 Osaka, Japan
The main show this coming Saturday comes from Osaka as Harada Promotions, along with reason Promotions, where we get a Japanese title double header. One of those bouts will see Japanese Light Flyweight champion Tetsuya Hisada (30-9-2, 19) defending his title against mandatory challenger Koji Itagaki (18-11-3, 7). Coming in to this bout Hisada has made 2 defenses already and is working his way towards a world title fight, in fact at the time of writing Hisada is ranked in the top 10 by all 4 world title bodies and talking about getting a shot at a belt by the end of 2018. Itagaki got this shot on the back of a win over Koki Ono last October, but with 11 losses in 32 fights, and recent defeats to Kenichi Horikawa and Rey Loreto don't suggest he'll be a tough challenger for the in form Hisada. The other title fight will be a rematch between Go Onaga (28-3-4, 19) and Hiroyuki Kudaka (25-17-2, 11), who fight for the vacant Japanese Super Flyweight title. These two fought to a technical draw last year, in what was a title eliminator, but both will be getting a shot following Ryuichi Funai vacating the belt. At 37, soon to be 38, it's hard to envisage Onaga having much left in the tank but this will almost certainly be his final shot at winning a title, following set backs in previous Japanese and OPBF title shots. For Kudaka, who is a 4-time world title challenger, this is a chance to add to his career honours, which includes a short reign as the World Boxing Council International Silver Flyweight champion back in 2010. Kudaka has lost 7 of his last 11, but has mixed at a very high level losing to the likes of Omar Andres Narvaez, Ryo Matsumoto, Mark John Yap and Takuma Inoue. It's hard to not think the 33 year old Kudaka will come out on top here. Benguet, Philippines As well as the title action in Japan there will also be a title action in Benguet, in the Philippines. One of those bouts will see GAB Flyweight champion Ryan Rey Ponteras (21-12-1, 10) make his second defense as he takes on one the once beaten Genisis Libranza (14-1, 9). Although Ponteras' record isn't impressive on paper he's far from a push over and on his day can be a real night mare, as he showed against Rusalee Samor in 2012, and more recently against Renerio Arizala. The 24 year old Libranza looked like a very promising prospect before being thrown to the wolves last year and getting stopped in 4 rounds by the criminally under-rated Moruti Mthalane in South Africa. Since that loss he has picked up 3 confidence building wins but this is a step up from those victories. Another fighter of note on this card is the unbeaten Jayson Vayson (5-0, 3), who not only had a great name but also an unbeaten record. The 19 year old Vayson will be fighting in his 3rd 6 rounder as he takes on Alvin Tayo (2-5-1, 2). On paper this is a mismatch but Tayo pushed Vayson all the way last September and is clear going to be up for this mismatch, whilst Vayson will be wanting to leave no doubt this time around. Illinois, USA In the US fans will have a chance to see Uzbek Heavyweight prospect Rustam Tulaganov (1-0) fight in his second professional bout, as he takes on the dangerous Martez McGregor (5-1, 4). The Uzbek, a bronze medal winner a the 2016 Rio Olympics, is a top talent and is one to watch going forward. Despite the Uzbek's amateur credentials this is a very tough test for a second professional outing and McGregor is very dangerous early on, with all 4 of his stoppages coming in the first 2 rounds. A win for Tulaganov is expect, but he could also be given a chin check here. Chandigarh, India In India fight fans will see unbeaten local Vikas Singh (5-0-1, 4) battle against former OPBF Super Middleweight title challenger Kajornsak Sithsaithong (11-7, 10), in a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Cruiserweight title. The unbeaten Singh fought to a draw last time out, with the result ending a 4 fight stoppage run, but coming into this he's unbeaten and looks like he's taking a bit of a step up here, despite the fact the Thai is far from a natural Cruiserweight. The Thai is best known for his 2015 fight against Yuzo Kiyota, where he dropped the then OPBF champion before being stopped in the 10th round. At his best the Thai could be a nightmare for Singh, though he would need to be at his best to get the win in India, especially given that Kajornsak is 1-5 outside of Thailand. Despite his poor form away from home, Kajornsak did score an upset in his last fight, out pointing Yamato Fujinaka in Japan, and will be somewhat confident coming into this bout.
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December 11th- Funai and Kawaguchi headline, Onaga and Kudaka support in Super Flyweight double!12/5/2017  Tokyo, Japan
This Monday sees a pretty decent card coming from the Korakuen Hall, thanks to Dangan who will be putting on a Japanese title fight, a Japanese title eliminator and the return of a former national and OPBF champion. The returning champion is the always to watch Takuya Kogawa (28-5, 13), who was last seen earlier this year losing his title in a rematch to Masayuki Kuroda. That bout seemed to show that Kogawa was on the slide, but he has had such a hard career, and his bouts against the likes of Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Suguru Muranaka, Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep, Hiroyuki Kudaka and the aforementioned Kuroda were all very entertaining and pretty damaging to the Tokyo man. Given the big bouts Kogawa has been in we can't begrudge him an easy one, and it does look like he has a very easy one here, as he takes on Naoto Fujimoto (9-7-1, 4), who is 2-4 in his last 6, and shouldn't pose any threat to Kogawa, unless the wars have really caught up with the former champion. The chief support bout of the card will be a Japanese title eliminator, as the experienced pairing of Go Onaga (28-3-3, 19) and Hiroyuki Kudaka (25-17-1, 11) face off, in what really has the potential to be the Japanese fight of the year. Onaga is 1-1-1 in his last 3, and at 37 knows it really is now or never. He's seemingly obsessed with winning some sort of title before he ends his career and with the end coming fast he really needs a win here to remain relevant. Kudaka on the other hand is one of the rare fighters you watch just because of how entertaining he is. Kudaka is a 4-time world title challenger, and he has racked up a lot of losses, but rarely has he been in bouts that weren't thoroughly entertaining and well worth the price of admission. On paper this looks like a mismatch, but with youth on side we wouldn't be surprised if Kudaka managed to win a genuinely brilliant and action packed bout, and earn a shot at the Japanese title in 2018. Talking about a title fight the main event of the card is a Japanese Super Flyweight title fight, and the winner is likely to face the winner of the Onaga Vs Kudaka bout. This contest will see defending champion Ryuichi Funai (28-7, 19) take on Shota Kawaguchi (21-8-1, 9). For the champion this will be his second defense, and he will likely be hoping to move towards a world title fight in 2018. For Kawaguchi this is a second title fight, following a loss in an OPBF title fight to Rene Dacquel earlier this year. Kawaguchi is a good challenger at this level, but is likely to look a level below Funai, who is a very capable fighter, with the potential to mix at a much higher level than just domestic title level.  Tokyo, Japan
This coming Wednesday in Japan fight fans have an interesting Ohashi card to look forward to. We'll be honest and not pretend that it's full of 50-50 bouts, but it keeps the gym's fighters busy, whilst a number them begin to move towards bigger and better bouts. The main event of the card is the best looking contest on paper and sees Takuma Inoue (8-0, 2) return to the ring following almost a year out, to take on 4-time world title challenger Hiroyuki Kudaka (25-16-1, 11) in a solid test for the youngster. Inoue was supposed to fight for a world title at the end of 2016, but an injury forced that bout to be cancelled and now he's in need of a warm up bout before looking at bigger and better things. For Kudaka, previously known as Hiroyuki Hisataka, the bout is a chance to score a career defining win after some recent struggles in the ring, including losing 7 of his last 11. Kudaka's record isn't great but he's a tough out for most and should ask questions of rInoue. Another relatively attractive bout will see Koki Inoue (8-0, 7), Takuma's cousin, step up to take on former Japanese title challenger Cristiano Aoqui (11-6-2, 7) in what is essentially a Japanese title eliminator. Inoue enters the bout ranked #3 and Aoqui is #8, with the winner almost certainly looking to get a crack before the end of the year. For Inoue the bout is a slight step up, but it's a logical step as he continues to impress and leave a wake of battered and beaten fighters in his wake. For Aoqui the bout serves as a chance to get back in to the mix after 3 losses in his last 4. When it comes to fighters who are looking at bigger and better things, it's fair to say that Ryo Matsumoto (20-1, 18) is on the verge of a world title fight. As a result he's having a stay busy contest on this show against Indonesian foe Jason Butar Butar (25-22-1, 16), in what should be another straight forward win for the likeable Matsumoto, who is looking to put health issues well and truly behind him. Another fighter looking for bigger things is Go Onaga (27-3-3, 18),who also faces an Indonesian journeyman as he takes on John Bajawa (13-14, 7). Onaga is looking to get himself a Japanese title fight in the near future, and the veteran cannot afford another set back. This should be a straight forward win for the Ohashi man, but he is now 37 and 18 months removed from his last victory. Rounding out the notable fights on this show are two Ohashi novices tipped for big things. One of those is Kazuki Nakajima (1-0, 1), who looks for his second professional win as he takes on Resnu Sundava (2-1, 2) whilst the other is debutant Katsuya Yasuda (0-0), who faces Reno Arizona (1-2). Neither Ohashi man should worry here about winning, but both will want to impress Mr Ohashi, who we suspect wants to fast track both men following their impressive amateur careers.  Okinawa, Japan
The first show of 2017 in Japan takes place in Okinawa, and is an interesting one with 3 bouts of real note. The most significant of those is the show's main event, which will see Seita Ogido (11-2-1, 3) battle with Filipino Jonathan Refugio (16-5-4, 4) for the WBC Youth Light Flyweight title, a title that was last held by Ken Shiro. For Ogido this is a second successive fight against a notable Filipino, following his August win over Jeffrey Galero, and will see him fighting over the 10 round distance for the first time. For Refugio the bout is a chance to claim a second WBC minor title, having won the WBC International Light Flyweight title last year, when he upset Richard Claveras. This is a really well matched bout and a great test for the two young men. In the chief support bout we'll see Japanese veteran Go Onaga (27-3-2, 18) take on Filipino youngster Jake Bornea (11-2, 5). Both men are coming into this on the back of a loss, but they are bother at very different points of their careers. Onaga was last seen in August losing in an OPBF title fight against Rene Dacquel and it seems likely that his career will come to an end in the next year or two. For the 21 year old Bornea the bout sees him returning to the ring following a November loss in the UK to Andrew Selby. The Filipino will know that a win here will potentially get him in to the mix for an OPBF title fight whilst a loss for Onaga will speed up his retirement. The third bout of note is also another Japan Vs Philippines bout and will see Masatoshi Kotani (19-2, 13) battle against Rey Laspinas (21-14-6, 12). Coming in to this bout Kotani is riding a 9 fight winning run and is slowly moving towards a title bout of his own, potentially later this year. Laspinas will be fighting in Japan for the 4th time, though is still looking for his first win in the country. It's hard to see a n upset here, but Kotani has been stopped by a Filipino under-dog before and will be looking to avoid that happening against here  The action seemed to go quiet for a while but picks up suddenly this weekend. Saturday was big but in many ways Sunday is busier with 3 Japanese shows and a Singaporean show, featuring a streamed card, courtesy of asign, and an OPBF title bout.
Okinawa, Japan The OPBF title bout from an intriguing card in Okinawa where we get several bouts between Japanese locals and Filipino visitors. The most notable of those international bouts will see OPBF Super Flyweight champion Rene Dacquel (17-6-1, 6) take on veteran challenger Go Onaga (27-2-2, 18) in a bout that both men will see as a must win bout. For the 36 year old Onaga a loss here will likely thwart any dreams of fighting for a world title, his one major dream. A loss for Dacquel however would probably see his own dreams shattered, and many would likely suggest that he won't ever progress beyond continental level. A really interesting supporting bout will see Japan's Seita Ogido (10-2-1, 3) battle former world title challenger Jeffrey Galero (14-1, 7), who managed to ask some questions of Wanheng Menayothin last year. Since suffering his sole loss Galero has picked up 3 wins and will be looking to continue that winning run here. Ogido is stepping up in a huge way however he will be looking to be buoyed on by the local fans with Ogido being a local fighter to Okinawa. On paper the biggest mismatch between the Japanese and Filipino fighters will see Masatoshi Kotani (18-2, 13) battle against journeyman Jovill Marayan (9-22-3, 4). Kotani is on an 8 fight winning run, albeit against limited opposition and should extend that here against a man who has gone 1-10 in his last 11 bouts. Shizuoka, Japan The asign show, which will be streamed on a PPV basis, is a Yokohama Hikari card and although it's not the best card of the weekend all the bouts will be streams and several of those are worth noting. The biggest bout on the card is the main event which will see former world title challenger Daiki Kaneko (23-5-3, 15) continue to try and rebuild his career after losses to Jomthong Chuwatanab and Masao Nakamura. The former Japanese champion will be up against Japanese ranked fighter Yusuke Nakagawa (10-4-1, 6) in what looks to be an easy win for the experienced man, at least on paper. Nakagawa however is an under-rated fighter and will be a stiffer tests than his record suggests. Another bout of some interest here will see recent OPBF title challenger Futoshi Usami (13-2-1, 10) face off with the heavy handed Tatsuya Miyazaki (8-8-1, 8). Usami challenged Masayoshi Nakatani for the OPBF title in 2014 but has only fought 6 rounds since then and Miyazaki might see this as his chance to take advantage of his opponents inactivity and end a 4-fight losing streak. Hyogo, Japan A third Japanese show will come from Hyogo, sadly however the card is less than great despite featuring a former world title contender. That former world title contender is the light hitting Teiru Kinoshita (24-1-1, 7) who will be facing a Thai visitor as Kinoshita looks for a 6th successive win. Kinoshita, who lost to Zolani Tete in an IBF title fight, has stated in the past that he would like another world title bout, will need to start facing better opponents that Thai novices if he's to be full prepared for a world level bout. Another local taking on a Thai foe will be Kazuhiro Nishitani (15-4-1, 7), and as with the Kinoshita bout we're unsure on the name of the Thai. Nishitani has gone 1-2-1 in his last 4, including a loss in a Japanese title fight to Kota Tokunaga, but should come away with a win here. In an all Japanse bout Kazuya Murata (12-5, 5) will face Makoto Kawasaki (7-4-1, 1). Coming in to this Murata holds a #2 ranking with the JBC at Lightweight and know that he could move towards securing a Japanese title fight with a win here. For Kawasaki, who is 3-3 in his last 6, this is a great opportunity to move towards a ranking place. Another man looking to secure a ranking place with an upset will be Satoshi Momota (10-11-1, 4) who faces ranked Light Welterweight Kazuyasu Okamoto (11-4, 3). Despite being the “promoter's boy” Momota will be the clear under-dog coming into this one. Singapore, Singapore Fight fans in Singapore will also get some action, albeit low level action. In the main event former amateur stand out Muhamad Ridhwan (3-0, 2) will be up against Filipino Jonel Borbon (2-19-2, 2). Ridhwan was given some attention on debut following his amateur success but appears unlikely to become a star that Singaporean fight fans would have been hoping for. Staying with local talent Nurshahidah Roslie (3-0, 1) will be up against the debuting Krisna Limbaga (0-0). Roslie claimed the UBO Inter-Continental title last time out but will not be defending her title here.  Okinawa, Japan
The most notable of the two Japanese shows comes from Okinawa where fans get two interesting bouts, one of which features world ranked fighter facing a recent OPBF title challenger in the main event. That aforementioned main event will fee IBF Super Flyweight hopeful Go Onaga (26-2-2, 18) battle against recent OPBF Flyweight title challenger Renoel Pael (19-2-1, 9) in what is a really interesting looking match up. Of the two Onaga is the more experienced, and the more proven puncher, but at 35 he knows the pressure is on him to perform and he can ill afford a narrow decision win. For Pael the bout sees him returning to his natural Super Flyweight division and being given a great chance to enter the world rankings. A really interesting match up, even if it won't get much attention outside of Japan. The other bout of note sees the promising Masatoshi Kotani (17-2, 13) battle the limited but heavy handed Koichi Ito (10-4-3, 9). Of the two Kotani should be favoured however he does have a relatively padded record. On the other hand Ito is a dangerous and live under-dog, who has gone 1-3-1 in his last 5 but should never be counted out at the Japanese domestic level. Aichi, Japan The other Japanese show comes from Aichi and although it too features two bouts of note they are lower in profile than the bouts in Okinawa. The main event of the card is an intriguing match up at a contracted 56KG's and will see the 2015 Rookie of the Year of Super Bantamweight Renji Ichimura (6-2, 5) battle the big punching Takuya Mizuno (7-1-1, 7) in what looks likely to be an explosive contest. Both of these men are beatable, but both and bang and both are young, suggesting they may not have worries about respecting their opponent and may believe that they are the better puncher. No result would be a surprise here. The chief supporting bout is anb 8 rounder between the experienced Yuji Shimizu (17-9-1, 1) and the limited Hajime Nagai (12-7-2, 3). Unlike the main event this one doesn't promise fireworks but should be a solid fight for the in attendance. Very much a “calm before the storm” type of fight though given just how mouth watering the main event looks. Lanao del Norte, Philippines In the Philippines fans will get the chance to see Jhon Gemino (12-6-1, 5) battle the limited Andrew Palas (5-4-1, 2) in a bout for the GAB Super Bantamweight. On paper Gemino is the favourite and it really is hard to imagine him being tested by Palas.  Aichi, Japan
In one of a trio of main events on this card fight fans will see promising Light Middleweight Ryosuke Maruki (10-3-1, 7) battle against South Korean visitor Jung Hoon Yang (9-7, 2). Coming in to this one Maruki will be looking to record a 4th straight win and move towards a potential Japanese title fight in the near future. In another “Japan Vs Korea” bout we'll see the big punching Yuki Beppu (10-0, 10) take on Jin Soo Kim (6-5, 3) in what should be Beppu's 11th straight stoppage win. Coming in to this one Beppu's form is brilliant, and has seen him claim the Rookie of the Year crown last year, Kim however has lost his last 3 and has won just twice in his last 6 bouts. Another of the feature bouts will see 2014 All Japan Rookie of the year, at Super Bantamweight, Shohei Kawashima (11-0-2, 3) risk his unbeaten record against Kosuke Mizuno (7-5-2, 2). On paper this should be an easy bout for Kawashima however Mizuno is better than his record suggests and he really could be a great test for the unbeaten youngster. As well as the 3 noted bouts there will be 4 other contests on this show. Okinawa, Japan Another Japanese show takes place in Okinawa and features a really good looking main event. That main event will see the world ranked Go Onaga (25-2-2, 18) take on the criminally under-rated Jonas Sultan (9-2, 5) of the Philippines. We know the 35 year old Onaga will be strongly favoured here however Sultan has the ability to be a genuine banana skin and has never “cleanly” lost a bout so far. Whilst Onaga will be expected to win we'd not be surprised at all by a Sultan win, especially given his form and confidence on the back of a 5 fight winning streak. Sadly the resat of this card is relatively uninteresting. Osaka, Japan In Osaka we get the West Japan Rookie of the Year tournament with 12 bouts to decide the West representative for the All Japan final, which is to take place in December. Of the 12 bouts the most notable on paper seems to be at Lightweight where 21 year old Tomoaki Matsumura (5-0, 3) battles against 20 year old Daiki Ichikawa (6-0, 4) in a really good looking all-unbeaten fight. The contest certainly won't “create a star” but it really is a fantastic fight and one of those brilliant match ups that the Rookie of the Year helps to generate. A similarly attractive match up comes at Featherweight where Yuto Nagano (5-0, 2) battles Shuma Nakazato (4-0, 3). Again both fighters are unbeaten and young and looking to make a name for themselves. Interestingly Nakazato is probably the more well known of the two men considering that his father is a well regarded gym chairman, who helps handle the career of Katsunari Takayama. This show promises a lot of action and we're really hoping that it lives up to the hopes we have for it.  Tokyo, Japan
The Japanese action really start off the new month in exciting fashion and on July 6th we see one of the most interesting bouts of the month as a young fighter is forced to sink or swim against another highly regarded young fighter. That bout between youngsters sees Japanese teenage Takuma Inoue (4-0, 1) fighting against experienced Filipino Mark Anthony Geraldo (31-5-3, 14) for the vacant OPBF Super Flyweight title. The bouts is Inoue's first first title contest as he looks to replicate his irrepressible older brother, Naoya Inoue, and it Takuma wins the title plan is to get him a title fighter later in the year. As for Geraldo, the sharp punching Pinoy will know that a win here gets him straight back into the mix for a world title shot, and possibly even a bout with Takuma's brother. On the undercard we get a couple more Ohashi gym fighters . One of those is world ranked Super Flyweight Go Onaga (24-2-2, 17) who will be up against the limited Masafumi Otake (14-13-1, 7). This really is little more than a stay busy fight for Onaga who is said to be eyeing a possible world title fight later in the year. Otake has lost his last 3 and we expect that run to continue here against the in form Onaga. The other is Minimumweight hopeful Kenichi Miyazaki (8-1-1, 2) who battles Kazuhiro Nakamura (9-5, 3). On paper this is actually a really good match up with Nakamura certainly havign fought at a higher level than Miyazaki so far however the once beaten 22 year old will be favoured against his 32 year old foe. (Image courtesy of http://www.ohashi-gym.com)  This coming Sunday sees the Japanese action continuing and whilst it's not the most exciting day of action there will be some knockouts courtesy of some really notable mismatches.
Hyogo, Japan On a card in Hyogo Japanese fans will get the chance to see a former world title contender in action, though the card does look very poor. The former world title challenger is Teiru Kinoshita (20-1-1, 4) who will be up against Thailand's Nongbeer Sor Bangkru (0-5). The Thai he has been brought in to lose to Kinoshita, who is said to be eyeing up an opportunity to reclaim the Japanese Super Flyweight title that he held for 2 years, and will be returning to Japan for the first time since he was stopped by Shun Kubo back in April 2014. Kinoshita, best known internationally for his loss to Zolani Tete in an IBF world title fight, will be doing little more than sharpening his tools here. Another apparent mismatch will see Kazuya Murata (10-4, 4) facing an opponent that wasn't even named until the start of the month. When that happens you know the promoter has scrambled around looking for someone to come in and pad their fighters record. From what we understand the opponent is another poor Thai who has been brought in to lose. The most interesting looking bout here is actually an 8 round support bout at Light Flyweight which will see former multi-time Japanese title challenger Kenichi Horikawa (27-13-1, 4) battle against Munehito Kijima (6-6-1). Kijima lacks any sort of a notable win though at 26 is coming into his prime and will know that a win here would set him up for a big fight. Horikawa on the other hand is now 35 years old and has had a long and hard career which in fact saw him beginning things with a 3-4 record. Since that poor beginning Horikawa has gone 23-9-1 and faced off against the likes of Akira Yaegashi, Florante Condes, Edgar Sosa, Ryuji Hara, Noknoi Sitthiprasert and Yu Kimura and often managed to really test his more notable foes. This could be Horikawa's last run or it could be a break out opportunity for Kijima. Okinawa, Japan In Okinawa we get a show that against appears to be mostly mismatches with three clear mismatches making up the bulk of the notable contests. The main event will see OPBF Ranked Super Featherweight hopeful Masatoshi Kotani (15-2, 11) battle against Thai visitor Non Sithsaithong (12-7, 8). Kotani comes into this bout having won his last 5, including a close win over Filipino veteran Edgar Gabejan last time out. We're not going to pretend that Kotani is sensational but he's in solid form. Non on the other hand has won just 1 of his last 5 and has been stopped in 3 fights during that run and has in fact been stopped every time he has fought outside of Thailand. We suspect that will continue here. An even bigger mismatch will see the world ranked Go Onaga (23-2-2, 16) battle against Thai 22 year old Saengkeng Saknarong (0-1). In his only previously recorded bout the Thai lasted 50 seconds with the then debuting Daigo Higa last June and it's hard to see him last long with the heavy handed Onaga. We admit we do like Onaga but he should be looking at making one more drive towards a title fight, not wasting time with this sort of farce. Another mismatch will see Japanese based Filipino Dado Cabintoy (14-4-2, 7) battle the win-less Prayoot Saknarong (0-2). Prayoot has been stopped in both of his losses, both in Japan, and we suspect he'll be stopped again here, despite the fact that Cabintoy is not a big puncher. On paper the interesting match up on this show is a 6 rounder which will see Yusuke Iju (6-4-1, 3) battle against Yoshiki Kawamura (4-6-1, 3) in a rematch of bout from last August. Unfortunately however their first bout was over after just 175 seconds with Iju taking an opening round TKO and it wouldn't be a huge surprise for Iju to pick up another early win here. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp)  Tokyo, Japan
The Champions Carnival is one of the many traditions in Japanese boxing that other countries, especially those with valued domestic titles, should make a note of and try to replicate. It forces the domestic champion to defend their belt against the top contender once a year, effectively to begin the year. This year's champions carnival kicks off with one of the best looking domestic title bouts that have been announced as the unbeaten Super Featherweight champion Rikki Naito (11-0, 5) defends his belt against fellow unbeaten fighter Masayuki Ito (16-0-1, 7). For Naito this is his third defence of his title and looks likely to be very tough with Ito looking to maintain his unbeaten record and claim his national title after having previously held the WBC Youth Lightweight title. For those wondering what the Champions Carnival gives us, it's brilliant match up like this. The main event isn't the only bout of note here with two really good under-card bouts, both scheduled for 8 rounds. One of those bout will see world ranked fighter Go Onaga (22-2-2, 16) battles against former inter world title contender Breilor Teran (13-10-1, 6). Teran was last seen in the ring losing a decision to David Sanchez in a battle for the WBA interim Super Flyweight title and despite his record his a very capable fighter who should be able to really test Onaga who was once regarded as one of the top Ohashi gym fighters, at 34 however Onaga's career is at the sink of swim stage and he needs a clear win here. The other good looking under-card bout will see Super Flyweight-come-Bantamweight Yusuke Suzuki (5-1, 3) battles against Akinori Hoshino (11-6-1, 8). Suzuki is unbeaten since losing a razor thin 5 round decision to Yusaku Kuga back in 2013 and since racked up 3 wins, including a notable decision over Monico Laurente. Hoshino hasn't impressed in the same way as Suzuki but he has run good fighters close, including Tatsuya Takahashi and Ryuichi Funai. This could be a very good bout between two men wanting to take a big step towards a title fight. One third under-card bout that has caught our eye comes at 140lbs where the unbeaten Daishi Nagata (1-0-1) battles against Ryoji Miyagi (7-5-1, 4). The 25 year old Nagata scored an impressive, but controversial, win last time out against Jeffrey Arienza and will be hoping to build on that against Miyagi who has lost his last 3, though faced stiff competition with bouts against Hiroki Okada and Koki Koshikawa (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) |
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