 There is action across Asia this coming Saturday, though the two most noteworthy shows for the day both take place in Japan, and both feature title bouts.
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan The more notable of the two shows comes from Tokyo, where we get two title bouts, and the next bout in the career of an exciting and hard hitting young Japanese prospect. The main event will see Japanese Flyweight champion Jukiya Iimura (5-1, 1) make his second defense, as he takes on mandatory challenger Yuga Inoue (15-3-1, 3), in what is almost certainly going to be a high speed technical chess match. Iimura is a brilliant technical boxer, but he has shown some durability issues, as seen in his 2022 loss to Esneth Domingo, and if he gets tagged he could be in trouble. Matched against a fellow light puncher, such as Inoue, he won't need to worry much about his chin. Saying that however Inoue is known to drag fights into wars, and although he lacks power he doesn't mind fights being up close, as he loves to set a high tempo up close. If Inoue can cut the ring off he could be a really tough test for Iimura, however that’s a big if. The chief support bout here will see WBO Asia Pacific Super Flyweight champion Kenta Nakagawa (24-4-1, 12) defending his title against Tetsuro Ohashi (11-3-1, 2), who has stated that he is dedicating the bout to the recently deceased Kazuki Anaguchi who he described as his best friend. The 38 year old Nakagawa will be looking for his second defense of the title, and whilst no world beater he is a solid, and experienced all rounder, who has good skills, decent pop and good speed. He is however a man who has, in recent fights, started to look his age a little and father time will catch up with him shortly. As for Ohashi he is a skilled fighter, but he lacks pop and will struggle to get Nakagawa's respect here. Despite that he has a good work rate and good speed, and could be looking to rely on his youth against the much, much, older champion. The other bout of note on this card will see hard hitting youngster Kakeru Mashimo (7-0, 6), regarded by some as a future long term fixture of the Dynamic Glove series, taking on Indian visitor Dharmender (10-3, 6). Mashimo is aggressive, heavy handed, really exciting and one to keep an eye on with his aggressive mentality and style. Sadly Dharmender isn’t likely to ask any real questions of Mashimo, especially when you consider the only previous time he has fought outside of India, Dharmender was stopped in 6 rounds by Sathaporn Saart. Dhamender has fought at Featherweight, and might show some resistance, but it would be a huge surprise to see him last the 8 round distance here. Sangyo Shinko Center, Sakai, Osaka, Japan The other Japanese card is in Osaka and sees veterans colliding in the main event, a potentially explosive support bout, and a notable prospect in action. The main event of the card will see 46 year old Japanese veteran Yuki Nonaka (37-12-3, 11) take on 50 year old Australian Sam Soliman (49-18-1-2, 19) in a bout for the vacant OPBF Super Middleweight title. Soliman is a late replacement, after Rohan Murdock had to pull out, and on paper added a bit of extra star power for the bout, though Soliman is much faded from the man who once held the IBF Middleweight title. Nonaka has rebuilt well following back to back losses to Hiroya Nojima and Tyson Koki, and has won his last 2 bouts whilst settling at Super Middleweight, but given his lack of power, and his age, he will find it very, very hard to progress beyond the regional scene. As for Soliman, the wild and unorthodox Aussie has always kept himself in great shape, and will see this as a great chance to end his career with another title around his waist. At a combined age of 96 it’s hard to know what either man will do after this bout, but from a stylistic view, this should be really interesting, with Nonaka being a crisp, clean puncher, who sets himself and throws lovely technical shots, and Soliman really having a wild, crazy style, that lacks in terms of technical foundations and makes for some messy and wild fights. In a major supporting bout we’ll see Kyonosuke Kameda (11-3-2, 8) take on Ryukyu Oho (9-6-1, 5) in what should be a very fun, and potentially explosive clash. Kameda is always fun to watch, and win or lose he does make for good fights with his technical limitations masked by his size and power. Oho is better than his record suggests sadly for him however he has gone 2-2-1 in his last 5, and only has a single TKO win since 2021. If Oho can't make Kameda respect him, he could be in for a painful night here. A third bout worthy of attention here will see 19 year old Japanese prospect Shuri Oka (2-0, 1) look for his third win, as he takes on 17 year old Thai visitor Chanathip Khotchai (3-2, 2) in a scheduled 8 rounder. Despite only being 19 Suri is certainly one to keep an eye on, though we do hope he isn’t rushed too much as there is still a lot of work to do with him and given his age, and the fact he’s still maturing, there really is no need to race him into domestic or regional title fights. As for the visitor he has lost his last two, and actually had his unbeaten record ended last time he fought in Japan, when he was stopped in 2 rounds by Tomonori Nagao. Batangas City Coliseum, Batangas City, Batangas, Philippines Over in the Philippines we’re set for some low profile cards, one of which is in Batangas. The show really is a low profile one, and the best looking matchup set for the show will see the once beaten Leboy Atencio (3-1) take on Reynald Condes (3-3-1, 1). On paper this doesn’t look like a great bout, and with neither man having much power, it’s fair to suggest this may not end up being particularly exciting, or dramatic. Toledo City, Cebu, Philippines A second low level Filipino card is set for Toledo City. The only bout on the boxrec schedule at the time of writing is a matchup between the once beaten Jusue Bastillada (6-1, 3) and glass cannon Jayar Aliasot (6-6, 5). On paper this doesn’t look great, but it looks even worse when you realise that Aliasot has lost his last 5, with 4 of those losses being by TKO. Interestingly Bastillada’s sole loss was by stoppage, and given that Aliasot has power he could spring the upset here, but he will clearly be the under-dog. Hannam Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea Staying with low level cards, we’re also expecting one in Seoul, in what is very much a novice show. Almost all the bouts feature a debutant, with the only exception to that being a clash between Sang Myung Lee (1-0) and Dae Yub Jang (2-0, 2), who face off a Super Featherweight. Lee is 23 and debuted in January, with a 4 round win, whilst Jang is 24 and made his debut just over a year ago, with both of his wins so far being TKO3. against win-less fighters.
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 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Tuesday we get the next show under the Diamond Glove banner, and it's an excellent card, with two title bouts, a mouth watering bout between two heavy handed fighters with single losses, and a former Rookie of the Year taking on a once touted former amateur stand out. The first of the 4 notable bouts will see the unbeaten, and JBC ranked, Akira Hoshuyama (7-0 4) take on Tomoki Kawasaki (2-2). Hoshuyama showed what he could do when he won the 2020 All Japan Rookie of the Year, and he looks like a genuine talent, who could well win a Japanese title down the line, though does have areas to work on and we suspect this bout will see him being asked a lot of questions. Kawasaki on the other hand was a very solid amateur, going 35-12 (8), and has been matched incredibly hard since turning professional, losing to the talented pairing of Jukiya Iimura and Josuke Nagata. Despite having two losses in his first 4 bouts we wouldn't write off the 22 year old here, and he has the skills to go a long, long way over the coming years. Another excellent non title bout will see Homura Fujita (8-1, 6) clash with Kaiki Yuba (8-1-2, 5), in what could be the show stealer. Fujita came runner up in the 2019 All Japan Rookie of the Year, losing in a 4 round shoot out with Kodai Honda, and has gone 3-0 (1) since then with a very notable win over Izuki Tomioka last time out. As for Yuba the second generation fighter is looking to score his second win since his dramatic 2021 loss to Jin Sasaki. Both of these men are young, both can punch, have some skills, and can make for something a little bit special. Given their styles we expect this to be a fire fight, and a bout that could end with just a single clean shot, from either man. The first of two title fights will see Nanako Suzuki (6-2, 1) make her first defense of the Japanese female Minimumweight title, as she takes on Sarasa Ichimura (4-10-1). On paper this looks like an easy first defense for Suzuki, and in all honest it would be a surprise to see Ichimura really ask any questions of her. Suzuki might not be a world champion in the making, but she looks like the sort of fighter who could be a staple in and around the top of the division domestically. Ichimura on the other hand looks very limited and it's hard to imagine her giving Suzuki anything close to a test. Our preview of this bout can be read here Japanese champion Suzuki defends against Ichimura In the main event we'll see Japanese Super Flyweight champion Kenta Nakagawa (21-4-1, 12) look to kick off his third reign as a champion, as he defends the title against the once beaten Hayate Kaji (15-1, 9), in an excellent match up. Nakagawa won the title for the third time earlier this year, when he out boxed veteran Hiroyuki Kudaka, and showed there was still life left in his legs, despite the fact he's in his mid 30's. As for Kaji he is looking to put the disappointment of a very controversial 2021 loss to Ryoji Fukunaga behind him. Nakagawa is a very solid technical fighter, who has proven his toughness and his will to win, but given his age there are questions about how much longer he can continue to compete at the top of the domestic scene. As for Kaji he looks like he could be the emerging Japanese hopeful at 115lbs and will come in to this bout as a man with a point to prove, following his loss to Fukunaga last year. This could be a very compelling technical chess match. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Kaji gets second shot at title as he takes on Japanese champion Nakagawa  EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
The big show this coming Saturday is in Osaka, where Nakazato Boxing Gym will be promoting a very good looking Japanese title double header, with both title bouts being genuinely good looking ones. On paper the less competitive looking bout will see Japanese Super Featherweight champion Kosuke Saka (21-6, 18) defending his belt against the criminally under-rated, but very much in form Kanehiro Nakagawa (11-6, 5). Saka won the title in 2019, in arguably the best performance of his career as he battered Masaru Sueyoshi into submission, and defended it 2021 with a destructive win over Takuya Watanabe, but lost in a regional title bout against Yoshimitsu Kimura at the end of last year, which could see his confidence being shattered coming in to this. Nakagawa has a very scruffy looking record, but he is 7-1 in his last 8 and has won his last 6, including notable victories over Seiichi Okada, Taiki Minamoto and Shinnosuke Hasegawa, and will be full of confidence here, in the biggest opportunity of his career. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Japanese champion Saka faces Nakagawa! The other title fight will see veterans collide as Hiroyuki Kudaka (28-18-4, 11) faces Kenta Nakagawa (20-4-1, 12) for the Japanese Super Flyweight title, which was vacated by Ryoji Fukunaga. For both men it feels like a must win bout. Aged 37 Kudaka is a true veteran, a 4 time world title challenger and a former 1-time Japanese national champion who has had a thrilling career, with an exciting style, and some really memorable nights. Sadly at his age and with his style things will catch up with him, but he's very much a true warrior, with impressive work rate, stamina, toughness and fighting spirit, even in his mid 30's. As for Nakagawa, who's a 2-time Japanese champion, he is 36 himself and the better technical boxer here, but also the man who took an absolute pasting just 2 fighter ago, against the aforementioned Fukunaga. These two could put on a stinker, if father time has his word, or a legitimate fight of the year contender, it really is a very hard one to call, and one we are seriously intrigued by. Our preview of this bout can be read here Kudaka and Nakagawa clash for Japanese title! The Grand Ho Tram Strip, Vung Tau, Vietnam There is also set to be a small, but notable, card in Vietnam, where Cocky Buffalo will be putting on their next show. The most notable bout on this card will see Uzbek veteran Olimjon Nazarov (27-5, 15) defending his WBO Oriental Flyweight title, as he takes on Filipino youngster Jerome Baloro (6-1, 4). The 33 year old Nazarov is highly ranked by the WBO, but his competition has, for the most part, been weak and this feels very much like a case a case of defending his regional title until he becomes the mandatory and gets a shot almost by default, without being prepared or particularly qualified for a shot at a fighter like Junto Nakatani. As or Baloro his competition has been weak and he was beaten last December by fellow Filipino hopeful Regie Suganob. Dauis, Bohol, Philippines As well as the action in Japan and Vietnam there is also set to be a show in Bohol, headlined by an interesting domestic Super Flyweight title bout. The aforementioned regional title bout will see the unbeaten Rodel Suganob (6-0-1, 2) battle against Ranelio Quizo (10-2, 3) for the very lightly regarded, and currently vacant, WBF Asia Pacific Super Flyweight crown. The 25 year old Suganob has is a promising youngster who showed his potential last time out, when he stopped former world title challenger Vergilio Silvano in 4 rounds. The promising southpaw looks like he could go a long, but needs to be tested so we can see what he's really made of. As for Quizo he's 23 and has won his last 3 bouts, including a good win over Philip Luis Cuerdo, but did lost back to back bouts not too long ago, and it's unclear just how good he is. One thing that we should see here is both men answering questions and pushing each other which is exactly what both men need at this point in their careers.  SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
This Friday isn't a huge day for Asian fighters in general, in fact there isn't too many Asian fighters in action during the day, however there is one Asian fighter in a massive bout, and a bout that could lead him to bigger and better contests down the line, including potentially huge unification bouts. That Asian fighter in question is Uzbekistani fighter Murodjon Akhmadaliev (9-0, 7) , who will be defending his WBA and IBF Super Bantamweight titles against Jose Velasquez (29-6-2, 19), in a bout that was put together at short notice after Ronny Rios contracted Covid19. The talented Akhmadaliev has raced through the division, and in just 9 fights has already picked up wins Danny Roman and Ryosuke Iwasa, to unify and defend his world titles, but did suffer from Covid earlier this year and it's always hard to predict how a fighter will look after testing positive for the virus. At his best he's probably the best fighter at 122lbs, which is a deep division with the likes of Stephon Fulton, Raeese Aleem and Brandon Figueroa also being in the mix for the #1 position. As for Velasquez he's a natural Bantamweight who's best win has come against Melvin Lopez. Despite an underwhelming record, Velasquez has turned his career around, and won his last 21 bouts. Sadly however they have come at a low level, and this is a major step up, as well as a bout he's taken on short noticed and moved up in weight for. An in depth preview of this bout can be read here Akhmadaliev returns for second world title defense! Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan In terms of action in Asia we get a small card in Tokyo, thanks to the Misako gym. It's not a major card, but it does have one bout of note on it. The one bout of note on this event will see former 2-time Japanese Super Flyweight champion Kenta Nakagawa (19-4-1, 12) take on rising prospect Ayato Hiromoto (4-0, 2). The 36 year old Nakagawa hasn't fought since suffering a brutal TKO loss at the hands of Ryoji Fukunaga back in December 2020. That was a loss that would have needed a lengthy rest period for Nakagawa, but at the age of 36 we're really not sure what he has left in the tank. Hiromoto on the other hand is a 24 year old, taking a big step up in class, but a youngster who will be fully aware that a win here puts him right in the mix for a title shot of his own. Of the two men Nakagawa has the edge in experience and power but Hiromoto hasn't taken much punishment, is younger, and the more polished of the two. Despite the show, overall, being bad, this is a fantastic match up and should be a very, very interesting one for the future of both men. Sadly a scheduled bout between Takuya Uehara (17-1, 10) and Ryukyu Oho (7-5, 4), which was planned for this show, was cancelled in the week leading up to the event. Bangkok, Thailand Over in Thailand we should be seeing the return of a familiar face, as Indonesian veteran Daud Yordan (40-4-0-1, 28) takes on Rachata Khaophimai (7-0, 4) for the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Light Welterweight title. The talented Yordan, who has faced a genuine who's who during his career, will be fighting for the first time since he beat Michael Mokoena, around 2 years ago, and will be looking to remain relevant in the sport. Sadly however Yordan is now 34, and is very much coming to the end of his career, we thought was clear 3 years ago when he looked old and slow against Anthony Crolla. Aged 18 Rachata is a new face on the Thai scene, though sadly his competition so far has been dire, and he's yet to beat a guy with a winning record. Given his competition so far, he's not just stepping up in class here, but leaping up, massively. We do feel Yordan's career is winding down, but a loss here for the Indonesian veteran would be a massive shocker a huge upset.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Monday we get live action from Boxing Raise who have their streaming service show cases the latest event from the criminally under-rated Kaoebi Promotions, who have consistently been turning out great events under their "Slugfest" banner in recent years. This show features a triple title main event, a mouth watering support bout, a potentially compelling Super Bantamweight and several notable prospects. The main event of the card is an excellent match up, which should end up being a very explosive encounter as Ryoji Fukunaga (12-4, 12) and Kenta Nakagawa (19-3-1, 12) clash at Super Flyweight. Coming into this Nakagawa is the JBC champion and Fukunaga is the WBO Asia Pacific champion, not only are their belts on the line, but so is the vacant OPBF title, meaning the winner is essentially the champion of Asia. Of the two Fukunaga is the certainly bigger puncher, and showed that last time out, when he beat Froilan Saludar, though it's fair to say that Nakagawa is the more proven fighter, has been in with tougher competition and is a 2-time Japanese champion. For us this is a true 50-50 type bout and the only thing we're confident about is the fact it won't go 12. We're anticipating a hard hitting, technical shoot out here. Our full preview of this bout can be read here Fukunaga and Nakagawa battle for the triple at Super Flyweight! In an amazing support bout former Japanese and WBO Asia Pacific Light Welterweight champion Hiroki Okada (19-2, 13) will be up against the very talented Izuki Tomioka (7-3-1, 2), who has given Masayoshi Nakatani and Shuichiro Yoshino two of their toughest bouts. On paper Okada is the naturally bigger, stronger and more powerful fighter but with back to back stoppages losses against his name we do wonder what he has left in the tank, he has, arguably, been left with a lot of questions to answer. Tomioka isn't a puncher, but he is a quick, rangy, talented fighter and we wouldn't be surprised at all if he frustrates Okada with his jab and ends up simply out working the older man. The first of two notable prospects on the under-card is the unbeaten Mikio Sakai (2-0), who takes on Toshihiro Kai (6-11-3, 2). The 27 year old Sakai is likely to be moved towards a Japanese title fight in the next year or two, but having been out of the ring since last December we can't begrudge him an easy one here. The 35 year old Kai is a veteran, but not a particularly sturdy one and he has been stopped in 4 of his last 6, and really never kicked off at reaching the 2014 All Japan Rookie of the Year. The focus here is on Sakai, and seeing him shake some ring rust and get the cogs whirring again before a bigger year in 2021. On paper a really even match up in the show is a contest between Matcha Nakagawa (13-2-1, 5) and Ryo Suwa (11-3, 2), with Nakagawa looking to defend his JBC and OPBF rankings against the skilled, but light punching, Suwa. The 26 year old Nakagawa has been a professional since 2013 and did promise a good deal early in his career, winning Rookie of the Year in 2015, but losses to Ryohei Takahashi and Kai Chiba in his last 6 has seen him need a solid win. Suwa is also a man in need for a big win after losing 3 of his last 7 and his last 2. We suspect Nakagawa will be the favourite here, but Suwa certainly has the ability to cause him fits with his style and boxing brain. The other notable prospect on this card is the OPBF and JBC ranked Masahiro Suzuki (4-0, 2), who takes on former OPBF title challenger Takahiro Oda (10-5, 8), who previously fought as Jumbo Oda Nobunaga Shoten Petagine. The talented Suzuki really impressed us on his debut, against Antonio Siemundo, though in fairness we've become less convinced by him since and this is a genuine step up in class for him following a 13 month break from the ring. Whilst Suzuki has been out of the ring for a while his inactivity pales in comparison to the inactivity of Oda, who was last seen in the ring in July 2017, when he lost to Ratchasi Sithsaithong in an OPBF title bout. Coming into this Oda has won just 2 bouts in 6 years and it's hard to imagine him winning here, but he certainly has the power to test Suzuki's chin. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
We return to Korakuen Hall this coming Wednesday for the next show in the Japanese capital and this is an interesting one, with a Japanese title fight, the notable debut of a very promising young fighter and female bout. In total the card only has 3 bouts so for this, as we did with the Ohashi card last week, we'll look at all the bouts on the show. The female bout, which we believe is the first Japanese female bout up on the countries boxing restart, will see 20 year old youngster Nanako Suzuki (3-2, 1) take on 36 year old Aoi Watanabe (2-2, 1). Coming into this it seems like both fighters do have limited potential, but may be able to make a mark on the domestic title scene and both are in the top 10 of the Japanese female Flyweight rankings. Of the two Suzuki is the one with the more upside, and despite losing last time out to Renz Dacquel she did some nice skills as she battled back from a knockdown. For Watanabe this will be her first bout in the capital and only the second she'll have faced someone not making their debut. The big debut is that of Rentaro Kimura (0-0), who has been tipped for huge things by those in the know in Japan. Kimura has spoke about getting a world title fight within 10 fights, is managed the Suruga Boys gym and trains at the Misako gym, alongside a number of Japanese champions and world champion Kenshiro Teraji. The expectation is on the 23 year old to shine as he takes on Yuya Azuma (5-3-1, 1), however Azuma is no push over and has won his last 3 in a row. In fact Azuma's last two losses have both meen razor close and had he had a bit of luck on his side he could easily have an 8-1 record. This might look like an easy debut for the very talented Kimura but in reality this should be regarded as a very serious debut for former amateur standout. In the main event we'll see a Champion Carnival bout as Japanese Super Flyweight champion Kenta Nakagawa (18-3-1, 12) defends his title against mandatory challenger Yuta Matsuo (15-4-2, 8). On paper this is likely to be a much, much better fight than the records of the two men suggest. Nakagawa is a very solid punching boxer-puncher, who has notable domestic wins against the likes of Hayato Kimura, Ryosuke Nasu and Takayuki Okumoto, but with his 35th birthday just a few weeks away we do wonder what he has left in the tank. He look great in December, beating Okumoto, but at his age a fighter can get old over-night. Matsuo on the other hand is a pressure fighter, with an exciting style and a point to prove following back to back set backs. Despite failing to win a bout last year Matsuo is hungry and could end up having the desire needed to over-come the champion. This is the sort of bout that the Champion Carnival gives us, and is one of the best match ups for the month of July. Our full preview of this bout can be read here Nakagawa takes on Matsuo in first defense!  Following a busy Saturday we get a pretty interesting Sunday, with 3 title fighters and a number of interesting match ups.
Osaka, Japan The most notable of the shows takes place in Osaka and will be promoted by Green Tsuda under their "Crash Boxing" banner. The main event of the card will be a Japanese Super Flyweight title bout, as Takayuki Okumoto (23-8-4, 11) defends his title against former champion Kenta Nakagawa (17-3-1, 12). For Okumoto this will be his 4th defense of the title, and sees him looking to build on recent wins over Yuta Matsuo and and Dynamic Kenji. For Nakagawa the bout gives him a chance to reclaim the title he lost in 2017 to Ryuichi Funai. Since losing the title Nakagawa has scored 4 wins, but all at a much lower level than this bout, and at 34 years old he really cannot afford another set back. Our in depth preview of this bout is available here Japanese champion Okumoto takes on former champion Nakagawa in up coming defense In the chief support bout we'll see bombs away as Yuki Beppu (20-1-1, 19) and former Japanese Welterweight champion Ryota Yada (19-5, 16) trade blows for the WBO Asia Pacific Welterweight title. Yada is less than 8 months removed from losing the Japanese title to Yuki Nagano, incidentally Nagano is the only man to beat Beppu, taking a decision over Beppu last year. Neither man is a world beater, but good fights don't need world beaters, they just need to be well matched and this one is! It's hard to imagine this one going the distance, but with both men being aggressive punchers it's very hard to predict who's going to end up victorious. Our preview of this bout can be read here The Kyushu Tyson takes on the Terminator of Naniwa for WBO Asia Pacific title! Originally the plan was for this card to be a triple title show, but Toshiki Shimomachi (10-1-2, 6) was unable to secure an opponent to defend his JBC Youth Super Bantamweight title against. Instead of defending his title the talented Japanese youngster will go up against Indonesian teenager Jufry Kakahure (5-2, 5). Whilst it's disappointing to see Shimomachi not defend his title against a decent domestic foe we're glad he's still on the show. In a really great fight we'll see Thai teenager Thanongsak Simsri (12-0, 11) take on world ranked Filipino Christian Bacolod (12-0, 9) in a truly fantastic match up. The Thai youngster is training alongside the Green Tsuda gym, and has been compared to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in the Thai press. That's huge praise in a way, but also massive amounts of pressure for a 19 year old who only debuted in the summer of 2018. This is a huge step up for him and we will see him answering questions, win or lose. Bacolod on the other hand has slowly been climbing towards a big fight. He enters with a WBO world ranking and has stopped 4 of his last in the first 2 rounds. Despite Bacolod being the more proven fighter he was dropped twice in a recent fight and that will be major encouragement for Simsri. Another interesting assignment for an unbeaten man will see Rei Nakajima (2-0) take on Thai veteran Patomsuk Pathompothong (39-11-1, 25), aka Komsan Polsan. This is a huge step up in class for Nakajima, but the Nobuhiro Ishida promoted professional novice is very highly regarded and it's clear that a win here will be a massive boost to hid fledgling career. Osaka, Japan Staying in Osaka there will be another title fight, as the unbeaten Musashi Mori (10-0, 6) defends his WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight title against once beaten puncher Takuya Mizuno (17-1-1, 14), in a mouth watering bout. Mori has impressed though much of his career, and working with Ismael Salas will help him tidy up his defensively flaws, flaws that had shown themselves in his most notable bouts. Although Mori is working on his defense it's clear Salas won't want him to be too negative, and against Mizuno negativity could be a problem. Mizuno is technically pretty poor, and he can be out boxed, but he bangs and Mori shouldn't let him build up any confidence. We suspect the gulf in skills should be the difference, but Mizuno can certainly turn the fight around. Our preview of this bout can be read here Fast rising Mori takes on hard hitting Mizuno in next title defense Sadly the rest of the card here is non-descript 4 rounders. Okinawa, Japan A third show will take place in Okinawa, where we see some pretty a couple of interesting, but lower level, bouts. The main event of this card will see a clash between Japan's Tatsuro Nakashima (10-1-1, 7) Filipino visitor and Ariston Aton (9-1, 5). Nakashima has bounced back well from a 2018 loss to Kai Ishizawa with 3 straight wins, and looks to be heading in the ring direction. Similarly Aton has bounced back from his sole loss, with 2 low key wins. This is a low key main event, but a very interesting one between two men looking to continue the rebuilding success. In a female bout we'll see Yuko Henzan (8-8-4, 2) clash with Gretel de Paz (5-5-2, 2). On paper this is a very competitive looking bout, and whilst the skill level will be low it should still make for an interesting 6 rounder. Also on this card is the return of Marcus Smith (6-1-1, 6), who hasn't fought since losing a Japanese title eliminator in October 2018 to Koki Inoue. Smith was supposed to fight earlier this year but missed weight, and was subsequently suspended. His return sees him being matched softly as he battles Indonesian journeyman Hendy Luis (10-17-3, 5). Although Smith is no world beater he is heavy handed and will be expected to beat Luis, though Luis is a durable foe and has only been stopped 3 times in his 30 fight career. This could be a very good chance to Smith to shake some ring rust. Qingdao, China Outside of Japan there will also be a small show in Qingdao, China. The quality of this show is lacking, however the card will feature an interesting main event between Youli Dong (14-2-1, 9) and Larry Siwu (28-12, 34). We suspect the local fighter will have the youth and skills to deal with Siwu, but the Indonesian visitor should be a good test for the 24 year old local.  Glasgow, UK
The big headline bout this coming weekend sees us focus on Glasgow, Scotland, as the WBSS moves towards the final bouts. The bout of interest for us is the highly anticipated WBSS Bantamweight semi-final bout between WBA "regular" champion Naoya Inoue (17-0, 15) and IBF champion Emmanuel Rodriguez (19-0, 12). The bout is a clash between unbeaten world class fighters, who are both looking to move one step closer to proving they are the best Bantamweight on the planet. For Inoue this will be his first bout in Europe, and he will be looking to become the first Japanese fighter to win a world title bout in the continent, whilst Rodriguez returns to the country that he won the IBF title in, when he beat Paul Butler. Coming in both are in great form, though it should be noted that Rodriguez went 24 rounds last year, Inoue has only gone 20 rounds combined in his last 6 fights. If Rodriguez can survive the early going Inoue's lack of activity could be a problem here, as could history. A full review of this bout can be read here Inoue and Rodriguez go one on one in semi final! Tokyo, Japan Before the action in the UK there will be some action in Asia, including a notable show at Korakuen Hall in Toyko. The main event of this show will see Japanese Super Bantamweight champion Ryoichi Tamura (12-3-1, 6) make his first defense, as he takes on former champion Yusaku Kuga (17-3-1, 11), in what will be a second bout between these two. Thee two men fought in 2017, with Kuga taking a narrow decision win over Tamura to retain the title, since then however Kuga has been stopped by Shingo Wake and Tamura has bounced back from losing to Kuga to win the title. Given their first bout was a brilliant and violent fight we're expecting something really special here. A full preview of this bout is available here Tamura and Kuga to meet again, potential war set? In a major supporting bout we'll see Tatsuya Yanagi (15-5-2, 6) and Koichi Aso (23-8-1, 15) clash at Lightweight, in a bout that should be very fan friendly. Coming in to this Yanagi is unbeaten in 5 bouts, including a draw in a Japanese title eliminator last year with Accel Sumiyoshi, but this is likely to be a really tough bout for him. Aso, a veteran and former Japanese Light Welterweight champion, will be dropping down in weight but always brings intense pressure and will be looking to break down Yanagi. This could be an all out war if Yanagi can't keep Aso at range. At Super Bantamweight we'll see ranked fighters clash, as Naoya Okamoto (13-7-1, 6) and Yosuke Fujihara (17-6, 4) face off in a bout that could well set up a future title fight with the winner of the main event. Okamoto narrowly missed out on a title fight, when he lost a technical decision in October in a Japanese title eliminator, and will be hungry here to shine. Fujihara on the other hand is someone who has challenged for a title before but has lost 3 of his last 4 and really needs a good performance here. Another bout featuring domestic ranked fighters will see Kenta Nakagawa (16-3-1, 11) take on Ryosuke Nasu (10-4-3, 2). Nakagawa is a former Japanese Super Flyweight champion, holding the title in 2016-2017, and has won 3 in a row since losing the belt to Ryuichi Funai. Nasu on the other hand is a former Japanese Youth Super Flyweight champion who will know that a win here will prove to be a huge step towards a potential senior title fight later in the year. Another name worthy of noting on this card is Kazuki Saito (6-1, 5), though our understanding is a planned bout has been cancelled and he will instead compete in a spar rather than an actual fight. Bang Phun, Thailand At the Workpoint Studio we'll former world title challenger Nawaphon Por Chokchai (44-1-1, 34) take on former champion Sonny Boy Jaro (45-14-5, 32), in what looks almost certain to be a fun fight. Nawaphon, at 27, is the much younger man and needs a big win, and a win over Jaro would be among his very best. Jaro, who is known in Thailand due to his shock win over Pongsaklek Wonjongkam back in 2012. At the age of 37 it's hard to know what Jaro really has left, though he was stopped in 2017 by Jonas Sultan, a none puncher, and surely has to be coming very close to the end of his career. Ekaterinburg, Russia In Russia we'll see a couple of hard hitting Uzbek fighters in action. One of those fighters is Ravshanbek Umurzakov (7-0, 7), who takes on Anthony Moloisane (11-3-1, 7) in a bout scheduled for 10 rounds. The talented Umurzakov has shown a lot of promise but isn't being moved up through the levels yet, sadly, and that shows again here, with South African fighter Moloisane, who isn't bad, but also isn't a clear step up for the Uzbek who should be taking on much better opponents now. A second Uzbek on this show will see Elnur Abduraimov (4-0, 4) in action, as he hunts his 5th straight stoppage. He's stepped up in his last two bouts, but it's clear he needs a real test in the near future, so fingers crossed that happens sooner rather than later. He's too good to be wasting his time against limited opposition and would be served much better by take on someone to extend him some rounds and help prepare him for bigger and better bouts. At the time of writing the opponent for this bout hasn't been named, suggesting a limited and late notice opponent for the Uzbek. Also on this card is unbeaten Kazakh youngster Stanislav Kalitskiy (7-0, 3), who will be stepping into his first 8 round bout. Sadly there is not currently an opponent confirmed for Kalitskiy, and as with Abduraimov it seems like he will be matched softly with a late notice foe. Taipei, Taiwan Another Asian card will take place in Taiwan, though this is a very low level card, headlined by an 8 round bout between Chia Ching Hung (4-1-1, 4) and Anurak Madua (6-3, 4). Hung is a local to Taiwan, but hasn't fought in over a year, and is 1-1-1 in his last 3. Madua on the other hand was stopped in 77 seconds last time out, when he fought in Osaka against Kyosuke Tsutsumimoto. The rest of this card is mostly novices bouts with debutants.  Tokyo, Japan
In Tokyo this coming Wednesday Japanese fight fans get the chance to see two former national champions in action, bot of whom will be expected to pick up straight forward wins after recent defeats. One of those former champions is the exciting, and teak tough, Suguru Muranaka (25-3-1, 8), who returns to the ring for the first time since his loss to WBA Super Flyweight champion Kal Yafai. The former Japanese Super Flyweight champion gained some genuine respect with his performance against Yafai, in what was Muranaka's first bout outside of the Korakuen Hall, and will be expected to pick up an easy win as he takes on domestic foe Ken Achiwa (11-12-5, 4). Interestingly however this may not be as easy as it looks and it will be a second meeting between the two, with Muranaka having taken a close decision over Achiwa in their first bout back in 2013. The other former champion is Kenta Nakagawa (14-3-1, 10), who lost the Japanese Super Flyweight title earlier this year to Ryuichi Funai. This will be Nakagawa's second bout since that loss and we'll see him up against Indonesian journeyman Ical Tobida (13-23-1, 8). The talented Nakagawa was simply not good enough to defeat Funai, but should be far, far to good for Tobida, who has been stopped 13 times already and will likely not hear the final bell here. Catanduanes, Philippines In the Philippines fight fans get a small Elorde promoted card. The show generally doesn't have much to get excited about, but we do have to admit that we do like the look of one of the men in the main event and one of the supporting bouts. The main event will see the very talented, and heavy handed, Giovanni Escaner (15-3, 10) take on Japan's Kyota Otsuka (6-2-2, 4). Of the two men it's Escaner who has been the more impressive and he has had 4 straight wins coming in to this, including stoppages over over Japanese veterans Junichi Ebisuoka and the then touted Naoto Uebayashi. Although Escaner has been beaten 3 times they have all come to decent fighters, such as Marco Demecillo, Oleydong Sithsamerchai and Jason Canoy. Otsuka has won just 1 of his last 5 and is likely to come up short again here, but won't be looking to roll over and could give Escaner a really good test. The supporting bout of interest will see 21 year old Robin Langres (7-2, 3) take on 19 year old Jerry Mae Villagracia (6-2, 2) in what looks like a bit og a 50-50 match up. Both men come in to this on the back a 2 losses in their last 4 and both were beaten last time out. Both of these fighters are limited, but this should be competitive as a result of their limitations and we wouldn't be surprised by a very fun low key bout.  Tokyo, Japan
This coming Thursday sees action return to the Korakuen Hall after a short break away from the Japanese holy land of boxing. The card isn't the biggest, or the best, but it does feature a number of notable fighters. One of those notable names will be former Japanese Super Flyweight champion Kenta Nakagawa (13-3-1, 9), who returns to action for the first time since losing the title to Ryuichi Funai earlier this year. The former champion is being matched rather softly here as he takes on Petchkaorat Kaolamlekgym (0-2), who has been stropped in both of his previous visitors to Japan. Although Nakagawa was stopped last time out it would be a massive surprise to to see anything but a stoppage for the Japanese local. In the chief support bout we'll see veteran Takashi Inagaki (19-15-2, 9) take on Japanese ranked Yuya Okazaki (12-10-2, 4). Coming in to the bout Inagaki has has mixed success, including a draw with Daisuke Sakamoto, but it's hard to imagine him having much luck against Okazaki, who is a level below the best Japanese fighters at 140, but should be well above the likes of Inagaki. |
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