Stinky Mario Bunda (4-7, 4). Jimoyipo made is debut in June and is stepping up in class here, though Bunda is rarely much of a test and is unlikely to be a serious through for the unbeaten Chinese youngster. White Houzz, Bangalore, India Over in India we get one of the strongest shows the country has held. It’s not a mouth watering card, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is one that shows the slow build of the last few years regarding the Indian scene is starting to bear some green shoots. The standout bout will see unbeaten local Laldinsanga Laldinsanga (8-0, 5) up against Michael Decardi Nelson (8-0-1, 6), from Ghana. The 21 year old Laldinsanga has been matched against novices in India, and a bout in Thailand, with his opponents having had a combined 8 wins between them, so this is a huge step up in class for him. As for Nelson, who's only 22 himself, the bout marks his first bout outside of Ghana, where he has won the national Bantamweight title and has scored back to back wins over unbeaten domestic foes in his last two bouts. Although he's in enemy territory here, Nelson will be full of confidence in picking up a good road win. Another Indian of note on this show is Asad Asif Khan (18-5-1, 5), who looks for a 4th win since being stopped by former world champion Can Xu in China at the end of 2023. He will be up against Tanzania's Emmanuel Amos (18-9-1, 11), who has travelled a fair bit in his career, with bouts in Tanzania, Namibia, Ghana, South Africa, Russia and Poland, though he has lost every time he's fought away from home. Timor-Leste We also get some action in Timor Leste as the once touted Tibo Monabesa (21-2-2-1, 8) takes on Filipino visitor Ricardo Sueno (12-9-4, 5) in a bout for the WBC Silver Bantamweight title. Monabesa, who was once seen as the next bright hope of Indonesian boxing, went 18-0-2 to begin his career but is now 3-2-0-1 in his last 6 and has only a single win to his name since 2020, with that being a debated one over Toto Landero. Not only that, but has also not fought since March 2023, when he was stopped in 4 rounds by Alex Windwood in Australia at Minimumweight. Now trying his hand at Bantamweight this appears to be a final roll of the dice for the Indonesian. As for Sueno, the Filipino journeyman was one 9-2-4. but has been racking up losses, going 3-7 in his last 10 with losses at home, in Japan and in Thailand. Despite his poor form he has been matched hard and 7 of his 9 losses have come against unbeaten men, whilst the other two have come against fights with a single win each. Monabesa will be favoured, but Sueno is no pushover and is much, much better than his record suggests, and he will likely be hoping to get a career boosting victory here.  Suamlum Night Bazaar, Ratchadaphisek, Bangkok, Thailand
The man card this coming Friday is set to take place in Bangkok, where we get a minor regional title fight, a stay busy for a promising Thai and 65th bout for a living legend, who is slowly but surely winding down his career. The main event will see former world title challenger Danai Ngiabphukhiaw (23-5-1, 12) take on Michael Adolfo (6-2, 3), in a bout for the WBC Asian Flyweight title. The 24 year old Ngiabphukhiaw, dubbed Laser Man, is unbeaten in his last 4, following a loss in Japan to Kantaro Juri, but those bouts have been at a very low level and this is a step up from those bouts. The Thai is a clear talent, and he showed that in 2021 when he fought Panya Pradabsri, but it does feel like his career has struggled to kick off from that bout which he lost but gave a very solid effort in. As for Aged 25 Adolfo is a promising young Filipino, who has won his last two, including a win over Vergilio Silvano, and has bounced back from back to back losses last year. Notably however this will be his first bout outside of the Philippines and is a clear step up in class. In a supporting bout fans will see the talented Phongsaphon Panyakum (25-2, 11) fight in a stay busy fight, as he faces the win-less Thanakon Aonyaem (0-2). Panyakum is currently on a 13 fight winning run since being upset by Filipino fighter Adrian Lerasan back in 2022. Sadly many of those 13 wins have come against novices and limited fighters, rather than bouts that could prepare him for a world title fight. At his best he is very good, and has wins over Thananchai Charunphak among others, but many of his biggest wins were years ago. In saying that, a win over Laldingliana earlier this year was solid and is definitely among his best. As for Aonyaem, he is win-less but has mixed with good fighters, losing to Danai Ngiabphukhiaw and Flavio Fantone, losing both by decision. The other bout of note on this card will see former 2-time WBC Super Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (57-6-1, 46) face off with tough Chinese fighter Guangheng Luan (5-8-2, 2), in a second meeting between the men. Srisaket, who famously beat Roman Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada, seems to now be winding down his career at the age of 37, though his name has the value to attract eyes and sponsors with this being his 8th fight since his 2022 loss to Bam Rodriguez. Notably he was taken 6 rounds by Luan back in February, and will be hoping to stop the Chinese tough guy this time. Notably Luan was stopped back in September, when Sento Ito finally broke him down after 8 one-sided rounds. Srisaket will be hoping to give Luan his second stoppage loss. As for Luan, he has been seen to be tough but limited, and isn’t expected to give much offense here, despite winning his last 2 bouts, both by stoppage. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan To end November Japanese fans at Korakuen Hall get a small card, with a number of noteworthy fighters on it. The main event will see the talented Shigetoshi Kotari (6-2-1, 5) look to rebuild from an April loss to Hiromasa Urakawa, which saw Kotari being stopped in 6 rounds, as he takes on Riki Hamada (9-2, 6). Kotari was tipped highly when he turned professional, and is very well schooled, but seems to lack some of that confidence that’s needed to reach the top of the domestic level. He’s skilled, rangy, powerful and heavy handed, though the loss to Urakawa may have further dented his self belief, given it was the first time he had been stopped. As for Hamada, the 28 year old has been stopped in both of his losses, which came to Arashi Iimi and Xiao Tao Su. He has won his last 2, though it needs to be noted that they were both at a low level, and it's hard to know what he has to offer, especially given the nature of his two losses, against someone as talented as Kotari. In a really well matched bout we’ll see the regionally ranked Tomoya Yamamoto (8-3, 1) take on JBC and OPBF ranked Kosuke Ando (13-5, 6). Ranked in the top 10 by the WBO Asia Pacific Yamamoto is the sort of over-looked fighter who has slowly been beating solid fighters without much fanfare, with wins against Shunsuke Isa, Kittidech Hirunsuk, Kenshi Noda and Tomoki Kawasaki all being very good wins. His 2023 loss to DianXing Zhu, his only loss since 2019, show he wasn't world class, but is only a couple of good wins from a regional title fight. Ando on the other hand has been mixing at title level in recent years, though has come up short in both a WBO Asia Pacific and Japanese title fight, losing to Ryuya Yamanaka and Toshiki Kawamitsu. He's a solid fighter but at the age of 32 we wonder whether he's winding down his career and has too many miles on the clock for a fight against someone like the 27 year old Yamamoto. Another ranked fighter on this show is JBC ranked Yuya Kumagai (5-3, 3), who will be desperate to build on his win over Yuto Nakamura back in May. That win ended a 2 fight slide for the 25 year old and he'll know that if he can build on it he can edge his way to a Japanese title shot. He will be up against Toshiki Kato (4-4), who will be taking a huge step up, not just in terms of competition but profile of bout, and this will be his first bout scheduled for more than 4 rounds. Rangsit International Stadium, Rangsit, Thailand
This coming Wednesday we see action in Rangsit, with the headline bout being a good looking minor regional title bout. Sadly whilst it looks good on paper, the reality is that it’s very much a minor regional title and it’s not a bout that will serve as a stepping stone from regional level to world level. The bout will see once beaten 18 year old Thai hopeful Phongthep Homjui (16-1-2, 8) take on China’s Yangyang Li (10-3-2), in a bout for the ABF Light Welterweight title. Homjui has a solid looking record on paper since his 2021 debut, at the age of 15. Sadly scratching beneath the surface numbers, he was stopped by the very limited Jinnawat Rienpit back in 2022, and has only scored a single win over a fighter with a winning record, taking a split decision over Thailand's Yoon Tak in South Korea. Credit where it’s due, a win over Tak was solid, especially on the road, and a draw with Kittithat Ungsrivongs isn't terrible , but he has 15 very meaningless wins on his record. As for Li, the 26 year old Chinese fighter also scored his best win to date earlier this year in South Korea, where he beat Woo Min Lee, but he is 2-2 in his last 5 and was stopped by Mikhail Lesnikov in March this year. The bout should be a very solid one, and a hotly contested one, but the reality is that neither man has proven much so far, and a bout between the two won’t suddenly strap a rocket to the back of the winner. World Siam Stadium, Bangkapi, Bangkok, Thailand
This coming Tuesday we get low level action in Bangkok from China Ganesha Promotions. The card looks like a low level one on paper, though we do need to make a note of the main event, which should be a really interesting bout between an unbeaten Chinese novice and a once beaten Thai local. The bout in question will see 25 year old Zhixiong Xie (3-0, 2) take on 27 year old Thanyapat Seehanan (11-1, 4) in what, on paper, looks like a really good 6 round Bantamweight match up. Scratching beneath the surface Xie’s 3 wins have come at a limited level, since he made his debut in May, with his most recent win being a razor thin decision over Xolieng Souvannaphakdy, a Thai based Laotian. Seehanan on the other hand will be having his 13th bout since debuting in March 2023 and has reeled off 9 straight wins since being stopped by Masato Shinoda in May 2023. Seehanan's competition has been poor, and he has been out of the ring for 9 months, but he has much more experience doing 6 rounders and could have the experience needed to pick up a win here.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Korakuen Hall plays host to a domestic card from MT Promotions. The card isn’t a big one, but it does have some bouts that should have some good action. The main event of the show is a scheduled 8 rounder, as the exciting and aggressive Ryota Shibuya (8-3-2, 2) faces off with Hibiki Takano (7-7-2, 1), who is making his Korakuen Hall debut. The exciting Shibuya has lost 2 of his last 3, both in close and competitive decisions, and although his ceiling seems to be short of domestic title level he does tend to put on fun fights and make exciting contests. Takano on the other hand is more of a technical fighter, who uses a busy jab, but will know he’s the clear under-dog here, especially considering he’s fighting in Tokyo for the first time. Takanao has had mixed results but has also spent a year out of the ring and had a chance to fully recharge his batteries after a loss to Shota Asami last year. In a meaningful bout for both men Seitaro Suzuki (5-4-1, 2) will face Ren Kakimoto (7-5, 1), with the winner to be upgraded to an A class license. Suzuki had lost 3 in a row before picking up a win in Thailand in July. He’s not going to the top of the domestic picture, give his lack of power and limited natural talents, but he is a fighter who will give fans fun fights on a regular basis. Kakimoto, likewise, is a fun fighter who makes for very exciting fights at this level, win or lose. Sadly for him he has lost 2 of his last 3, but does tend to go through streaks, and will be hoping to go on another here after a win last time out. In another bout that should be a lot of fun Koshi Fujisaki (4-5-1, 3) faces off with Sho Oba (4-2-2, 3) in a 6 rounder. The 35 year old Fujisaki has been out of the ring for well over a year, and it'll be interesting to see how he looks after a long lay off. He is very dangerous early on, but if the bout goes beyond a round he's going to be dragged into a war by Oba, who’s a very fan friendly lower level fighter. The styles here look set to make for a very exciting battle, and even though neither fighter is even close to elite they should give a great fight of aggression, power shots and limited defense. Suamlum Night Bazaar, Ratchadaphisek, Bangkok, Thailand As well as the show in Japan, we also get a card in Thailand. Not too many details of this show are available, but we do know the main event will be a regional title bout as Hong Kong’s Ping Tai Ng (10-1, 7) takes on Thai local Atchariya Wirojanasunobol (15-4, 7) in a bout for the WBC Asian Super Middleweight title. The 35 year old Ng, also known as Tyson Ng Meenayothin, has a good looking record and has picked up a few lightly regarded titles, including the WBC Silver Asian Middleweight title and the WBC Asian Continental Super Middleweight title. Sadly his competition has been poor, and despite taking several unbeaten records those fighters had thin records themselves. Atchariya was once a promising fighter, winning his first 13 bouts, but has struggled following an arrest, for something he was eventually cleared of, going 2-3 since his release and being stopped 3 times. At his best he was a solid Lightweight, but should certainly not be fighting up at Super Middleweight.  Kanaoka Gymnasium, Sakai, Osaka, Japan
This coming Sunday the Kanaoka Gymnasium in Sakai City plays a major role, and does double duty. The first of the two shows at the venue will begin in the morning and is, arguably the card of the day with a solid main event, that also acts as a Japanese title eliminator, a very intriguing supporting bout and a notable debut. The main event of the show is a Japanese eliminator as Kyohei Tonomoto (16-4-1, 8) clashed with Yuya Oku (8-0-1, 5) at Featherweight. The 29 year old Tonomoto has been one of the fighters whose career has quietly boiled in the last few years. He debuted in 2013, reached the 2014 All Japan Rookie of the year final, losing to Reiya Abe, then went on a 5 fight unbeaten streak before losing to Satoshi Shimizu, in a really gutsy performance that saw him being stopped in 7 rounds, then reeling off 5 wins before losing to Jong Seong Kang in a war in South Korea least year. He’s not a world beater but he’s gritty, he’s tough, he’s reliable and he makes for good, entertaining, fights. Oku on the other hand made his pro debut in 2021 and quickly raced through the ranks, with decent domestic wins, over the likes of Kazunori Hirano, Daiki Imanari, Ryukyu Oho and Morihisa Iju. He’s more polished than Tonomoto, but is less battle hardened and it’s going to be interesting how he copes with the determination of Tonomoto, who has home advantage with this bout being in Osaka. The winner of this will be expecting to face Keisuke Matsumoto during the Champion Carnival in the new year. In an excellent supporting bout the unbeaten Sora Fukunaga (14-0, 7) will face the once beaten Kenshin Hosokawa (7-1-1, 5), with both men bringing Japanese Super Bantamweight rankings into the bout. The 27 year old Fukunaga is a solid all rounder, with good technical skills, solid power and a regional ranking, along with his Japanese one. Although he doesn’t look like he has the tools to develop into a world beater he definitely could be a long term contender on and around the Japanese title, especially given his willingness to be involved in fan friendly wars, most notably his 2022 war with Kenya Yamashita. As for Hosokawa the 22 year old won his first 4 before back to back disappointments in 2022 and 2023, however he has bounced back with 3 wins in the Philippines and has plenty of momentum on the back of those bouts. He is a very fun to watch and exciting fighter and we suspect the styles of these two will gel excellently to give us a thrilling war. Buried in the middle of the card is the debut of 20 year old hopeful Kazusa Kawabuchi (0-0), who faces off with veteran Hideo Mikan (9-15-2, 2). Kawabuchi earned his pro-license earlier to some local fanfare, doing his B license test aged 19 following an amateur career that saw him going 23-5 in the unpaid ranks and winning the Inter High School title in 2022. It wouldn’t have been a surprise to see him debut against a poor foreign fighter, so to see him in with Mikan is a somewhat welcome surprise. Mikan is no world beater, and at 39 is very much coming to the end of his career, but has shared the ring with a who's who of domestic fighters over his career facing the likes of Hikaru Nishida, Yosuke Kirima, Takeshi Inoue, Makoto Fuchigami, Riku Nagahama, Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa and Junpei Tsujimoto. He has often given them some questions, even if he’s ultimately always come up short, and is a very good opponent for a debut. Kanaoka Gymnasium, Sakai, Osaka, Japan Staying at the same venue, we also get an afternoon show. This is a much smaller event, promoted by Sakai Haruki Promotions, and featuring two bouts of interest between local hopefuls and Thai’s in what should be exciting clashes. The main event will see Mioto Noguchi (6-2, 6) look to continue his great run of form against visitors, as he takes on Phatiphan Krungklang (20-8-1-1, 12). The 25 year old Noguchi, who's a freakishly tall 6' and fights at 140lbs, has won his last 4 bouts in a combined 7 rounds, and his last 3 in just 3 rounds, including a very notable win over Filipino Jessie Cris Rosales. He has rebuilt excellently since a 2022 loss to Scorpion Kintaro and will be looking to win here and move towards bigger and better things. As for Krungklang the 27 year old dubbed "Tiger" has been stopped in 7 of his 8 losses, including all 5 bouts outside of Thailand. He returns to Japan for the first time in 2 years, with his last visit seeing him stopped in 3 rounds by Jin Sasaki. Although the Thai has 20 wins they have come at a very low level, and the expectation here is that he will put up an effort before finding himself out of his depth and being stopped, it’s just a case of how long he lasts until then. Another bout of some note will see JBC ranked Flyweight Hinata Takakura (1-0, 1) look to build on her debut win, as she takes on Natthanan Sangiamchit (4-1, 4). Takakura looked really good in her debut, stopping Suphattra Aunruean inside a round, with crisp, clean punches, good combinations and the 20 year old seems to have the potential to go a very long way, but will need some genuine developmental fights. Sangiamchit has a good looking record, but her 4 wins have come against opponents with a combined 0-15 record and the only time she faced a fighter with a win she was soundly beaten, back in July. On paper this looks like a tough second bout, but Takakura should have way too much for her Thai foe. Dome Tachikawa Tachihi, Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan Another Japanese show, this time over in Tokyo, looks to be a solid card, with several notable domestic fighters on it, including a number of 8 rounders. Sadly whilst these bouts do feature some solid domestic names, a number of the fighters involved have been struggling in recent bouts. One fighter who has been struggling is Thai visitor Sakda Langkabam (9-4, 7), who has been stopped in 2 of his last 3 and will be a clear under-dog against the WBO Asia Pacific ranked Shun Sekine (11-1-1, 9). The 26 year old Langkabam has been padding his record at home, often against novices and win-less fighters, but struggled when he has faced fighters with ambition, as seen last time he was in Japan when Kosei Nogami stopped him. Sekine has won his last 6 by stoppage, 5 against Thai's, and this bout feels like "much the same" for someone who should be facing stiff tests at this point in his career. This really should be little more than an easy win for Sekine, who hopefully faces stiff tests in 2025. More fighters who are struggling at the moment are Shinnosuke Saito (12-6, 3) and Atsuyuki Sato (9-5-2, 6) who face off at Lightweight. Both of these men have been stopped twice in recent bouts and both will know that they can ill afford another loss. Saito, who still has a JBC ranking, was smashed earlier this year by Yoji Saito and whilst he has beaten Anuson Thonglueang and Ryuji Ikeda it is clear he's not close to domestic title level and with 4 stoppage losses his chin ia a real issue. He's skilled but fragile. As for Sato he's heavy handed but also lacks durability, which he likely feels won't be an issue here. For Sato the bout is a great chance for him to get a JBC ranking, but he will have to find a solution to the size and skills of Saito. Another fighter currently struggling for results to go his way is Kensuke Suzuki (5-3-2, 2), who returns to Korakuen Hall for the first time in over 2 years. After winning his first 4 professional bouts he has gone 1-3-2, being stopped in all 3 losses, and desperately needs to get his career back to winning ways. He’s up against it here as he takes on JBC ranked fighter Masateru Hatagami (9-4-1, 4) who has won his last 3 and will be looking to not just build on that momentum, but also impress in what is his Korakuen Hall debut. Hatagami will know that putting on a show in the Holy Land can open doors for his career, and will want to do more than just score a win here. In the main event Hayato Ono (12-5-3, 11) will clash with Hiroto Hoshi (6-3-4, 3) and once again we see two fighters who have struggled in recent bouts going 1-1-1 in their last 3. Notably however the draw they both have came in June when the two men fought each other. In their first bout there was really little to split them after 8 rounds, with all 3 judges having the but 76-76, as Ono’s power failed to create the cracks in Hoshi, whilst Hoshi showed off his counter boxing skills. Coming into this both are highly ranked by the JBC and both have top 15 WBO Asia Pacific rankings, so both will know a win here could set them up for a title fight. Notably both have come up short in title fights, with Ono losing in a Japanese title fight in summer 2023 against Homura Fujita, suffering his 5th career loss and his 4th by stoppage, whilst Hoshi came up short against Jin Sasaki in a WBO Asia Pacific title fight, also in the summer of 2023.  Olympiastuetzpunkt, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
The main card for us this coming Saturday is in Germany where we see the Atomweight take it’s next step towards having a true divisional queen, on a share that features all 4 major world titles, between the 3 champions over 2 fights. One of the two fights will see unbeaten IBF champion Sumire Yamanaka (8-0, 3) face off with once beaten challenger Fabiana Bytyqi (21-1-2, 5), from the Czech Republic, a former WBC champion herself. Yamanaka, the younger sister of former WBO Minimumweight champion Ryuya Yamanaka, is a 22 year old who raced to the top. She won regional honours in her 6th bout and the IBF title just 2 bouts later, defeating veteran Mika Iwakawa. Despite her success so far this is a major step up in class and her first bout outside of Asia, and her second outside of Japan. As for Bytyqi the 28 year old former world champion is highly experienced having made her debut back in 2015 and won the WBC Atom world title in 2018, when she beat Denise Castle. As the WBC champion at 102lbs Bytyqi made 4 defenses before losing the belt in German in January against Tina Rupprecht. Although experienced and with a number of world title bouts to her name, Bytyqi does lack a signature win and does have something of a bloated record, which may prove to be an issue here. The main event will see Germany’s Tina Rupprecht (13-1-1, 3) defending the WBC title she won from Fabiana Bytyqi as she takes on WBA and WBO unified champion Eri Matsuda (7-1-1, 1), from Japan, with the winner set to come away with 3 of the 4 titles. Fighting at home Rupprecht will have the crowd behind her and she has shown she belongs at this level, with wins against Joana Pastrana, Anne Sophie Da Costa, Yokasta Valle, Katia Gutierrez and of course Bytyqi, with her only loss coming to the sensational Seniesa Estrada in the US last year. She’s highly skilled, hungry to make a point and will have the crowd roaring her on. As for Matsuda the bout will see her not only fighting outside of Japan for the first time, but also facing off with her first non-Japanese opponent. Matsuda has been moved at an incredible pace, winning a regional title in her second bout, unifying it with a Japanese title in her 4th bout, fighting for world titles in her 5th and 6th bout before winning the WBA and WBO titles in January with a win over Yuko Kruoki. Despite this being her first defense it will be her 4th bout at world level, and in the ring she has shown she belongs at the level, with a close loss to Ayaka Miyao, a draw with Saemi Hanagata and a win over Kuroki. This really should be a great technical bout, fight at breakneck speed, and giving us a great mix of skills and action, though perhaps lacking in drama as neither has a great deal of power. Nova Boxing Gymnasium, Incheon, South Korea In South Korea we have a small 4 rounder show at the Nova Boxing Gym, with the show serving as the 8th edition of the Nova Boxing's "We Box" series. The series is a novice series, featuring novices and debutants and is used to develop raw fighters. This specific card will see 7 fighters make their debuts from the 9 bouts scheduled, and the most experienced fighter on the card is 4 fight "veteran" Hyung Kyoo Park (2-2, 1). Park will be up against 17 year old Joon Kyoo Choi (1-1), who will be fighting for the third time this year. As with all Korean shows the bouts are expected to provide a lot of great action, even if the quality of boxing is low, but trying to talk too much about the contests is tricky given the lack of experience the fighters involved have. Regardless, these Nova Boxing shows tend to be a lot of fun to tune into, where the fighters don’t have ego’s defense is limited, excitement is high and offense is intense. Mixfight Pattaya , Pattaya, Thailand We also have low level action in Thailand, though this show is more interesting than the Korean card with two interesting bouts on it. One of those bouts will see Thai based British fighter Michael Alan Flannery (11-0, 9) go for win #12 as he takes on the limited Thoedsak Sinam (24-16, 20). Flannery, who has had 10 of his 11 bouts in the Land of Smiles, really shouldn't struggle here, though it is worth noting that he is stepping up a level here after a string of bouts against novices and incredibly poor opponents. The 28 year old Sinam, fighting in his 41st pro bout, is dangerous, at least against low level fighters, but is also lacking durability with 9 stoppage losses in 16 defeats, 7 of which have come since the start of 2022. The question here isn’t who will win, but how quickly they will win. The other bout of interest on this card will see Cuban born Thai based fighter Daniel Rodriguez (1-0, 1) go for his second win, as he takes on hard hitting local Kritsana Srisang (10-2, 9). Rodriguez made his debut in late October and the 22 year old may well become one of the more interesting Thai based fighters, given he's a Light Middleweight, Cuban and already taking on a credible looking fighter. The 29 year old Srisang is no world beater, but is a former Thai champion at 154lbs and lasted into round 4 when he fought Jackson Griffiths last December. |
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