 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
The main show for us this coming Saturday is the latest in the long line of Dynamic glove cards from Korakuen Hall, and it's a real show case for the future of Japanese boxing thanks to Teiken. The card is headlined by a WBO Asia Pacific title bout, and is then packed with talented novices all looking to take big strides forward with their careers. The main event will see 26 year old Japanese warrior Ryota Toyoshima (15-2-1, 9) defending his WBO Asia Pacific Welterweight title against Filipino challenger Adam Diu Abdulhamid (17-10, 9). For the talented Toyoshima, who is enjoying the best run of his career, this will be his second defense of the title, and a chance for him to not just tighten his grip on the regional scene but also take a step towards a potential world title fight. This bout is very much one that he should look great in, but he can't over-looked Abdulhamid. The Filipino is an aggressive fighter, who will be in the ring looking to force the action and drag Toyoshima into a war, which could give us a genuinely excellent battle. The skills are with the champion, but the challenger does have heart and desire and could well play his part in a bit of an action packed war. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Asian Pacific champion Toyoshima battles Abdulhamid! From the prospects on the card, the hardest matched is former amateur standout Gonte Lee (3-0-1, 1), who takes on Korean visitor Moo Hyun Kim (9-2, 5). Lee was tipped for huge things when he turned professional, but the pandemic has slowed his rise and he'll know that if he's going to deliver on the promise he showed as an amateur he's going to have to shine here. As for Kim he returns to Japan for his third bout in the country, where he currently holds a 2-0 record, but Lee is, by far, the most talented fighter and polished fighter he will have faced. Another former amateur standing out looking to pick up a win against a foreign import is the wonderfully gifted Hiroto Yashiro (2-0, 2) , who takes on Thai visitor Suphaphon Hanvichachay (3-0, 2), in what we are expecting will be an explosive, and short bout. Both men can punch, and only one of their 5 combined bouts has gone beyond 3 rounds. Don't blink when these two are in there together. Another battle of unbeaten men will see Junya Shimada (1-0, 1) battle Rechel Calo (3-0, 1). Shimada made his debut last year, and eked out a narrow win over Shigetoshi Kotari, and will be hoping to put in a more commanding effort here. As for Calo this is his first bout away from home and a huge step up, given Shimada's amateur exploits. Other under-card bouts will include Kenshi Noda (2-1, 2), looking to bounce back from his loss, taking on Thailand's Kitidech Hirunsuk (9-2, 5), former Rookie of the year winner, Hiromasa Urakawa (7-1, 4) battling Thailand's Perapan Judkan (8-1, 7), in what could be a very explosive bout, and the debut of Hiroki Ogawa (0-0), who takes on unbeaten Thai novice Phongthep Bunchari (1-0, 1). Spaceplus Bangkok RCA, Bangkok, Thailand As well as the action in Japan, featuring notable hopefuls and prospects, we get the chance to see some top Thai hopefuls taking on some dangerous Filipino fighters in WBA Asia title fights. The more notable the two major bouts will see Tanes Ongjunta (10-1, 5) look to make his third defense of the WBA Asia Flyweight title as he takes on the very dangerous Jeny Boy Boca (14-7, 12). The talented Ongjunta has rebuilt well since being stopped in 2020, by Adrian Lerasan in a forgotten but thrilling 8 round war, and has scored 6 wins since then to get his career back on track. On paper Boca doesn't look like a test, but the visitor is dangerous, as he showed last time he was in Thailand, when he stopped Sarawut Thawornkham. Sadly though he has been inactive since a December 2020 loss to Muhammad Waseem The other bout will see Yuttapong Tongdee (7-0, 4) battle Ryan Rey Ponteras (23-15-3, 12) with the two men trading blows for the WBA Asia Bantamweight title. Tongdee looks to be among the most talented of the emerging Thai hopefuls, but this is a genuine step up for him and we could see him being given a genuine chin check by Ponteras. As his best Ponteras was a tough, stubborn guy with solid power, and he showed that stubbornness late last year when he gave Seong Yeong Yang a tough test, however he was taken out in a round in 2019 by Seiya Tsutsumi, who has since gone on to win the Japanese Bantamweight crown and shown his potential. This should be a real work out for the unbeaten local fighter. China Staying in Asia, we also get a show in China, with a former world title challenger, who's fighting for only the second time since losing in a world title fight in 2019, and an unbeaten hopeful. The former world title challenger is Wulan Tuolehazi (14-4-1, 7), who famously challenged Kosei Tanaka for the WBO Flyweight title on the final day of 2019 and was stopped by the KO Dream Boy. Since then Tuolehazi has scored a single win, in early 2020, and will be fighting for the first time in over 2 years here, as he takes on DianXing Zhu (6-1, 5). Zhu is a 25 year old with heavy hands but he is also a naturally smaller man than Tuolehazi, and is unlikely to have the power to get the respect of the veteran. The other bout of note on this card will see the unbeaten 22 year old LeQuan Wang (6-0, 4) look to continue his winning streak as he takes on Zixiang Wang (4-2, 2), who's only losses have been by razor thin split decisions. The unbeaten Wang began his career in 2019 and has looked heavy handed through out his career, but has faced a string of very limited foes, with 4 wins against debutants and 5 wins against fighters without a win. As for Zixiang Wang he began his career in 2017 and has, overall, faced better opponents, but was beaten just 2 fights ago, and hasn't shown much in terms of power. For both men this is their most notable bout to date, and should provide a genuine chance to see if either man has what it takes to make a mark on the regional scene. Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas, USA Over in the US we'll see hard hitting Uzbekistani hopeful Bektemir Melikuziev (9-1, 7) continue his rebuilding process as he takes on the experienced Sladan Janjanin (32-11, 24), from Bosnia And Herzegovina. The hard hitting Melikuziev will be looking for his third win since his shock 2021 loss to Gabe Rosado, and he shouldn't have any problems here. Janjanin is experience, and does have plenty of wins to his name, but his wins have come at a very, very low level and he has consistently lost when he has faced name fighters, including a 7th round TKO loss to Nathan Heaney last year and a 3rd round TKO loss in 2016 to Steven Butler.
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 Sanman Gym, General Santos City, Cotabato del Sur, Philippines
This coming Wednesday we'll be getting Filipino action thanks to Sanman promotions. The card isn't a stacked one but it does feature plenty of noteworthy fighters in a 2-part, 10 fight, event. One of the main bouts will see former world title challenger Froilan Saludar (31-4-1, 22) take on Reymark Taday (10-13-1, 5) in an 8 round Bantamweight bout. This will be Saludar's first bout since losing the WBO Asia Pacific Super Flyweight title in February 2020, to Ryoji Fukunaga. This should be an easy return to the ring for the talented Saludar, but it's hard to know just what he has left to give the sport after being stopped in 2 of his last 5. As for Taday he's experienced but very limited and has gone 1-8 in his last 9. In another main bout we expect to see fireworks as Rimar Metuda (14-6-1, 8) takes on the highly experienced Eden Sonsona (36-12-2, 13), who will be fighting in his 51st bout. Metuda has lost 3 of his last 5, but started to build some success in late 2019, success he would like to build on now. As for Sonsona he was a tricky fighter, who could score surprise wins as he did in 2015 against Adrian Estrella. Sadly however Sonsona has lost his last 6 and seems to lack the hunger and desire for victory now a days. In a supporting bout the unbeaten RV Deniega (4-0, 2) will battle against Jovanie Tagusi (6-3-2, 3), in what looks like a very clear step up for Deniega. The unbeaten fighter will be in his first 8 rounder and has looked promising so far, however Tagusi is no push over and he is 4-1-1 (2) in his last 6. Others on this card include Adam Diu Abdulhamid (15-9, 7), Jake Borena (15-0, 10) and Harmonito Dela Torre (21-3, 13), who add some name value to the rest of the show. Sadly however all 3 men are in what appear to be mismatches. Macao S.A.R., China
The biggest Asian show this coming Saturday comes from Macao, where we get several bouts of note thanks to the IBF, who are holding a convention and having boxing take place around that event. On paper the best bout is an all-south Light Heavyweight clash between Fanlong Meng (14-0, 9) and Adam Deines (17-0-1, 8), who battle in what is an IBF final world title eliminator. Unbeaten fighters, with ambition, clashing is always a good thing, and whilst neither will be given a chance against IBF world champion Artur Beterbiev this should still be a worth while clash. With a world title fight up for grabs for the winner this is a really important contest, and potentially the hidden gem of the weekend. Another unbeaten fighter on this card is Australian Steve Gago (10-0, 4), who takes on criminally under-rated Filipino Adam Diu Abdulhamid (14-7, 6), in what should be a much, much tougher test than it appears on paper. Although Abdulhamid has 7 losses to his name he is a very talented fighter and a real potential banana skin for the unbeaten Gago. A third bout will see China's Sen Chen (11-1, 2) battle against Filipino veteran Richie Mepranum (33-7-1, 9), for a minor regional title. This is a big step up for Chen, but a win would help him out his name out there. At his best Mepranum is a solid fighter, but in recent years he has just been picking up more losses than wins, and has lost 3 of his last 5. A good test for Chen, but it should be a winnable one. Tokyo, Japan From the Korakuen Hall we'll get the next Dynamic Glove card, and unfortunately it won't be shown live, and instead it's going to be put on tape delay the following Wednesday. The main event of the card was supposed to be the first defense of the Japanese Flyweight title by Junto Nakatani (18-0, 13), who was pencilled in to face Wolf Nakano (6-7-4, 2). That was a disappointing bout and was cancelled when Nakano suffered an injury in training, and he has now been replaced by Filipino foe Philip Luis Cuerdo (11-6-1, 4). On paper this is a better bout than the original match up, but should be little more than the next step forward for Nakatani, who is looking like one of the brightest prospects in Japan. On paper the bout of the show looks likely to be the rematch between Charles Bellamy (28-3-2, 18) and Yuto Shimizu (12-4-2, 5), who had a cracking bout last September. The Bellamy, a popular Japanese based American, took a narrow win over Shimizu last year, and will be favoured here. Shimizu however is no push over, as he showed in their first bout, and this could be a very, very good bout. Another really good looking match up here will see Japan's Ryota Toyoshima (10-2-1, 7) look to build on a big 208 as he takes on Korean visitor Woo Min Won (10-1, 6). Toyoshima went 3-0 (2) last year, with a very notable win over Moon Hyun Yun, and will be looking to continue that run here. The Korean fight will be fighting on Japanese soil for the second time, having beaten Daiki Koide in Nagoya in 2016. Interestingly this will be Kim's 4th straight bout against a Japanese foe, and so far he has a 3-0 (2) record against Japanese fighters. Hard hitting Minimumweight prospect Kai Ishizawa (5-0, 5) might not be one of the most rounded prospects in Japan but he is a very heavy handed fighter with a lot of promise, and he's very, very young. On this show he will take on Indonesian journeyman Silem Serang (13-19-2, 1), in what should be little more than a show case for the very exciting Ishizawa. One other bout of note will see Rookie of the Year runner up Hikari Mineta (5-1, 3) kick off his 2019 with a bout against 32 year old Motosuke Kimura (3-1-2, 1). We were impressed by Mineta in the Rookie of the Year, though he did have a nightmare in the early stages of the final, and it's going to be great to see what the Teiken man can go on to achieve over the coming years. Berne, Switzerland On the subject of Japanese fighters it's worth noting that Swiss based Japanese born veteran Aniya Seki (34-4-3, 5) will be up against journey woman Ivanka Ivanova (1-10-2) in Berne. Seki, now aged 40, is unlikely to achieve her dream of becoming a world champion, but she should pick up an easy win here against her Bulgarian foe who hasn't won in her last 9. California, USA We turn to the US for much more notable action towards the end of the day, with a number of Filipino fighters in action. Sadly whilst there are some talented fighters on the card, the most notable of the Filipino fighters looks to be, on paper at least, in a stay busy fight. That is former WBO Bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales (32-2, 15), the criminally under-rated southpaw, taking on Mexican foe Roberto Castaneda (23-11-2, 16). On paper this is a mismatch, though Castaneda has had some interesting performances in recent years coming close to upsetting Jose Lopez in 2014 and securing a draw Tyler McCreary last time out. Another highly regarded Filipino on this card is the hard hitting Jhack Tepora (22-0, 17), who returns to the ring following a weight mishap earlier in the year. He'll be up against fellow puncher Jose Luis Gallegos (16-6, 12) and should manage to secure a pretty straight forward win, though has clearly lost some of his career moment after a huge 2018. Filipino-America John Leo Dato (10-0-1, 7) looks to extend his unbeaten record, as he takes on tough veteran German Meraz (62-55-2, 39). The Mexican veteran has 120 bouts to his name, and although his losses are stacking up he has only 8 stoppage defeats with the latest coming more than 2 years ago to Tugstsogt Nyambayar. Meraz will test Dato, but isn't likely to score the upset.  This Saturday is a huge one for Asian fight fans with notable bouts taking place on 3 different continents.
New Jersey, USA The biggest card for us is North America where we see a headlining bout between two established fighters and get a supporting card featuring major Central Asian prospects. The card is headlined by Dmitry Bivol (14-0, 11)defending his WBA Light Heavyweight title against veteran Jean Pascal (33-5-1-1, 20). The talented Bivol has been busy this year with wins against Sullivan Barrera and Isaac Chilemba and a win over Pascal would see him ending a good year with a big name on his record, albeit a faded force in Pascal. The 36 year old Pascal is well beyond his best, but was competitive with Eleider Alvarez last year and the hope will be for Bivol and Alvarez to face off in 2019. A prime Pascal would have given Bivol a real test, but he's now little more than a name. An in depth preview of this bout can be read here - Can Bivol over-come Pascal in one of the final HBO shows? One of the prospects on this card is Uzbek sensation Murodjon Akhmadaliev (4-0, 3), who will be looking to make his first defense of the WBA Inter-Continental Super Bantamweight title. The unbeaten Akhmadaliev was a former amateur stand out will be up against American foe Isaac Zarate (16-3-3, 2) , who comes into this bout on the back of a 5 fight unbeaten run including wins over Carlos Carlson and Horacio Garcia. This is a good step up for the Uzbek, who's is set to have his fight televised on HBO, and hopefully bigger and better opportunities will come his way in 2019. One of the other major prospects on this card is the debuting Israil Madrimov (0-0), who looks to instantly announce himself as one to watch, as he takes on Vladimir Hernandez (10-2, 6) in a 10 rounder, on debut. The highly regarded Madrimov is tipped to be a major success, and it seems clear that his team have big expectations for him, putting him in such a tough bout to begin his career. Hernandez might not be a major name but he's a very solid opponent for a debut, and has only lost a couple of close decisions, to Humberto Velazco Torres and Adrian Luna Flores. Not only has Hernandez been competitive with good opponents, but he has scored decent wins over Elco Garcia and Danny Valdivia. This is a serious debut. Another prospect on this card is 2016 Olympic silver medal winner Shakhram Giyasov (5-0, 4), who will be up against the very experienced Miguel Zamudio (41-11-1, 25). The unbeaten Giyasov has been very impressive this year, beating good opponents like Gabor Gorbics, Albert Mensah and Julio Laguna, defeating Laguna at Wembley on a massive international card. Zamudio is a 27 year old Mexican veteran, who debuted back in 2009 and has been ultra-active. Despite being active Zamudio has lost to the notable opponents he's faced, such as Jose Zepeda, Sharif Bogere and Will Tomlinson. Kazakh Heavyweight Ivan Dychko (7-0, 7) was also scheduled to be on this card, though was pulled in the weeks leading up to the show, without a reason being given. Monte Carlo, Monaco Another international card with notable action comes from Monaco, where we get a couple bouts involving Asian fighters. A second unbeaten Chinese fighter on this card is Meng Fanlong (13-0, 8) who goes up against popular Englishman Frank Buglioni (22-3-1, 16). The bout will be Fanlong's first defense of the IBF Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight title, a title he won in October 2017 when he defeated Ammanuel Danso. The Chinese fighter has looked good at times, but has been shown to have a less than amazing chin and although Buglioni is not a world beater, he does have respectable power. If Buglioni lands clean this could be a night to forget for Fanlong, who will be making his Euroipean debut. Another Olympic medal winner on this card will be 2016 gold medal winner Daniyar Yeleussinov (4-0, 2) of Kazakhstan. The 2016 Olympic champion will be battling against Nicaraguan Marcos Mojica (16-2-2, 12) and this is another good platform for Yeleussinov to shine on, as he did last time out, when he stopped Matt Doherty. If Yeleussinov can continue to develop his style he could become a star, but there is still a long way for him to go. Mojica is the under-dog, but is a live under-dog here. We were also hoping to see unbeaten Chinese hopeful Zhang Zhilei (20-0, 16) take on veteran Alexander Ustinov (34-2, 25), but that bout was cancelled at late notice due to Zhilei having visa issues in the weeks running up to the fight. Cebu, Philippines Despite the notable action in the US and Monaco there is actually a stacked card in the Philippines, courtesy of ALA Promotions who are putting on a show with several WBO affiliated titles. One of those title bouts will feature the hard hitting Jeo Santisima (16-2, 14) making his first defense of the WBO Oriental Super Bantamweight title, as he takes on Mexican visitor Victor Uriel Lopez (13-6-1, 6). The champion won the title earlier this year, when he stopped Yodsingdaeng Jor Chaijinda and this should be a good defense against a fighter who has proven he can fight on the road. Lopez first came to our attention in 2016, when he upset Ryo Matsumoto, and despite a loss to Matsumoto in a rematch he has remained relevant, with a big win this past August against Antonio Tostado. We're expecting an interesting bout here. Another title bout on this card will see the once beaten Albert Pagara (30-1, 21) make his first defense of the WBO Inter-Continental Super Bantamweight title, as he takes on Ghanaian puncher George Krampah (14-3, 12). On paper this looks dangerous for Pagara, but the visitor has been stopped in 2 of his last 3 bouts, and he lacks any win of note. This is a great chance for Pagara to make his first defense, and we suspect his aim will be on stopping Krampah in under 4 rounds, to try and beat the result Isaac Dogboe had against him. In one of the major supporting bouts we'll see former world title challengers face off with Jonas Sultan (14-4, 9) taking on Ardin Diale (34-12-4, 16). Sultan failed to shine in his recent world title fight with Jerwin Ancajas, but he is a talented fighter and will be wanting to bounce back from that setback. A win over would certainly help him go into 2019 with some momentum. As for Diale his record has been patchy recently, though he has mixed with top quality fighters such as Daigo Higa, Moruti Mthlane and Andrew Selby. We suspect Sultan's youth will get him over the line here, but this could be more competitive than the records suggest. Sultan isn't the only former world title challenger on this show as the once touted Arthur Villanueva (32-3, 18) looks to rebuild his career after his loss earlier this year to Luis Nery. Villanueva will be up against countryman Carlo Demecillo (11-5, 5) who is less than 2 years removed from a brutal KO loss to Satoshi Shimizu. He is 5-1 (4) since that loss, but this is a big step back up in class and is certainly his toughest bout since the Shimizu bout. Hard to see anything but a win for Villanueva, but he will have to work for it. Unbeaten prospect KJ Cataraja (8-0, 7) takes a step up as he faces Victor Hugo Reyes (9-1-1, 7) for the WBO Youth Super Flyweight title. Cataraja is widely regarded as one of the top Filipino prospects but hasn't yet had the opponents to really show what he's capable of. This is a good chance to Cataraja to prove what he can do and potentially convince his team to give him better match ups in the new year. Reyes is a live fighter, but his record doesn't have much quality on it, with his most notable bout being his loss to Ricardo Rafael Sandoval back in March. Reyes will travel to win, and should give Cataraja a good teat, but one that we expect Cataraja to pass. Japanese prospect Go Hosaka (1-0, 1), who is signed with ALA Promotions, will be having his second professional bout. The talented former amateur stand out will be up against the hard hitting but limited Jason Tinampay (8-11-1, 7). Hosaka is a real talent and ALA may well have a future world champion on their hands here, if they manage his career properly. At this stage putting him in with Tinampay seems a good choice. Tinampay was once a dangerous fighter, but has gone 1-10-1 since a 7-1 start to his career. Quebec, Canada We see yet more prospects in Canada, where two Kazakh hopefuls will be looking to extend their unbeaten records. One of those prospects is the very talented Sadriddin Akhmedov (4-0, 4), who goes up against the experienced Jose Francisco Zuniga (14-11-2, 5). On paper this is a slight step up in class for Akhmedov, who has stopped his first 4 opponents in a combined 8 rounds, but one he should manage without any issues. It's worth noting Zuniga has only been stopped once in his 11 losses, but we feel he will have to put in a real survival effort to hear the final bell here. The other is prospects is 24 year old Nurzat Sabirov (7-0, 6), who a huge step up in class to battle Rocky Montoya (32-2, 22). Sabirov is tipped to be a star, like many of the Kazakh's currently based in Canada , and has looked very promising since his debut in June 2017. This is however a step up and Montoya has only been stopped once, by the under-rated David Lopez. Whilst Montoya is a test on paper it's hard to know how good he is given that, for the most part, his competition has been dreadful. We suspect Montoya's record will be exposed here by the talented Kazakh. Victoria, Australia In less notable action we'll see Filipino Adam Diu Abdulhamid (13-6, 5) look to build on a recent big win in China, over Youli Dong. The under-rated Filipino will be facing off with Australian Joel Camilleri (15-5-1, 7) in a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Welterweight title, which is currently vacant. Although relatively unknown Abdulhamid is a very good fighter and seems happy fighting on the road, despite bein 1-3 outside of the Philippines. Camilleri has won just 1 of his last 3 fights, and really lacks a good wins, but was competitive with Dwight Richie last time out, and is better than his record suggests. This looks like it could be a very interesting match up.  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. |
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