April 5th-Alimkhanuly looks to defend, Yamanaka looks to unify against Rupprecht and a lot more!4/1/2025  This coming Saturday is a really hectic day of action across Asia, with numerous shows, and some very big fights featuring Asian fighters.
Barys Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan The biggest show, by some margin, is in Kazakhstan where we get a unified world champion defending his titles, and several strong supporting bouts as Kazakhstan put on their biggest show of the year, The main event will see IBF and WBO Middleweight champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11) defending his title against unbeaten challenger Anauel Ngamissengue (14-0, 9), a French based Congolese born fighter who has really got this shot by virtue of the division being hilariously weak. Coming into this the Middleweight division is a legitimate mess, with no one really standing out, and despite holding two world titles Alimkhanuly really hasn’t had a statement win, and in fairness there really isn’t many fighters at 160lbs who would allow him to change that. Sadly for the champion a win over Ngamissengue won’t change that, despite the unbeaten record. Ngamissengue has fought just 3 bouts scheduled for more than 6 rounds, his most notable win is an 8 round win over Fiodor Czerkaszyn in Poland, and he has done nothing to merit a world title fight. Despite the bout really being a mismatch, it does give Kazakh fans a world title bout, something they don’t get many of, and it allows Alimkhnauly his first bout at home in almost 8 years. In a much better bout, at least on paper, the unbeaten Sultan Zaurbek (19-0, 13) is set for a genuine test as he takes on former world title challenger Azinga Fuzile (18-2, 12) in a really good bout. Zaurbek, who is now 28, has long promised to be a star, but has had frustrating performance and lacks a clear standout win, beating lots of solid fighters but no one that pushed him towards a world title. A win here, however, would set him up for a world level bout, and legitimately be a breakout win for him. As for Fuzile, the talented, slippery and accurate South African is a real handful who has only been beaten by Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov and Kenichi Ogawa, in a world title eliminator and world title bout respectively. He is no push over, and has a lot of tricks in the locker, tricks that Zaurbek will need to answer if he’s to come out on top. Other bouts of note on this card include Batyrzhan Jukembayev (23-1-0-2, 17) facing off with Kane Gardner (17-4, 7) and Otabek Kholmatov (12-1, 11) taking on Jason Canoy Manigos (30-12-2, 20). Both Jukembayev and Kholmatov have only been beaten at world level, and both of them will be hoping to secure another world title bout in the near future. For Jukembayev he was broken down by Subriel Matias in 2021 and has reeled off 5 wins since then, and knows if he keeps that winning streak going he will land another title bout, and he will be expected to pick up an easy win here. As for Kholamtov, he’s in with a durable Filipino fighter, who will take him rounds, but should be looking to shake some ring rust before moving towards a second world title fight following his late TKO loss to Raymond Ford in early 2024. Canoy is the perfect foe for him here, and we’d expect Kholmatov to be right back in the title mix by the end of the year. MBS Arena, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany On the subject of world level bouts, it’s not just Alimkhanuly fighting at the highest level, but also Germany’s triple champion Tina Rupprecht (14-1-1, 3) and Japan’s Sumire Yamanaka (8-0, 3), who fight to crown and undisputed Atomweight champion. Coming into the the once beaten Rupprecht is the WBA, WBC and WBO champion having unified the 3 titles with a win last year over Eri Matsuda, whilst Yamanaka holds the IBF title, which she won over a year ago and has yet to defend. This is expected to be a high level, high tempo bout between two of the best in the division, in what will almost certainly be over-looked by those who don’t make an effort to follow female boxing, but really should. Sadly for Yamanaka this will be her first bout outside of Japan, her first bout in over a year, and a notable step up in class, which doesn’t bode well for her chances, especially not in Germany against someone as good as Rupprecht. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan We get more title action in Tokyo, as we get a brilliant OPBF title fight and several other bouts of note. The main event will see the heavy handed Yamato Hata (16-2, 15) defending his OPBF Super Featherweight title against rugged veteran Takuya Watanabe (41-13-2, 22), in a really good looking bout. Hata, who is looking for his first defense, enters this bout on the back of 4 straight wins, all inside the distance, and has stopped 5 of his last 6. He’s heavy handed, but naturally heavy handed, and his power works well behind his decent boxing, as opposed to him fighting like a crude slugger. Watanabe, despite 13 losses, is a true veteran, who belongs at this level, and has long been something of a regional level gatekeeper, with high toughness, desire and work rate always making him a fun fighter to watch, just as we saw last year when he lost to Mickey Roman in a real burner. This is Hata’s power against Watanabe’s toughness in what should make for a great fight. Other bouts on this card include a bout between former IBF Super Featherweight world champion Kenichi Ogawa (29-2-1-1, 20) take on Melchor Roda (9-4, 6), in what looks like little more than a stay busy fight for Ogawa, who should be facing better opponents than Roda, even in a stay busy or tune up contest. Ogawa, despite being stopped in his first world title defense, is a very solid boxer-puncher, and should be facing good regional level fighters, not someone as limited as Roda. Other bouts on this card include Kento Uchigamae (4-2, 1) taking on Korean Dong Hoon Jang (7-0, 3) and the unbeaten Junya Shimada (7-0-1, 2) clashing with Taison Mukaiyama (9-5, 5) in what should be very solid match ups, unlike the Ogawa bout. Showa Sports Center, Nagoya, Japan Over in Nagoya we get a card with a second generation fighter looking to get his career back on track after a recent loss, and that is Kento Hatanaka (15-1, 10) who looks to bounce back from his August 2024 loss to Thananchai Charunphak, who showed how good he was in a very close WBA world title bout against Seigo Yuri Akui. Hatanaka, the son of former world champion Kiyoshi Hatanaka, will be up against experienced Filipino traveller Wilbert Berondo (17-8-2, 6) in what should be a good bout for Hatanaka’s development. “Prince” Hatanaka has long been a notable prospect, but has shown lots of flaws that haven’t yet been ironed out. Berondo, although no world beater, has the tools to give a guy like Hatanaka tough rounds, ask questions and take the best he has to offer. This should be, a good 10 rounder with Hatanaka forced to dig to win. He should win, but we expect he’ll have to work hard for the win. Sangyo Shinko Center, Sakai, Osaka, Japan Another Japanese card with some solid looking action comes from Sakai City, where we get 4 bouts of some note, featuring some very promising young fighters. The main event of this show will see the hard hitting Ryuya Tsugawa (13-2, 9) take on Filipino visitor Carlo Demecillo (18-10-2, 10). This will be Tsugawa's first bout since losing in a very competitive Japanese title bout against Toshiki Shimomachi in September, and it’s hard to imagine anything other than a one sided bout here, given the way Tsugawa lost to Shimomachi and his power, aggression and skills. Demecillo is rugged, tough, and knows how to survive, but has typically been fighting at Super Flyweight and Bantamweight and is now up against a very dangerous Super Bantamweight. Demecillo will be required to show his toughness here, but it’s hard to see how he can make the bout competitive. The chief support bout on this card is another Japan Vs Philippines bout, as the unbeaten Kaishu Harada (6-0, 2) faces Alfred Deano (13-1-1, 10). The 24 year old Harada is ranked by both the JBC and OPBF and looks to be someone going places, despite a relative lack of power. He is skilled, accurate, has a very accurate straight left and throws some lovely combinations. Deano on the other hand is a power puncher, with real danger in his hands. Dubbed the "Destroyer" Deano has stopped 10 opponents in 13 fights, with 7 wins in the first 2 rounds. He did lose last time out, but it was a very close split decision in China to ZhiGang Zhang, and many felt he was unlucky to lose that. Thai really could be something very special, between two men with very different styles Another noteworthy bout on this card will see former WBO Asia Pacific Light Flyweight champion Daiki Tomita (18-2-1, 6) climbs all the way up to Bantamweight to take on Daichi Hirai (9-5, 1). Tomita, who won the WBO AP title title way back in 2019 before losing it in his first defense against Kenichi Horikawa, is unbeaten since 2020, though has been out of the ring since a draw in 2022 with Rikito Shiba, and it'll be interesting to see what he's like after a long break, and with the move up in weight. As for Hirai he has had really mixed results going 4-4 in his last 8, dating back to 2022, and whilst he can score upsets, as he did against Riku Yamashita and Seong Yeong Tang, he has also come up short against Ryosuke Nasu and Taichi Sugimoto, and for an opponent at Bantamweight he might well have the perfect style for Tomita to over-come in a high tempo, though technical, contest. One final bout of interest here will see the limited but very fun to watch Shunsuke Hamada (6-6-1, 3) face off with unbeaten South Korean Ro Jun Seo (7-0, 2). The 26 year old Hamada is aggressive, and comes to fight, though is limited, has defensive flaws, and has been stopped in 2 of his last 4 bouts. He's not a world beater, but he is fan friendly, and makes for good action bouts. Seo on the other hand is 27, and started hsi career more than 7 years ago, before taking a 6 year break. He returned to the ring last year, took a narrow win over Su Jin Bang, and is looking to build on that victory here. He’s lacking power, with his last stoppage coming way back in 2018 in his third bout, but that should lead to a very fun fight given Hamada’s aggressiveness. City Plaza Yayoinokaze Hall, Izumi, Osaka, Japan We also get another small show in Izumi, with Senboku Promotions putting on a show that has a few interesting lower level domestic bouts. The card doesn’t have a stand out bout, but does have some good domestic clashes. The most notable of those Super Featherweights bouts between Taketo Yamahara (4-2, 2) and Kenta Maki (6-4-1,4), and Shido Arai (8-5-1, 4) and Kazuki Iwasaki (2-2, 1). None of the 4 men are expected to go far, but both of these are well matched 8 rounders, likely to go the distance, and likely to be very well contested. Of the 4 Maki is probably the best, and the most dangerous, but his potential certainly seems to be a long, long away from a domestic title.
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 Ramon Magsaysay Covered Court, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
The main show this coming Sunday is in the Philippines as we get a number of really interesting match ups on a card in Quezon City. One of the many promising fighters on this card is the unbeaten Roderick Bautista (6-0, 5) who takes on the once beaten Arvin John Sampaga (8-1-1, 3). The 20 year old Bautista has needed just 23 rounds to score his first 6 wins with only Reymark Ibones surviving the schedule with "The Bone Crusher". He's incredibly exciting, heavy handed and one of the most exciting prospects in the Philippines right now, though he is still very much a work in progress. Sampaga is no push over himself, the 26 year old has only been beaten by Lorenz Dumam-ag, nothing to be ashamed of, and he has gone 2-0-1 since that loss. Although Sampaga is a fighter with ambition of his own, it should be noted he is the naturally smaller man, and this could be an issue against someone as dangerous as Bautista. Another dangerous fighter on this card is “El Cazador” Fernando Tagpuno Jr. (9-3, 9), with the 22 year old Featherweight being a wrecking ball, who takes a huge step up to take on Jason Canoy Manigos (29-12-2, 19). Tagpuno started his career with two losses but has gone 9-1 (9) since then and scored very decent domestic wins over Bryan Tamayo, Franco Serafica, Ken Jordan and Jing Aguan. The only loss he has had since his second bout came in March against Dana Coolwell in Australia. As for Canoy he was once world ranked, and whilst he has clearly slipped a lot from those days he isn't shot to pieces, and recently upset Kakero Mashimo, and is very much a live fighter at this level. We know he is tough and he has only been stopped once in his 12 losses, losing by stoppage to the world class Luis Nery in 2018. This really should be seen as a chance to see how destructive Tagpuno really is against someone we know is tough. On paper the most interesting bout on the show will see former world title challenger ArAr Andales (15-2-3, 6) take on former world champion Rene Mark Cuarto (22-6-2, 12), in a real crossroads fight. Andales was unlucky back in 2019, when he lost a technical decision to Knockout CP Freshmart, and has gone 5-1-3 since then, with two bouts ending in technical draws and marred by head clashes leaving him in need of a big win to really kick start a career that seemed to promise so much after the Freshmart bout. As for Cuarto he former IBF Minimumweight champion has lost 4 of his 6 fights since defeating Pedro Taduran for the IBF belt, and been stopped twice. Whilst there's no shame coming up short against Daniel Valladares, Ginjiro Shigeoka and Shokichi Iwata, it does feel that one more loss and it will be pretty much the end of his dreams to get back to the world level. Cuarto is still a top level fighter, but another loss and he could well join the “Who needs him?” club or become a fighter that only gets fights on the road against emerging stars, rather than bouts that he and his team believe he can win. One other bout of some interest will see the once beaten Christian Legane (4-1-3, 3) take on the unbeaten Christian Dave Puing (5-0, 4). Legane has been competitive in every bout he’s had, and could well be sporting an 8-0 record had he had some luck. He’s been matched relatively hard, and although he has been facing novices, he’s been facing novices in a similar position to himself, with those novices coming into the ring looking to pick up a win, rather than folding under the slightest bit of pressure. As for Puing, he’s already steam rolled through 3 unbeaten fighters in just 5 bouts and looks to be a man moving towards bigger and better things, but this is certainly a solid step up for him and we expect to see him being given an actual test here. Tsushima Civic Cultural Hall, Tsushima, Aichi, Japan As well as the strong card in the Philippines, we also have a small card in Aichi, which really doesn’t have bouts that look amazing on paper, but should provide some fun for the fans in Tsushima City. The main event on this show is a 6 rounder as 22 year old Aichi native Juta Kashitani (5-2-1, 1) faces 25 year old Daiki Hashiba (4-4-1, 1), from Tokyo. Kashitani is a relatively basic fighter, who builds things off his jab and managed to go deep in the Rookie of the Year last year, losing to eventual All Japan Rookie of the Year winner Yamato Moriguchi.He knows a win here moves him to A class and could see him securing a Japanese ranking in the not to distant future. As for Hashiba he’s a fun fighter to watch, but limited and has lost his last 2, and 4 of his last 6, 3 of his 4 defeats coming inside the distance. Hashiba makes for fun fights, but it feels he has really nothing going for him here, being the away fighter, the man out of form and lacking fight changing power. The co-feature is an 8 rounder between Mizuki Akima (8-5-2, 4), who is looking for his third win of the year, and Tamaki Miwa (8-10-2, 1) who scored his last win in 2022. Akima has had a career best year beating Ren Kobayashi in April and Takahiro Murai in September, and a win here would see him notching a third successive win for only the second time in his career and will know that if he can continue this form he could crash into the JBC rankings next year. As for Miwa he has lost 3 of his last 4, drawing against Daiju Hamaguchi in the other, but has proven to be a tough man to stop, with only Bulldozer Takumi Oshima and Hikaru Fukunaga managing to get him out inside the distance. Miwa’s toughness should make for a good fight, but it’s hard to see past an Akima win, given the form he’s in.  Liloan Sports Complex, Liloan, Philippines
We get a really interesting card in the Philippines, with several notable bouts on it, both featuring unbeaten prospects in very notable steps up in class. One of the bouts will see Albert Francisco (12-0, 8) risk his unbeaten record against the once beaten Mark Vicelles (18-1-1, 11), in a mouth watering clash at Flyweight. Francisco is a 24 year old southpaw who has looked impressive since starting his career, but lacks a stand out win to put himself on to the fringes of the world scene. He'll know a win here will do just that and put him in the mix for big international fights. Vicelles on the other hand who has looked impressive since starting his career, but lacks a stand out win to put himself on to the fringes of the world scene. He'll know a win here will do just that and put him in the mix for big international fights. Given this is southpaw Vs southpaw this could be messy at times, but is clearly a really meaningful match up. Another unbeaten hopeful on this show is Arvin Jhon Paciones (8-0, 5), who is risking his unbeaten record against former world champion Rene Mark Cuarto (22-5-2, 12). For the 19 year old Paciones, a Vietnamese based Filipino, this is a huge leap up in class, and whilst he has been impressive, and scoring notable wins on the road in Vietnam and Thailand, but one that his team will probably feel he's ready for. Part of why Paciones team will feel their man is ready for Cuarto, is Cuarto’s own form, which has seen him losing 3 of his 5 bouts since winning the world title in 2022, and being stopped in 2 of his last 3. He's not old, at just 27, but does appear to have a lot of ring miles on the clock from the last few years. Cuarto can’t afford another loss, and a Pacioned will know a win rapidly sees his standing in the sport improve, and put him in, or around, the world rankings. The card also features two Japanese fighters making their international debuts. One of those is hard hitting Kakeru Mashimo (8-0, 6) who takes on former world ranked fighter Jason Canoy Manigos (28-12-2, 19). This is a huge step up for Mashimo, but one his team will feel comfortable with, with Canoy losing 5 of his last 6 and only having a single win since 2018, though regularly being competitive in his losses. This should be a good test for Mashimo, but a test he passes, despite maybe a rocky moment or two. The other is former amateur stand out Hiroki Horiike (1-0, 1), who made his debut in April. He will be expected to pick up an easy win here as he takes on 35 year old veteran Ryan Maano (6-19-2, 2). On paper this looks pointless, but Maano has proven himself as a stalwart on the Filipino scene, and has been in with a who's who, since his 2011 debut. In recent years he's been fighting outside of his best weight class, but will be expected to show Horiike a few veteran moves as the youngster looks to gain some valuable experience away from Japan. Hiokayama Gymnasium, Kakogawa, Hyogo, Japan We get another interesting show in Japan, as JM Kakogawa Promotions put on a card with two really good match ups on it, even if one might not look amazing on paper. The best looking bout on the card will see Filipino fighter Vencent Lacar (6-0, 3) take on Shunpei Odagiri (4-0, 2) in a battle of unbeaten hopefuls, both of whom will likely go into this knowing a win will boost them towards a regional title fight. Lacar made his debut in late 2022 and had an excellent 2023, picking up 4 wins including taking the unbeaten record of Jemar Layom and winning the MinProBA Flyweight title. Odagiri, an experienced former Japanese amateur fighter, who has impressed since turning professional, and looks like someone being fast tracked. On paper Lacar is a step up for the Japanese fighter, but the 24 year old from Hyogo will feel confident of coming out on top here, and racing towards a title fight in the next 12-18 months. The second bout of note on this card will see experienced former amateur Ryusei Baba (3-2, 1), who hasn’t had the success many tipped him to have in the pros, take on 2018 All Japan Rookie of the Year winner Yoshiki Minato (11-6, 6), in what has the potential to be a very good technical fight. Baba was a very good amateur who lost 2 of his first three, one being a highly controversial decision in the Philippines and the other being a TKO loss to the hard hitting Sugo Namura. Since then however he has scored 2 solid domestic wins, and will feel that another win here will see him begin to prove himself as a professional, something we genuinely expect to see him do over the coming years. As for Minato he was once 8-1, but has gone 3-5 in his last 8 whilst facing the likes of Seigo Yuri Akui, Joe Shirashi, Taku Kuwahara and Masayoshi Hashizume. He's a solid boxer, but it does feel like his career is already starting to fall apart, and he's never come close to building on his 2020 upset win over Kohei Oba, who looked a shadow of the fighter he had once been. Wat Pak Bo School, Suan Luang, Bangkok, Thailand We also have a show in Thailand, with two minor regional title bouts on it. One of the title bouts will see Chinese fighter ShaoKang Huang (5-3, 3) take on Vietnamese fighter Phu Thuy Nguyen (2-4, 2), in a bout for the Asian Boxing Federation title at 140lbs. Nguyen, who is 32, debuted way back in 2016, fell to 0-2 before taking more than 5 years away from the ring. He returned in 2023 and has gone 2-2 (2) since then, beating two opponents without a win, and losing to men who had previously scored wins. Huang, who also had a stop start career, debuting in 2018, spending a year out then having an almost 4 year break, has been particularly active since July 2023, going 4-2 in less than a year. Sadly he was beaten last time out, with Chan Sala stopping him in 4 rounds, though that was at Welterweight, which isn't his natural weight. The other title bout is a really odd one and will see 34 year old Chinese fighter Yifeng Zhang (5-6, 3), take on 42 year old former world title challenger Wicha Phulaikhao (64-28-2, 18), with the men battling for the Asian Boxing Federation title at Super Featherweight. Zhang made his debut in 2012, and has had a career with several multi-year breaks in activity, though is on something of a busy run with this being his 4th fight in just over 8 months. However they have all been at a very, very low level in Gym fights in Thailand. The 42 year old Phulaikhao, who debuted in 1999, is almost 14 years removed from his most notable career bout, a loss in a fight for the WBA Minimumweight title. After that world title bout he sported a 42-6-2 records, but since then he has gone 22-22, moved way up the weights from Minimumweight and been stopped a frankly ridiculous 18 times, including his last 5 bouts, and 6 times in the last 12 months. Phulaikhao doesn’t really fight to win any more, and we wouldn’t be surprised at all by another stoppage loss for him here. Nova Boxing Gymnasium, Incheon, South Korea Staying in Asia, we also get a small Gym show in South Korea, with most of the bouts on the card being 4 rounders. Whilst much of the card is 4 rounders, there is an 8 rounder on the show, as Uzbekistani Sirochbek Ismoilov (4-0, 1) takes on limited Indian Sunil Kumar (3-5, 3). The 21 year old Kumar was 3-1 (3) after 4 bouts, but has now lost his last 4 and has been stopped in his last two bouts. He's young, and could improve, but we're certainly not expecting him to go far, and feel those 4 recent losses show not just where he is now, but also his longer term potential. Ismoilov on the other hand is a 23 year old who debuted last year, and despite going the distance in his first 3 bouts, appeared to find some belief in his power last time out, as he blew away Bhinder Singh inside a round. It wouldn’t be a shock at all to se another early win for Ismoilov here. Olympia, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom We also have a bout with Asian interest in the UK as unbeaten English fighter Jack Rafferty (22-0, 13) takes on Indian fighter Sabari Jaishankar (11-2, 5) in a bout for the IBO Inter Continental Welterweight title. The 28 year old Rafferty has a very good looking record, having run out to 22-0 since his October 2017 debut, but scratching below the numbers, it does appar Rafferty has been matched very softly so far whilst fighting between 140lbs and 154lbs. He certainly has plenty of promise, but it does feel like he needs a step up sooner rather than later and his competition has been very poor. Jaishankar, who is surprisingly well traveled with bouts in Australia, Tanzania, Turkey and Thailand as well as his native India, lacks wins of any note, but has done well since a loss on debut, and his only other loss came last year in Turkey at 154lbs against Fatih Keles. Rafferty should win, but this should be seen as a small step up for him.  Pak Kret, Thailand
The main action this coming Saturday is from Thailand of all places, as ONE Championship put on a card that will feature a major boxing world title fight. That bout will see WBC Super Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (46-4-1, 41) defending his belt against Mexican challenger Iran Diaz (14-2-3, 6). The champion, who is now a sporting hero in Thailand, will be making his third defense of the title that he won in March 2017 when he upset Roman Gonzalez. Since then he has beaten Gonzalez in a second bout, Juan Franisco Estarada and fought a stay busy bout against Young Gil Bae, this is however a serious chance to impress on a show that isn't aimed specifically at a boxing audience. Diaz is taking a huge step up in class, though has scored notable wins over Hernan Marquez and Luis Concepcion. Sadly the Mexican has suffered notable stoppage losses and given Srisaket's power the odds are he will suffer another stoppage defeat here. A full preview of this bout can be read here - Srisaket and Diaz clash at Kingdom of Heroes Tokyo, Japan As well as the big show in Thailand there is also a notable card at the Korakuen Hall, including a title unification bout, a Japanese title eliminator and the debut of a stand out amateur fighter. The title unification bout will see OPBF Super Featherweight champion Hironori Mishiro (6-0, 2) battle against Japanese champion Masaru Sueyoshi (18-1, 11) to unify those two titles. Of the two men it's Sueyoshi, the national champion, that has the more distinguished reign, having held his title since October 2017 and has already made a couple of defenses of the belt. Although a talented fighter Sueyoshi can be frustrating to watch and has a rather unique tempo in the ring. Mishiro on the other hand only won his regional title this past June, defeating Carlo Magali with a split decision. He knows he's up against a more experienced professional fighter, but did have a very accomplished amateur background. This could be the best bout of the day in terms of skills, even if the action probably won't be the most intense. A full preview this bout can be read here - Mishiro and Sueyoshi battle to unify crowns! The chief support bout will see the unbeaten Junto Nakatani (16-0, 12) face off with recent OPBF title challenger Shun Kosaka (15-4, 4) with the winner getting a Japanese Flyweight title fight next year. Of the two Nakatani is clearly the favourite. He's a Rookie of the Year winner, a Japanese Youth Champion and a fighter who has broken into the world rankings. Kosaka on the other hand has come up short in most of his biggest bouts, with stoppage losses to Tetsuya Hisada and Jayr Raquinel, with the loss to Raquinel coming in an OPBF title bout. Given Nakatani's power we suspect Kosaka suffer his third stoppage defeat. A full preview of this bout can be read here - Nakatani and Kosaka fight for the right to challenge for Flyweight title! This show will also feature the debut of of the very highly regarded Mikito Nakano (0-0), who ran up an excellent 75-9 in the amateurs and has been sparring with Hiroaki Teshigawara to prepare for his debut. The Japanese fighter will be taking on a relatively straight forward first assignment as he battles Thai foe Thanawat Yancharoen (1-3), in what should be a straight forward debut win for a genuine talent and a great addition to the Japanese professional ranks. Benguet, Philippines In the Philippines we get a card rescheduled from September 22nd, a pretty notable card taking place in Benguet. The main event will see former OPBF title challenger Cris Paulino (18-3, 7) facing off with the upset minded Jomar Fajardo (16-11-2, 7) in a bout for the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Super. Flyweight title. Paulino has been stopped in all 3 of hos defeats, to Ardin Diale, Koki Eto and Vic Darchinyan, but is a very capable fighter who is riding a 4 fight winning run into this fight. “Wallopman” Fajardo is best known for his two fights with Francisco Rodriguez Jr, earning a draw in the first of those bouts. Despite being upset minded Fajardo is 1-7-1 in his last 9 and and a win here would be one of his very best. A bout that should be better than the records of those involved suggests will see Ryan Rey Ponteras (22-13-2, 11) take on Cris Alfante (14-7-1, 6). Neither of these men are world beaters, by any stretch of the imagination, but they should make for a very good contest between each other. Ponteras, on his day, can hold his own with fringe OPBF level opponents but is very inconsistent and can end up losing to opponents he should be. Alfante is the naturally smaller man, but also the younger man, and the fighter who will be looking to build on recent wins over Reymark Taday and Roilo Golez. This could be a pretty interesting match up, if we get the best from both guys. Also on this card is promising youngster Jayson Vayson (7-0, 4), who looks to continue his unbeaten start to professional boxing as he takes on Ronald Alapormina (3-2-1). We like the 20 year old Vayson, a lot, and are looking forward to seeing him let off the leash in the near future. On paper this isn't a step up in class, but it will be his first 10 round contest. As for Alapormina he has gone 0-2-1 in his last 3 and will be wanting to end that win-less run. We expect a win for Vayson, but do hope to see him getting tested in the near future. Gurgaon, India There's another small card taking place in India, which has also been rescheduled from September 15th and feature a youth title bout. The title bout will see unbeaten Indian Rajesh Kumar (9-0-1, 2) take on Bright Ayala (16-1, 11), with Kumar defending the WBC Youth Lightweight title for the first time. The unbeaten local won the title back in April, when he defeated Glenn Enterina, and will not be wanting to relinquish that title just 5 months after winning it. Ayala, from Ghana, hasn't fought anyone of real note though was beaten last time he faced an unbeaten opponent, losing a decision to Oluwaseun Joshua Wahab. This bout should let us know how good both men are, or aren't. The lead supporting bout is a female contest which will see 20 year old local Kirti (4-1, 2) take on Kiwi visitor Cherneka Johnson (10-0, 5). Coming into this Kirti is looking to build on a big win over Noemi Bosques but she will be regarded as the underdog against the in-form Johnson, who has stopped 3 of her last 4. Baja California, Mexico Out side of Asia we have a number of notable bouts, including a very interesting contest in Mexico between Jason Canoy (27-8-2, 19) and Luis Nery (26-0, 20), who battle for the WBC Silver Bantamweight title. The rugged Canoy is best known for losing in his biggest fights, including a loss to a then debuting Hinata Maruta and a thrilling loss to Hiroaki Teshigawa, and is expected to come up short again here. However the Filipino is tough, heavy handed and has never been stopped, he will also know this is a massive opportunity. Nery on the other hand is known for being a controversial figure, who has two tainted wins over Shinsuke Yamanaka. Nery is talented, heavy handed and highly capable, though there are serious doubts as to whether he can make Bantamweight and he will always have dark clouds hanging over his head for the wins over Yamanaka. Baja California, Mexico Staying in Mexico there will also be a contest featuring Mark Magsayo (18-0, 13), though his opponent has yet to be named. This will be Magsayo's first bout of 2018, and his first contest since seemingly leaving ALA Promotions earlier this year. He's a talented fighter but the long break, change in management and the lack of named opponent will not serve him well as he continues looking to build towards a potential world title fight. Quebec, Canada In Canada fans will be able to see Kazakh prospect Batyrzhan Jukembayev (13-0-0-2, 11) continue his rise as he faces off with Mexican southpaw Patricio Moreno (20-2, 14). This will be Jukembayev's third bout of the year and he is tipped to go on to big things, this however is a perfect step up in class with Moreno being a tough but limited opponent capable of genuinely testing Jukembayev. A really interesting and solid match up.  Tokyo, Japan
This coming Thursday Japanese fight fans will get the chance to see a really interesting double header at the Korakuen Hall. One of those bouts will see Japanese Lightweight hopeful Shuichiro Yoshino (6-0, 4) make his first defense of the title as he takes on mandatory challenger Masaki Saito (14-12-6, 5) in the second Champion Carnival bout of 2018. The talented Yoshino has risen through the ranks at an impressive pace since debuting at the end of 2015 and despite only having 6 fights he has already beating veterans like Chaiyong Sithsaithong and Yoshitaka Kato as well as top domestic foes like Spicy Matsushita. Sadly Saito is a limited challenger, especially as a mandatory, and appears to have gotten a shot in part due to the lack of depth in the division. Although limited Saito is tough, having only been stopped once, back in 2006, and tall, at around 5'11”, and is more likely to ask questions of Yoshino rather than really test him. Whilst the Japanese title bout looks likely to be a one-sided win for the champion the other title bout looks likely to be a thrilling war. That's because the all action Hiroaki Teshigawara (15-2-2, 9) will be defending his WBO Asia Pacific Bantamweight title against teak tough Filipino puncher Jason Canoy (27-7-2, 19). The champion first made a mark in 2015, fighting to a draw with Hideo Sakamoto and then made a name for himself in 2016 with a narrow loss to Ryo Akaho in one of the forgotten wars of the year. Last year we saw Teshigawara score a thrilling win over Keita Kurihara before stopping Jetro Pabustan to claim the regional title. As for Canoy he's a big punching tough guy, who has scored wins over the likes of Drian Francisco, Giovanni Escaner, Jestoni Autida and Renerio Arizala. To date Canoy tends to come up short against his best opponents, including a then debuting Hinata Maruta, but is always a tough out and should give us a war with Teshigawara, who is always up for a fire fight. This could be a very special fight. One other fighter on this card of some note is Masataka Taniguchi (9-2, 7). The talented Watanabe gym fighter has lost 2 of his last 5, though they have both been razor thin losses to fellow talented youngsters, Reiya Konishi and Tsubasa Koura, and it'd be downright foolish to write the 24 year old off given the talent he has. We're unsure who he will be up against here, but we are aware it's a Filipino opponent and the odds are that Taniguchi will be moved towards another title fight later in the year. Mandaue City, Philippines
The biggest show this coming Friday for us is in the Philippines, where we will see a nice mix of bouts, ranging from notable names to unbeaten prospects. One of the biggest names on the card is the teak tough, and heavy handed, Jason Canoy (26-7-2, 19). Canoy, who was the debut opponent of Hinata Maruta, will be up against relatively notable domestic foe Renerio Arizala (13-7-2, 5) in what should be a straight forward win for Canoy. The talented Canoy was beaten last time out, losing a split decision in in South Africa to Mzuvukile Magwaca, but should have far too much for Arizala, who struggled in recent years and has scored just 1 win in his last 8 bouts. In the only title bout on the card fans will be able to see Jhaleel Payao (15-1, 9) make his first defense of the PBF Bantamweight title, as he takes on the heavy handed Raul Yu (9-2-2, 8). The talented Payao has only been beaten by the very skilful Michael Dasmarinas, and since that loss has bounced back with 4 straight forward domestic wins, including his title winning effort back in March against Nelson Tinampay. The big punching Yu was beaten last time out, losing a wide decision to Jade Bornea, but should be viewed as a live challenger here, and he certainly has the edge in power here. This should be a really interesting match up, but we do see the champion retaining his title. Another pretty decent match up on this card will see Kenny Demecillo (12-4-2, 7) take on domestic banana skin Gerpaul Valero (21-19-4, 15), in what could be a very tricky match up. On paper Demecillo will be the favourite, though he did lose his last bout, suffering a decision loss to Mark Anthony Geraldo, and Valero has scored notable upsets in the past. Explosive youngster Tomjune Mangubat (7-0, 7) will be seeking to continue his impressive start as he battles against Crisanto Contemprato (6-3-1, 4) in an decent looking match up. The 20 year old Mangubat is being gradually stepped up, but has so far just been too powerful for everyone he's faced,scoring 7 T/KO's in just 11 combined rounds. The 25 year old Contemprato has only been stopped once in 10 bouts, and that was up at Super Featherweight, suggesting he can take a shot, which he'll need to do to over-come Mangubat. Also on the under is a battle of unbeaten fighters as Rimon Rama (6-0-1, 4) takes on Richard Bulacan (3-0, 3) in a match up that looks likely to be explosive,a little bit wild and very exciting. Despite both men being novices this is scheduled for 8 rounds, and is 18 year old Rama's second bout scheduled for the distance. Quebec, Canada In Canada we'll see touted Kazakh hopeful Batyrzhan Jukembayev (9-0-0-2, 8) take a huge step up in class as he faces off with once touted Panamanian Alberto Mosquera (24-3-2-2, 16). The Kazakh has been an exciting fighter so far, and looks like a very dangerous man with serious power, though has shown decent stamina with an 8 round decision win last year. It's worth noting that whilst Mosquera is a decent fighter he has been stopped in al 3 of his defeats and Jukembayev can certainly punch. Illinois, USA In the US fight fans will get the chance to see former Uzbek amateur star Rustam Tulaganov (0-0) make his professional debut. The talented 26 year old will be debuting in a 4 rounder, though the reality is that he could be fast tracked through the ranks and facing notable names before the end of 2018.  Tokyo, Japan
To end the month of March Japanese fans get a low key show at the Korakuen Hall. The most notable of the bouts on this card will see the unbeaten Japanese ranked Super Featherweight Yuichiro Kasuya (9-0-1, 1) risking his unbeaten record against Japanese ranked Lightweight Spice Matsushita (16-9-1, 2), in a bout that will see Matsushita move down to 130lbs. The 20 year old Kasuya first made a name for himself in 2014, when he claimed the Rookie of the Year crown, and notched a really good win last year over Kazuma Sanpei. Last time out however he was held to a really unexpected draw against Masaki Saito. Although Matsushita has picked up losses through his career, including on last time out to Can Xu, he is still a solid fighter and could be a real banana skin for the unbeaten youngster. The main event of the card will see former Japanese Bantamweight title challenger Tatsuya Takahashi (25-6-5, 18) take on Thai visitor Rungpetch Saithonggym (0-2). Although he drew earlier this year with Yuta Saito it's fair to say that Takahashi is best known for his 2014 loss to Kentaro Masuda. Since then he has gone 7-0-2 (5) and tried to work his way into another title fight. A win here won't get him a shot out right, but will keep him in the mix and see him continue his unbeaten run. As for the Thai he suffered 2 losses in Japan last year, and we suspect he'll suffer a third successive loss in the country here. Western Cape, South Africa In South Africa we'll see local unbeaten fighter Mzuvukile Magwaca (17-0-2, 10) battle with tough Filipino Jason Canoy (26-6-2, 19) in a bout for the WBF Bantamweight title. The unbeaten Magwaca has won his last 4 bouts, following a 2013 draw with Makazole Tete, including a stoppage over Filipino Michael Enriquez. This is a step for the local fighter and Canoy is certainly no push over, as shown in his wins over Drian Francisco and Jestoni Autida, but he is perhaps best known for his 2015 loss to a then debuting Hinata Maruta. Although he lost to Maruta he did prove he was ridiculously tough and we know he has nasty power of his own. This could be a very good match up  Osaka, Japan
The best of 5 Japanese shows this Sunday is from Osaka where we get arguably the toughest debut in recent years as well as an OPBF title fight and a bout that looks to be a tune up bout for a title fight in 2016. That debut bout is the long awaited debut of teenager Hinata Maruta (0-0). The very highly touted youngster goes up against the world ranked Jason Canoy (24-5-2, 18), who is heavy handed and has never been stopped. Maruta is dubbed “The #1 Hope” and has received a lot of attention in Japan but there is a good chance that he has bit off more than he can chew here against Canoy, who is best known for stopping Drian Francisco in just 132 seconds. This is a baptism of fire but if Maruta wins then he'll have immediately made a statement of the highest order. Whilst the Maruta/Canoy bout is the most exciting it's not actually the main event. That's an OPBF Light Middleweight title fight between the tough Dennis Laurente (49-6-5, 30), the defending champion, and former Japanese champion Takayuki Hosokawa (27-10-4, 9). This is a really intriguing bout even though the champion is 38 and best known for suffering a shut out loss to John Jackson on a PBC show. Laurente will be hoping to record the first defense of his title whilst Hosokoawa will likely be looking to close his career on a high, with rumours swirling that he'll retire win or lose here, due to issues with his eye. The tune up bout sees former OPBF Super Featherweight champion Masao Nakamura (20-3, 19) battle against Thailand's Daorung Sithsoei (0-6), who's record is believed to be very incomplete. Nakamura has made it known that he wants a Japanese title fight and could well be looking at the winner of the upcoming Rikkie Naito/Kenichi Ogawa fight as his target for 2016. Coming into this one Nakamura is looking to build on his sensational win against Daiki Kaneko, in what is still a front runner for the Japanese FOTY. Also on this card will be Korean hopeful Tae Il Kim (5-0, 1). Kim, who will be fighting under the name Teiru Atsumi, will be making his Japanese debut against Songkramchai Ektinakorn (0-1) and be fighting for the first time in 21 months, despite the lay off he is expected to shine in what is hoped to be a very promising career. Kumamoto, Japan The second most notable show in Japan comes from Kumamoto where we get a weak card with a notable main event. That main event is a Japanese Minimumweight title fight between Tatsuya Fukuhara (15-4-5, 6) and Hiroya Yamamoto (9-3, 3). The two men are fighting for a title that was recently vacated by Go Odaira and although neither are big names both men have faced solid fighters, with Fukuhara having mixed with Takuma Inoue and Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr whilst Yamamoto has faced Odaira and Xiong Zhao Zhong. It's fair to say neither man is expected to move on to being a true world champion but we suspect the winner will compete in a world title fight somewhere down the line. Tokyo, Japan The first of two shows at the Shinjuku FACE is a small card put on reason and will be headlined by a couple of 8 round bouts. One of those 8 rounders will see Japanese and OPBF ranked Featherweight hopeful Ryuto Araya (8-3-1, 1) battle Takuya Yamaguchi (9-9, 7). Although not the best fighter Araya is ranked due to his most recent bout, a win over Kazunori Takayama, and he has shown issues in other bouts, including a 2nd round TKO loss to Daisuke Watanabe. Yamaguchi on the other hand is fighting for the second after a long lay off, which began when he went 1-4 including a loss to Shingo Wake. On paper this is a mismatch though we suspect it could actually be very competitive. The other will see Japanese ranked Keita Nakano (13-10, 4) put his Bantamweight ranking on the line against Keigo Soma (7-11-1, 4). On paper this looks a more competitive match up than the other bout and could well be the show stealing bout, despite the less than stellar records of the men involved. Tokyo, Japan The second show at the Shinjuku FACE features just one a single 8 rounder as Minoru Matsuo (6-4, 3) battles Chikashi Hayashizaki (6-5-1, 2) in what looks like a competitive lower level bout. Whilst the main event is an 8 rounder we're more interested in a 6 rounder which will see veteran Keita Manabe (26-6-1, 22) battle against novice Yuya Shimakura (5-1-1, 2). Manabe, a former Japanese title challenger, will be fighting for the first time in more than 6 years and although on paper he should be favoured he has scored a win since 2007! Shimakura on the other hand has shown potential and the 20 year old could become someone to keep an eye on. Aichi, Japan Another minor show comes from Aichi and features a pair of headlining 8 rounders. The most notable of those sees Japanese ranked 140lb'der Shinichi Tsukahara (10-7-3, 5) battling against Yuta Maruoka (9-3, 4). Coming into this one Tsukahara has won his last two bouts but has been stopped in 4 of his losses and at 31 it's a time where any loss could cost him a potential title shot. Maruoka however should be a safe opponent, and he's winless in almost 4 years. The other 8 rounder will see Minimumweight hopeful Jun Takigawa (7-1, 4) take on Takeshi Sone (5-3-3, 1). Takigawa should be heavily favoured here and he did have an excellent 2014, which saw him narrowly lose in the All Rookie final to Reiya Konishi. Sone's recent form has seen him go 0-1-2 though he has faced decent competition.  This Saturday is one of the busiest and possibly most memorable days this year for boxing fans around the globe. For us it's a day that feature two major world title bouts and a lot, lot more besides.
Aichi, Japan The big show of the day, for us at least, comes from Japan where an impressive record is under threat and we may well be able to crown the next Japanese sensation. That potential sensation is the incredibly talented 19 year Kosei Tanaka (4-0, 2) who looks to claim the WBO Minimumweight title in just his 5th professional bout. In the opposite corner to Tanaka will be once beaten Mexican fighter Julian Yedras (24-1, 13), a decent contender though a man who is seen as being “up against it” here against a potential superstar in the making. Tanaka has been nothing but sensational thus far into his career and a win here would see him setting a Japanese national record for fewest bouts to a world title. A loss would be a serious set back but given his age Tanaka would bounce back. In the chief support bout fans will see unbeaten OPBF and Japanese ranked contender Yushi Tanaka (13-0-3, 9) battle against the brave but limited Mako Matsuyama (7-8-2, 3). Tanaka is slowly working towards a title bout and should come out on top here, though we're unsure just how good he is, or how good he could become. As for Matsuyama we'll never forget his amazingly brave effort against Rex Tso last year and we hope for a similarly exciting bout here, though we're next expecting one even near to the same level. Another supporting bout will see the experienced Shota Hayashi (24-5-1, 15) battle against Yasuyuki Otagaki (5-3-3, 1) in what looks to be a stay busy fight for Hayashi, who hasn't fought this year. Hayashi is ranked by both the OPBF and JBC and this bout seems to be more about shaking off ring rust than anything else. As well as the 3 bouts mentioned this card is scheduled to feature 4 undercard bouts as well. Yucatán, Mexico The second world title fight of the day involving and Asian fighter we'll see Milan Melindo (32-1, 12) challenge hard hitting IBF Light Flyweight champion Javier Mendoza (23-2-1, 19). This is a really tough test for Melindo though he has been up against it in the past and managed to acquit himself well in his only other bout at this level, losing a competitive decision to Flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada. For Mendoza this will be the first defense of the title that he won last year, in a really engaging brawl with Ramon Garcia Hirales, and he won't be wanting to give that title up. We really expect that this one could be something a little bit special México, Mexico Staying in Mexico fans will see Filipino fighter Vergel Nebran (13-8-1, 8) take on former world champion Cristian Mijares (51-8-2, 25). Mijares, once one of the best pure boxers on the planet, is several years removed from his best however he should still be too good, too quick and too skilled for the 25 year old Filipino who has gone 3-5 in his last 8 and is 0-5 outside of the Philippines. Davao del Norte, Philippines Having mentioned a few Filipinos in international action it makes sense to look at what's going on in the Philippines with an interesting looking card coming from General Santos City. The main event here will see Adones Cabalquinto (19-0, 12) defend his Filipino national title against Jonel Gadapan (9-7-2, 5) in what appears to be a complete mismatch in favour of the champion. We do like Cabalquinto but really cannot understand why he's still toiling around at this level rather than being pushed upwards and onwards towards an OPBF title fight. Another notable fighter in action here will be the sensationally talented Jerwin Ancajas (22-1-1, 14) who is fighting a stay busy fight against Juan Purisima (11-7-1, 4). Ancjas has looked brilliant recently and we're hoping to see him fighting at a higher level than this shortly though he has been out of the ring since last November, when he blitzed Fadhili Majiha in Macau. Hopefully a quick win here will allow the “Pretty Boy” to return to action sooner rather than later. Another fighter on this show who has been showcased in Macau is Aston Palicte (17-1, 15). The heavy handed Palicte made an impressive statement when he stopped Ismael Garnica and will be hunting his 8th straight stoppage here as he battles Michael Escobia (10-9-1, 2). Interestingly Escobia has gone the distance with some good fighters, including Froilan Saludar and Masaaki Serie, though he has been stopped thrice. One final name of note on this show will be Drian Francisco (27-2-1, 21) who will be in a genuinely interesting looking match up against Jason Canoy (23-5-2, 17). On paper this is, easily, the stand out bout and although Francisco is more experienced, at least at a higher level, we're not expecting him to just have a walk in the park here. Brilliant match up. Dongducheon, South Korea There is also a card in South Korea, sanctioned by the KBC. This card is certainly not a big one and only features novices though it may still be an interesting card. From what we understand there is no notable name in action as much of the card is focused on debutants. Despite that there should be some good action, including a Welterweight bout between Woo Min Kim (1-0) and Won Suk Lee (0-0-1) who are both risking their unbeaten records. New Dehli, India The most peculiar card of the day comes from New Dehli in India as Brazilian promoter Mike Miranda puts on what is believes to be the first professional boxing show in India since 1952. The card, despite it's historic status, is a weak looking one with the main event being a 12 round bout between Neeraj Goyat (2-2-2) and Nelson Gulpe (8-4, 3) for the lightly regarded WBC Asian Boxing Council Welterweight title. We're not sure what either fighter has done to deserve a title fight but the belt does add some allure to the card. The only other notable fighter in action here is Gurlal Singh (6-0, 6) who fights against Vikas Hooda (0-0). Singh has been based in Thailand fighting under the guidance of South Korean promoter Andy Kim and he'll be hoping to carry on his run in the country of his birth. Texas, USA In Texas fans will see Filipino veteran Juanito Rubillar (49-22-7, 24) battle against former world champion Joseph Agbeko (29-5, 22). The 38 year old Rubillar has seen much better days, in fact he's not fought in more than 18 months and not scored a win in more than 2 years, in fact you need to go back to 2009 to find his second most win. Agbeko might not have scored a win in 2 years but he's a world class fighter and should over-come his Filipino foe. Connecticut, USA Another bout in the US will see Kyrgyzstan's Timur Shailezov (17-9-1, 4) battle against the unbeaten Nate Green (7-0, 2) in a tough looking 6 round for the 35 year old from Bishek. Shailezov has won just 1 of his last 8 and we're not expecting him to pick up the win here, though he has scored an occasional upset in the past. Queensland, Australia In Australia fans will see Filipino journeyman Fernando Ocon (13-8-1, 5) battle against Jason Cooper (13-2-1, 7) in a contest for the WBA Oceania Super Bantamweight title. It's a tough ask to see Ocon coming back with the win here but it's a good opportunity for the well traveled Filipino. (Image courtesy of Kosei Tanaka's blog)  Some days are insanely busy and today is one such day with more fights of note than almost any other day this year, and better yet they are spread all over the globe form the Philippines to the US, from Germany to Mexico. It really is a great day to look forward to.
New Jersey, USA The most important bout for many fans this Saturday is in the US where destructive Russian Sergey Kovalev (25-0-1, 23) attempts to unify his WBO Lightweight title with the WBA "super" and IBF titles currently held by Bernard Hopkins (55-6-2-2, 32) in a bout that appears to have every boxing fans interested , even those that typically hate watching Hopkins. Kovalev, a destructive puncher, has been a on a real role recently wiping out decent contenders on a regular basis, often with out breaking sweat. Hopkins on the other hand has been the same old Hopkins we all know, lulling opponents to sleep en route to winning wide decisions. We suspect this bout could be over early if Kovalev hits as hard as we think, or could end up being a long and slow night if Hopkins can hypnotise Kovalev, like he has to many previous opponents. That's what makes this bout so interesting, who will manage to instill their natural game plan on the bout? On the undercard we have another Russian, Andrey Sirotkin (4-0, 1), risking his unbeaten record against the limited Michael Mitchell (3-4-2, 1) in what should be a straight forward 6 round affair for Sirotkin. Baden-Württemberg, Germany Whilst the main event in New Jersey is undeniably the biggest bout of the day it's very easy to pick the biggest female bout of the day as unbeaten Japanese boxing queen Naoko Fujioka (12-0, 6) attempts to become the first Japanese female fighter to become a 3-weight world champion. Unfortunately for Fujioka she will be up against her toughest challenge yet, Germany's popular Susi Kentikian (33-2-0-1, 17), the current WBA female Flyweight champion. The bout is a tough one on paper and it's made even tougher by the fact Fujioka is on the road traveling to Germany for the bout against on of Europe's most popular female fighters. México, Mexico A second very good female bout comes from Mexico as former WBA female Minimumweight champion Etsuko Tada (13-1-2, 3) attempts to regain the title and avenge her sole defeat. That however will see her needing to over-come Mexico's very own Anabel Ortiz (15-3, 3) who claimed a controversial split decision in Japan over Tada last year. We suspect this could be a better bout that the Fujioka/Kentikian one though in our eyes the other is slightly more significant considering that Fujioka is attempting to carve her place in history. We'll admit with this being a rematch we're hoping for something a bit special. On the same card in Mexico Ryuji Yokoyama (11-1-1, 3) will be looking for the biggest win of his career as he takes on the world class Jesus Silvestre (25-9, 21) in a very big test for the Japanese fighter. Pennsylvania, USA Back in the US we see the next bout of the talented Vasily Lepikhin (16-0, 9) who attempts to build on his excellent victory over Robert Berridge last time out. This time Lepikhin will be battling big punching Brazilian Jackson Junior (15-1, 13), was was last in the US about 20 months ago being taken apart by Cuban Umberto Savigne. We suspect that Lepikhin will have a very easy night with the Brazilian who isn't as dangerous as his record would indicate. Texas, USA In a third US bout fans will see Olympic gold medal winner Egor Mekhontsev (5-0, 5) take the next step on his way to a world title. Mekhontsev has had things all his own way so far but we wouldn't be shocked to see him struggle, at least a bit, with the extremely heavy handed Jinner Guerrero (7-2, 6). Guerrero is limited but what he hits, he hurts. Guerrero comes in with 2 losses in his last 3 but he is insanely heavy handed and if Mekhontsev gets caught or gets reckless this could get very interesting. Queensland, Australia A bit closer to "home" is a card in Australia that strikes us as interesting but not great with two bouts of note. The main event here will see world ranked Bantamweight puncher Zhanat Zhakiyanov (23-1, 16) battle against Filipino journeyman Roberto Lerio (16-20-1, 6) in what appears to be little more than a stay busy fight for the highly regarded Kazakh puncher. This will be Zhakiyanov's third bout of the year and will see him building on two stoppage wins, including an eye catching 1-punch KO over Karim Guerfi back in April and we'd be shocked if Lerio managed to take him the distance here. The other bout will see the always entertaining Filipino slugger Romeo Jakosalem (15-8-1, 8) battle against the fast rising Cameron Hammond (10-0, 4) in what is likely to be a painful night for the Filipino. Jakosalem comes into this bout with 4 losses in his last 5, including a 2nd round TKO loss to Min Wook Kim back in May 2012, though did win last time out against Elmer Legaria and, if he's on form, he could make life difficult for Hammond. Odds are however Jakosalem isn't going to be close to his best unfortunately and will instead be dominated by the talented Australian. Davao del Sur, Philippines Having just mentioned some Filipino's it makes sense to mention some more as we go to the first of two Filipino cards. This one in Davao del Sur involved two interesting bouts with the co-feature being the better of the two, at least on paper. That bout will see the heavy handed but limited Drian Francisco (25-2-1, 20) battle against former world title challenger John Mark Apolinario (17-4-3, 4). Having seen Apolinario struggle to survive against Koki Kameda last year we believe Francisco will stop him, though we do know that Francisco can be out boxed by a speedy fighter and that could prove to be an issue here. The main event looks like a total mismatch as the talented Adones Cabalquinto (17-0, 10) continues to toil and waste away his career. The talented Filipino Light Welterweight will be battling against Thai visitor Pankorn Mor Poowana (3-1-1, 1) in a bout for the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Light Welterweight title and we can't help but think he really should bite the bullet, take a risk and go for the OPBF title with a fight against Keita Obara, as was once arranged earlier this year. Metro Manila, Philippines The other Filipino show comes from Metro Manila and is a much deeper card. Sadly due to just how busy the day is we're only going to talk about a few of the bouts on the card. The main event will see the thunderously hard hitting Richard Claveras (9-0-2, 9) attempting to defend his WBC Asian Boxing Council Light Flyweight title against the limited but tough JC Francisco (6-8-3, 2). Francisco has won just 1 of his last 4 and we don't see it changing here but we do suspect that Claveras will be forced to work hard to get the win considering that Francisco has never been stopped so far. A second interesting bout on here will see Ardin Diale (24-9-3, 11) attempt to defend his his GAB Flyweight title against the heavy handed Jenny Boy Buca (9-1, 9). Diale is better than his record suggests though we're unsure how good Buca is. If Buca has got skills as well as power he may manage to upset Diale who has had a very hard year considering his slugfest with Koki Eto was just 5 months and he has already had a very hard fight with Renerio Arizala since then. This is going to be a tough year for the Filipino who needs a win here to remain relevant. Klimovsk, Russia In Russia we have yet more Filipino's in action with two Filipino's fighting in the Russian town of Klimovsk. At Lightweight we will see Rey Labao (26-5, 17) attempting to claim the PABA title as he takes on the unbeaten Roman Andreev (15-0, 11), a man attempting to make the first defense of his title. Labao's record may not make him look like a killer but he's a very good fighter and his only loss in his last 8 bouts came against Yoshitaka Kato in an OPBF title fight. As for Andreev this is a tough defense but advantage will likely help him some what against a testing opponent though one who is perhaps less rounded and skilled than Andreev is. The other bout comes at Bantamweight where Jason Canoy (21-4-2, 15) fights against Nikolay Potapov (12-0, 6) for the WBA Asia Bantamweight title. This bout, like the other one, looks really interesting and although we again suspect the unbeaten is more skilled we cannot rule out the Filipino fighter who we suspect will go to Russia with an upset on his mind. Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand One final show scheduled to take place is in Thailand where we have one interesting bout and one other bout worth noting, albeit a total mismatch. The interesting bout will see WBO Asia Pacific Super Flyweight champion Petchbarngborn Kokietgym (28-7-1, 11) defending his belt against the once beaten Filipino hopeful Macrea Gandionco (10-1-1, 6). We suspect Petchbarngborn will be too big for the Filipino however it's a bout we're interested in and hope that Gandionco will be comfortable at the weight. The other bout that interests us, despite it being a disgusting mismatch, will see Fonluang KKP (21-1-1, 9) take on journeyman Falazona Fidal (25-41-1, 8). This is an awful mismatch though it's nice to see Fonluang staying busy and this will be his 5th bout this year, a big change from 2012 in which he was completely inactive. (Image courtesy of Golden Boy Promotions) |
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