Category: Hebi Marapu

July 8th-A busy day of action in Asia!

7/5/2022

The Flash Grand Ballroom of the Elorde Sports Complex, Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines
The most notable of three Asian shows this coming Saturday takes place in the Philippines, where we see a battle between two former world title contenders, along with two notable prospects.

The former world title challengers are actually facing off as former WBO Flyweight title challenger Giemel Magramo (25-2, 20) takes on former WBC Minimumweight title challenger Jerry Tomogdan (29-12-4, 15). The talented Magramo was unfortunate in his world title fight to come up against the sensational Junto Nakatani, who really was levels above him and schooled him before securing an 8th round TKO. That loss was a one sided one, but Magramo is still a legitimate contender at 112lbs and we wouldn't be surprised to see him mixing it at world level again. As for Tomogdan it feels much like his career is coming to an end, and he's been stopped in his last 2 bouts, very early in both bouts, and hasn't scored a win in well over 2 years. This should be a show case for Magramo and little else.

Another Magramo on this show is the once beaten Arvin Magramo (13-1-1, 9), who will be seeking a 5th straight early win as he takes on Ronald Alapormina (5-3-3, 2), who is 2-2-2 in his last 6 dating back 2017. Magramo has been scoring decent domestic wins, beating the likes of Jake Amparo, Francis Jay Diaz and Jerry Francisco, and should be strongly favoured to pick up a victory here.

Another promising fighting on this show is the unbeaten Albert Francisco (5-0, 3), who is returning to the ring after more than 2 years out. Given his long lay off we can't really complain that he's being matched softly here, and will be up against Justine Polido (4-4-1, 3), who has lost his last 2 and is without a win since 2017, when he beat the then 0-3 Emil Ferran.

Max Muaythai Stadium, Pattaya, Thailand
In Thailand we're set for a pretty interesting card, with a mix of notable names and low level title bouts.

One of the notable names on this show is once beaten Indonesian fighter Hebi Marapu (16-1, 12), who takes on Thai veteran Pipat Chaiporn (47-13-2, 30), aka Mike Tawatchai. The heavy handed Marapu was upset in 2021 when he last to Hero Tito, but has bounced back since then with a recent win in Switzerland, and will be looking to build on that here. As for Tawatchai the bout will be his first since a 2019 win over Keerati Rueangdet, and it's fair to question just what the 36 year old has to offer here. For winner of this the WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Lightweight will be the reward, and it is, admittedly, a very lowly regarded title.

In a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental title we'll see Thai based Kiwi Nort Beauchamp (19-5, 3) face off with the limited Chaiwat Buatkrathok (37-6, 25), in a bout that really shouldn't be as competitive as it looks on paper. Chaiwat, also known as Kongfah Nakornluang,has an incredibly padded record and he loses when he faces fighters of any note, including limited Indonesian Jefrey Kakuhe who beat him in May. Whilst Beauchamp is no world beater he should be far, far too good for his man here, and should take a very comfortable victory, likely by decision.

Also involved in title action will be Thai based French puncher Emmeric Dewaele (5-0, 5), who takes on Thailand's Thoedsak Sinam (16-8, 13) in a bout for the WBA Asia Super Middleweight title. So far Dewaele has taken out all 5 of his foes in a combined 21 rounds, whilst picking up two minor title, in fact he won those minor titles last time out with a come from behind TKO win over Apisit Sangmuang. Sinam on the other hand is something of a win some lose some fighter, who has moved through the weights and had very mixed success. Among the more notable names he's faced as Phoobadin Yoohanngoh and Nihito Arakawa, and to consider him a natural Super Middleweight would be very, very wrong. We suspect Sinam wil be too small and too under-powered here.

Another battle between Indonesian fighters and Thai's will see hard hitting Indonesian fighter Jon Jon Jet (10-1, 8) take on unbeaten Thai 15 year old Surat Eaim ong (5-0-1, 2). Jet is will be fighting for the first time since a brutal TKO1 loss to Luke Boyd, back in November 2019, and prior to that he had been reeling off early wins back home in Indonesia. As for Surat debuted last November and this will be his 7th boxing bout in a little under 8 months! Despite being active this is very notable a big step up for him, but a win will push him towards a regional title fight of some kind.

Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
We also get a somewhat low key show in Tokyo, as we get the next card under the A Sign Bee banner. The card is certainly not a huge one, but it does have 3 bouts worthy of note on it.

The main event is an interesting looking 8 rounder as the light punching, but aggressive, Ryuya Nihei (7-2-1, 1) takes Mugicha Nakagawa (24-8-2, 14), who is looking to bounce back from a loss to Ryo Akaho earlier this year. This has the potential to be a genuinely thrilling action bout, and a fun back and forth brawl if Nihei can drag Nakagawa into his type of fight. Sadly though there is also a real risk it ends up being an ugly stinker, like Nakagawa's bout with Akaho. Aged 24 Nihei does have the potential to mix it up on the domestic title scent in the coming years, and showed his potential last time out, when he beat the well liked Tom Mizokoshi, bit this is very much a step up in class for him.

Arguably the most notable name on this card is model-boxer Tomomi Takano (12-5, 8) , who created a lot of buzz early in her career for her looks and did manage to twice fight for world titles. The tall, rangy and charismatic Takano has come up short in her most notable bouts so far, and at the age of 35 it's hard to know what desire she still has to make a name for herself as an actual boxer, rather than as a bit of a gimmick. Sadly her bout on this show is unlikely to tell us anything new about her, as she takes on limited 37 year old Ai Sugimoto (3-3, 2), who was stopped for the third time in her career this past March Makoto Kikuchi.

The other bout on this card worthy of note is the debut of Kento Uchigamae (0-0), who went 39-22 in the amateurs. He debuts in a good looking 6 rounder as he takes on the fun to watch Ren Anzai (6-4-1, 2), in what could well be a very, very entertaining 6 round round war. Last time out Anzai scored a really solid win over Fuya Tomita, and will be looking to build on that win here, whilst Uchigamae will be looking to showcase what he learned in the amateurs

Airport Hilton, Miami, Florida, USA
As well as the action in Asia, we'll also get an Asian fighter in action in Florida, as the unbeaten Mekhrubon Sanginov (12-0-1, 9), a US based Tajik fighter, takes on Colombian puncher Janer Gonzalez (20-4-1, 16). The 26 year old Sanginov has won his last 5, following a draw in 2019 with Fred Wilson Jr, and has stopped 4 of those 5. Whilst that sounds good, it's worth noting that he has been facing decent competition and has been quietly making a name for himself. As for Gonzalez, he has actually lost 4 of his last 5, though they have come against some very good fighters, and sadly he only has a single win to his name since 2018. At his best Gonzalez would be a live under-dog, but now aged 35 with inactivity and poor form, it's very hard to see him posing a real test for Sanginov.

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April 15th-Marapu goes on the road!

4/12/2022

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Stadttheater Bern, Berne, Switzerland
This coming Friday sees an interesting on pencilled in for Switzerland, with Indonesian puncher Hebi Marapu (15-1, 11) looking to bounce back from his first loss. The hard hitting Marapu won his first 15 bouts before being upset by Hero Tito in April 2021. That loss stalled his rise, which was already derailed by the pandemic, and it seems really interesting that he's now set to resurface in Europe. Sadly though his opponent for this bout hasn't yet been named, and we do get a worrying feeling the bout will actually fall through at short notice.

If the bout does take place it will see the 33 year old Marapu, a solid punching Lightweight, fight outside of Indonesia for the first time. It will also be only his second fight since the start of the pandemic, and although he did show some early promise we wouldn't be surprised if his hunger to succeed in the sport is about done. Sadly he is one of the many fighters derailed by Covid19.

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April 14th-Kawaura takes on Tanooka!

4/11/2021

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Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Wednesday attention in Japan turns back to Korakuen Hall for a small, but note worthy, show promoted by former world champion Hiroshi Kawashima. The show is set to be a very small one, with just 5 bouts in total, but it does feature one of the most under-rated prospects in Japan.

That under-rated prospect is the highly skilled Ryusei Kawaura (8-0, 5), who enters this bout with his eyes on a future title fight of some kind. In the opposite corner to Kawaura will be the light punching, but popular, Joe Tanooka (15-7-5, 1). Coming in to this Kawaura is ranked highly in the ratings for JBC, OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific, and will know that another win will help him move him towards a Super Flyweight title, of some kind. Although under-rated there is no doubting Kawaura's talent, and he has long been dubbed "Untouchable II", adopting the "Untouchable" moniker from Kawashima himself. As for Tanooka he was touted early in his career, winning the East Japan Rookie of the Year crown in 2013 and going unbeaten in his first 10 bouts, going 7-0-3. Since then however he has gone 8-7-2 (1) and found that his style doesn't work against better fighters. Tanooka is a talented fighter, but sadly lacks the power needed to get respect from opponents. Sadly that's responsible for him going 1-4-1 in his last 6. Tanooka should ask questions of Kawaura but it's hard to imagine anything but a clear win for the unbeaten man.

The main event aside all the other bouts at 4 rounders, including a contest between Rush Miyake (1-8) and the debuting Kota Hasegawa (0-0). The 36 year old Miyake made his debut in 2012, scored his sole win in 2015 and has lost his last 6 in a row. As for Hasegawa, he's a 20 year old debutant who will be looking to kick start his career with a win, and he will be expected to win given Miyake's recent form.

Balai Sarbini Convention Hall, Jakarta, Indonesia
After a sting strong of delays we now get an interesting card from Indonesia, which was originally supposed to take place in the first few days of the month, before being pushed back to the 10th and now the 14th, due to incorrectly filed paper work from the promoter.

The main event here is a genuine treat for fans as the once beaten Tibo Monabesa (20-1-2, 8) clashes with Toto Landero (11-4-2, 2) in a WBC International Light Flyweight title fight. The talented Monabesa has notched two wins since his 2018 loss to Hiroto Kyoguchi and seemed to be getting his career back on track before the Covid19 Pandemic put boxing on ice in Indonesia. Landero on the other hand is a former world title challenger, who gave Knockout CP Freshmart a good test in 2018. Sadly he is 1-2 since that loss and he's not been able to generate much momentum in recent years. Saying that however Landero is not an easy out, for anyone, and he holds a very big win over Vic Saludar. If he's up for this, and if the bout takes place, Landero is a very live under-dog.

A second notable bout on this show will see unbeaten puncher Hebi Marapu (15-0, 11) take on Hero Tito (27-15-2, 11). Marapu was one of the Indonesia fighters that caught out eye years ago. He showed potential, power, an exciting style and like he had the tools to mix it on the regional scene. He could, and should, have out grown the Indonesian domestic scene. Sadly however he is now 32, and his career has really failed to kick on. Tito on the other hand is a true veteran of the Indonesian scene. He's nothing special, not by any stretch, but he's a veteran and he has been around the professional scene for more than 17 years now! Tito is limited but tough and should ask questions of Marapu, but it's still a shame that Marapu never moved above this level, and is still trudging along, wasting his potential.

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August 20th-Japanese title eliminators begin! Ricky Sismundo returns to the Philippines!

8/17/2017

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Hyogo, Japan
In Japan we see a show in Hyogo which features the first of the upcoming Japanese title eliminator bouts.

That title eliminator will see world ranked Minimumweight Ryoki Hirai (9-4-1, 4) taking on Kenta Matsui (8-6, 1), with the winner to get a guaranteed Japanese title fight next year. Coming into this Matsui is riding an inconsistent run where he has gone 3-4 in his last 7, with losses to Seita Ogido, Riku Kano and Tetsuya Hisada among others, though he has scored wins over Rikito Hattori and Genki Hanai and has shown he has the ability to score upsets. As for Hirai he has won his last 4, with a notable upset against Takumi Sakae, and we've become fans of his during this short run, with the expectation that he will come out on top here, but it'll be a really tough fight between two hungry fighters.

The main supporting bout will see Giraffe Kirin Kanda (9-2, 5) take on Tsunehiko Aitoku (4-5-1), in a less than great supporting contest. Kanda has won his last three bouts, including an upset victory over Ukyo Yoshigai last time out. As for Aitoku he has won just one of his last 3 bouts, and been stopped in those two losses. It's hard to imagine anything but a win for Kanda here, in what looks like a mismatch.

Bohol, Philippines
In the Philippines we have another show where mismatches are expected, but in at least one of those it's a mismatch that we can't really complain about given the competition one fighter has been in recently.

That “defensible” mismatch sees Ricky Sismundo (31-10-3, 13) take on Boyce Sultan (9-8-1, 5). This will be Sismundo's first bout in the Philippines in over 3 years, during which time he has faced Masayoshi Nakatani, Shuhei Tsuchiya, Akihiro Kondo, Yoshitaka Kato, Jose Felix Jr, Dierry Jean, Ghislain Maduma and Yves Ulysse Jr. This should be a really straight forward win for a fighter as talented Sismundo, and a nice chance for the Filipino fans to see a road warrior return home.

On the under-card we'll see promising teenager Danrick Sumabong (2-0, 2) take on Jong Sabellina (5-16-1, 1) in what should be a straight forward win for the 18 year old puncher. Sumabong made his debut back in March, fighting in a 6 rounder, and will now be stepping up to 8 rounds for the first time. Coming into this Sabellina has failed to win in his last 11 bouts, and has been stopped in 6 of those, with this likely to be another stoppage against him.

Jakarta, Indonesia
A third show will come from Indonesia, where we'll see a couple of national title fights.

One of those will see the unbeaten Hebi Marapu (9-0, 6) battle with Master Suro (12-9-1, 2) for the Indonesian Lightweight title. Earlier this year Suro went the distance with heavy handed Filipino Jeo Santisima and will look to do the same here, however that will likely be the best he can hopefore against the fast rising Marapu, who does look to be one of the more notable prospects in Indonesia.

The other title bout on this show will feature John Basan (2-0, 1) taking on Jack Madison (2-15) for the Indonesian Super Bantamweight title. Basan made his debut in May, fighting in 8 rounders for his first two bouts, and will moving up to 12 rounders here against Madison. As for Madison he has lost his last 13 bouts, 7 of those by stoppage, and it's hard to imagine him being a real test for Basan here.

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June 3rd-Marapu and Monabesa try to continue Indonesian resurgence!

6/2/2016

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Tangerang, Indonesia
This coming Friday sees action in Indonesia where several names of note will be in action.

In the main event fight fans will get the chance to see the promising Hebi Marapu (3-0, 3) take on the much more experienced Arief Blader (20-19-1, 7) in a bout for the interim ATI/IBA Super Featherweight title. The bout is a big step up for Marapu but he has been impressive so far and has needed just 4 rounds to take out his first 3 opponents. For Blader this is a chance to end a 6 fight losing run, though the reality is that a win for the experienced man would be considered a notable upset.

Another unbeaten hopeful on this card is Tibo Monabesa (13-0-1, 6) who looks to extend his unbeaten run as he takes on the battle hardened Samuel Tehuayo (19-37-2, 4), aka Sammy Hagler. Hagler is will known for losing on the road, though did win the last time he fought in Indonesia. Interestingly this is the second bout between the two men, who also fought back in January 2015, and Monabesa will be expecting to pick up his second victory over the veteran.

Also on this card is former world title challenger Nouldy Manakane (29-21-2, 18), who faces off against fellow veteran James Mokoginta (30-17-3, 17). Manakane is several years removed from his most notable bouts and with Mokoginta being a bigger, and younger, fighter it's hard to see how Manakane avoids a 5th straight loss here.

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July 8th-A busy day of action in Asia!

April 15th-Marapu goes on the road!

April 14th-Kawaura takes on Tanooka!

August 20th-Japanese title eliminators begin! Ricky Sismundo returns to the Philippines!

June 3rd-Marapu and Monabesa try to continue Indonesian resurgence!

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