 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Friday we get the next show in the long running Dangan series, with this show featuring two female Japanese title fights along with a potentially very fun supporting bout. The main event will see Japanese female Minimumweight champion Nanae Yamaka (7-1, 2) defending her belt for the second time, as she takes on Mika Yagio (5-3-1, 2). The 33 year old champion has reeled off 3 straight wins since losing in 2021 to the then debuting Mizuki Hiruta, who has since gone on to win and defend a world title at Super Flyweight, with all 3 wins coming against unbeaten fighters. Although her competition hasn't been the best, she does have wins against the likes of Hoju Maeda and Yuki Fuke, who have come to win. Aged 29 Yagio hasn't had the best of look, but did begin her career at Super Bantamweight, and even fought at Featherweight, before moving down the weights and settling in at 112lb, where she is 4-1 with her only loss being a razor thin one to Yuki Fuke. Yamaka will clearly be favourited, but Yagio is very much a live under-dog. The other title bout will see Yoshie Wakasa (8-4, 2) meet familiar foe Kimika Miyoshi (17-15-2, 6) in the 4th bout between the two, with Wakasa looking to defend the Japanese Female Featherweight title, and make her first defense of her second reign. Notably when these two have fought before there’s been almost nothing to split them, with Wakasa winning the first of 3 bouts and Miyoshi winning the second and third. In all 3 bouts a single round swing on 2 of the cards would have resulted in a draw. The 36 year old Wakasa has lost 2 of her last 6, but her two wins did see her winning the title, both times. As for Miyoshi, who is now 40, she's without a win in over 2 years and has gone 2-3-1 since 2020. She was, at her best, a solid regional level fighter, but now father time is starting to get to her, and it seems like she might be coming to the end of her long, 16 year, career. The most notable men’s bout on this card will see Hiromu Murota (7-7-3, 5) take on veteran Takuya Watanabe (40-13-2, 22). The 28 year old Murota is having one of his most notable bouts to date, and he comes into this completely out of form with just one win in his last 6, that being an upset against Masamichi Funahashi. Whilst he has faced notable names before including Seiichi Okada and Keisuke Matsomoto, they are usually winding down, in the case of Okada, their career or very early on, such as Matsumoto who was having his third professional bout. As for Watanabe he is a veteran, but is still, somehow, only 35 despite having 55 bouts to his name. His record shows 13 losses, but he's not your typical double digit loss fighter, and instead he's been in the mix at regional and domestic level as a perennial contender for a decade. He is coming to the end of his career, but showed recently that there’s still life left in him, going 10 rounds with Mickey Roman in March, in a bit of a forgotten classic. Watanabe is rarely in a dull fight, and we’re not expecting a bad one here, with both likely to put on a show for the fans in attendance.
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 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Monday isn’t a hugely busy day in boxing, but there is some action to look forward to coming from Korakuen Hall, with a 6 fight show from Kawasaki Nitta gym. The real bout of note to look out for on this card is an 8n round Bantamweight bout, which will pit the touted unbeaten Japanese fighter Reo Nishioka (2-0, 1) against unbeaten Thai visitor Weerawat Noolae (3-0, 2). As an amateur Nishioka went 53-15 and is regarded as the best prospect at the Nitta Kawasaki Gym, and he's expected to be moved very rapidly through the ranks, after having a few bouts to adjust to the professional ranks. A win here would likely be his last against novice imports, with his team likely to be matching him against much more solid imported fighters, or even domestic foes. As for Noolae the 21 year old Thai debuted in December, and has yet to face a fighter with a professional win. He has got an 8 rounder under his belt, having gone 8 with As an amateur Nishioka went 53-15 and is regarded as the best prospect at the Nitta Kawasaki Gym, and he's expected to be moved in January, but this is a massive step up for him and his first bout outside of Thailand. We get the only title fight of the show in the main support bout, as veteran Kimika Miyoshi (17-14-2, 6) defends the Japanese female Featherweight title against Akane Fujiwara (5-3-1, 2) in the second bout between the women. Back in June 2022 these two fought to a draw, with Miyohsi retaining her title. Since then she has gone 1-1, and at 40 years old is certainly winding down her career. As for Fujiwara, who herself is 36, she has lost both of her fights since the draw with Miyoshi, with both of those coming in regional title fights at 122lbs, but will know this is likely to be her last chance to pick up some silverware, with time ticking down on her professional career. A rather notable under-card bout will see Yui Oikawa (7-6, 4) and a lengthy break from the sport, as he takes on Atsuyuki Sato (7-5-2, 4). Oikawa was once seen as something of a potential domestic contender in Japan, but in 2019 he essentially hung them up, following 3 straight losses in, and it seemed like his career was over. It now appears he is going to give it one last shot, and has been matched in a 6 rounder here, his first 6 rounder in more than 6 years.As for Sato he has lost his last 2 inside the distance, and is almost 2 years removed from his last win, which came against the very limited Tomohiro Tsunoda. A fourth bout of some interest on this show will see veteran Ken Achiwa (12-16-6, 4), as he takes on Yoshikoi Shiina (5-4), in what will be Achichiwa's first bout since June 2021, when he lost a decision to Tsubasa Murachi, and he will be looking for his first win since June 2019. In fact that 2019 win for Achiwa is the only win in the last8 bouts for Achiwa who is 1-5-2 dating back to November 2016. As for Shiina he has had very mixed results recently, going 2-2 in his last 4, and has been fighting at a very, very low level. We do wonder if this bout has been set up to allow Achiwa an easy win, and to end his career with a victory, before bowing out of the sport at the the age of 37. For those wanting to watch this card, it will be available on tape at the following link: https://easy-ticket.live/watch.php?id=1698830911  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
At Korakuen Hall this coming Tuesday we get a small, yet notable, card thanks to Kawasaki Nitta Gym. The main event of the bout will be the rubber bout between Kimika Miyoshi (16-13-2, 6) and Yoshie Wakasa (7-3, 2), who are fighting for the Japanese Featherweight title. In their first bout Miyoshi lost the belt to Wakasa, in 2020, but reclaimed the belt with a win in their rematch earlier this year. Coming into this third bout between the two women it seems clear that neither are going to be winning world titles, but against each other they have proven to be well matched, and it's always better to see competitive bouts that seeing total mismatches. Notably Miyoshi is 38 and her career will be coming to an end, but she might still have enough in the tank here to retain her title and win the series with the 4 year old Wakasa. Our preview of this bout can be read here Miyoshi Vs Wakasa III - The Rubber Match In a supporting bout we'll see Shunsuke Isa (9-5-1, 1) risk his regional WBO ranking as he takes on Naoki Morooka (6-6, 3). The 24 year old Isa is a former Japanese Youth champion and is certainly no push over, though he was surprisingly taken out inside a minute last time out by Yuni Takada, in what was the third bout between the two, and it'll be interesting to see how he looks following that loss. As for Marooka his record looks poor, but the 29 year old has been matched pretty hard, with 2 losses to Tsubasa Koura, but he has won his last 2 and does have momentum coming in to this bout. In a notable under-card fight we'll see two notable former amateurs face off as Junki Shirasaki (1-1) tries to bounce back from a loss, in June, to Yudai Murakami. As an amateur Shirasaki went 33-25 (3) and was notable on the domestic scene, and will feel he can get back to winning ways here. In the opposite corner to Shirasaki will be the debuting Gaito Sakakino (0-0), who went 21-13 in the unpaid ranks, and is tipped highly to be another stand out from the Kadoebi Gym. The 23 year old has real talent, but is being thrown in tough here on debut.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Thursday attention returns to Korakuen Hall for a small, yet relatively notable, card with a Japanese female title bout and a bout between touted novices, each looking to move their respective careers forward. The title fight will see Japanese Female Featherweight champion Kimika Miyoshi (16-13-1, 6) defending her title against the once beaten Akane Fujiwara (5-1, 2). Aged 38 Miyoshi has certainly a long career, with 30 bouts over her 14 year career. Sadly though she has very much been inconsistent with wins and losses scattered fairly evenly through her career. Coming in to this bout she's enjoying her second reign as the champion and will be looking to make her first defense since reclaiming the title this past February. As for Fujiwara she's rebuilt well after a loss on her debut, and comes into the bout on the back of 5 straight wins, though they have all come against novices and it's hard to read too much into her results so far. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Japanese champion Miyoshi takes on Fujiwara! In a really interesting support bout Junki Shirasaki (1-0) will take on Yudai Murakami (1-1). As an amateur Shirasaki came 5th in the national championships and turned professional with a lot of expectations on his shoulders, though had sadly has his career curtailed by the pandemic and he has been out of the ring since his debut in November 2020. There is real skill her, but a lot of lost time and the 29 year old now needs to make a move and get his career under way, properly. As for Murakami he looked good in his debut, and moved into 6 rounders last time, but was surprisingly stopped by Yudai Yakabu last December. We expect a high level of skill on show here, with both being well schooled amateurs before turning professional, and although not likely to be a war it should be a very interesting match up.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Monday Korakuen Hall will be hosting a notable card in honour of former world champion Keitaro Hoshino, who sadly passed away last year. The card will feature a pair of rematched and will be headlined by a Japanese Women's title fight. In the main event of the show we'll see Japanese female Featherweight champion Yoshie Wakasa (7-2, 2) defending her title for the first time, as she takes on Kimika Miyoshi (15-13-1, 6), the woman she beat for the title in November 2020. Sadly since their first bout the two women have both been inactive, and sadly this does somewhat kill the the drama and expectation in this bout. Aged 38 it's hard to imagine Miyoshi putting in a better performance than she did in 2020, Wakasa on the other hand won't have faded quite as much, and should be strongly fancied to have a repeat win over her veteran foe. Hopefully, win or lose, this will be the end for Miyoshi who's had a very solid career and has been a true stalwart for Japanese female boxing. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Wakasa and Miyoshi face off again! Another rematch on this card will see 28 year old Miyuki Katsuya (1-2-1) take on 39 year old Riyako Goshi (3-7). These two clashed in July 2021, with Katsuya taking a decision win over Goshi to claim her first career victory, with Goshi entering the bout after almost 3 years of inactivity. This time Goshi will be after revenge, and will be looking to end a 5 fight losing streak, that dates back to 2014. The "Gravure boxer" was a once popular fighter but inactivity and losses have left her a bit of a novelty act. Katsuya on the other hand looks to be an improving fighter and will be looking to build on her first win over Goshi. Another under-card bout will pit two unbeaten women against each other as Sari Ito (1-0, 1) takes on Japanese based Italian Federica Boni (0-0-1), in a bout between novices. Ito made her debut last September, taking just 40 seconds to stop Nana Yamashita and she'll be looking to replicate that performance here. Boni on the other hand fought to a draw with Asako Sugawara back in June and will be looking to put on a better performance here. This is unlikely to be a show stealer but is still an interesting one deep down on this show.  This coming Friday is a really disappointing day in many ways as it's the first time this year, and the first time in a very long time, where we've been able to say there's a PPV in Japan. Thankfully however we suspect the promoter knows there won't be much demand for and that the numbers will be embarrassing. With that in mind lets look at the action.
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan So the PPV comes from Korakuen Hall where Kawasaki Nitta put on a show featuring 5 bouts, headlined by a Japanese female title fight, with one of the other bouts of note being the debut of a promising former amateur. The main event of this card will see Kimika Miyoshi (15-12-1, 6) battle against Yoshie Wakasa (6-2, 2), with Miyoshi looking to defend the JBC female Featherweight title for the second time. The 36 year old veteran has been a servant of Japanese female boxing and it's nice to see her having a run at the top of the domestic scene, but with the rise of global female boxing it's hard to see her getting another world title fight, win or lose here. As for Wakasa she began her career 6-0 and has struggled when she's fought at title level. This will be the challenger's third title fight, and we suspect it will also be her third loss at title level. Regardless we do expect this to be a pretty fun bout for those in the venue. Our in depth preview of this fight is available here Japanese champion Miyoshi clashes with Wakasa In a supporting bout we'll see Mao Kawanishi (6-4, 2) clash with Katsunori Imai (6-12-3, 1) in an 8 rounder. Coming in to this Kawanishi will be the favourite, though he is 3-3 in his last 6 and has struggled for form in recent years. As for Imai he is 1-7-2 in his last 10 and it's hard to imagine him picking up a victory here. Despite that he is better than his record suggests and we do expect him to at least give Kawanishi something to think about. Arguably the most interesting bout on this show will be the debut of Junki Shirasaki (0-0), who kicks his career off with a 6 rounder against Yuma Omine (0-2). As an amateur Shirasaki went 33-25 (3) and came 5th in a national Athletic meet, suggesting there is talent there, but probably not enough to make a mark above domestic level. Interestingly Omine was a pretty decent amateur domestically himself, going 32-16, and may well see this as his chance to pick up his first victory. One of those rare cases of paying much attention to the records, and just enjoying what should a very solid and competitive bout. BT Sport Studio, Stratford, London, United Kingdom Over in the UK British based Afghan born fighter Quaise Khademi (8-0, 2) will be looking to extend his perfect record as he takes on Ijaz Ahmed (7-2). The unbeaten Khademi will not just be looking to keep his perfect start going but will also be hoping to record his first defense of the WBO European Super Flyweight title and claim an IBF European title. Despite being unbeaten he is somewhat untested and, on paper, this looks like one of his toughest bouts to date. Ahmed on the other hand is a former British Midlands champion who gave the touted Harvey Horn all he could handle last year. This could end up being a genuine banana skin for Khademi if he's not careful.  This coming Saturday is a hectic day for Asian fight fans with a lot of action all crammed into a single day, and taking place all over the place. It might not be Christmas yet, but this weekend is set to feature a lot of gifts for us fight fans.
Puebla, Mexico On paper the most significant bout of the weekend, at least in terms of Asian boxing, will see IBF Super Flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas (31-1-2, 21) take on Chilean challenger Miguel Gonzalez (31-2, 8), in Mexico. This bout has been arranged in a haste after a previously scheduled bout for Ancajas fell though, and although it looks good on paper we don't see this being anything other than a straight forward win for Ancajas. The Filipino has been frustrating at times, but he is a world class fighter and Gonzalez on the other hand has been easily beaten by the two world level guys he's faced. We're expecting a stoppage from Ancajas here, even if Gonzalez does end up being an awkward assignment. A full preview of this can be read here IBF king Ancajas faces Chilean challenger New York, USA Another bout with meaning at world level will see former WBO Bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales (33-2, 16) take on former IBF Super Bantamweight champion Ryosuke Iwasa (26-3, 16) in a bout for the IBF "interim" Super Bantamweight title. The interim title has been created due to injuries suffered by Danny Roman, and despite interim titles not being great for boxing this bout is a brilliant one, and we're looking forward to this. Both fighters are world class, both can bang and they should be well matched, with styles that we're expecting will gel well. This should be very exciting, and we'd be shocked if we get through 12 rounds here. Tokyo, Japan In Japan we have a lot of action, with the most notable of the Japanese action coming from Tokyo, where we'll get a title double header, featuring two Super Featherweight title bouts. For fans wanting to watch this the show will be broadcast live on G+. The most notable of the title fights will see WBO Asia Pacific Super Featherweight champion Joe Noynay (18-2-1, 7) defending his title against Kenichi Ogawa (24-1, 18). This year has been a huge one for Noynay, who has already travelled to Japan and stopped Kosuke Saka and Satoshi Shimizu, and a win here against Ogawa will put him well and truly in the world title mix. For Ogawa a win here would put him on the verge of a second world title fight. We expect bombs to be thrown, we wouldn't be surprised if both men were badly hurt at some point, and this is an ideal headliner for a televised card. Our preview of this fantastic match up can be read here Noynay looks to extend "Japanese Killer" run as he takes on Ogawa The other title bout on this show will see Japanese Super Featherweight champion Masaru Sueyoshi (19-1-1, 11) defending his title against former Japanese Featherweight champion Kosuke Saka (19-5, 16). For Sueyoshi this bout will be his 5th defense, and if he wins we wouldn't be massively surprised to see him vacating the title in the new year to pursue regional, if not world, honours. For Saka this is a chance to put a very mixed 24 months, in which he has gone 3-2 (2), behind him and would end the year on the high following a loss to Noynay back in April. Saka has the power to hurt Sueyoshi, but Sueyoshi has the skills to outfox and out think Saka, in what is a compelling match up. Our preview of this bout can be read here Sueyoshi takes on Saka in next Japanese title defense Also on this card will be Teiken trio Hikari Mineta (7-1, 4), Daiki Funayama (10-3-1, 3) and Koki Mioya (6-1-2, 1) who will all be taking on limited Thai opposition in what look like stay busy fights to close out the year. Kanagawa, Japan A second Japanese show takes place in Kanagawa, and although much lower profile it features another title bout. That title bout will see Japanese female Featherweight champion Kimika Miyoshi (14-12-1, 5) defending her belt against unbeaten novice Aira Midorikawa (5-0, 1), in what will be Mioyoshi's first defense of her second reign. Miyoshi claimed the belt in September, when she took a split decision win over Miki Mitsuda, ending a 4 fight losing in a bit of an upset. Although Mitsuda was no world beater we hadn't seen Miyoshi win a fight in over 3 years! Midorikawa is taking a huge step up, and although she's unbeaten she is very untested ahead of this bout, her first title bout. It'll be a huge ask for Midorikawa, but Miyoshi is certainly not unbeatable. An in depth of preview of this bout can be read here Veteran Miyoshi takes on Midorikawa in Featherweight title bout Despite the title bout on this show the main event is technically a rematch between Yui Oikawa (7-5, 4) and Seiryu Toshikawa (11-5, 7). Coming in Oikawa has been stopped in his last 2, and desperately needs a win. He'll be driven on not only by the need of a win, but by a chance of getting to avenge a 2016 loss to Toshikawa, who beat him with a 4 round split decision. On paper Toshikawa might not look great but he's much better than his record suggests and he'll be looking to score his second win since suffering a razor thin loss in a Japanese Youth title fight to Shawn Oda in 2018. Hyogo, Japan A third Japanese show takes place in Hyogo, where fans get a card with several noteworthy names on it. In the main event we'll see Japanese and OPBF ranked Minimumweight Ryoki Hirai (12-6-1, 4) take on the limited Hirohisa Ichikawa (7-7-2, 2). We've long seen Hirai as a fighter with a lot of potential, but someone who has faltered in many of his toughest bouts. Here we expect him to shine, as he looks to build to a title fight of some kind in 2020. With just 1 win in the last 4 years it's hard to imagine Ichikawa giving Hirai much of a test, but he could give Hirai some rounds. World ranked fighter Kazuhiro Nishitani (20-4-1, 12) looks to continue his slow build towards a meaningful fight as he takes on Filipino veteran Monico Laurente (30-15, 7). The 32 year old Nishitani has won his last 5 by stoppage, including a notable upset win against Shuhei Tsuchiya for the Japanese Lightweight title in 2017. Sadly he has failed to make anything of his career after that win and vacated the title rather than defend it, which has done his career no favours as he continues to meander in the middle of cards in meaningless bouts like this one. Laurente isn't an awful opponent, but is certainly not a step forward for Nishitani who really has lost all the momentum of his win over Laurente. Another bout of some note on this card will see Hiroki Tokuyama (9-1-1, 2) take on Chikato Sumida (8-3, 1). This will see Tokuyama defending his JBC and OPBF rankings and score a 5th straight win. Sumida isn't terrible, but we don't see him posing much of a test for Tokuyama here. Quebec, Canada Yet another show with an Asian fighter in action is being held in Quebec, where fast rising Kazakh prospect Sadriddin Akhmedov (10-0, 9) takes on rugged Argentinian Jose Antonio Villalobos (12-5-2, 7). Akhmedov missed quite a bit of this year, whilst he recovered from injury and got married, but has still been busier than most and has began answering more and more questions, proving his stamina, his ability to box and move and that he can box on the back foot. There are still areas for him to work on, but for a 21 year old kid his incredibly impressive and a win here is seen as a formality before a potentially huge 2020. Villalobos will be there to try and ask questions of Akhmedov but we really don't see this as anything but an easy win for the talented Kazakh. Diriyah, Saudi Arabia On a show that features more morally objectionable content that we can remember for a boxing card, including 4 fighters who have failed drug tests and the show taking place in a country with a terrible history human rights, we'll see Azeri fighter Mahammadrasul Majidov (1-0, 1) take on Tom Little (10-7, 3).  Osaka, Japan
On paper the most notable Asian show this coming Monday takes place in Osaka, where we get a pair of female Featherweight title bouts. Sadly though neither bout really screams that it deserves masses of attention, despite both featuring a world title challenger. On paper the more significant of the two bouts will see OPBF female Featherweight champion Wakako Fujiwara (8-3-2, 3) defending her title against Yoshie Wakasa (6-1, 2), in what looks like a pretty decent match up on paper. Fujiwara won the belt last year and defended it once before challenging WBA female Super Featherweight champion Hyun Mi Choi earlier this year, and lost a clear decision to the Korean. Fujiwara is a decent fighter, and a solid OPBF level competitor, but at 38 we do need to wonder what she has left in the tank. At 31 Wakasa is the much younger challenger, but is also the naturally smaller fighter, and her last bout was a loss in a Japanese female Bantamweight title fight, so we need to wonder how she operates 8lbs heavier than she's been fighting at recently. Our preview of this bout can be read here Fujiwara to defend OPBF title against once beaten Wakasa The other title bout is much less interesting, as the limited but solid punching Miki Mitsuda (5-5, 4) takes on veteran Kimika Miyoshi (13-12-1, 5) for the Japanese female Featherweight title. Of the two it's Miyoshi who is the more well known, a 3-weight OPBF champion and a former world title challenger, but she has lost her last 4 and is more than 3 years removed from a win. Mitsuda on the other hand is the defending champion, having won the belt last time out, and she's turned her career right around with a 4-1 (3) record in her last 5 bouts. This is very much momentum Vs experience, and should be entertaining, but shows the clear lack of depth in some divisions of female boxing, still. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Mitsuda takes on experienced veteran Miyoshi for vacant title! Fukuoka, Japan A second Japanese show will be held in Fukuoka and see several notable hopefuls in action as they look to move towards bigger and better fights. One of the notable hopefuls is Welterweight puncher Yuki Beppu (19-1-1, 18), who has had a frustrating 12 months thanks to a loss last October to Yuki Nagno and scored his first decision win this past April. The big punching Beppu is expected to score his 10th win, and his 19 stoppage, as he takes on under-sized Indonesian visitor Roy Mukhlis (31-10-4, 23). At his best Mukhlis was a world title challenger, at Super Featherweight, but that was almost a decade ago, and even that he was blasted out by Takashi Uchiyama. This should be nothing more than a showcase win for Beppu. Another fighter expecting to win a show case against an Indonesian foe is Takumi Sakae (21-3-1, 15), who takes on the very limited Stevanus Nana Bau (9-11-2, 2). Sakae was once tipped for big things, in the world rankings and a Rookie of the Year winner. In recent years his career has faltered, but he is a skilled fighter with an aggressive mentality and he should go through Bau with ease. The visitor has been stopped in 3 of his last 4, and 8 of his 11 career losses, and we can't see anything but another stoppage loss here for the visitor. A third bout of note on this show will see the unbeaten Kazuki Kyohara (4-0-1, 3) step up for his first 6 rounder. The unbeaten youngster will be up against the much more experienced Toshihiro Kai (6-11-2, 2) who has been stopped in 4 of his last 5. On paper this is a step up for Kiyohara, but it should be a very manageable step up up for the youngster.  California, USA
The biggest bout for us this Saturday is from the US as Filipino maestro Mark Anthony Barriga (9-0, 1) takes on fellow unbeaten Carlos Licona (13-0, 2) in a bout for the vacant IBF Minimumweight. The bout, on the same as Deontay Wilder's contest against Tyson Fury, will be for the title Hiroto Kyoguchi gave up, as he moved up to Light Flyweight, and promises to Barriga a notable platform to showcase his skills, which have been compared to those of Floyd Mayweather Jr, Licona is a bit of a mystery to some, but should prove a good opponent for Barriga. Sadly with neither being much of a puncher this has the potential to be a less than thrilling fight to watch, but in terms of skills on show, both are very talented, and this really could be a special one for purists. A preview of this world title fight can be read here Barriga looks to announce himself on world stage, faces Licona for IBF title Tokyo, Japan As well as the bout in the US there is also a lot of action in Japan, with 7 title bouts spread across 3 different shows. The main event of this card will see Japanese Light Welterweight champion Valentine Hosokawa (23-6-3, 10) make his second defense, as he goes up against fellow veteran Takashi Inagaki (20-17-2, 9). The all action Hosokawa won the title late last year and made his first defense in the Champion Carnival earlier this year, stopping Vladimir Baez in May. At the age of 37 Hosokawa is likely fighting father time, but has looked very impressive recently, and a win here will set up a defense against Koki Inoue. Inagaki, fighting in his 40th professional bout, will be getting a third title shot, but will be the clear under-dog against Hosokawa. We expect this will be fun, but it's hard to see Inagaki over-coming the high octane champion. A preview of this Japanese title fight can be read here Hosokawa takes on Inagaki on December 1st! A potentially exciting supporting bout will see ranked Light Welterweights facing off. In one corner will be Hosokawa's stablemate Yusuke Konno (13-4, 7), the #2 ranked Japanese contender, whilst the other cone will play host to recent Japanese title challenger Vladimir Baez (24-4-2, 22), the same man who was stopped by Hosokawa. Konno will know that he could get a title fight next year, but needs to over-come Baez. Baez on the other hand is ranked by the OPBF and the WBO Asia Pacific as well as the JBC. The winner here will go into the new year with their eyes on title glory, but the loser will have some serious rebuilding to do. Another supporting nout will see former IBF Super Bantamweight champion Yukinori Oguni (19-2-1, 7) return to the ring for the first since losing the world title to Ryosuke Iwasa In September 2017. The talented Oguni will be easing himself back into action here as he takes on Indonesian journeyman Arega Yunian (6-11, 1) in what should be little more than a tune up for bigger and better things in 2019. Osaka, Japan As well as the action in Tokyo there is a busy day in Osaka, with a couple of shows there, featuring a combined 6 title bouts! One of those shows is a female card with 4 title bouts on it. The most significant of the title contests on the female show will see Kayoko Ebata (12-7, 6) defending her WBO female Minimumweight title against former WBA and IBF champion Etsuko Tada (17-3-2, 5), in what looks like a brilliant must win bout between two veterans. This will be Ebata's second defense of the title she won in May 2017, when she finally won a world title in her fifth shot. Sadly for Ebata she is now 42 and her desire to have a long reign, after all the time she spent chasing a belt, does seem unlikely. At 37 Tada is no spring chicken, but the former 2-time champion does have the edge in youth, experience and winning mentality. We're expecting both to show their age, but that will likely lead to more exchanges and more intense action, which we won't complain about. This world title bout was previewed here Ebata looks to defend WBO crown against Tada In the chief support bout fans will see former amateur standout Kasumi Saeki (2-0, 1) fight in her first title bout, as she takes on Thai visitor Wassana Kamdee (3-4, 2) in a bout for the WBO Asia Pacific female Minimumweight title. Saeki is seen as one of the top Japanese female prospects and will be expected to do a number the Thai, who has been stopped in all 4 defeats, though her performance may decide whether her team fasts tracks her to a world title fight in early 2019 or not. In an OPBF female Featherweight title bout we'll see Wakako Fujiwara (6-2-2, 2) take on the woman she took the title from, Kimika Miyoshi (13-11-1, 5). Fujiwara's win over Miyoshi for the belt, back in July, saw her extend her unbeaten run to 6 fights, and add the Oriental title to her reign as the Japanese national champion. Sadly for Miyoshi the loss to Fujiwara is her third in a row, and she's now without a win since June 2016. Fujiwara's first win over Miyoshi was an upset, but we suspect this will be a repeat, given the form of both fighters coming into the fight. The remaining title bout is another OPBF title bout, which will see novice professional Eri Matsuda (1-0) look to set a Japanese record by claiming an OPBF title in just her 2nd professional bout. The talented Matsuda will be up against Minayo Kei (6-3, 1) in a bout for the vacant OPBF female Atomweight title, and if Matsuda wins there's a chance she could set a Japanese record for fewest fights taken to win a world title. Matsuda was a good amateur and it's clear that she believes she can be a very good professional, but this is a genuine test. Osaka, Japan The second show in Osaka will also be a Shinsei promoted card from the EDION Arena Osaka, this time however the fous will be men, with two WBO Asia Pacific male title bouts on the show. One of those bouts will see WBO Asia Pacific Light Flyweight champion Reiya Konishi (16-1, 6) defending his title against Filipino challenger Richard Rosales (13-7-2, 7). For Konishi this will be his first defense, following a victory over Orlie Silvestre for the belt earlier in the year, and he's said to be expecting a world title fight next year, if he wins here. Rosales will play the part of a game challenger, be we suspect he will be ground down by Konishi, and his high intensity work rate and body shots. Despite strongly favouring the champion to retain we do expect this to be a very fan friendly bout. We've previewed this bout here Konishi looks to end year with defense against Rosales The other title bout will see Masao Nakamura (24-3, 23) and Carlo Magali (23-10-3, 12) battle for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Super Featherweight. Both of these men have held the OPBF version of this title, and both are talented fighters in their own right. Of the two Nakamura is the more pure fighter, and he's a damned good boxer-puncher, but also the more vulnerable. The much shorter Magali is the more defensively sound and has regularly found ways to get inside bigger fighters and breaking them down. This has the potential to be a genuine thriller, with both men capable of hurting the other. A full preview of this bout can be read here Nakamura and Magali to battle for regional crown! Originally the card was also announced as having former WBA Super Bantamweight champion Shun Kubo (13-1, 9) facing off with Indonesian veteran Noldi Manakane (33-25-2, 18), but this bout was cancelled back in November due to an injury suffered by Kubo. As a result Manakane will face off with 19 year old prospect Ryo Suwa (9-1, 1), who will be looking to score his third win of the year.  Tokyo, Japan
This coming Monday attention returns to the Korakuen Hall for a title double header courtesy of the Kawasaki Nitta gym. The main event of the card will see Japanese Flyweight champion Masayuki Kuroda (29-7-3, 16) take on the under-rated Akinori Hoshino (13-7-2, 9). For Kuroda this bout will be his third defense of the title, which he won in June 2017 with a split decision win over Takuya Kogawa. Last time out the champion narrowly over-came Katsunori Nagamine in a thrilling 10 round war and he's currently in the form of his career as he chases a second world title bout, following on from a 2013 shot at the WBA Flyweight title. Hoshino fought in a title eliminator last year, fighting to a frustrating and sloppy draw with Nagamine, That draw ended a 3 fight winning run from Hoshino, who had upset both Kenya Yamashita and Shun Kosaka in recent contests. Hoshino is likely to be a stylistic nightmare for Kuroda, but we do suspect that the experience edge he has will help him score the victory. The chief support bout will also be a title fight, with OPBF female Featherweight champion Kimika Miyoshi (13-10-1, 5) defending her belt against Wakako Fujiwara (5-2-2, 2). The champion has held this title since June 2016 but this will be her first defense. Since winning the belt Miyoshi has fought twice, but lost both of those contests to Shannon O'Connell and Hyun Mi Choi. Although Miyoshi has lost at the higher level she is very good at Oriental level and has won titles at 3 weights. The 37 year old Fujiwara is the Japanese Female Featherweight champion, having won the title this past March, but this is a huge step up in class for her, and one we suspect she'll come up short in. In one of the leading supporting bouts fans will see Japanese ranked Featherweight Ryo Hino (11-1-2, 6) take on Toshizane Kinoda (6-4, 2). On paper it's hard to see how the talented Hino comes up short here. Hino has impressed against the likes of Sho Nakazawa, who he out boxed last September, and Coach Hiroto, who he drew with in January. Hino, from what we've seen of him, is a technically solid fighter who uses his jab brilliantly. Kinoda is pretty limited, and has lost 3 of his last 4 bouts, but has never been stopped so will be expected to go the 8 round scheduled with Hino, albeit come up clearly short. Another good looking bout on this card is a very evenly matched contest between Kosuke Arioka (7-3, 6) and Yui Oikawa (7-3, 4), who battle in an intriguing 8 rounder. The heavy handed Arioka won the 2017 Japanese Rookie of the Year at Lightweight, stopping Rikki Naito's younger brother Mirai Naito along the way. Although Arioka has nasty power he has been stopped in 2 of his 3 losses and can certainly be hurt. On the other hand Oikawa doesn't have a reputation as a puncher but has stopped his last 3 so seems to be developing belief in his power, and he's yet to be stopped, suggesting he could be a nightmare for Arioka. |
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