November 8th-The past, present and Future of the Kaneko Gym, Naito fights for Aussie title11/4/2024  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Friday we get the latest show from Kaneko Promotions, and whilst it’s not the deepest show we’ll see in Japan this year, it is an interesting one looking at the recent past along with the present and the future of the Kaneko Gym. Part of the present for the gym is Yuta Ashina (8-6), a 30 year old who’s ranked by the JBC and looking to get his career back on track following a loss in Korea last year. Ashina isn’t being given an easy out here, despite being 2-3 in his last 5, as he takes on the unbeaten Masayuki Urashima (4-0-1, 1), who also holds a JBC ranking. Ashina is a natural 154lb fighter, which is the weight he’s ranked at, whilst Urashima is the natural Welterweight, though notably the bout is being held at 147lbs, and it’ll be interesting to see how Ashina looks at the weight. As for Urashima he's looking to build on a good win over Shoma Yano from back in August and will know a win here will open doors for him at domestic title level. As for the past of the Kaneko gym, that comes in the form of former unified regional champion Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa (13-7-1, 11), as he takes on Katsuhhiro Nakata (9-6-1, 5) in what could be a fun fight between two JBC ranked Middleweights. Hosokawa was once the OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific Middleweight champion and one of the most fun fighters out there to watch, with questionable defense, a great engine, a solid chin and a lot of power. It's 6 years since his most notable win, he is now 1-3 in his last 4 and has just a single win since 2020. As for Nakata he is winless in his last 4 bouts, going back to 2023, but does have a rugged and fan friendly style that sees him making for fan friendly wars, as we saw in his 3 bouts with Ran Tomomatsu and his 2022 clash with Mikio Sakai. Both of these men are coming to the end of their careers but should make for a very fun battle. As for the future of the Kaneko gym, that’s 24 year old hopeful Ryosuke Koyama (2-0, 2), who looks to continue his climb towards title success as he takes on Chinese visitor Jiaming Li (5-4, 2). Koyama had almost 40 amateur bouts, with mixed success, but since turning professional he has really impressed, looking sharp, accurate and like a real talent at 126lbs. In just two bouts he has blown away Kyota Shinya and stopped the experienced Ryota Ishida whilst showing the potential to go a long way. Li has shown himself to be limited, losing 3 of his last 4, but tough and recently went the distance with Junya Shimada with Kaneko looking at this bout as a chance to see Koyama going rounds against a flawed but rugged visiting fighter, after two bouts with domestic foes. Rumours International, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia As well as the action in Japan we also have a pretty notable show in Australia, interestingly headlined by an Australian based Japanese fighter, and also featuring two Indian fighters. The Japanese fighter is Aussie based Japanese fighter Rikki Naito (25-3, 10), who looks to add the Australian 140lb title to his collection of belts as he takes on John Mannu (13-1-1, 8). Naito, who relocated down under a few years ago, is a former Japanese Super Featherweight and OPBF Light Welterweight champion who's career looked over in 2021, when he was stopped by Koichi Aso, but he now looks rejuvenated whilst fighting out of Australia, having recently stopped Thiranan Matsali. As for Mannu the "The Beast" has been racking up a decent looking record at home, though was notably dominated in a step up in 2023 by Kurt Scoby in the US. Since his sole loss he has gone 6-0 (4), winning and defending the Australian title along the way. Despite his run it needs to be noted the most notable win on his record is a TKO against former Bantamweight world champion Pungluang Sor Singyu, and his record does lack noteworthy wins against credible 140lb fighters. Also on the card are two bouts involving Indian fighters. One of those will be at Heavyweight where Samoan born Australian Herman Ene Purcell (18-9, 10) will take on Indian Jaskaran Singh (9-4-1, 8). Of the two men Purcell is the more well known, and is a former regional title challenger, having been stopped by Kyotaro Fujimoto in 2017, in a competitive bout that saw him only a round or two down before being stopped in the 9th. As for Singh he’s something of a glass cannon with only 2 of his bouts having had decisions which has resulted in his 14 career bouts lasting just 33 combined rounds. He has proven to be very dangerous early on, with 4 opening round wins, but has been stopped 3 times and it's not hard to imagine Purcell also stopping him here. Another Indian fighter on this card is Davinder Singh (3-2, 3), who will be facing off with Joshua Johnston (2-1, 2) in what could be a short lived clash. Between the two men they have 5 wins in the first 2 rounds, 3 in the opening round, and all 3 of their losses have come in the first 3 rounds. Johnston, the naturally bigger fighter, will be favoured, but we’re expecting something of a shoot out here.
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 Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The main card for the day in terms of global boxing comes from Saudi Arabia, where we get the 5 Vs 5 show, pitting 5 Matchroom fighters against 5 Queensberry fighters. Some how one of of the bouts on that card will see Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42), representing Matchroom for some reason, taking on Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1, 21), who has fought under Queensbury a few times but is hardly regarded as a fighter who broke through under Queensbury. Despite the faulty gimmick around the fight, it is undeniably an interesting match up, between two awfully flawed, but in sanely powerful fighters. Wilder, a former WBC champion, is vicious with his power, and although he never really learned how to box, he has had undeniable success as one of the true punchers of his generation. Zhang is the better boxer, and hits just as hard, but at 41 his work and stamina are almost non-existent. This bout could either be a really crazy battle of power, with both men hitting the canvas multiple times. Or it could be one of the worst bouts we see this year, as both stand off, waiting for an opening, until one man lands a bomb and finishes the show early. It is a hard one to predict, other than to say we do not imagine this one going the distance. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Over in Asia the most interesting card comes from the legendary Korakuen Hall, where we get a real mix of bouts, including 2 regional title bouts and two supporting bouts featuring unbeaten prospects. One of the title bouts in Japan is, like the aforementioned bout in Saudi Arabia, not expected to go the distance. That is the OPBF Super Featherweight title bout, as Kosuke Saka (23-7, 20) defends the title against Yamato Hata (14-2, 13). In total the men have only seen the final bell 7 times in 46 bouts, and once 4 times in their combined 37 wings. Both are huge punchers, with Saka being the more proven but also the more flawed whilst Hata is the more intelligent boxer puncher but also the less battle tested. Both have been stopped before, and both make for extremely fun fights. This one, like Zhang Vs Wilder, is going to be one where you can’t really blink, for fear of missing something, and another we expect could end at any time. The other title bout will see former amateur standout Kenji Fujita (6-0, 3) make his first title defense, as he defends the WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight title against unbeaten Filipino Rodex Piala (10-0, 1). Fujita won the title in January, when he beat Joseph Ambo over 12 rounds, and is expected to do something similar against Piala, who is stepping up massively for this bout. Unlike the Super Featherweight bout, we’re not expecting bombs from both men, but instead we’re expecting a much more technical bout here between two talented, but light punching fighters. As for prospects on this card, we’ll see the highly skilled, though somewhat frustrating, Junya Shimada (6-0, 2) take on Yuya Hirose (9-3-1, 4), in what should be a very solid 8 rounder. Shimada took some time to find his footing in the pro ranks, going the distance in his first 4 bouts, but does appear to have settled into the professional at last and has stopped his last 2, including a 2nd round KO win over Jetro Pabustan in February. As for Hirose this will be his second 8 rounder, and comes on the back of a career best win over Chihiro Iwashita in February, though this is a very clear step up in class from that bout. The other prospect of real note on this card is WBO world ranked Flyweight Yoali Mejia Mosqueda (10-0, 7), a Mexican making his international debut as he takes on hard hitting Filipino Eldin Guinahon (9-2, 8). Mosqueda’s world ranking does seem a stretch, given his competition so far has been novices, but he’s an undeniable talent and this is a solid step up for him against a Filipino looking to make a name for himself. Sadly whilst Guinahon does have power, there is real question marks about his own durability, given he has been stopped in his last 2. Regardless, this should be a very fun fight, and we wouldn’t be surprised if the winner landed a WBO world title fight in the next 18 months. Minami Gymnasium, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan A second Filipino card takes place in Fukuoka. This is a much smaller card, packed with 4 rounders, many of which are Western Japan Rookie of the Year bouts. The one bout that isn’t set for 4 rounds is an intriguing Middleweight bout between Kazuki Kyohara (7-2-3, 3) and Katsuhiro Nakata (9-5-1, 5). Coming into this Kyohara just scored the second best win of his career, beating Rei Nakajima in January, with only his 2022 upset win of Tyson Koki being a more important win. As for Nakata he is without a win in his last 3, and was stopped recently by Riku Kunimoto. Given the styles of the two men, who are limited, but both come to fight, throw plenty and lack 1-punch power, this could end up being the opposite of the Wilder Vs Zhang fight, and could end up being a very, very fun, high tempo, brawl, with both letting their hands go and trying to out work the other. Antipas, Cotabato (del Norte), Philippines We also get two shows in the Philippines. On paper the more interesting of those is in Cotabato, with several bouts of note, even if none are hugely significant outside of the Filipino domestic scene.. One of the two 10 rounders on the show will see 23 year old puncher Angelo Beltran (9-2, 7) take on 23 year old Christian Jude Capuno (6-1, 2). Beltran has lost 2 of his last 5, but scored a good domestic win over Jeny Boy Boca last time out, in March. His most notable bout to date is a 7th round KO loss to Coolwell, with the Boca bout being his only one since then. Capuno on the other hand has won his last 4, though 3 of them have come against fighters with double digit losses and the other was a close bout against the 2-0 Justine Digamo. The other 10 rounder will see the pretty solid Richard Garde (9-2, 8) take on the once promising but not badly struggling Clyde Azarcon (17-10-1, 6). Garde is a 27 year old who lost once early in his career and has lost more recently to the very good DianXing Zhu, being the only fighter so far to last 10 complete with Zhu. Garde might not be a world beater, but he certainly seems like he could compete on the regional title scene in the coming years. Azarcon was once 13-1, but has since gone 4-9-1, and has been stopped in his last 7 bouts as his career has completely imploded. It’s very hard to imagine anything but a Garde win here. In an 8 rounder we'll see the unbeaten Nathaniel Dorona (4-0, 2) take on light punching journeyman Ramel Antaran (6-25-3), in what should be an easy win for Dorona. Another 8 rounder will see Crisalito Beltran (5-0, 4) take on the limited Rey Ramos (8-15-3, 3), who has proven himself as a durable fighter, but now aged 34 he has started to see the miles catch up with him and has been stopped in 3 of his last 5 bouts. Fingers crossed both Dorona and Beltran get to show what they can do here and move on to bigger and better things. Midas Hotel and Casino, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines The other Filipino card is in Pasay City, and in terms of quality, this has a better main event, but doesn’t have much to support a very good bill topper. The main event here will see the once beaten John Vincent Pangga (10-1, 7) take on fellow Filipino Danrick Sumabong (13-3-1, 9) in a bout for the lightly regarded WBF Super Flyweight title. Pangga suffered his sole loss to Alvin Camique in March 2023, and has bounced back with two stoppage wins since then, and looks to have quickly rebuilt his confidence following his loss. As for Sumabong he is 1-1-1 in his last 3, and whilst he did score a win last time out, against Anferne Palarca, it does appear that the stoppages that he had earlier in his career, with 8 of his first 9 wins coming earlier, have dried up with only 1 of his last 4 coming inside the distance. As for prospects on this card there is the promising Kevin Villanueva (3-0, 2), who faces Ernie Samoyag (2-1, 2). Coming into this Villanueva has stopped his last two inside a round, following a decision win on debut. Samoyag stopped his first 2, both debutants, before being stopped byu John Dave Villamor in December. Given that both have power and both like to throw shots earlier, this might be something of a "blink and you miss" affair. Uijeongbu Gymnasium, Uijeongbu, South Korea We have title action in South Korea, as the unbeaten Sung Chul Kang (5-0-1) defends the South Korean Lightweight title against Dong Young Lee (3-6-2, 1). Kang has won his last 4 bouts, beating Juanito Paredes for the title in March, and despite being the champion he really lacks any sort of quality on his record, which does say a lot about the Korean scene still. As for Lee he's not won any of his last 5, going 0-4-1, though did notably hold Min Jang to an unexpected draw in March. The draw with Jang shows there is something about Lee, but he’s going to be the very clear under-dog here. Nehru Centre, Mumbai, India Over in India we also have a small card, this show is all 4 rounders, and at the time of writing, almost half of the fighters on the show haven’t been announced, and from the ones that have they are all single digit fight novices. It’s a shame that we’re not seeing cards in India fully announced with much notice, but we do like the fact these cards are taking place, and are laying down the foundations in the most populated country in the world. It’s not a historical boxing country, but, a bit like China, it’s a potential sleeping giant in boxing, and one that has had success in the amateurs ranks, suggesting their is talent there, and eventually some of that talent will break out in the pros.  This coming Sunday attention is focused on Japan where we are set to get 3 shows, across 2 venues.
EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan The best of the shows is a Taisei promoted event at the EDION Arena Osaka in which we see a two notable fighters in action, though both are matched relatively easily in what should be straight forward wins. One of those fighters is former Super Flyweight title challenger Sho Ishida (29-3, 15) who looks to bounce back from a recent loss to Kosei Tanaka as he takes on Filipino visitor Carlo Demecillo (15-5-1, 8), in what should be something of a mismatch. The talented Ishida has only lost to high level fighters, with losses to Tanaka, Kal Yafai and Israel Gonzalez, and given he has 2 of his last 3 it's hard to begrudge him a gimmie here. Sadly though Demecillo really is a gimmie, despite the fact he's riding a 6 fight unbeaten run coming into this. His competition has been poor, he's been out of the ring for more than 2 years and last time he was in Japan he was flattened within 3 rounds by Satoshi Shimizu. Ishida will likely go rounds here, but should take a very comfortable win. The other main bout will see fellow former world title challenger Riku Kano (18-4-1, 9) compete in what looks to be a tune up bout against Thai visitor Sanchai Yotboon (7-4, 6). Kano is knocking on the door of a WBO world title fight at Light Flyweight, and likely wants to keep ticking over rather than waste more time out of the ring, having not fought since July last year. The reality is that Sanchai is really terrible, and has been stopped in all 4 of his previous visits to Japan, including a loss to the then debuting Ginjiro Shigeoka. An obvious tune up before bigger and better things for Kano. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan At the same venue as the Taisei card will be an Hiroki Ioka promoted show. This card is very low key, with only 5 bouts in total and with 4 of those being over the 4 round distance. It does however have a very good looking 8 round main event as Katsuhiro Nakata (7-1, 4) takes on Rei Nakajima (4-1) at Middleweight. The talented, and diminutive, Nakajima is looking to bounce back from his first defeat, which came in a Japanese title fight against Hironobu Matsunaga last April, and he will be the favourite here given his excellent technical skills. As for Nakata he's big and strong, and his last two bouts against Ran Tomomatsu were really entertaining, and he does make for fun fights. We very much expect to see this to be a case of Nakajima's skills and speed taking on Nakata's size and strength in what should be a really good bout. Messe Mie, Tsu, Mie, Japan As well as the cards in Osaka, we also get one in Mie Prefecture. This card isn't a big one, or a particularly notable one, but there are two bouts of some interest on it. The main event, a scheduled 8 rounder, will see the talented Tom Hamaguchi (6-3-2) take on Teru Nobita (6-3-1, 3). The talented Hamaguchi has gone unbeaten in his last 6 bouts, but sadly has been inactive since a July 2017 win over Kazuki Fukuhara. Despite his long lay off Hamaguchi is still only 28 and will be expecting a great reaction for his return, especially given he is a local fight to Mie Prefecture. Nobita on the other hand is a 24 year old who was last seen in 2020, when he stopped John Yano, despite that win he is probably better known for his 2019 loss to Tantaro Kimura in the Rookie of the Year. Whilst not an amazing match up both of these guys can fight and both will see this as a way to kickstart their careers after lengthy lay offs. In a decent, and well matched supporting, match up we'll see Shuma Sugawara (7-2, 4) battle against Ryukyu Oho (7-5, 4). The under-rated Sugawara is looking to build on a good 2021 win over Arashi iimi, and although not a major name he is one of the brighter hopes plying his trade in Mie, with this being his 5th bout at the Messe Mie in what is clearly his boxing home. As for Oho, he will be looking to bounce back from a loss to Ryo Hino, though he is 1-3 in his last 4 bouts, and will certainly be low on confidence following his recent run.  This coming Saturday isn't a huge day for Asian fight fans, but there is a nice mix of action, including title fights, in both Japan and the Philippines, as well as prospects in action in what should be a better day of action than it looks on paper.
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan For us the most interesting action comes from Tokyo, where will be getting the latest Dynamic Glove show. The card features an Oriental title fight, a rematch of an interest Japanese Middlewieght bout and a the next step up for a promising prospect. The title bout will see OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific Welterweight champion Ryota Toyoshima (14-2-1, 9) make his second defense of the OPBF belt as he takes on "reimported" boxer Shoki Sakai (26-12-2, 14), who first made his name fighting in the West. The talented Toyoshima has been on a tear in recent bouts, and scored notable wins over Riku Nagahama and Yuki Beppu already this year, a win over the teak tough Sakai would put him in the running for the Japanese domestic fighter of the year. Sakai on the other hand was last seen losing a close, and hotly contested, bout to Keita Obara for the Japanese title, and he'll know that a loss here might be his final shot to win a notable title, especially his style which does seem him taking a lot of punishment. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Toyoshima defends OPBF title against tough guy Sakai! In an interesting Japanese Middleweight bout, yes we do actually get some of those, we'll see All Japan Rookie of the Year winner Katsuhiro Nakata (7-0, 4) look to repeat his September win over once touted amateur Ran Tomomatsu (1-2). In their first bout Nakata won 58-56 on all 3 cards, but Tomomatsu was certainly not shown up there and will be determined to get revenge here, and get his career back on track after back to back losses. A third bout of note on this card will see promising novice Yudai Murakami (1-0), who was a very solid Japanese amateur, look to score his second win in the professional ranks, as he takes on Yudai Yakabu (3-2, 3). Murakami looked solid in his debut, back in January, but this is a credible step up and the hard hitting Yakabu will be in the ring to stop, or be stopped. Interestingly Yakabu has never seen round 4 of a fight, and has only gone beyond a single round twice, so we do not expect this one to go long. The Flash Grand Ballroom of the Elorde Sports Complex, Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines As well as the Japanese card there's also an interesting one in the Philippines featuring former world title challengers and promising unbeaten fighters. The best bout on the card sees the once touted Mark Anthony Geraldo (38-9-3, 19), who really is a skilled fighter but has been inconsistent at times, take on exciting youngster Carl Jammes Martin (17-0, 15) for the GAB Super Bantamweight title. Geraldo won the title in 2019 and has defended it once since winning it, but has been inactive and this will be his first bout in over 2 years. Although very skilled we do wonder problems inactivity will cause for him here. As for Martin he is one of the rising stars of Filipino boxing, with an exciting, hard hitting style. Martin has been stepping up his level of competition in recent bouts, and will feel confident of making this step up as well as he looks to prove he's ready for bigger and better bouts. This should be a very interesting test for the unbeaten youngster. In a battle of unbeaten fighters former amateur standout Charly Suarez (8-0, 6) will be up against Delmar Pellio (9-0, 4). Suarez was someone who had the skills to go a long, long way in the sport. Now aged 33 it seems he will never come close to reaching his potential, and instead it seems almost like he's going to be a fighter who retires as tale of what could have been, had he turned professional younger and had the Pandemic not hit. Aged 21 Pellio is promising youngster, but sadly he comes into this bout having been out of the ring for almost 2 years and he is stepping up massively. It's hard to see past a Suarez win here, but he needs to kick on in 2022 if he's ever going to come close to landing a major international bout. A third bout of note on this card will see two former world title challengers facing off, as recent Naoya Inoue victim Michael Dasmarinas (30-3-1, 20) takes on Ernesto Saulong (22-7-2, 9), who challenged the then IBF Super Bantamweight champion Ryosuke Iwasa back in 2018. On paper this looks a pretty interesting bout, but Saulong has struggled for wins recently and is 1-5-1 in his last 7. Despite that he is tough and he will be in the ring looking to upset Dasmarinas, who hasn't fought since losing to the Monster back in June. The loser of this is unlikely to find themselves anywhere close to a major international fight, but the winner could end up landing a fight of note next year. CAA Centre, Brampton, Ontario, Canada Away from Asia we'll see Canadian based Indian fighter Sukhdeep Singh Bhatti (8-0, 3) take on limited veteran Juan Carlos Raygosa (17-18-3, 6). Singh is a solid boxer, but the 29 year old is going to have to look to make up for lost time next year, as he only fought once in 2020 and this will be his first bout of 2021. Thankfully he will get some rounds here because Raygosa, for all his faults, is a tough and rugged guy capable of taking good fighters rounds. This is not the "gimmie" it looks, but it's hard to see past a Bhatti win. This coming Sunday isn't a huge day for boxing, but if you're in Osaka, you may be in for a treat as the EDION Arena Osaka hosts 3 different shows, including the finals of the West Japan Rookie of the Year, which is split over 2 shows, and an unrelated show. As well as the West Japan Rookie of the Year events there is also set to be another Rookie of the Year event in Aichi as the Western and Central Japan Rookie of the Year winners clash.
EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan The first of the West Japan Rookie of the Year events is set to feature 5 bouts in total. One of the most interesting bouts on this first show is the Light Flyweight bout which pits two real novices against each other, with Kohei Hosoda (1-0) battling against Takuma Kamigaki (1-0). Both of these men are in their early 20's, both have just 4 rounds to their names and neither is particularly well known, but they are only two wins away from fighting at All Japan Rookie of the Year final in February. Another interesting match up will see Ren Nishimura (4-2, 2), who competed in the West Japan Rookie of the Year last year, taking on the hard hitting Shodai Morita (4-1, 3). This is one that promises to be explosive, with both men capable of hurting the other. This should be a very, very solid Super Bantamweight bout between two men with plenty of promise. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan On the second West Japan Rookie of the Year show we'll see another 5 bouts. One of the bouts on this card is a Welterweight clash between Mitsuyoshi Oshima (3-1, 1) and Yusa Toyonaka (2-2-1, 1). Welterweight bouts at Rookie of the Year tend to be very entertaining, as it's usually two big guys, at least for Japanese boxing, with some serious flaws, unloading on each other and that's exactly what we expect to see here. On paper the bout on this card that promises the most is the Super Featherweight bout between Ryuichi Sakamoto (2-0, 2) and Takehiro Ogawa (1-0-1). Both of these men are 21 years old, unbeaten and will bring a lot of ambition into this one. Sakamoto has needed just over 3 minutes to score his first two wins, and he will be coming out guns blazing here, whilst Ogawa will be happy to go rounds, given his first two bouts have both gone the scheduled 4 round distance. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan The third show from the EDION Arena Osaka is a card from Green Tsuda and will feature 7 bouts in total. The show isn't the deepest but does have some interesting match ups on it. One of those interesting match ups is a female contest between Terumi Nuki (11-4, 8) and Marina Sayama (4-2-1, 2). Of the two fighters Nuki is the better known, having fought in several female world title bouts, including two against the legendary Mariana Juarez Sadly however she has lost 3 of her last 5 and is fighting for the first time in well over 2 years. Sadly Sayama hasn't been seen in the ring since the very end of 2019, when she lost in a Japanese title fight to Yume Hirayama and it's hard to know what ambition she has coming in to this given her lengthy inactivity. Whilst this is certainly not a mouth watering bout, it is certainly an interesting one and one we expect will provide great entertainment. The most interesting bout on this card will see touted former amateur stand out Ran Tomomatsu (1-1) battle against Rookie of the Year king Katsuhiro Nakata (6-0, 4), in a potentially thrilling Middleweight bout. Tomomatsu was tipped for pretty big things on the domestic scene when he turned professional, in 2019. Tomomatsu lost his second bout, to Mikio Sakai, who has proven his quality since that bout. Nakata on the other hand showed what he could do in 2020, Reaching the All Japan final which he won in February this year in a great bout against Eiki Kani. Given the styles of the two men, with Tomomatsu being an aggressive boxer-fighter and Nakata being a tall boxer, this could end up being a genuinely brilliant little war. Aioi Hall, Kariya, Aichi, Japan In Aichi we'll see the Central Japan and Western Japan Rookie of the Year winners clash, and they will actually go on to face the West Japan winners later in the year. One of the most interesting bouts on this card is the Lightweight bout, which will pit 24 year old puncher Ren Yamabe (2-0, 2) against 20 year old Kuhiro Arimitsu (0-0). Both men debuted earlier this year, with Yamabe making his debut in May and Arimitsu in June, and both are showing some real promise. Yamabe, as a southpaw, has the trickier style, but Arimitsu has the edge in height and reach and this could be a a very tough one to predict. Another interesting bout on this event will see will be at Flyweight, where teenagers Yuki Morikawa (1-0-2) takes on Kento Seki (1-0, 1). It's rare for two 18 year olds to clash in Rookie of the Year, but for them to face off just 2 wins from a place in the All Japan Final is even rare. Of the two Morikawa is the more experienced, and is also the taller man and a southpaw, but he lacks power and has gone the distance in all 3 of his bouts. Seki on the other hand showed good power and aggression in his debut, back in June, and looks to be the man with some pop coming into this one.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Sunday we will see last year's All Japan Rookie of the Year tournament come to an end, ending a tournament that has seen it's final pushed back 2 months, from it's original December date, due to Covid19. Despite the delay the finals are still set to be something special, and will be shown live on G+, though sadly the event will be a fan-less one. Rather than going through the full card, which will feature 12 bouts in total, we'll just talk about a few that we think will be the most fun to watch, or have the best long term prospects involved. The first bout we think could be a little bit special is the Super Flyweight bout, which will see Shunpei Kubo (6-1-1, 4) clash with Taichi Sugimoto (6-0-1, 1). To reach this bout Kubo had to upset Kosuke Tomioka in the East Japan final, in what was a genuine surprise, and he'll be flying high here. Despite his loss, suffered in 2019, Kubo has gone 4 fights unbeaten and will feel a huge boost of confidence following the win over the highly fancied Tomioka. Sugimoto on the other hand is a 22 year old who drew his secnd professional bout, but has since bounced back with 5 straight wins, and has shown he's very comfortable with the 4 round distance. At Super Bantamweight Yuki Yazan (7-2, 4) will battle the unbeaten Sora Fukunaga (8-0, 4) in a really good looking match up. The 29 year old Yazan has won his last 4 and was incredibly active last year, fighting 4 times in 2020. Despite that he did struggle in one of those bouts, but his route to the Rookie of the Year final did look rather easy, as he barely lost a round in his 3 Rookie bouts. Fukunaga on the other hand is 23 years old, has stopped 4 of his last 5 though did struggle against Ren Nishimura in November, and it's clear that if he can't take opponents out he might be well struggle. In the Super Featherweight bout the heavy handed Tsubasa Narai (6-0, 5) will take on fellow unbeaten fighter Seika Fukuda (5-0, 1). The 21 year old Narai has been really impressive in the Rookie of the Year, reaching the all Japan final with 3 straight stoppage wins, and it's clear he'll enter with the confidence of a man in great form and self belief. Fukuda on the other hand is a 21 year old non puncher. Despite not having much in terms of power Fukuda looked very good last time out, and, as an unbeaten fighter himself, will also be full of confidence. This should be a very interesting match up. Another match up pitting unbeaten men against each other will see Eiki Kani (3-0-2, 1) take on Katsuhiro Nakata (5-0, 4). The 19 year old Kani reached the final following a brilliant 4 round bout with Kenji Yoshino, and he has shown an aggressive, exciting style, but it looks like he can be hurt. At 19 he is still a kid, but he has a very, very fan friendly style and will mature into a better fighter in the years to come. Nakata on the other hand is 29 years old and is an out and out puncher, with 4 stoppages in his 5 career bouts. If Kani gets into a fire fight he could be in trouble but his tenacity could be a problem for Nakata, and this could be a very, very explosive match up. |
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