 L-Theatre, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
This coming Sunday is a busy one for Japanese fight fans with 3 shows in the country. Sadly none of the shows are major or have huge bouts, but there is some interesting action all the same. The most notable single bout takes place at the L-Theatre in Osaka, on a show being promoted by Taiho promotions. The bout in question will see JBC number 2 ranked Super Featherweight Ken Osato (17-4-1, 5) take on Yuna Hara (11-2-1, 6) in a very good 8 rounder match up. The talented comes into the bout 2-2 in his last 4, but they did include a razor thin loss in a Japanese title bout against Masaru Sueyoshi in 2019. As for Hara he comes into this with momentum, having won his last 5, with 4 stoppages. Osato should be the favourite, but Hara is very much a live under-dog here. Sadly that bout aside this is a weak card, with 4 supporting bouts, all of which are 4 rounders. L-Theatre, Osaka, Osaka, Japan After the Taiho card fans at the L-Theatre will also get the chance to see a West Japan Rookie of the Year show, with a scheduled 6 bouts set for it. The show will serve as the semi-finals for the West Japan Rookie of the Year tournament. One of the bouts on this card will see Taito Nakamura (1-0) take on Gakuto Yamaguchi (6-0, 4) in a Featherweight bout. On paper this is a bit of a mismatch, given the clear experience edge for Yamaguchi, though it is worth noting he's only 20 years old and has had a very stop start career since debuting in Thailand in 2017, aged 15 and only made his Japanese debut last July, going 3-0 (1) in his homeland. As for Nakamura, who's 19 himself, he made his debut this past April and will come into this with plenty of belief himself. The only debutant on this card is Super Flyweight hopeful Kohei Konishi (0-0), who takes on Ken Watanabe (2-0). The 23 year old Konishi is, like many debutants at this level, a total unknown whilst Watanabe debuted late last year and has struggled in both of his bouts so far, only narrowly defeating Genki Kakiuchi in April. At Super Bantamweight Kirei Yasumura (1-0, 1) takes on 19 year old southpaw Seia Oshiro (3-0, 1). Yasumura, who's 22, debuted in November with an opening round KO win over Shinya Saito but sadly with that bout lasting just over 2 minutes it's hard to read much into it. As for Oshiro he debuted in August and has looked better with every fight so far, making this one a great match up to see what both men may have in the locker. Arena Tachikawa Tachihi , Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan Outside of Osaka there is also a show in Tokyo which will feature a couple of good 8 rounders. One of those 8 rounders will see the hard hitting Hayato Ono (8-4-2, 8) take on under-rated 34 year old Fumisuke Kimura (9-9-1, 6), in a rematch of a clash the men had in early 2019. Ono is heavy handed, but looks to be a bit of a faded force, having gone 0-2-2 in his last 4, with the first result from that win-less run being an opening round loss to Kimura. As for Kimura the veteran isn't a future title contender, but he is an upset minded fighter, who beat Ono and Giraffe Kirin Kanda in back to back fights, but is now win-less in his last 6, going 0-5-1. This really is a bout where both men will feel they need a win to keep their relevant career's alive. The other 8 rounder is the main event of the show and will see JBC ranked Lightweight Shinnosuke Saito (9-4, 2) take on Ikemen Atsushi (7-8-2, 2). The talented Saito won the All Japan Rookie of the Year in 2019 and has gone 3-1 since then, with his most recent win coming in December against Mirai Naito. Although not yet ready for a title fight he is slowly edging his way there and we suspect the 26 year old is maybe 4 or 5 fights from a domestic title fight. At for Atsushi he's lost his last 4 and really hasn't been competitive. This focus here seems to be on getting Saito some ring time after a few months out, with bigger and better fights coming for him later in the year. Holywings Club, Gatot Subroto, Jakarta, Indonesia As well as all the action in Japan, we also get a small but very notable, card in Indonesia. The card features one of the brightest hopes in Indonesian boxing, a once touted Indonesian hopeful and a Croatian-Australian Heavyweight. The rising star of Indonesian boxing, Andika D'Golden Boy (18-0, 8), will be seeking his 19th win as he takes on professional novice Wandi Priman Hulu (1-0). Andika was once linked to a fight with Hiroto Kyoguchi, before the pandemic ended those hopes, and in many ways the 26 year old hopefully has probably been saved from a loss, and given time to match, develop and prepare better for a high level bout like that. Sadly though we're not sure what he'll get from beating a Hulu, who struggled in his only recorded bout, last October. In a more even looking bout we'll see the once touted Defry Palulu (24-2-1, 14) takes on Indian visitor Asad Asif Khan (11-2-1-1, 3). At one point Palulu was tipped as the big hope for Indonesia, but now aged 31 his career looks like it will never reach the heights once expected of him. Despite that he is still one of the countries best fighters and should be too good for the 28 year old Khan, who will be facing his most notable opponent to date. Khan has gone unbeaten since losing his first 2, but he has been matched very softly so far and this is a legitimate step up in class for him. The most bizarre bout on the show will see former David Haye opponent Mark De Mori (39-2-2, 35) face off with Indonesian fighter Satria Antasena (5-19, 3) in a real "WTF?" bout. The 40 year old De Mori is no world beater, as we saw when Haye stopped him in just over 2 minutes, but he is riding a 9 fight winning streak, all by KO, and will likely extend that here. Antasena is a well travelled Indonesian fighter, but also someone who tends to pick up very early losses and has been stopped 15 times in his 19 losses, with 6 losses in the opening round. We expect another early blow out for him here
1 Comment
 L-Theatre, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
This coming Sunday attention turns to Osaka for a very small show at the L-Theratre. The show was supposed to feature Ken and Noboru Osato in action, however the fight featuring Noburo Osato has been cancelled, leaving us with just 4 bouts in total, and Ken Osato's bout, the main event of the show, is now the only contest scheduled for more than 4 rounds. As a result this is a very, very weak show. As mentioned the main event for this card will see Ken Osato (16-4-1, 4) in action. Sadly he will not be facing a particularly testing opponent, and will instead go up against the limited Mikado Konishi (6-4, 4). Although not a title holder in the making Osato has twice challenged for the Japanese Super Featherweight title, losing via 8th round TKO and Majority Decision in bouts against Masaru Sueyoshi. He has shown the level he belongs at, and it is far, a beyond Konishi's level. Sadly Konishi has lost his last 2 bouts, including an opening round low out to Kaiki Yuba. It's good to see Osato in action, but this show really isn't one to get too excited about. December 15th-Japanese Heavyweight title action, Light Flyweight eliminator and so much more!12/10/2019  This coming Sunday is certainly not a huge day, but it's a bizarrely packed one, with a lot going on, even if not much of it will make much of an impact on the winder boxing scene. We have a Japanese Heavyweight title fight, a Japanese title eliminator, a return to the ring for a popular female fighter, a regional title fight, a clash between former world title challengers and the KBF Rookie of the Year final, on a crazy, yet low key, Sunday.
Kariya, Japan For us the most noteworthy card comes from Kariya where we see a trio of notable bouts. The most notable of the bouts on the card will be a rematch between Kotatsu Takehara (15-12-3, 8) and Ryu Ueda (8-1-1, 5), who battle for the Japanese Heavyweight title and the chance to become only the third ever Japanese Heavyweight champion. Coming in to this bout it's worth knowing that Takehara gave Ueda his sole defeat, but at the age of 41 and with a 30 fight career behind him we do wonder what Takehara has left in the tank. Technically Ueda looks the part, until he throws a punch and then he looks...well terrible, but he may have the youth and energy this time to see off the veteran. Our preview of this bout can be read here Takehara and Ueda rematch for Japanese Heavyweight title! In an even better bout than the main event we'll see a Japanese Light Flyweight eliminator as the sensationally talented Rikito Shiba (4-0, 2) takes on the heavy handed Masamichi Yabuki (9-3, 9), with the winner securing a shot at the title in the 2020 Champion Carnival against Yuto Takahashi. Both of these fighters have big plans, and whilst we have been more impressed by Shiba's rise than Yabuki's recent bouts both of these are very talented and will likely end up as fixtures in the title scene in the coming years. This promises a lot and is going to be a very interesting bout between two very talented fighters. Our preview of this bout can be read here Light Flyweight eliminator sees Shiba and Yabuki clash! Former female world title challenger Tomomi Takano (11-5, 8) will fight in Japan for the first time in over 2 years as she takes on Sachiko Kondo (2-4-2). At one point Takano looked like a star in the making, with the look that turned heads, but losses in big fights and a very public falling out with her then promoter saw her head into the boxing wilderness, fighting in Mexico. She's now back in Japan with a new team and a new hunger, and that should be in show here. Ishikawa, Japan Another notable Japanese card comes from Ishikawa, as Kashimi promote their next show, headlined by a clash between a former world champion and a former world title challenger, and supported by several interesting bouts featuring Chinese fighters. The main event will see Japanese based Filipino Genesis Servania (33-2, 16) take on former 2-time WBO Bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu (53-7, 35). Although both men are past their primes, this still makes for a really good match up. Servania is best known for his fantastic 2017 bout with Oscar Valdez. Despite losing that bout Servania put himself on the international map, though sadly a loss to Carlos Castro earlier this year has back into more obscure bouts, like this one. Pungluang on the other hand was a very talented Thai back in his prime, but losses in 4 of his last 5 have shown him to have slipped significantly. Despite on the downslide the Thai is tough and likes a fight. Stylistically these are similar fighters, with both enjoying a fight up close, and lacking speed, and as a result this could end up being a bit of a classic for fans at the Sangyo Hall. In a supporting bout we'll see 2018 Rookie of the Year winner Hiroki Hanabusa (6-0-3, 2) take on China's Baolin Kang (6-2, 1). Hanabusa won the Rookie of the Year on the majority point rule last December and has gone 1-0-1 since then, drawing in China against Ayati Sailike, in a bout that should have gone his way. Kang on the other hand is best known for being stopped by Ari Agustian in 2018, but has won both of his bouts this year. Although not an amazing bout this should be entertaining. Another interesting looking bout will see Japanese based Venezuelan Omrri Bolivar (8-2, 3) fight against China's A Fu Bai (8-3, 5). Both men were beaten last time out, with Bolivar being stopped bu Shu Utsuki and Bai being beaten by Da Xu, and with both seeking a win we expect this to be a bout where both men look to find another gear in very competitive contest. Osaka, Japan A third Japanese card, from Osaka, is much lower profile and only really has one bout of not. That bout will see 2-time Japanese Super Featherweight title challenger Ken Osato (16-3-1, 4) battle against the in form Kanehiro Nakagawa (8-6, 5). On paper this looks like a mismatch, and whilst Osato should be favoured it's worth noting that Nakagawa has won his last 3, including upsets against Seiichi Okada and Ryuto Araya, and will be full of confidence coming in here. Sadly the rest of this card is very much nondescript. Seoul, South Korea Another fairly notable card will take place in the South Korean capital of Seoul, with a regional title bout and some rookie action The main event will see former OPBF Light Middleweight champion Jung Kyoung Lee (7-3-1, 3) take on the once touted Thai Saddam Kietyongyuth (28-6, 22) in a bout for the WBO Oriental Light Middleweight title. Lee has had a roller coaster year, scoring a career best win in January, when he stopped Samuel Colomban for the OPBF title, and the losing the title less than 7 months later, to Akinori Watanabe. Throw in an injury to those extremes and it's fair to say things could have gone a lot better the Korean. As for Saddam he is a long way removed from the point where he was seen as a genuine hopeful. He's now 2-4 in his last 6 and 5-6 in his last 11, dating back more than 8 years. If we're being honest we suspect Saddam is somewhat less fussed about winning and losing than he once was. As well the bout mentioned above the bulk of this card will actually be the KBF Rookie of the Year Finals. Unlike the Japanese Rookie of the Year finals, which take place next week, it's been hard to follow these and it's hard to say too much about the finalists, who in some cases have only a fight or two so far in their career. Certainly rookies, but it would have been nice to have had some more depth to the tournament, and make them show a bit more to get to the finals. Pattaya, Thailand We also have a show in Thailand, from Evolution Fight Series. This isn't card isn't a big one, but does feature a world world title challenger and a promising Uzbek, among others. The main event will see Armenian born Thai based Russian Musheg Adoian (3-1, 3) take on former world title challenger Roy Mukhlis (29-11-4, 22) from Indonesia. The 24 year old Adoian has fought his entire professional career in Thai, and has scored 3 successive stoppage wins coming into this bout. Although a professional novice Adoian will be the favourite against Mukhlis, who is a long, long way removed from the fighter who challenged Takashi Uchiyama way back in September 2010. Since the loss to Uchiyama Mukhlis has gone 6-8-2 and is 0-5-1 in his last 6. A second bout of note here will see unbeaten Thai based Uzbek Murodjon Yokubov (6-0, 4) battle against Indian foe Amandeep Singh (4-0, 1). For Yokubov this bout will be his 6th of the year and whilst his opposition has been limited it's hard not to like a guy who is active, developing his skills and getting ring time under his belt. As for Singh this will be only his second bout since the the start of 2018, and it's hard to know whether he'll manage to be put up any sort of competition for Yokubov. Jakarta, Indonesia The Indonesian capital of Jakarta also plays host to a small profile card, headlined by a 6 round contest between Waldo Sabu (13-14, 3) and Alvius Maufani (7-4-2, 4). On paper this is a really hard card to care about, and whilst we suspect their fun action from the Metro TV Studio the bouts are very much novices against each other and fighters with losing records rather than anything worth getting too excited by.  Osaka, Japan
This Sunday is a very quiet day in Asia, though there is a small, yet notable, card in Osaka from Taiho with a couple of interesting domestic clashes. The main event will see 2-time Japanese Super Featherweight title challenger Ken Osato (15-3-1, 4) take on 20 year old hopeful Ruito Saeki (7-2-1, 1) in what looks like a very interesting match up. Last time out Osato ran Masaru Sueyoshi close in a bout for the Japanese Super Featerweight title, losing a majority decision to the champion, and will be looking to bounce back here in a bout he will be favoured to win. Although Saeki is stepping up, the 20 year old is a very nice, tidy boxer, though lacks power and hasn't yet matured fully. Entering as the under-dog Saeki is a tricky enough fight to ask questions of Osato, and we suspect he will manage to take a round or two from Osato. Another Osato on this card is Noboru Osato (10-8-4, 2), who takes on the once beaten Ryo Suwa (11-1, 2) in a very interesting bout. The 24 year old Osato has lost his last 2, including a Japanese Youth Featherweigth title bout to Hikaru Matsuoka, but has managed to show that he's no push over and ran current WBO Asia Pacific champion Yuki Strong Kobayashi very close in 2017. Suwa on the other hand is unbeaten in 4, and has rebuilt well following a 2017 loss to Ikuro Sadatsune. Although relatively untested Suwa did score a notable win in December against Noldi Manakane. This one looks almost certain to go the distance, but should still be a very interesting and competitive match up A third bout of note will see 2016 Rookie of the Year runner up Hibiki Jogo (9-2, 4) take on Indonesian Kichang Kim (9-8-1, 2). The talented Jogo has picked up 2 wins since suffering a loss to Yoshihiro Utsumi in April 2018, and will be expected to score another here as he continues to rebuild his confidence. Kim has been stopped in his 6 bouts outside of Indonesia, including blow out losses in Japan to Hayate Kaji and Yusuke Suzuki, and we'd expect that run to continue here, even if Jogo is not a power puncher.  This coming Saturday is a really interesting day for Asian fight fans, with a notable show in Japan and the Philippines, and then fighters from those two countries colliding in California at the end of the day. As well as the major shows there is also a small card in Singapore.
California, USA The biggest bout of the day is, obviously, the US bout, which will see IBF Super Flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas (30-1-2, 20) defending his title against mandatory challenger Ryuichi Funai (31-7, 22). For Ancajas the bout will serve as his 7th defense of the title, which he won back in September 2016, and will be his third mandatory. The champion really under-performed last time out, narrowly holding on to the belt against Alejandro Santiago Barrios, and would be expected to put on a better showing here. Funai on the other hand is an unknown outside of Japan, though is a former Japanese and WBO Asia Pacific champion who has mixed in good company, with bouts against the likes of Shinsuke Yamanaka, Rolly Lunas, Sho Ishida and Warlito Parrenas. The challenger has earned this shot, winning an eliminator last year, but will be regarded as a clear under-dog. A full preview of this bout is available here - Ancajas takes on mandatory challenger Funai Tokyo, Japan In Tokyo fans will get the chance to attend a Teiken promoted card at Korakuen Hall. Sadly this will only be shown on tape delay, meaning those not in the venue will have to wait to see the bouts. The main event here will see Japanese Super Featherweight champion Masaru Sueyoshi (18-1-1, 11) defending his title in a mandatory bout against Ken Osato (15-2-1, 4), in what is their second meeting. These two fought in February 2018, when Sueyoshi had to recover from a knockdown to stop Osato in the 8th round. Since then Sueyoshi has gone 1-0-1, fighting to a draw over 12 rounds with Hironori Mishiro, and will be looking for bigger bouts later in the year. Osato on the other has scored back to back decision wins since losing to Sueyoshi, but this is a step up from those wins. A full preview of this bout is available here Sueyoshi looks to over-come Osato again! The chief support bout here will see the once beaten Shuya Masaki (11-1, 5) take on Korean visitor Nam Jun Lee (10-5-3, 4). For Masaki the bout is the first since his narrow win over Izuki Tomioka last year, in what was his third bout of 2018. It's notable Lee's first bout since June 2017. Notably the 35 year old Korean has had a very stop start Korea, but does hold notable wins over Sa Myung Noh and Jelbirt Gomera, so could be a better test than his record suggests. Another very notable bout on this card is the Japanese debut of Shokichi Iwata (1-0, 1), who debuted last year in the US. The talented and touted Iwata will face 2018 Rookie of the Year winner Daiki Kameyama (7-2-1, 2), in a very, very interesting match up. Iwata won his debut but didn't look sensational, and this could prove to be too much too soon for the former amateur standout, and a huge chance for the 22 year old Kameyama to build on his Rookie success. Other interesting bouts on this card include Junpei Tsujimoto (4-1-3, 2) battling against Tetsuya Yoshimura (5-3-1, 4) and Hiroki Yajima (9-7-3, 4) facing off with Mirai Imagawa (9-5, 3), with both Imagawa and Tsujimoto having won Rookie of the Year in recent years. There will also be a chance for the hard hitting Yamato Hata (7-1, 7) to pick up another win, as he takes on Indonesian Alvius Maufani (6-2-2, 3), in what should be a straight forward bout for the local. Metro Manila, Philippines Of course it's not just Japan that has a great show but also the Philippines, with ESPN5 set to show a title fest from Metro Manila, with this show being aired live. The pick of the bouts here is another Philippines Vs Japan clash, as Al Toyogon (10-2-1, 6) looks to defense his WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Super Featherweight title against in form Japanese fighter Ryo Sagawa (6-1, 4). The 21 year old Toyogon will be seeking his second defense here, and will be looking to record a 6th straight win as he continues to develop into a very solid fighter. Sagawa on the other hand gets his first title shot, and he clearly deserves it on the back of wins against Junki Sasaki, Ryo Matsumoto and Shingo Kawamura. This is probably the more intriguing bout of the day, even more saw than the world title bout. A full preview of this bout is available here Toyogon and Sagawa battle for regional title! A second WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver title fight takes place at Bantamweight and will see the heavy handed Jun Blazo (11-6-3, 8) take on Benezer Alolod (19-11-5, 7). Blazo has lost 4 of his last 7, but has spun off 3 straight wins coming into this bout and will be confident of extending that run. Alolod is very much Mr Inconsistent with a 6-6 record in his last 12. Hard to get a read on this, but if both are up for it we could get a very good fight. In a GAB Lightweight title fight Roldan Aldea (12-7-1, 7) will be seeking his first defense, as he takes on Rey Ramos (8-11-2, 3), in what looks like a mismatch whilst 5lbs north we'll see Jheritz Chavez (8-3-2, 6) seek his second defense of the GAB Light Welterweight title, facing off with Junar Adante (7-11-1, 4). Sadly neither of these domestic title bouts look particularly competitive. Singapore, Singapore In Singapore local hopeful Nurshahidah Roslie (12-2, 9) will be seeking a 5th straight win as she takes on Thai novice Suphansa Phooong (1-0), in what looks like a mismatch, over 6 rounds. Roslie isn't the huge star that Singaporean boxing needs to really kick-start something but the Thai is an inexperienced teenager, and will be making her international debut.  Tokyo, Japan
This coming Friday is a major day in Japan, despite not being a day that will get much international attention. The reason for this is that in Tokyo there will be an incredible 6 Japanese title eliminator contests, with the winners booking their place in the 2019 Champions Carnival. At Light Flyweight we get a rematch between Kenichi Horikawa (37-15-1, 11) and Koji Itagaki (18-12-3, 7). These two are both veterans who have come up short in a recent Japanese title bout to Tetsuya Hisada and both are clearly and wanting another shot at the belt. The winner will get a title fight next year, meaning the reward for a win is huge, though the loser will likely be pushed into retirement. The full preview of this bout is here Horikawa and Itagaki rematch with a title fight on the line! At Super Flyweight we see recent Japanese title challenger Yuta Matsuo (14-3-1, 7) take on Japanese based Filipino veteran Rey Orais (20-17-2, 5), who has only fought once in the last 10 years. The talented Matsuo came up short in 2017 against Masayuki Kuroda but has notched up a couple of wins since then and looks to be hungry for a second shot. Orais on the other hand is a boxer-come-trainer-come part time boxer, who looks to be rolling the dice for one final charge at a title. An in depth fight preview for this bout can be read here Matsuo and Orais battle for shot at Super Flyweight gold! At Super Bantamweight we may be getting a small treat at Mugicha Nakagawa (23-5-1, 14) takes on Naoya Okamoto (13-6-1, 6). Both men are under-rated outside of Japan and both should make for a very interesting match up here. Nakagawa caught our eye in a 2017 loss to Yasutaka Ishimoto, and despite losing has since bounced back with a pair of stoppages. Okamoto on the other hand comes into the bout on the back of big wins over Daisuke Watanabe and Yuta Saito, who has since won the Japanese Bantamweight title. This could be the hidden gem on the card and technically the winner will be ordered to fight current champion Shingo Wake, though he is expected to vacate before the Champion Carnival. A fight breakdown for this contest is available here Nakagawa and Okamoto to fight in Japanese eliminator! A second rematch on this card, this time at Super Featherweight, will see Ken Osato (14-2-1, 4) and Satoru Sugita (14-5-1, 9) face off for the second time inside a year. Interestingly these two fought last December in a Japanese title eliminator that Osato narrowly won. Sadly for Osato he would come up short in his eventual title fight, losing to Masaru Sueyoshi earlier this year. This should be a technically compelling match up, even if it fails to be one of the more exciting bouts on the card. A preview of this bout can be read here Osato and Sugita go again, in title eliminator! Talking about exciting it's hard not to have pulses racing about the Light Welterweight bout between the unbeaten and heavy handed pairing of Koki Inoue (11-0, 10) and Marcus Smith (6-0-1, 6). Inoue, the cousin of both Naoya and Takuma Inoue, is one of the most avoided fighters on the Japanese domestic scene and with good reason, having left good good opponents battered and broken. Smith, the 2017 Rookie of the Year, is an American born Japanese fighter who has looked very destructive and heavy handed, but is taking a massive step up in class here. This is going to be something very fun and despite favouring Inoue we think this could be the bout of the show. The preview for this contest is available here Inoue and Smith clash in Japanese title eliminator! The heaviest bout on this card will take place at Light Middleweight and will see veteran Koshinmaru Saito (24-9-2, 13) battle against Hironobu Matsunaga (13-1, 7), in what could be another very entertaining bout, and one that could see the winner join a mixed up situation in the Japanese Light Middleweight scene. The 39 year old Saito has come up short in 7 title bouts during his 35 fight career, but outside of title fights he is an impressive 24-3-1. Matsunaga comes in to this on the back of 7 straight wins, including notable wins over Sanosuke Sasaki, Je Ni Ma and Patomsuk Pathompothong. Saito will know he can't afford another set back, given that he turns 40 early next year, but Matsunaga won't be looking to lose his own career momentum. Our preview for this bout is available here Veteran Saito takes on Matsunaga for Japanese title shot!  Action returns to Japan this coming Sunday with two shows. One in Osaka, where we get the chance to see a few domestically ranked fighters in action, and one in Aichi where we get Rookie of the Year action.
Osaka, Japan Although Rookie of the Year is great we'll begin by looking at the Osakan card, which has the more notable fighters in action. The main event of thus card will see the in form Dynamic Kenji (9-3, 6), previously known as Kenji Kihisa, taking on the more experienced Kenta Sugimoto (12-11-2, 1). Although Kenji's record might not be incredible on paper but he is currently in the form of his career with recent stoppage wins over Futa Akizuki and Shota Kawaguchi. Those wins have taken Kenji into the WBO Asia Pacific, OPBF and JBC rankings and he won't be wanting to give those up. Sugimoto on the other hand is tough but limited domestic level fighter who, on his day, can be a nightmare. Sugimoto's best performance was in a losing battle to Tetsuya Hisada, show he;t tough and can be banana skin, but wit a 2-4-1 record in his last 7 we don't expect him to really push Kenji too close here. Another ranked fighter on this card is JBC ranked fighter Ken Osato (13-2-1, 4), who takes on Retsu Kosaka (9-3, 3) in what looks like a competitive match up on paper and is a rematch of a very competitive 2016 bout. This will be Osato's first bout since his loss to Masaru Sueyoshi in a Japanese Super Featherweight title earlier this year and he'll be looking to bounce back with a win here. Kosaka showed some early promise, going 7-0 (2), but has since gone 2-3 with one of those losses being a razor thin one to Osato back in 2016. Given how close their first bout was this should be a very interesting match up. A third bout of some interest here will see Tae Soo Kim (6-4, 1) take on Katsunori Imai (6-9-3, 1) in what looks like it could be a pretty competitive bout on paper. We suspect Kim will come out on top but he will certainly be forced to work for it against the normally tough Imai, who's only stoppage loss has come to Takuya Watanabe. Aichi, Japan As for the Rookie of the Year card, which will be the Central Japan Rookie of the Year final, there will be 8 bouts, taking place from Light Flyweight to Welterweight. The Welterweight bout pits real novices against each other, as Atsushi Matsui (1-0, 1) battles against Daisuke Hironaka (1-0, 1). Just to explain how inexperienced these two are they have less than 4 complete rounds of shared experience, with Matsui having just 21 seconds of ring time. We know the Welterweight division, particularly on the local level inside of Japan, is thin but this is really odd, though should be very entertaining. At the other end of the weight spectrum is a Light Flyweight bout between 19 year old Mammoth Kazunori (5-1, 5) and 23 year old Alex Ota (2-2), who meet for the second time. These two fought last November, with Kazunori stopping Ota in 3 rounds, and since then both men have fought once, scoring a win each. The power edge certainly lies with Kazunori, who has scored 5 wins inside 3 rounds, and 3 inside the opening round, but Ota will have the drive of avenging his loss in what should be a very interesting match up.  Texas, USA
The Super Flyweight division is widely regarded as one of the best in the sport, even with Naoya Inoue leaving the division to make a mark at Bantamweight. Sadly though the division is a frustrating one with a number of fighters making themselves unavailable for big fights. One such fighter is IBF Super Flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas (28-1-1, 19), who signed with Top Rank in late 2017 and froze himself out of fights against the likes of Inoue and the fighters who are currently tied to HBO. As a result of being frozen out of specific fights we won't see Ancajas in with a notable name, and instead he will be kicking off his 2018 with an IBF world title defense against Israel Gonzalez (21-1, 8). The talented Ancajas had an excellent 2017, Going 3-0 (3) for the year and beating the likes of Jose Alfredo Rodriguez, Teiru Kinoshita and Jamie Conlan and will be looking to continue his great momentum here. Sadly though Gonzalez, who the IBF miraculously ranked #10, feels like a huge step backwards, with the Mexican challenger really doing little to show he belongs at this level. The bout has been put together as a showcase for Ancajas on US TV and should be a real chance to shine for the Filipino, who will hopefully get better competition later in the year. Tokyo, Japan At the Korakuen Hall we see the first of this year's Champion Carnival bouts, as Japanese Super Featherweight champion Masaru Sueyoshi (16-1, 10) defends his title against Ken Osato (13-1-1, 4). The bout will be Sueyoshi's first defense of the title, which he won last October with a decision over Ribo Takahata whilst Osato will be having his first title bout. In 2017 we saw Sueyoshi have a great year, going 3-0 (2) but left questions to be asked with some of his performances and he will look to answer them here. Osato had a great 2017 himself, going 3-0 (1) with notable wins Sho Nagata and Satoru Sugita, with the Sugita win earning Osato a shot at the title. This should be a very skilled bout, with both men being very talented, and a very evenly matched bout, between two top domestic fighters. In the chief support bout Japanese ranked Welterweight Yuki Nagano (12-2, 9) will face off with Thai visitor Najilek Sor Boonlieng (0-1). Coming into this Nagano is riding a 10 fight winning run, and is closing in on a title fight. Although not the greatest of fighters Nagano is a big puncher and should have significant size over the Thai, who will be lucky to last more than 3 rounds. A second supportig bout of note will see unbeaten hopeful Haruaki Kamiya (7-0, 3) take on win-less Thai Chatchai Phonlemueangdee (0-3). Kamiya has had a real slow burn of a career, fighting only 4 times since the end of 2014, but if he gets sorted he could go quite far. Sadly bouts like this won't help him develop or move towards the bigger bouts than his early promises suggested he could end up having. As for the Thai he has been stopped in all 3 of his defeats. Bangkok, Thailand In the Thai capital fans will be able to see Chinese puncher Pui Yu Lim (5-0, 5) take on Indonesian journeyman Ramadhan Weriuw (17-9-1, 15) in a bout for the WBC Interim Asian Boxing Council Middleweight title. On paper this is a step backwards for Lim, who has already scored wins over better fights than Weriuw, but with 5 fights last year Lim is a busy fighter and could use this interim title to help secure more meaningful bouts down the line.  This coming Sunday is a pretty busy day of action Asia.
Osaka, Japan For us the most notable of the bouts will be in Osaka and feature a really interesting Japanese Super Featherweight bout, a step up in class for an unbeaten prospect and an interesting under-card bout. The Super Featherweight bout pits two top 5 Japanese domestic fighters against each other, as the once beaten Ken Osato (12-1-1, 4) takes on 2-time Japanese title challenger Satoru Sugita (13-4-1, 8) in a real step up for the 23 year old Osato and a must win for Sugita. The younger man has gone 8-0-1 since suffering an opening round KO loss back in September 2013, when he was still just a teenager. As for Sugita he has gone 2-2 in his last 4, though both of those loses came against the then Japanese champion Kenichi Ogawa, who will fight for a world title just hours before this bout takes place. One man who we are glad to see taking a step in the right direction is Masayoshi Hashizume (14-0, 10), who impressed us early in his career but really faltered in terms of building a real name for himself recently, being matched against horribly inept opponents. Here we'll see the Ioka gym prospect take on domestic foe Kota Fujimoto (7-2, 2), and hopefully a win here for Hashizume will launch him towards bigger and better bouts in 2018. Fujimoto has lost 2 of his last 3, but will know that a win here will give his career a huge shot and push him towards potential title fights. A third bout of note here will see the heavy handed Hibiki Jogo (6-1, 4) battle against the talented Yuki Hirashima (7-1-1, 1). Jogo's loss came last year, at the All Japan Rookie of the year, and since then he has racked up two wins and is really genuine puncher at the lower levels of the Japanese domestic scene. Hirashima suffered a blip last year, going 0-1-1 for the year, bus has racked up 3 wins in 2017 and will know that another here will see him go into 2018 as a man in good domestic form. Aichi, Japan A second show in Japan will take place in Aichi and will see Japanese Youth Super Featherweight champion Takuya Mizuno (12-1-1, 11) make his first defense of the title, as he takes on fellow youngster Yuki Iriguchi (9-1-1, 4). Mizuno won the title last time out, with a split decision win over Ryota Ishida and the 22 year old puncher will be looking to get back to his destructive best here. As for the 20 year old Iriguchi this bout will see him looking to buil on a 4 fight winning run, which includes victories over touted amateur Kenshin Oshima and the then inform Ryohei Takahashi. Although an easy bout to over-look it really is a cracking contest on paper. Guangzhou, China There is also set to be a pretty interesting card in China. One of the best bouts on the card will see Chinese Heavyweight hopeful Zhilei Zhang (18-0, 14) take on Belgian visitor Herve Hubeaux (28-2, 14) in a bout for the WBO Oriental Heavyweight title. We'll admit we're unsure how Hubeaux qualifies for the title, but the reality is that he's been taken over to China to lose, and despite the good looking record on paper the 25 year old has shown nothing to worry Zhang. The Chinese fighter should really be seeing this as his chance to record an easy first defense of the title he won back in January. Interestingly coming into this bout Zhang is on a run of 5 opening round KO's. A second title bout will see the once touted Zhimin Wang (9-2, 3) take on Filipino visitor Anthony Sabalde (12-6, 7) for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Lightweight title. The match up isn't as good looking on paper as the Heavyweight title clash, but the reality is that this bout should be much more interesting, and looks like a much more competitive contest. Both Wang and Sabalde are flawed and both will feel they take advantage of their foes weaknesses. There are two other notable bouts on this card. One of those will see Jianzheng Wang (6-0, 4) take on former OPBF title challenger Kajornsak Sithsaithong (10-6, 10), in what we expect will be a mismatch, and the heavy handed Wuzhati Nuerlang (9-1, 8) taking on Thai Chaloemporn Sawatsuk (17-5, 13), in what promises to be an explosive encounter. Pangasinan, Philippines In Pngasinan fight fans are in for a very low key card, with the main event being the only bout worthy of noting. That bout will see Alphoe Dagayloan (7-2-5, 3) take on Mateo Handig (13-15, 7), in what would have been an interesting fight had Handig not lost his last 10. Handig used to be pretty decent, but is only a shadow of the fighter he once was  This coming Sunday isn't a hugely busy day, but there is some notable action on a relatively level.
Osaka, Japan The most notable card takes place in Osaka. The main event of the card will see Japanese ranked Super Flyweight contender Ken Osato (11-1-1, 4) take on Sho Nagata (7-3, 2) in what looks like a pretty solid match up, but one that Osato should win as he looks to progress towards a Japanese title fight,potentially at some point in 2018. In the chief support bout we'll see Japanese ranked Super Bantamweight Yuta Uetani (20-5-1, 10) take on a Thai visitor, in what should be a straight forward win for Uetani. A third bout of note will see Japanese and OPBF ranked Bantamweight Tenta Kiyose (12-2-1, 5) take on Rungniran Korat Sport School (5-12, 4), in another Japan Vs Thailand bout. Aichi, Japan A second Japanese show will take place in Aichi, and is also headlined by a Japanese ranked fighter and features a Japan Vs Thailand bout in the chief support contest.. The Japanese ranked fighter here is Akihiro Toya (7-2, 1), a ranked Flyweight, who will be taking on domestic foe Hiroki Yajima (7-5-3, 3), in what could be a very competitive contest. The 8 rounder isn't going to set the world alight, but it should be a good, well matched, and competitive contest. In the leading supporting bout we'll see Takashi Igarashi (10-3, 3) take on Thai visitor Adundet Saithonggym (0-1). Igarashi has won his last 3 and seems to be building a bit of career momentum, but is certainly being allowed to build his confidence before being stepped up too far. Baku, Azerbaijan As well as the action in Japan there is also a show planned for Azerbaijan. There are few details of this show, though we have been informed that Rauf Aghayev (21-6, 9) will be in action against a yet to be announced opponent. |
Categories
All
Archives
May 2025
|
RSS Feed
