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World Siam Stadium, Bangkapi, Bangkok, Thailand
This coming Saturday we get an interesting day of action, albeit mostly at a lower level. The most notable of which will take place in Bangkok, where we have a number of OPBF “silver” title fights. The most interesting of the 3 OPBF Silver title fights will see destructive 23 year old Hiroki Horiike (4-0, 3) make his international debut, and fight for his first title, as he faces once beaten Chinese fighter Yeerlan Nuerlanbieke (8-1-1, 4) for the OPBF Silver title at 140lbs. Horiikke has looked like a star in the making, and despite being tested by the rugged LeQuan Wang, he came out on top in that bout and will have learned a lot from the experience of that fight. As for Nuerlanbieke he’s been a professional since 2018 and he won his first 7, but has gone 1-1-1 in his last 3, dating back to 2022, didn't fight at all in 2023, and was stopped in his last fight, by Bayarkhuu Ganbaatar in south Korea in 2023. With the lay off and the KO loss it’s hard to imagine Nuerlanbieke being sharp enough for Horiikke but he should be tough enough to take him rounds. In a really matched nout Japan’s Katsuya Murakami (16-3-1, 4) takes on former world title challenger Komgrich Nantapech (37-13-1, 27) for the OPBF Silver Super Flyweight. The 30 year old Murakami will be having his second successive bout in Thailand, and looking to build on last year's win over Vichith Oat. Although he has never managed to win a Japanese title Murakami is a very solid domestic level fighter, who's most recent losses have been decisions to Yuga Inoue and Jukiya Iimura and despite being on away turf he will be full of confidence. As for Nantapech, the 35 year old Thai has become something of a shadow of the fighter he once was, though it is the better part of a decade from his best performances, including a competitive decision loss to Donnie Nietes in 2017. At his best the Thai was a solid regional level fighter with a 22-3 record, since then however he has gone 15-10-1 and has been stopped in 3 of his last 6. He is very much a faded force, and retirement looms for him. The least interesting, at least on paper, is a clash between the popular Tom Mizokoshi (11-4-2, 5) and the rugged Guangheng Luan (9-8-2, 6), for the OPBF Silver Super Bantamweight title. The 25 year old Mizokoshi was being touted as a future face of Central Japan boxing when he was a 7-1-1 prospect, at the age of 21. He has failed to live up to the expectations many had for him at the time, going 4-3-1 since then, but he has gone unbeaten in his last 4, going 3-0-1, and appears to be building some momentum whilst also changing his in ring mentality. As for Luan, on paper he’s a “bum” but in reality he is one of the best journeymen in the region having gone the distance against the likes of Wulan Tuolehazi, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Phongsaphon Panyakum and Danai Ngiabphukhiaw, with only Sento Ito managing to stop him. It seems that those around him have realised that he’s decent enough to build up, and he’s won his last 6, albeit against poor opponents, coming into this and will have some confidence of scoring the most meaningful win of his career. Mixfight Pattaya, Pattaya, Thailand In a second show in The Land of Smiles we get much lower level action, but there are two interesting prospects on the card. One of those is Thai based Cuban hopeful Daniel Rodriguez (4-1, 3), who looks to score his third win of 2025 as he takes on Atipbodee Srikao (6-9, 3). The 22 year old Cuban lost his second bout, to Kritsana Srisang, but has reeled off 3 wins since then and barely lost a round in those 3 bouts combined. Although very much a novice professional he has already faced 4 fighters with winning records and looks to be hungry to race through the Thai scene and move onto bigger and better things. As for Srikao he's been a professional for around 3 years and has had mixed success, including notable losses on the road to Kai Watanabe and Da Won Gang, as well as being stopped in his last 5 bouts. Notably he has fought as a lightweight whilst the Cuban is a Light Middleweight, suggesting this could be something of a quick blow out. The other notable prospect is 21 year old Russian fighter Rakhman Babakishiev (2-0, 2)* who looks to continue his aggressive start as he takes on Thai local Kiattisak Thawisap (6-6, 4). In his first 3 bouts Babakishiev has needed just 3 rounds to stop his opponents, and the Russian Welterweight, who debuted in December, looks to be trying to stay busy and get things going as he moves on to bigger and better fights. His first two opponents were very poor, but this is a good step in the right direction and should tell us more than his first couple of foes. As for Thawisap, he has proven to be a glass cannon, with 9 of his first 12 bouts being stopped early, and an average of 3.25 rounds a fight. Sadly that has included losing his last 4 in a combined 10 rounds, with the most notable name to stop him being Shingo Wake, a career Super Bantamweight. Cawayan Municipal Plaza, Cawayan, Masbate, Philippines We also get a small but notable card in the Philippines, featuring a minor title fight and several interesting hopefuls. The title bout will see Filipino fighter Rodel Wenceslao (22-19-2, 11) take on Thai fighter Atchariya Wirojanasunobol (15-5, 7), with the men facing off for the vacant WBF International Welterweight title. With 4 bouts to his name, the 31 year old Wenceslao is a genuine veteran, who made his debut back in 2011 during his career he has faced some notable fighters, such as Keita Obara, Hiroki Okada and All Rivera, but sadly come up short against the notable fighters. He’s much better than his record suggests, but his ceiling is no more than higher regional level. Wirojanasunobol on the other hand was a top Thai hopeful at one point, but an arrest for crimes related to drugs derailed his career and he's never really recovered going 3-5 since his arrest. At his best he was good, but nowadays he looks to be someone well past their best and like someone who has lost his desire to make a mark on the sport. Given how neither of these men are stars, or going places we’re actually interested in this bout which is something of a 50-50. The once beaten April Jay Abne (15-1, 6) will be looking for his 9th straight win as he takes on fellow Filipino Anthony Gilbuela (8-7-2, 2). Abne is a real talent, who avenged his loss, and has and has since added notable wins against Christian Bacolod, Richard Claveras and Robert Paradero, though sadly this is his third bout in a row against a weaker opponent, and comes after he fought just once in 2024, losing a lot of the momentum he seemed to be building. Gilbuela is no push over, having only been stopped in 3 of his 7 losses, but is also not really much of a threat, with a lack of power, and just 1 win in his last 5 bouts. Abne should be facing better foes, but we’re glad he’s back in the ring and hopefully bigger and better bouts are just around the corner. The card will also feature Angelus Pilapil (4-0, 2), who looks for win #5 against the hard hitting John Rey Labajo (4-2-1, 4), and Berland Robles (11-0-1, 4), who takes on the very light punching Anferne Palarca (5-6-1, 1). Estadio Municipal Hector Gallucci, San Lorenzo We actually get the most significant fight featuring an Asian taking place outside of the continent, as as once beaten Argentinian world champion Evelin Nazarena Bermudez (20-1-1, 7) defends her world titles against Japanese veteran Tenkai Tsunami (32-13-1, 19). Bermudez, enjoying her second reign as the WBO and IBF Light Flyweight champion, has bounced back well from her 2022 loss to Yokasta Valle, reeling off 3 wins, and will be looking to keep her momentum going with one of his biggest wins to date. As for Tsunami, the popular and fun to watch 40 year old is certainly coming to the end of her career, but is looking to become a world title for a third time, and end her career with one final run at the top. Note - Babakishiev had a fight scheduled for March 2nd as well as March 8th, it would be his third bout, this however was written and scheduled prior to that first fight.
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 This coming Sunday is an incredibly busy day in Japan, with 4 shows across the country. Whilst they aren’t all great shows, with two of them being very weak, it is still a very notable day and should be a great one for fight fans, especially those in Osaka City.
EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan The biggest show, though maybe not the most important, is in Osaka as Green Tsuda and Shinsei work together to create a solid card at the EDION Arena Osaka. In the main event we’ll see 2-time Japanese Featherweight title challenger Jinki Maeda (14-2, 9) take on the hard hitting Ren Yamabe (8-3, 7). On paper this shouldn’t be a tough test for the talented Maeda, who’s only losses have come to Reiya Abe and Keisuke Matsumoto, but in fairness to him he’s had a tough few years with those title losses and will be looking to work his way to a third title fight in the in 2025, with this likely to be more of a tune up against a dangerous opponent, than a true test. As for Yamabe, this is a good opportunity for him to show what he can do, especially on the back of a win over Hikaru Matsuoka in this same venue in September, but it is also a very clear step up in class for him against one of the best Featherweights in Japan. Yamabe has the power to make this interesting, if he lands, but is the very clear under-dog. In the chief support bout we’ll see Filipino fighter Romel Oliveros (11-8-2, 5) up against recent WBO Asia Pacific Super Flyweight champion Tetsuro Ohashi (12-4-1, 3). Ohashi, looking to rebuild following an August loss to Ryusei Kawaura, seemed to be on a good run prior to that loss, with wins against Ayato Hiromoto and a career best win over Kenta Nakagawa, but the loss to Kawaura has set him back, and it’s clear he’s being matched softly as he rebuilds and begins a new chapter of his career, at Bantamweight. Oliveros is a capable fighter, on his day, but in recent years he has been the sort of fighter who has struggled to get results, winning just 2 of his last 7, going back to 2019. He’s essentially there for Ohashi to have some rounds again and build some confidence, then get an actual test. In potentially the best bout of the card, we’ll see Welterweights collide as the in form, and JBC ranked Takafumi Shibata (8-2, 6) takes on 37 year old Taiki Henzan (7-5, 5). Shibata has been in great form winning 4 in a row, all in the first 3 rounds, since losing a close decision to Riku Nagahama back in 2023. He is aggressive, has a fun style, and seems to be getting more confident in his power, aggression and body shots. Henzan is known for his power, though showed a lot of improvement last time out a very close decision to Takeru Kobata. Notably Henzan has lost 4 of his last 5, but is tough, has power, and is willing to fight fire with fire, which could make this a real tear up, and a tear up may well favour Henzan. Another featuring a Filipino visitor will see the limited Arnold Garde (12-15-6, 5) taking on JBC ranked Flyweight Yuga Inoue (16-4-1, 3). Garde, much like Oliveros, can be a solid fighter on his day, as seen with his win against Robert Paradero last year and other notable results against Aries Buenavidez and Yeroge Gura. Sadly though he is also a fighter seen as being fragile, with 12 early losses including 8 in the first 2 rounds. The talented Inoue is a highly ranked domestic contender, who is looking to score his second win since losing, by brutal KO, to Japanese champion Jukiya Iimura in April. On paper this is an easy bout for him, but it’s clear that his team are looking to keep him busy, have him rebuild his confidence then move on to bigger and better things in the new year. L-Theatre, Osaka, Osaka, Japan Staying in Osaka City, we get a second show in the city, though this is a much smaller event promoted by Taiho Promotions. The only real bout worth noting here is the main event, which will see Daichi Hirai (8-5, 1) take on Tatsuya Terada (7-8-2, 1), in what should be a fun 8 round fight at the lower end of the domestic scene. The 23 year old Hirai has shown what he can do, scoring noteworthy wins against Takuto Mino, Riku Yamashita and Seong Yeong Yang but has lost his last 2, including a loss in a JBC Youth Bantamweight title bout. He’s understandably seeking a confidence booster after those setbacks. As for Terada, the 35 year old veteran has scored just 1 win since the start of 2018, going 1-6-1 in his last 8. Whilst he has lost to some capable fighters in that run, and has never been stopped, it's fair to say with his age and those losses the ambition might be dwindling and that’s why he’s been selected to face the much younger Hirai. Art Center, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan The second most important show for the day is in Hyogo, where we see 3 bouts of genuine note, two of which feature a regionally and domestically ranked fighter looking to move their career forward, and one Strongest Challenger match. The main event will see 26 year old Seira Kishida (10-2-2, 3) look to build on back to back wins as he takes on the once beaten Kirei Yasumura (8-1, 3), who looks to rebuild with his second win since losing last December to Yoshiaki Sakamoto. Coming into this Kishida, who is huge for a Featherweight, is ranked in the top 10 by the JBC, and will look to make the most of his long and accurate jab to move a step closer to a title fight. As for Yasumura, he will be desperate to claim Kishida’s rankings, and will be hungry for what is a big opportunity for the 25 year old, who hasn’t been able to build on his All Japan Rookie of the Year win, from back in 2022. The chief support bout, and technically the most important bout on the show, is a Strongest Challenger bout as the 29 year old Shun Kosaka (20-9, 4) takes on former Japanese Flyweight champion Josuke Nagata (6-2), himself only 26 years old, to decide who gets a shot at the Japanese belt during the champion Carnival. Kosaka has been something of a perennial contender over the years and is currently ranked #1 by the JBC. Despite that he has only landed a single shot at the Japanese title, coming against Seigo Yuri Akui in 2019 who stopped him inside a round. He has hovered around the top of the domestic scene, but lost against every notable name he’s faced losing not just to Akui but also the likes of Junto Nakatani, Takuya Kogawa Tetsuya Hisada and Yuga Inoue and the feeling seems to be one more loss and that’s probably him done in and around the title picture. As for Nagata he won the belt in his 5th professional bout, but lose a razor thin decision to Jukiya Iimura in his first defense last year. He will know a win over Kosaka opens the door to a rematch with Iimura, and will be determined to get that chance, and reclaim the title. He will, however, know that he's on the road here fighting in Kosaka’s home city, and will need to make sure the judges can’t deny him. The third bout of note will see JBC #1 ranked Bantamweight contender Kaisei Matsumoto (8-0, 5) take on Filipino visitor Wilbert Berondo (17-7-2, 6), in what is essentially a tune up bout before he fights for the Japanese title at the Champion Carnival next year. The 23 year old Matsumoto has rapidly climbed through the rankings since making his debut in 2022 and winning the All Japan Rookie of the Year that same year. he's had a quiet 2024, with his only other bout of the year being a win over Yoshiaki Sakamoto, but knows that Berondo will come to ask questions. As for Berondo the 29 year old Filipino is becoming a regular in Japan, with this being his 5th but in the country. He is 0-4 on his visits, but has faced stiff competition, including Hinata Maruta and Kenshin Oshima. He's tough, and although more a Super Flyweight than a Bantamweight he should have the tools to take Matsumoto deep into the fight, and maybe even last all 8 rounds with him. Cocoland, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan Over in Ube we get the least notable Japanese card of the day, as Orio Boxing gym brings boxing back to the Cocoland in Ube, for the first boxing event in the venue in over 5 years. Unfortunately it’s not a particularly big card. The card really is much smaller than the EDION Osaka and Hyogo card, and is essentially built around local fighter Taisei Sakai (5-6-3, 2), who faces off against Teru Nobita (8-5-2, 3). The 28 year old Sakai, lives in Ube and will be fighting in his hometown for the first time. Coming into this he has had very mixed results, but is unbeaten in his last 3 and has turned things around well after starting his career 0-3-1. A win here for him, could help bring boxing back to Ube on a more regular basis. Sadly though Sakai will be the under-dog with Nobita being the favourite coming into the bout. Nobita is more tested, his best wins are better than anyone Sakai has beaten, and he was mixing at a good level only a few fights ago. Saying that however, his career does seem to be falling apart, and he's now more than 2 years removed from a win, going 0-2-1 in his last 3. This is very much a small local card, but one that should see the fans turning out for Sakai. Ramindra Lumpini stadium , Bangkok, Thailand Interestingly we get minor regional title action in Thailand, as Japan’s Katsuya Murakami (15-3-1, 4) faces Cambodian fighter Vichith Oat (6-3-1, 4) for the lightly regarded WBC Asian Continental Super Flyweight title. Murakami will be making his international debut here, at the age of 30, and will be hoping to capture his first title, after previously coming up short in a bout for the Japanese Flyweight title in 2023, losing a wide decision to Jukiya Iimura. As for Oat this will be his 10th bout in Thailand, where he has essentially based his career, and will be the second title bout of his career, losing in a WBC Asia Light Flyweight title bout to Danai Ngiabphukhiaw back in 2022. On paper it’s hard to see past a Murakami win, though Japanese fighters don’t tend to fare well on Thai soil.  City Gymnasium, Yokkaichi, Mie, Japan
This coming Saturday our attention turns to Mie where we see the next event from Midori Promotions, and it's a pretty interesting one, with an excellent main event and two, solid, domestic bouts making up the chief support bouts. The aforementioned main event will see former WBC Light Flyweight champion Masamichi Yabuki (13-4, 12) look to rebuild from his rematch with Kenshiro Teraji, as he takes on unbeaten Thai punch Thanongsak Simsri (24-0, 22). At his best Yabuki is one of the top contenders at 108lbs, thanks to his freakishly heavy hands, under-rated boxing skills and good movement. He was however made to look third rate by Kenshiro in their rematch, with Kenshiro essentially ripping him apart in 3 rounds in March, and it's going to be interesting to see his mindset here. As for Simsri he was on the verges of landing a world title fight in 2020, before Hiroto Kyoguchi tested positive for covid, and that disappointment he has kept busy against low key Thai opponents, whilst physically developing and getting some rounds under his belt. Amazingly this will be Simsri's 7th bout in 12 months, but it's a huge step up for him and he will likely need a career best performance to over-come the former WBC champion. In a supporting bout the popular Tom Mizokoshi (8-4-1, 4) will clash with Sonin Nihei (10-6-2, 2) in a 6 rounder. Mizkoshi, who is still only 23, feels like he's been around for ages and will be desperate to avoid another loss following recent defeats to Hiroyuki Takahara, Haruki Ishikawa and Ryuya Nihei. His confidence will be low and he and his team will know a win is very, very much-needed. Nihei has also struggled for success recently, with 3 losses in his last 4 and 5 losses in his last 7, but he has shown there is still life in him with upsets against Tatsuya Ikemizu and Ryosuke Nasu. He might not be a top domestic talent, but he's also no push over. This should be a very hard fought and competitive bout. Another solid bout will see Katsuya Murakami (12-2-1, 3) look for a 5th straight win, and continue his climb towards a title fight, as he takes on Tetsuya Mimura (9-3, 2). Murakami might have had a few set backs on his record but he's a talent and has the tools to mix in the domestic title scene over the next few years. Mimura on the other hand has lost 2 of his last 3 and has little momentum coming in to this, but has been fighting at a solid level, having run Riku Kano close in 2019 and Yuga Inoue in 2020. Sadly Mimura has fought just just 2 rounds since August 2020, and we are expecting him to have some build ring rust that needs shaking here.  Aioi Hall, Kariya, Aichi, Japan
This coming Sunday our attention swings to Aichi, where we get a small card promoted by HEIWA promotion. It's not a big card, but there are two bouts worthy of some attention. The main event of the card is a solid looking 8 rounder as Japanese ranked Flyweight Katsuya Murakami (11-2-1, 3) takes on Japanese ranked Super Flyweight Isao Aoyama (12-9-1, 3). On paper Murakmai will be favoured, given his much better record, but the 27 year old has been matched softly since his 2019 loss to Yuga Inoue, and he does have a record that is a touch padded, with wins over Daisuke Sudo and Shin Tomita being his best records. As for Aoyama his record belies his talent, and he has had a lot of very, very close losses, as well as a 2015 draw with Sho Kimura. This might look a competitive bout, but we suspect this could be a very hotly contested 8 rounder. The main supporting bout on the show will be a 6 rounder between Takahiro Murai (15-10-2, 5) and Katsuki Matsuura (6-4-1, 1), who should gel for a great little bout. The 30 year old Murai has lost his last 3, and is 1-4 in his last 5, but is upset minded and his record really is misleading, making him look poor when he's not. Sadly though he's only scored a single win since 2017 and it's hard to know what his desire is like coming in to this. As for Matsuura, he is 1-4-1 in his last 6 and much like Murai, will see this as a chance to pick up a rare win  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.  Aioi Hall, Kariya, Aichi, Japan
Former world champion Yasuei Yakushiji puts on his next show this coming Sunday as boxing returns back to the Aioi Hall for the first time since March. As with most Yakushiji promoted shows this isn't a big card, but we do expect some great as these smaller shows from the Aioi Hall do have a knack of over-delivering. The main event here will see Japanese ranked Flyweight Katsuya Murakami (9-2-1, 2) take on Daisuke Sudo (7-6-3). The unheralded Murakami is a 26 year old who managed to pick up 2 solid wins over Shin Tomita in 2019 before a loss to Yuga Inoue slowed his momentum. Despite that he is still ranked and will be hoping to move towards a potential Japanese title fight in the coming years. Sudo on the other hand is a very limited southpaw, but someone with some momentum following 3 successive wins coming into this bout. Whilst this might look like a mismatch we are expecting a genuinely competitive contest here, but we do think Murakami will do enough to take home a victory. Sadly all the other bouts on this card are 4 rounders, but that's not a bad thing, as 4 rounders typically provide a lot of action in Japan. And we expect a lot of action from a match up between Yosshah Matsumoto (1-2-2) and Ryusuke Harada (1-2-2) who face off in their 4th bout against each other in just 18 months! We're not sure if Matsumoto and Harada hate each other or not, but they sure do like fighting each other, and through their first 3 bouts we've seen Harada win one and two draws. The two are really well matched and always put on a great show, and we wouldn't be surprised at all by the men sharing the spoils with another draw here. One other bout that will be very much worth watching will see 22 year old debutant Riku Umemura (0-0) take on unbeaten 18 year old Yuki Morikawa (0-0-1) in a Super Flyweight bout. We don't expect high quality boxing, but we do expect some very entertaining action here between two young men each wanting to make a point. Sadly a scheduled bout between Hiroya Nojima (6-1, 2), the 2020 All Japan Rookie of the Year at Welterweight, and Shoma Okada (4-3, 2) was unfortunately cancelled. This was cancelled when Okada pulled out of the contest in late April, though hopefully it won't be too long until we see Nojima back in the ring as he looked so much fun to watch during the Rookie of the Year tournament. For fans wanting to watch this event, the fantastic sakana 1976 is set to stream live on YouTube for free. Go subscribe to them and tune in to what should be a fun, if low level, card of boxing and something very different to the action in the US on Friday night in Arlington, Texas. Note - There was also plans for a show in Tokyo on Sunday, that card has now been postponed due to the on going State of Emergency in Tokyo.  This coming Sunday is a busy for Asian fight fans, with two shows in Japan and a show in Kazakhstan. None of the big names in action are big names, but there is a lot of talent in action across the three shows and a lot young, promising prospects in action.
Aioi Hall, Kariya, Aichi, Japan For us the best of the action is expected to come from Aichi where Midori put on a show under the Green Dream banner. It's not a big show, but it should be a very interesting one. The main event here will see the very well regarded Masanori Rikiishi (8-1, 4) look to continue his rise through the Japanese domestic scene as he takes on Soreike Taichi (7-3, 5). The very talented Rikiishi is one of the most promising Japanese Lightweights and it's going to be interesting to see where he goes next year, but for us this is very much a stay busy fight for him, before bigger and better bouts. As for Taichi he's a decent fighter, but it's hard to imagine him having success at Lightweight against someone as good as Rikishii. In the main supporting bout Japanese ranked Flyweight Katsuya Murakami (8-2-1, 2) will be up against Kazunori Yorimasa (5-6-3, 2). Coming in to this Murakami will be looking to get his career back on track after a competitive loss last year to Yuga Inoue, and will be expected to pick up the win against a relatively over-matched Yorimasa. Although Yorimasa is unbeaten in his last 3 here's certainly no world beater and we don't see him being any kind of banana skin for Murakami. Possibly the best looking match up on the show will see the hard hitting Mammoth Kazunori (6-2-1, 6) battle against Keisuke Iwasaki (4-2-1, 1) in a really good one. The hard hitting Kazunori scored a brutal KO last time we saw him, blasting out Lerdchai Chaiyawed, and he'll be looking to leave another mark here. Iwasaki is a much lighter puncher than Kazunori, but is the naturally bigger man, and his win over Ryuku Nagamine proved he had grit and determination. This could be a great bout between the power of Kazunori and the skills and toughness of Iwasaki. This show is also set to feature a public work out from Japanese hopeful Mitsuro Tajima, who is expected to talk about his debut as well as show what he can do in the scheduled short work out. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan As well as the show in Kariya there is also a Japanese card in Osaka, as we move on in the West Japan Rookie of the Year. In total there 11 bouts set for this show, but we'll just quickly over a few of the more interesting ones. At Flyweight we're going to be getting a 5 rounder between Hibiki Takano (4-2-1) and Yasuhiro Kanzaki (4-1, 1). The 22 year old Takano lost his first 2 of his first 3 bouts but has turned things around well and is 3-0-1 in his last 4 bouts, though he's yet to score a win against an opponent with a winning record. Kanzaki on the other hand has proven himself against better fighters, but was beaten last around a year ago and it'll be interesting to see how he fairs here, especially given his close win back in September against the debuting Daichi Morino. In a Super Bantamweight bout Ren Nishimura (2-1) will take on the unbeaten Sora Fukunaga (6-0, 3), who many regard as one of the hot favourites for the All Japan Rookie of the Year crown. The 24 year old Nishimura was stopped in his debut, by Ryuya Tsugawa, and has since bounced back with two decision wins, including a razor thin one back in September. Fukunaga on the other hand debuted in 2018, won his first 3 bouts by decision and has started to find his power, with 3 success T/KO wins. A win for Nishimura here would be a genuine upset. At Featherweight we'll see 22 year old Kakeru Mio (5-2, 3) look to build on a win in September as he takes on unbeaten puncher Takato Shibata (3-0, 3). After starting his career 3-0 Mio has struggled, and gone 2-2 in his last 4, however he did drop to Featherweight earlier this year and seems to be more suited to the lighter weight. Shibata on the other hand is unbeaten and has been destroying fighters, taking out his first 3 opponents in just 3 rounds. We suspect this will be a test for Shibata, but if his power is legit it's hard to bet against him here. Up at Middleweight Mitsuyoshi Oshima (2-0) will clash with Katsuhiro Nakata (3-0, 2) in a bout between unbeaten 160lb fighters. Whilst Middleweight is rarely division that gets much attention in Japan it is a division where Rookie of the Year fighters can be moved quickly, and both men will know a win here and they could, potentially, be just 4 or 5 fights from a Japanese title fight. Going in Nakata will be the favourite, and he appears to have most of the advantages, however the 31 year old Oshima will know a loss here will likely end any hope he has for getting a big fight in the future. Tynyshpayev Academy of Transport and Communications, Almaty, Kazakhstan As well as the action in Japan there is also a show in Kazakhstan. The card is full of novices, but still manages, some how, to a quadruple title show, with 4 minor titles on the show. At 154lbs we'll see Miras Ertanov (1-0) take on Daryn Imakhanov (1-0) in a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver title. Whilst we love to see fighters on the fast track, we also like to see fighters doing something to earn a chance, and in reality neither of these men have done anything to deserve a title fight. Both won 6 round debuts on September 23, and are being rushed into the ring against each other to seemingly fill a vacancy. Something you'll see with all 4 of the title bouts here. Another bout at 154lbs will see Nurbol Sultanbay (2-0, 1) and Yerasyl Akranbek (1-0) battle for the WBO Asia Pacific Youth title, which has never previously been fought for. Akranbek was another fighter who debuted on September 23rd, taking a split decision in his debut, whilst Sultanbay debuted in February and picked up his second win September. Despite the extra experienced Sultanbay's first two opponents were both debutants. A second WBO Asia Pacific Youth champion will be crowned at Super Featherweight as Torgynbek Amirov (1-0) and Nurbolat Bekbauov (1-0, 1) both clash in their second professional bouts. We don't think anyone will be surprised by this, but both of these men debuted on September 23rd, and beat novices. Interestingly this particular title does have some history. In fact it dates way back to 2007 and has been held by the likes of William Kicket, Allan Tanada, Nathaniel May and Joe Noynay. Amazingly the title bout with the most experience between the fighters is a bout between Nursultan Isakhan (1-0, 1) and Alimzhan Tursunov (3-0, 2), who will be battling for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Super Featherweight title. The 20 year old Tursonov, with 3 bouts, is the second most experienced man on the entire show. Tursonov debuted in 2019, scored 2 wins before the year was over, and also on the September 23rd card. That September card was also the one that Isakhan made his debut on. Whilst some of the fighters involved in the title bouts may have been good amateurs it's hard to understand how 8 men, with a combined 11 bouts, have all qualified for these minor, and currently vacant, titles. A bit of a farce for all involved.  Aichi, Japan
The biggest of the two Japanese cards this coming Sunday takes place in Aichi and features a couple of interesting looking bouts. One of those will see Japanese ranked Minimumweight Yuga Inoue (8-1-1, 1) take on Japanese ranked Flyweight Katsuya Murakami (8-1-1, 2) in a bout that looks really good on paper. The very skilled Inoue, who was stopped just over a year ago by Kai Ishizawa, is looking to build on his August win over Daiki Kameyama and will enter this bout as the slight favourite, despite being the naturally smaller man. Murakami is a lot less well known, and although he's on a 4 fight winning run since a 2016 loss to Kota Fujimoto, a win here would be the most notable of his career so far. We don't see this being a war, but it should be an excellent, competitive and technical match up. The chief support bout will see Japanese based Filipino Jayar Estremos (11-16-1, 4) take on Shin Tomita (10-7-2), who has actually twice lost to Katsuya Murakami. Although Estremos has won only 1 bout since 2015 he is better than his record suggests, and he has regularly been matched very hard against much bigger men. The light punching Tomita has had some decent form in recent years, going 4-2 over the last 3 years, but this is a genuine step up in class, and we suspect Estremos's experience will be too much for Tomita. Fukuoka, Japan As well as the event in Aichi there will also be a very low key card in Fukuoka, where we get a full show of 4 rounders, with 8 bouts scheduled for the card all of which will feature novices. The main event on this card will be at Middleweight where Shuhei Hisatomi (2-1-1, 2) will take on Kanta Tokuzawa (0-0-1). The 23 year old Hisatomi debuted back in 2017 but has had a stop start career and this is his first bout in well over a year, whilst Tokuzawa will be returning to the ring after a technical draw on debut this past September. Although obvious a low level bout between novices, we do like seeing Japanese Middleweights, as their limitations tend to make for fun fights. In a rather peculiar contest Majisuka Kosaka (3-2-1, 2) will face the win-less Keisuke Imabuchi (0-8-2). Kosaka debuted back in 2017 and has had mixed success whilst the 33 year old Imabuchi has failed to pick up a single victory since his April 2015 debut. This isn't a big bout, but it is certainly an interesting one and a chance for Imabuchi to finally get off the mark. Gurgaon, India As well as the Japanese shows there will also be an Indian show. This card is mostly made up of novices, though it does also feature Sanjay Thapa (5-0, 2), who faces Pankaj Malik (0-1) in a clash of 21 year olds, and Akashdeep Singh (4-0), who takes on the debuting Hemant Gothwal (0-0).  Osaka, Japan
This coming Sunday our attention turns to Osaka for the next Green Tsuda show, and it's a good one with two title bouts, some interesting prospects and a former national champion looking to get back to winning ways after losing his belt earlier in the year. The main event of the card will see Japanese Super Flyweight champion Takayuki Okumoto (22-8-4,10) defending his title against Dynamic Kenji (11-3, 7). For Okumoto the bout will serve as his third defense, following close defenses against Masayoshi Hashizume and Yuta Matsuo, and is possibly the most dangerous bout he's had since his 2017 loss to Ryuichi Funai. Kenji isn't the most talented, and he looked really poor last time out against Thai visitor Sophon Klachun, but has proven to be a dangerous puncher at 115lbs with 5 stoppages in his last 7. Neither man is a future world champion, but they should make for an excellent match up between each other. Our preview of this bout can be read here Okumoto defends Japanese title against Kenji The chief support bout will see former Japanese Welterweight champion Ryota Yada (18-5, 15) look to bounce back from his April title loss to Yuki Nagano as he take on Indonesian visitor Robert Kopa Palue (14-7-3, 4). Although a relatively limited fighter, albeit one with serious power at domestic level, Yada should have far too much for for Palue who has fought as low as Featherweight, in fact he was stopped by Hiroshige Osawa down at Featherweight more than 7 years ago. Yada should be far too big and too strong for the visitor here. In another supporting bout former amateur standout Kazuki Tanaka (10-2, 7) looks to pick up his second win since his 2018 loss to Keita Kurihara. The talented Tanaka has failed to live up to expectations but should have far too much for Indonesian for Bobi Ronsumbre (3-0-1, 2). The visitor is unbeaten but his competition has been incredibly poor and really hasn't prepared him for someone like Tanaka. The other title fight on this show will see the once beaten Toshiki Shimomachi (9-1-2, 5) take on Kenta Nomura (6-2, 3) for the vacant JBC Youth Super Bantamweight title. Coming in to this the 22 year old Shimomachi is more than 3 years removed from his sole defeat, and since then has won the 2017 Rookie of the Year and proven to be a pretty interesting prospect. Whilst Shimomachi did only manage a draw with Daisuke Watanabe back in December there can be no doubting his potential. Nomura on the other hand has has won his last 2, but is 2-2 in his last 4 and has only recently moved up to the Super Bantamweight division, having fought at Super Flyweight and Bantamweight earlier in his career. Our preview of this bout can be read here Shimomachi and Nomura battle for Youth title! Also on this card is Thai teenager Thanongsak Simsri (9-0, 9), who has been dubbed "Srisaket II" by the Thai press. Simsri has signed up with the Green Tsuda gym, to help his development, and will be up against Indonesian journeyman Melianus Mirin (10-5, 6). On paper this shouldn't be a tough test for the Thai, though it is worth noting however that Mirin has never been stopped, and has gone the distance with the likes of Panya Pradabsri and Satanmuanglek CP Freshmart, so a stoppage for Simsri would be pretty impressive. Okinawa, Japan A second interesting Japanese card comes from Okinawa and the main bouts will see Japan and Chinese fighters clashing. The main event will see the once beaten Tatsuro Nakashima (9-1-1, 6) look to continue his rise through the rank. The talent Nakashima, who's only loss has come to Kai Ishizawa, has won 2 in a row, but is taking a bit of a step up here as he battles China's Rongguo Wu (6-2-2, 2). Whilst Nakashima is in some form, with his recent wins, Wu is not and was stopped last time out by Alphoe Dagayloan, last October and he's almost a year removed from his last win. In a Welterweight clash we'll see hard hitting local Ukyo Yoshigai (6-3, 5) look to get back to winning ways after a 2019 loss to Andy Hiraoka, and 3 losses in his last 4. The hard hitting Yoshigai will be up against 31 year old Chinese visitor Yangcheng Jin (8-4-2, 4). The visitor really hasn't got much of note on his record, though worryingly has lost 3 of his last 5, including stoppages to Jayar Inson and Alexander Kotov. Given how Jin has been stopped a few times we have to suspect that Yoshigai's power will be too much. Aichi, Japan A third Japanese card comes from Aichi, where Yakushiji promote a show. The card has a number of Rookie of the Year bouts, as the Central Japan Rookie of the Year comes to an end, though is otherwise quite a forgettable show. The main event will see Japanese ranked Flyweight Katsuya Murakami (7-1-1, 2) take on Shin Tomita (10-6-2), in what should be a good test over 8 rounds for. These two fought earlier in the year, with Murakami taking a clear win over Tomita, and although the rematch isn't really needed it's good for Murakami to be kept busy after being inactive right through 2018. This serves as a chance for Tomita to try and avenge his loss and for Murakami to shake some more ring rust before moving on to bigger and better things. As for the Rookie of the Year bouts the most interesting will see the unbeaten Tentaro Kimura (3-0) take on Teru Nobita (4-2-1, 2) in the Bantamweight final. This looks to be the most interesting of the Rookie bouts, and sadly it's a fine example of why the Central Japan Rookie of the Year isn't regarded as highly as the East and West tournaments. Pattaya, Thailand As well as the busy day in Japan there is also a notable card in Thailand. The main event of this card sees Indonesian fighting hero Daud Yordan (38-4-0-1, 26) battle against Thai local Patomsith Pathompothong (21-11, 10), aka Aekkawee Kaewmanee. For Yordan the bout will be his first since losing to Luke Campbell in the UK, in a WBA world title eliminator, and he will be looking to prove himself on the road again, like he did against Pavel Malikov last year and Cristian Rafael Coria in 2016. The 37 year old Patomsith has reeled off 4 straight wins since losing to Viktor Kotochigovlast September, but the level of those 4 wins have been very low and it's hard to read much into them at all. Although Yordan is a step below world class he should easily despatch the Thai here. Also on this card is promising Malaysian fighter Murodjon Yokubov (3-0, 2), who fights in Thailand for the third time. The 25 year old debuted last year, and whilst his hasn't yet scored a bit win it's clear he's staying active his year. Sadly his competition doesn't step up here either, as he takes on the very poor Jirapat Jorajan (3-13, 2). |
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