May 11th-Martinez and Ioka finally rematch!

5/7/2025

Ota-City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan
The main card this coming Sunday comes from Tokyo, and it’s a show that has a wonderful mix of a huge main event and solid under-card bouts with prospects being matched hard.

The main event will be the much anticipated rematch between Argentinian warrior Fernando Daniel Martinez (17-0, 9) and Japanese legend Kazuto Ioka (31-3-1, 16), which was supposed to take place in December, on New Year’s Eve, before Martinez was pulled from the bout due to illness. When the two men first fought they did so to unify the WBA and IBF Super Flyweight titles, since then Martinez has been stripped of the WBA belt and will only be defending the IBF title here, as he looked to do the double over Ioka and set up unification bouts later in the year, potentially against pound-for-pound star Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. As for Ioka, he is looking to continue his great history in rematch, going 3-0 in the past and scoring wins over Juan Carlos Revecco, Donnie Nietes and Joshua Franco. Sadly for Ioka he is now 36 and whilst he has had success at Super Flyweight it does feel like he’s always been under-sized at the weight, against fully fledged Super Flyweights, and that’s not a surprise given he won his first world title at 105lbs. We can’t help but feel Ioka is close to retirement, at his best he could likely just squeak a win over Martinez, but at this stage in his career we would be very surprised to see him overcome the high output Argentinian.

In a major supporting bout the world ranked Hayato Tsutsumi (6-0, 3) will look to stay busy and stay sharp as he takes on Panama’s Jaime Arboleda (20-3, 15). Tsutsumi is a former amateur standout who has raced to world title contention, and could well be eyeing a world title fight at the end of the year. In just 6 bouts he has already scored stoppage wins against Anselmo Moreno and Rene Alvarado, and appears to look like one of the sports best young fighters at 25 years old and in a weight class that he no longer has to boil down, as he did earlier in his career when he was fighting at 126lbs. As for Arboleda he has he has been mixing at a high level for the last few years, facing the likes of Jayson Velez, Chris Colbert, Jonathan Victor Barros and William Zepeda. Sadly he has lost his most notable bouts, being stopped by both Colbert and Segura,but has got plenty of good wins to his name and has proven he’s just below world class. A very good test for Tsutsumi, but the type he should pass, if he’s as good as we all think.

A second highly touted prospect on this card is Daiya Kira (2-0, 2), who was a standout amateur who has already impressed as a professional, despite only really having cameo appearances so far, with neither of his bouts lasting more than 2 minutes. He will be expecting a much more serious test here as he battles the world ranked Jackson Zapata (11-2-2, 9). Aged just 21 Kira looks like the sort of fighter who has it all, with speed, timing, ring IQ, punch selection, power and really nasty body shots. Sadly though we can't say for sure what his stamina, heart, desire and chin are like, given his professional bouts so far really have just been showcases. Zapata is a 28 year old from Venezuela, who has lost his only bout away from home, when he was stopped in 4 rounds by Tobias Jeremias Ryes, and lost earlier this year, to Jesus Laya. Given those setbacks, we don’t expect Zapata to be a real test for Kira, but we do hope he puts up some genuine resistance, and gives us a chance to see more of Kira, who needs to have tougher opponents sooner rather than later.

Also on this card are Yuya Tanaka (4-1, 3), who’s opponent hasn’t been named at the time of writing, 18 year old Haruya Ogo (1-0, 1), who also hasn't had his opponent named, and a bout between Masahiro Nakata (4-0, 4) and Zen Takeyama (4-3, 1)

Aioi Hall, Kariya, Aichi, Japan
A second Japanese show, which is easily overshadowed by the Tokyo card, will take place in Aichi. The card contains a host of 4 rounders, with only one bout being scheduled for a longer distance. That bout will be an 8 rounder, as Toma Kondo (8-10-3, 1) takes on Koji Tsurumi (7-7-2, 4), in a pretty interesting, though low level, domestic clash. Of the two men Kondo is the more well known, and despite his poor looking record, he has fought a who's who of domestic fighters, facing the likes of Joe Shiraishi, Tsuyoshi Sato, Kantaro Juri, Ryutaro Nakagaki, Ryo Miyazaki and Ryang Ho Han. Notably he is 0-5-3 in his last 8, but really has been matched hard and has still managed to get 3 solid draws out of those 8 bouts. Whilst Kondo has faced a host of tough fighters it would be wrong to pretend that Tsurumi hasn't also clashed with good domestic fighters losing to Josuke Nagata, Kai Chiba, Tetsuro Ohashi and Shori Umezu. Despite the poor records both of these guys can go, and are almost destined to have something of a closet classic here given both are high octane, tough, and refuse to back down from a fight.

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December 31st-Huge End of year Show in Tokyo!

12/27/2024

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Ota-City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan
As has become tradition in recent years, the final big show of the year takes place on New Year’s Eve in Japan, and like many recent years the show is headlined by Japanese star Kazuto Ioka, in a show that really is one of the best end of year shows in quite some time.

The main event will see unbeaten IBF Super Flyweight champion Fernando Daniel Martinez (17-0, 9) look to repeat his win earlier this year, as he faces the aforementioned Kazuto Ioka (31-3-1, 16), in a rematch of what was a very good technical fight back in July. In their first bout, an IBF and WBA unification bout, Martinez took a unanimous decision, in a bout that was hotly contested, competitive, and yet some hoe had one judge score it a shutout, giving us one of the many poor scores we've seen this year. Since then neither man has fought, and whilst there were some hints Ioka was going to retire, or attempt to win a world title at Bantamweight, it always seemed like the most likely outcome was a rematch between the two. To make that happen Martinez vacated the WBA title, rather than play silly games with an organisation that has enjoyed silly games this year, and set his sights on returning to Japan to close out the year in a divisional super fight. Aged 33 Martinez is likely coming to the end of his prime, but the Arentinian seems to be becoming a smarter fighter, taking less risks, firing off fewer shots, but being much more selective, less wasteful and more intelligent in what he does. As he's aging he is adapting and likely knows that if he wants to land the big one, a fight with Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez he needs to keep winning, and to beat Bam he also needs to be a smarter fighter. As for Ioka retirement really does loom, win or lose, as at 35 years old and showing clear signs of not being the fighter he once was, it seems he’s looking for one final hurrah, before potentially waving goodbye to the sport, having been a professional since he was 20. In the ring Ioka is one of the smartest fighters, and has long been one of the sport's premier body punchers, but he’s never seemed well suited to 115lbs, though he is 3-0 in rematch and will look to use his boxing brain to overcome a man he has already spent 12 rounds. We suspect a loss for Ioka will see him hang them up and end his legendary career.

In the chief support bout we’ll see the hotly tipped Hayato Tsutsumi (5-0, 2) take a huge step up in class as he takes on Nicaraguan Rene Alvarado (31-14, 22), in a world title eliminator at Super Featherweight. Tsutsumi has long been considered one of the golden children of Japanese boxing, having been a stellar amateur who’s move to the pros was very highly anticipated. Since turning professional he has raced through the ranks, beating former regional champion Pete Apolinar in his second pro bout, winning an OPBF title in his third bout, and in just his 5th bout stopping former Bantamweight star Anselmo Moreno, becoming only the third man to stop Moreno. Notably however his frame has outgrown the Featherweight division and he failed to make weight for the bout with Moreno, had a suspension from the JBC, and was essentially forced to move up in weight. Alvarado’s record is scrappy, to say the least, but he is a former WBA “regular” champion from a period where the WBA seemed to create rules to favour superstars, and his reign as the WBA Super Featherweight champion, back in 2019-2021, is from a lineage that can be traced back to Jorge Linares' reign in 2008. Alvarado, much like his brother Felix Alvarado, is a tough, hungry fighter who comes forward, presses the action and takes risks. Unlike his brother he’s not as heavy handed, not ad iron chinned, and not quite as good, though is better than the 14 losses on his record suggests. Despite losing 14 times, many of those losses have been at world level, and only 1 has been inside the distance, a stoppage on cuts in 2015 to Andrew Cancio which was later avenged in 2019. Given Tsutsumi is stepping up in weight this is a really tough first bout at a new weight and a win will set him up for a world title shot in 2025. A stoppage, for Tsutsumi, would be a huge statement here.

Another unbeaten on this card is former kick-boxer turn professional boxer Tsukuru Midorikawa (1-0) who returns to the ring 2 months after his debut, as he takes on the experienced Mao Tameda (4-17-2). Aged 38 Midorikawa doesn't have time to waste if he intends to get into the domestic title mix, and his quick turn around after his debut, a 6 round win over Dacong Wang at the end of October, seems to show that he’s aware of that. As a kick-boxer he was very good and highly experienced, but given his advanced age we do worry that he turned pro too late. Amazingly Tameda is the older man here, aged 39, and despite having 23 pro bouts has never scored a stoppage. At his best Tameda is a rugged but limited fighter, who debuted in 2014 and despite having 17 losses has only been stopped 6 times. Tameda is likely to take Midorikawa rounds, but very unlikely to really test him.

In a potentially very exciting match up we’ll see Joe Shiraishi (11-1-1, 6) take on Tsuyoshi Sato (11-2-1, 6), in what looks like a nice mix of styles. Shiraishi is a very solid technical fighter, who gave Kenta Nakagawa a solid bout last time out, back in July 2023, for the WBO Asia Pacific Super Flyweight title. That loss saw Shiraishi's unbeaten run come to an end, though prior to that loss he had looked genuinely promising, winning the All Japan Rookie of the Year crown, in 2017 at Flyweight, and had a short reign as the Japanese Youth Flyweight champion, and wins over Kento Yabusaki, Yoshiki Minato and Prince Andrew Laurio to his name. Sato on the other hand is an aggressive bundle of energy, with an offensive mindset that makes him very fun to watch. Notably he has fought only 2 rounds since a July 2020 loss to Masamichi Yabuki, stopping Thanakon Chanphiman, but it does feel like the break has served him well and let him physically mature from his days as a baby faced Light Flyweight. Interestingly he also won the All Japan Rookie of the Year in 2017, at Light Flyweight making this a bout between two men who won the All Japan Rookie of the Year in the same year.

In what feels like something of a mismatch Yoshimitsu Kimura (15-3-1, 10) will look to score his second since losing to Masanori Rikiishi in early 2023, as he takes on Chinese visitor Hanyun Wu (4-2-0-1, 1). Kimura is a solid regional level fighter at 130lbs, who won Rookie of the Year in 2016 and an OPBF title in 2021, at the third attempt. He has wins over Allan Vallespino, Jules Victoriano, Kosuke Saka and Kanehiro Nakagawa, and has proven he belongs in and around the regional title scene. He has however been out of the ring since August 2023, and will be looking to shake some ring rust before bigger fights in the new year. As for Wu, the bout sees him return to Japan just 5 months after being stopped, in 4 rounds, by Yojhi Saito in a Lightweight tournament, where Saito came the losing finalist. Outside of a loss to Saito there is very, very little of note on his record and it’s hard to imagine him being any sort of real test for Kimura.

Another bout of note on the undercard will see Areji Kato (10-5, 2) take on his most notable foe to date, as he takes on former Japanese champion Masahiro Suzuki (10-2-1, 7). Kato is a limited fighter, who won his first 6 bouts, between 2011 and 2013, but has gone 4-5 since, and actually had a 6 year break from the ring between 2016, and 2022. Sadly since his return he has gone 1-3, being stopped twice. As for Suzuki, he’s a former Japanese champion at 140lbs who has suffered 2 losses to Shu Utsuki, where Utsuki's heavy hands have been too much for him. Suzuki is a talented fighter, but with a loss last time out, losing in 5 rounds to Suzuki, and going 1-1-1 in his last 3, it's fair to understand why he wants an easy confidence building win and he really shouldn’t have any issues at all with Kato.

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April 17th-Tsutusmi steps up against former world champion Moreno

4/13/2024

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Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Wednesday attention turns to Korkuen Hall for the next show to be shown by Abema TV, and whilst it’s not a huge card, it is certainly a notable one with a fast rising prospect taking a huge step up in class to face off with a former long term champion.

The prospect in question is the exceptional Hayato Tsutsumi (4-0, 1) who steps up to take on Panamanian great Anselmo Moreno (43-6-1, 15), a former long reigning WBA Bantamweight champion. The talented Tsutsumi has been groomed for success since ending his excellent amateur career and has shown his ability with wins over 3 solid Filipino fighters, including Pete Apolinar and Jeo Santisima, and a very impressive dismantling of Luis Moncion Ventura back in December. He is expected to become a world champion down the line, and is following in the footsteps of many other Japanese fighters who have been fast tracked following great amateur careers. As for Moreno he is now 38 and is a faded force, but the slippery southpaw was, at one point, a legitimate pound for pound top 10 fighter and a dominant champion at 118lbs, where he beat the likes of Vic Darchinyan, Nehomar Cermeno, Mahyar Monshipour, Volodymyr Sydorenko and Tomas Rojas. At his best Moreno was one of the best pure boxers on the planet and whilst he is past his best, he has won his last 7 and he will look to make the most of his awkward style and experience against Tsutsumi, who will be expecting to be given a real test here.

The main supporting bout will see Tsutusmi’s stablemate Ryuto Owan (11-2, 7) take on Filipino visitor Gary Tamayo (9-2, 5). The talented Owan has, at times, looked like one to watch with a lot to like, including speed and power, and at just 26 years old time is certainly on his side to notch some notable wins and pick up a title before his career is over. Sadly though his progress has been slowed by not only his two losses, including one in a Japanese title fight last year, but also a 2 year break between 2018 and 2020, and it does feel like he needs to begin to make up for lost time. Also his competition has, at times, left something to be desired, with a number of bouts against naturally smaller men on the back end of their careers. As for Tamayo the Filipino has shown some potential, and has scored win over some good younger domestic fighters, but with a loss last time out, to Joseph Ambo, he doesn’t have any real momentum coming into this bout, which will be his first outside of the Philippines.

In another supporting bout we’ll see the once beaten Shun Sekine (9-1-1, 7) take on Thai visitor Attanon Kunlawong (22-13-1, 15). The 26 year old Sekine has been destructive since his sole loss, just over 2 years ago, and has stopped all 4 of his opponents since that defeat, in a combined 16 rounds. Whilst his competition hasn't been great, he has looked very spiteful, and it's clear he wants to move his career onto bigger and better things. Sadly Kunlawong has become little more than a whooping boy on the regional scene, with his career falling apart, following an 8-0 start. Once regarded as a genuine hope for Thailand, the now 28 year old has gone 14-13-1 in his last 28 bouts, and been stopped in all 13 of his losses. Given Sekin’s power and Kunlawong’s fragility, it’s hard to imagine this being anything other than another early loss for the Thai.

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July 13th-Ioka Vs Nietes II headlines Japan Vs Philippines card!

7/10/2022

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Ota-City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Wednesday we are set to get a huge show in Tokyo, with a card that is, for the most part, Japan Vs Philippines. The show is headlined by a brilliant world title bout, and then features some really interesting match ups on one of the best Japanese cards of 2022.

The main event is a brilliant match up between Japanese star Kazuto Ioka (28-2, 15) and legendary Filipino Donnie Nietes (43-1-6, 23), with the men clashing for the WBO Super Flyweight title currently held by Ioka. The two men know each other fairly well, having clashed at the end of 2018 with Nietes taking a razor thin decision. Since then however Nietes' career has gone down hill with poor decision making, inactivity, injuries and poor management all costing him. Now aged 40 this is potentially the last big bout for him, however a win could secure him a long awaited showdown with Roman Gonzalez. As for Ioka, he has bounced back from the loss to Nietes to climb into the pound for pound rankings, and enhanced his already legendary status as a lower weight fighter and one of the all great Japanese fighters. This is set to be high level chess, and the winner will look to move towards divisional super fights. As for the loser, it's hard to see them bouncing back and getting another fight of note any time soon. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Ioka seeks revenge in rematch with Nietes!

The main support bout will see former WBC Flyweight champion Daigo Higa (17-2-1, 17) look to bounce back from his second loss, a unanimous decision loss to Ryosuke Nishida last year, as he takes on former WBO title challenger Froilan Saludar (32-5-1, 22). The talented, exciting and hard hitting Higa has had a rollercoaster 4 years or so, which has seen him going 2-2-1 (2) and been stripped of the WBC Flyweight title. Despite his downfall Higa is still popular and is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport to watch, with an ultra aggressive pressure style That style, and his power, should be too much for Saludar, but the Filipino visitor is no push over. Saludar, once tipped to be a huge star himself, has had something of a bad rep in recent years for losing in notable bouts to the likes of Andre Moloney, Ryoji Fukunaga, Sho Kimura and Takuma Inoue, and unfortunately for him losing against top contenders has really harmed his reputation. Despite that he's a dangerous fighter, with a high level of experience and ambitions to secure himself a top fight in the near future. He'll know that a win here opens major doors for him, whilst a loss will almost certainly push him into the status of a journeyman. A lot on the line with this bout, which could be a very compelling 8 rounder.

In another supporting bout we'll see former WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight champion Musashi Mori (12-1, 7) take on once beaten Filipino puncher Presco Carcosia (10-1-1, 9). For Mori the bout will be his first since May 2021, when he lost to Satoshi Shimizu, and despite the lengthy lay off the 22 year old isn't expected to show any real ring rust after training alongside Ioka, in what was likely the best training camp of his career. If he has learned from that camp, and the Shimizu fight, he should feel confident of over-coming the little known Carcosia. The Filipino lacks wins of note, but has a much vaunted powerful right hand, and his only loss was a debatable one in Australia, against Jai Alexander. Given his power and size Carcosia could well be a banana skin for Mori, but he will go in as the under-dog.

The big talking point for the under-card isn't Mori or Higa. Instead it's the debut of former amateur star Hayato Tsutsumi (0-0), who is widely regarded as a special talent similar to Naoya Inoue, Kazuto Ioka or Kosei Tanaka. The talented 22 year old is set to debut in a baptism of fire as he takes on the upset minded Jhon Gemino (23-13-1, 13), who enters with a #5 ranking with the OPBF, in an 8 rounder. As an amateur Tsutusmi was the stand out Japanese fighter of his generation, and those in Japan are touting him as their next legendary super prospect. Gemino on the other hand has a record that is very misleading, and over his long career he has long been one to shock prospects and hopefuls, beating the likes of Arnold Alejandro, Carlos Ornelas, Sho Nakazawa and Toka Kahn Clary all on his travels. If Tsutusmi is as good in the pros as he was in the amateurs he should win here, but if there's any cracks or if he's over looking Gemino, he could in for a major set back on his debut.

Another debutant on this card is 31 year old female fighter Satsuki Ito (0-0), who begins her professional career with a bout against Thai veteran Saowaluk Nareepangsri (11-18, 5). As an amateur Ito really made a mark, winning the All Japan Championship in 2009 and remaining as an amateur until 2018 when she originally retired from the sport. Last year she decided to turn professional, and passed her B license test, with the Shisei gym. Given her amateur background we're expecting a very impressive debut. As for Saowaluk, she has won her last 3 by TKO, but has been fighting at a very low level, and when she has stepped up she has regularly been stopped. She will enter as the under-dog, and will need a career best performance to even be competitive with Ito.

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May 11th-Martinez and Ioka finally rematch!

December 31st-Huge End of year Show in Tokyo!

April 17th-Tsutusmi steps up against former world champion Moreno

July 13th-Ioka Vs Nietes II headlines Japan Vs Philippines card!

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