November 29th-Tinampay looks for another upset!

11/24/2019

Tanzania
We get the most notable bout with an Asian fighter in Tanzania of all places, as upset minded Filipino Arnel Tinampay (26-24-1, 12) takes on local foe Hassan Mwakinyo (15-2, 11). The 25 year Tanzanian is riding a 5 fight winning run into this bout including a big win in the UK over Sam Eggington. The 35 year old Tinampay isn't a big name in the sport but he has proven to be an excellent journeyman, who scores more than his share of upsets. Although no world beater Tinampay has scored regular upsets and will be looking to add another one here!

Auckland, New Zealand
As well as the bout in Tanzania there will also be a number of bouts in Auckland featuring Asian fighters.

One of those bouts will see Indian fighter Siddharth Ravindra Varma (5-3-1-2, 2) take on unbeaten Russian born Kiwi Andrei Mikhailovich (11-0, 6). We don't expect Varma will have much of a chance here, but it'll be good to see what the 21 year old Mikhailovich can do as he looks to build on wins over the likes of Chase Haley and Gunnar Jackson already this year.

In a potentially politically charged bout we'll see Pakistan's Nadir Baloch (8-0, 7) take on Indian foe Inderjeet Singh (2-0), with both men risking their unbeaten records. Given the political issues between the two countries this is a bigger bout that it should be. Baloch was a notable amateur who has already been fighting in 10 round bouts. Singh has only fought 7 career rounds and should be seen as the clear under-dog here.

Another Pakistan Vs India bout will see the unbeaten pairing of Muhammad Bilal (6-0-1, 5) and Suresh Kumar (3-0-2, 2) face off. Bilal is a 24 year old from Karachi who is looking to bounce back from a technical draw against Geisler AP. Kumar on the other hand is fighting for the 6th time in just over 7 months, but this will only be the second time he has faced someone who isn't making their debut.

May 3rd-Kaneko and Adachi clash for youth title!

4/28/2019

Osaka, Japan
This coming Friday our attention turns to Osaka for a small but notable card thanks to Hiroki Ioka.

The main event of the show is a brilliant Japanese Youth Welterweight title fight, pitting unbeaten champion Kudura Kaneko (9-0, 6) against Ioka protege Rikuto Adachi (12-1, 9), in what could end up being the best Japanese Welterweight bout of the year. Kaneko comes into this bout seeking his 10th straight win, and looking to build on an excellent win last year over former national champion Toshio Arikawa. Adachi on the other hand will be looking for his 5th straight stoppage win, and will be looking to score his biggest win to date. On paper this is mouth watering, and there is a very real chance that the winner fights in either a senior title fight this year, or gets a Japanese title eliminator at the end of the year. A full preview of this bout can be read here Kaneko and Adachi clash in battle of young Welters!

Former female world title challenger Terumi Nuki (10-4, 7) looks to bounce back from her 2018 loss to Mariana Juarez. She will be up against a Thai opponent in what should be a straight forward win for the local.

Sadly a bout that was supposed to feature 2017 all-Japan Super Bantamweight Rookie of the Year Toshiki Shimomachi (9-1-2, 5) hasn't actually materialise, leaving the entire card with just 4 bouts on it.

Western Australia, Australia
As well as the Japanese card there is also a bout of interest in Australia. The bout in question will see Australia's very own Wes Capper (19-2-1, 12) return to the ring after a little over a year out, to take on Filipino journeyman Arnel Tinampay (25-23-1, 11). On paper this is a mismatch, but one thing bout Tinampay is that he plays the under-dog. The Filipino is a heavy handed tough guy who is a lot better than his record suggests, and could well upset Capper here in a very intriguing contests, despite the obvious difference in the records of the two men.

July 8th-Filipino prospects look to steal the day!

7/5/2017

This coming Saturday is set to be a busy day for Asian fight fans with bouts featuring Asian fighters taking place all over the globe.

Cebu, Philippines
The biggest show of the day is an ALA show in Cebu that features a number of the best Filipino prospects getting decent tests.

The main event of the show will see the unbeaten, and highly touted, Mark Magsayo (16-0, 12) battle against Nicaraguan Daniel Diaz (23-7-2, 15). The bout will see Magsayo defending his WBO International Featherweight title, for the second, in what looks like a good test on paper. Magsayo is seen as one of the most promising Filipino hopefuls, and he has impressed, but this could be a tough ask as Diaz has mixed with good competition, fought for a world title and holds a win over Roberto Marroquin.

Another bout that looks great on paper sees the heavy handed Jeo Santisima (13-2, 11) take on the unbeaten Goodluck Mrema (16-0, 8). The 21 year old Santisima has won his last 11, with 10 stoppages, and has really impressed with his power and aggression but is in tough here against an unbeaten Tanzanian fighter who won't be wanting to give up his perfect record. This could be the stand out bout of the show.

Former world title challenger Melvin Jerusalem (11-1, 7) looks to bounce back from his narrow loss to WBC Minimumweight champion Wanheng Menayothin as he takes on fellow Filipino Joey Canoy (12-3-1, 6). The talented and exciting Jerusalem looks like a future world champion in the making and looks like someone with all the talented needed to be a future Filipino star, but needs to prove that he has the mentality to be a special fighter as he drops back down to domestic level. Canot has lost 3 of his last 7, but Jerusalem still cannot over-look him here.

Another notable bout here will see the once beaten Albert Pagara (27-1, 18) battle against Thai visitor Patomsith Pathompothong (16-9, 6). The talented Pagara will be fighting for the second time since suffering his sole career defeat, to Cesar Juarez, and should be able to get a confidence building win here. The Thai once looked like a possible contender, but with 5 losses in his last 6 he now looks like a journeyman, and it's unlikely he'll put up much of a fight here.

One final prospect on this card of real note is the unbeaten Kevin Jake Cataraja (5-0, 4), who will be facing off with Lony Cadayday (4-1-2, 1). The wonderfully talented Cataraja is one of the best young fighters in the Philippines but still needs a lot of time to develop his skills and will certainly be handled well by ALA who will look to keep him busy and continue his development before moving him in to title bouts, potentially next year. Cadayday comes into this bout as the under-dog, but as a man who has gone unbeaten in 6 and scored a big win last time out over Jeny Boy Boca, with that win being a huge confidence builder for the once beaten Cadayday.

Jalisco, Mexico
Although the best card is in the Philippines it does need to be said that the most significant bout with an Asian fighter takes place in Mexico as WBC female Bantamweight champion Mariana Juarez (45-9-4, 17) defends her title against Japanese challenger Terumi Nuki (9-1, 6). The Mexican star will be strongly favoured, but there is a chance she'll get old over-night and that would give Nuki half a chance, like we saw last weekend when Jeff Horn shocked the legendary Manny Pacquiao.

New South Wales, Australia
We also get Asian's in action in Australia, where we get a trio of bouts of note.

For us the best of the bouts will see the unbeaten Mark Lucas (8-0, 3) take on upset minded Filipino Arnel Tinampay (24-20-1, 10). On paper this looks like a typical “Prospect Vs Journeyman” bout, but Tinampay has a reputation for upsetting the apple carts and beating guys he's not supposed to beat. Lucas will be favoured, but this is a real banana skin bout for him.

Another bout of note here will see Haithem Laamouz (9-0, 3) and Filipino Joebert Delos Reyes (15-7-1, 10) battle for the Australian Lightweight title, in a bout that could be better than the records suggest. Laamouz should win, but Delos Reyes is capable an upset, and is heavy handed.

The other fight of note will see the limited Michael Van Nimwegen (9-5, 4) take on long term Australian based Indonesian trial horse Aswin Cabuy (19-61-4, 7). On paper this looks likely to be another loss for Cabuy but he's certainly beaten fighters than Van Nimwegen in the past and could be up for this one, despite being 42 years old.

Manokwari, Indonesia
There will also be a pair of shows in Indonesia. One of those will be in Mankwari where the card is headlined by a bout between Hengky Baransano (11-11, 4) and Domi Nenokeba (12-29-2, 8). The bout isn't hugely appealing internationally but should be fun for fans in attendance. The only other bout of note on this card will see veteran Geisler AP (10-10, 7) take on the debuting Samson (0-0).

Jakarta, Indonesia
The other show in Indonesia takes place in Jakarta and against won't get much international intention, but should still be a decent card.

One of those bouts on the card will see Ruben Manakane (20-17-1, 12) take on Edison Berwela (15-35-8, 4) in what could be a better bout than it looks on paper. Another bout similar intent will see veteran James Mokoginta (33-18-3, 20) take on journeyman Artid Bamrungauea (11-16, 9),with this bout being for the WBC ABC Continental title.

Another title fight will see Willem Marahina (5-15-1, 3) face off with Rocky Irawan Sikumbang (6-3, 2) for the International Boxing Association Super Lightweight title.

Another bout with some interest will see the unbeaten Hebi Marapu (8-0, 6) face of with Hendy Luis (7-11-2, 3), in what looks like a good test for the promising Marapu.

May 6th-Daiki Kaneko headlines in Tokyo!

4/30/2017

Tokyo, Japan
The most notable of the action in Asia this coming Saturday is at the Korakuen Hall as Japanese fans see a card featuring two former world title challengers

The main event of the card will see the powerful Daiki Kaneko (25-5-3, 17), best known for giving Takashi Uchiyama real fits in their 2013 contest, facing off with 36 year old veteran Tsuyoshi Tojo (13-14-5, 2). The bout should be a clear win for Kaneko, who is riding a 4 fight winning streak coming in to this, and although he has been in some real wars he should be far too good and powerful for Tojo. What will be telling however will be the result, with Tojo having never been stopped before in his 32 fight career.

The other former world title challenger in action is 41 year old Motoki Sasaki (42-10-1, 26), who faces the 24 year old Genki Ishikawa (8-1, 5). The once beaten Ishikawa will see this as his opportunity to score a career defining win, and boost his hopes for a domestic title fight, however Sasaki will be the favourite , and has won 3 bouts since ending his retirement from the sport. Sasaki might be an old man but he's a genuinely talented fighter at this level and will be seeing this bout as a chance to earn himself another Japanese title fight. This is a really interesting bout on the Japanese domestic scene.

Yesan, Korea
In South Korea we'll see a KBF Rookie of the Year tournament show, with only the main event not being part of that Rookie tournament.

That aforementioned main event will see the talented Geun Sik Choi (4-0, 3) take on upset minded Filipino Arnel Tinampay (23-20-1, 9) in what looks like a really good test for Choi. On paper we know this looks like a mismatch but Tinamapay has scored so many upsets through his career that his record only tells half the story about his ability and he will be looking to score another shock on the road.

In regards to the actual Rookie bouts the most interesting on paper will see unbeaten men colliding with Tae Won Jung (2-0) battling Kook Min Moon (2-0, 1) in a Super Featherweight clash. Both of these men debuted on March 26th and scored their second win on April 16th, so have been active and neither will be wanting to let go of their small winning runs here.

January 27th-Low key show in Bohol

1/22/2017

Bohol, Philippines
In the Philippines this coming Coming Friday fight fans get the chance to see a low profile card in Bohol.

In one of the key bouts we'll see the criminally under-rated Arnel Tinampay (22-20-1, 8) take part in an 8 rounder. Another 8 rounder will see Gary Rojo (5-10, 2) battle against Marlou Talili (5-16, 2) in a bout between two men each feeling like they can pick up a win here. Although Rojo has 10 losses in 15 he has gone 4-2 in his last 6 and could have confidence here, especially given he beat Talili last June.

In an under-card bout we'll see Antonio Sismundo (2-0, 2) take on domestic journeyman Hagibis Quinones (5-19-1, 4). Although limited Quinones has got some sting on his shots and Sismundo will be advised to show a bit of caution here.

December 25th-Christmas action from Kunming

12/22/2016

Kunming, China
So Christmas day is upon us and in the world of boxing fight fans still don't get a rest as Chinese fans get a low profile card from Kunming.

The main event of the card will see novice Kazakh Nursultan Zhanabayev (1-0) take on the under-rated Filipino Arnel Tinampay (22-20-1, 8). The The 24 year old Zhanabayev debuted back in October and impressed on route to victory over Xing Xin Yang, a split decision that seemed a very clear win for the then debuting Kazakh. Although he impressed he is in with a fighter here who is very tough and very under-rated. Tinampay has racked up losses but has also scored notable wins through his career, beating the likes of Koshinmaru Saito and Yosuke Kirima, and could be a very tough second outing for Zhanabayev.

In a supporting bout Peng Sheng (3-2, 2) will face the unbeaten Feng Fei Long (2-0, 1) in a 6 rounder. The bout isn't a huge one but sees Long fighting for the 3rd time in the space of 4 months and it's clear that a win here could open doors domestically.

July 24th-Kongfah and Higa meet in a clash of unbeatens!

7/22/2015

This coming Friday isn't a busy day in Asian boxing but is an interesting one with 3 bouts of real note.

Bangkok, Thailand
Every week we see bouts in Thailand which are mismatches and bouts that we have very little real interesting in. This coming Friday however is an exception as we get a genuinely mouth watering WBC Youth Flyweight title fight between two young and unbeaten fighters who have been tipped for real success. Those fighters are Kongfah CP Freshmart (14-0, 8) and Daigo Higa (6-0, 6). We have a real interest in both men and suspect the winner will race to become a contender in one of the sports most packed divisions. As for the loser, they will almost certainly come back and rebuild what could be a very successful career of their own. Brilliant match up

New South Wales, Australia
In Australia we see Filipino tough guy Arnel Tinampay (22-18-1, 8) continue his interesting career as he takes on the unbeaten Sam Ah See (12-0-1, 6). Although on a mismatch Tinampay has often found himself travelling and scoring the occasional upset, as he also most did to see just a few fights back, when see won a controversial majority decision. We know Tinampay isn't world class but the 31 year old is tough, hits harder than his record suggests and is a real banana skin, as he'll be hoping to prove once again here.

Mexico
Also in action will be Japanese “export” Shoki Sakai (18-5, 12) who continues his his career in Mexico. We're unsure who he will be fighting but he's one of many fighters who is better than his record indicates and could well continue his run of good performances. Although he has lost 2 of his last 3 bouts Sakai has mixed at a good level and will know that he has a chance at scoring another win.

June 4th-Parrenas battles Carmona in days stand out bout!

7/1/2015

Action begins to really get underway this Saturday with a really interesting looking “interim” world title bout alongside a number of other contests.

Chiapas, Mexico
The biggest fight of the day, for us anyway, comes from Mexico where the heavy handed Warlito Parrenas (24-6, 21) attempts to upset local favourite David Carmona (19-2-4, 8) to claim the WBO “interim” Super Flyweight title and open the way to a potential clash with Japanese sensation Naoya Inoue. The bout, which has been put together following Inoue's hand issues, looks good on paper but we suspect Parrenas has to be strongly viewed as the favourite against a limited and light hitting Mexican foe.

Tokyo, Japan
The first Japanese show of the month takes place today at the Korakuen Hall.

Originally the main event was set to see Japanese Light Welterweight champion Hiroki Okada (10-0, 8) defending his title against former foe Masayoshi Kotake (9-9-2, 5). Sadly an injury to Okada in late June has forced that bout to be cancelled.

As a result of Okada's injury the new main event will be between Japanese ranked Welterweights as Ryoji Tanaka (8-3-1, 2) battles against Daisuke Sakamoto (9-8-2, 5) in a bout that promises to be better than the records would suggest. Coming in Sakamoto is in good form, having won 2 of his last 3 and was very unlucky in his most recent loss. Tanaka on the other hand was beaten last time out, snapping a 5 fight winning streak. On paper it's not a special bout be we suspect it will be very competitive.

Although the card isn't the strongest it does have some interesting looking bouts, arguably the best of the under-card contests comes at Super Bantamweight where Yukinori Hisanaga (16-6-2, 9) takes on Yosuke Fujihara (14-3, 4) in a bit of a must win bout for both men. Coming in Fujihara has lost his last 2, and 3 of his last 4 though will know that a win puts him in the mix for a potential title fight. As for Hisanaga he has lost 2 of his last 3, though one of those did come in a national title fight to Hidenori Otake.

Another under-card bout worth noting will see the always fun to watch Shuhsei Tsuchiya (17-4, 15) take on Kazuya Soma (7-7-2, 6) in a potential shoot out. Tsuchiya has all the advantages on paper but with 3 stoppage losses in his last 6 he may well be a fighter “on the slide”, despite being just 28. It's a must win for the popular Tsuchiya if he's to ever get himself a domestic title fight, however Soma can certainly punch and will be looking to score the home run shot.

Bayern, Germany
In Germany we see another Japanese fighter in action as the experienced Aniya Seki (26-3-2, 2) battles against unbeaten German Leonie Giebel (7-0-1, 1). On paper Seki's experience could be her key against a naturally bigger fighter, however this is a very tough bout for the European based Japanese fighter who is 14 years older than her foe.

New South Wales, Australia
In NSW Australian fans will get the chance to see the upset minded Filipino Arnel Tinampay (22-17-1, 8) battle against unbeaten Aussie Rocky Jerkic (10-0, 8). Whilst Tinampay isn't the best fighter out there he is better than his record suggests and shouldn't be taken lightly, as he's proven in bouts against the likes of Yosuke Kirima and Shoma Fukumoto. Jerkick is on a good run but this will almost certainly be a tougher bout for him than his team may have suspected.

New South Wales, Australia
A separate show in NSW sees several bouts featuring Asian's, though none of whom will be given a real chance.

The biggest of the mismatches sees Pramool Boonpok (1-15-1) battle against the unbeaten Tony Senior (6-0, 5). It's hard to see a win for Boonpok here, though we would be impressed if he could see the distance with the hard hitting Senior.

Another one sided of the bouts, on paper, will see Filipino journeyman Jonel Alibio (18-18-5, 10) battle against unbeaten Australian Nathan Wright (6-0, 3) in a contest for the IBO Asia Pacific Lightweight title. On paper this looks like Alibio has been selected to help Wright win a title, though hopefully Alibio will come with the belief that he can upset Wright.

Another big mismatch will see Thailand's Mongkolchai Lookmuangkanch (12-3, 7) battle against the well regarded TJ Doheny (11-0, 7). Doheny is really starting to make a name for himself and would, obviously, be favoured here. Sadly for the Thai his last loss, a TKO defeat to Corey McConnell doesn't bode well for his chances here and it seems likely that he will be stopped again here.

The one, slight, chance for an upset comes in a 10 round bout between Joebert Delos Reyes (13-5-1, 10) and the unbeaten Darragh Foley (5-0, 3). Reyes scored a huge upset last year, when he scored a sensational KO against Valentine Borg, and will be hoping for a repeat of that here against the Australian based Foley. Foley, a southpaw originally from England, will be the favourite but this is a step up for him.

(Image courtesy of notifight.com)

April 16th-Yamanaka defends against Santillan, Tatsuyoshi debuts, Nakazawa and Ikemizu face tests...and more!

4/12/2015

Although the month has been packed so far things really begin to pick up over the next week or saw. Part of that is due to a pair of brilliant shows in Osaka. The first is today whilst another comes 6 days later.

Osaka, Japanese
The aforementioned Osaka show is the first really big Teiken show of 2015 and it really does have a bit of everything. The main event features one of the sports premier punchers whilst the undercard features highly touted prospects, and debutants, including the debut of a man likely to get more attention than more experienced fighters.

The show includes several debutants though the most notable is Juiki Tatsuyoshi (0-0) the second son of the great Joichiro Tatsuyoshi. Although he's only a debutant Juiki is expected to get a lot of attention and even TV time, despite the fact he's fighting the very poor Tadao Iwaya (1-2) in a bout that really lacks much interest. For Juiki being his father's son could be a double edged sword. He will get a lot of attention and it could help his career, but he'll also have people comparing him to his father and expecting him to be better than he probably is.

A more interesting debut from out stand point is that of Shuya Masaki (0-0) who went 54-8 in the amateur ranks and is hotly tipped as a man to watch. The 21 year old Masaki will be battling against Panthong Por Panya (0-0) in a 6 rounder. Although both men are debutants it's fair to say Masaki will start as the big favourite and some are tipping him as a world champion in the making.

Another highly touted prospect on this card is Sho Nakazawa (5-0, 4) who looks to continue his perfect start as he battles Mexican fighter Alexander Cazares (9-3, 3). Nakazawa is regarded very highly and his shut out win against Jhunriel Ramonal showed just how much talent he has, though we are hoping to see him tested here a little bit by the tough Cazares.

Another touted prospect on this card is Tatsuya Ikemizu (12-0, 5) who faces his toughest test so far as he takes on experienced and tough Filipino Marjohn Yap (19-12, 10). Ikemizu is highly regarded and won the 2013 Rookie of the Year at Bantamweight though this is a massive leap up in class against one of the better journeymen doing the roads in Asia.

In the main event we'll see WBC Bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka (22-0-2, 16) attempt to extend his reign as the Bantamweight kingpin as he battles against undefeated Argentinian challenger Diego Ricardo Santillan (23-0, 15). On paper this looks competitive with both men having similar records, however the quality that Yamanaka has beaten is so much better than anyone that Santillan has faced. Yamanaka is the best opponent Santillan has been in with whilst Santillan may just be in the top 10 of Yamanaka's best foes.

Tokyo, Japan
A second Japanese show takes place at the Korakuen Hall and takes place at a much lower level.

The main event here will see the heavy handed Akinori Watanabe (31-4, 27) battle against upset minded Filipino fighter Arnel Tinampay (22-16-1, 8). Watanabe is a former OPBF, Japanese and PABA Welterweight champion who comes into this bout on a run of 12-0 (10) and although he will, clearly, be the favourite Tinampay has made a habit out of beating Japanese fighters and holds relatively recent wins over Koshimaru Saito, Shoma Fukumoto and Yosuke Kirima.

One of the chief support bouts is an interesting match up as former Japanese Featherweight champion Koji Umetsu (22-15-3, 10) battles former title challenger Kazunori Takayama (20-8-4, 4). Both of these fighters are in their 30's and both are clearly on the back-side of their career. The loser here may well be looking at the end whilst the winner is possible set to get a title shot.

The other supporting bout will see promising Welterweight hopeful Takeshi Inoue (2-0-1, 1) in action against Thai visitor Kriburee Sithniwat (0-2-1). Inoue has been one of the men on our radar since his debut, a draw with fellow prospect Daishi Nagata, and it seems likely that he will continue his development with a win here before moving onto a more notable opponent later in the year.

(Image courtesy of boxmob.jp)