 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Attention in Japan returns to Korakuen Hall this weekend as we get the next show in the Dynamic Glove series of shows. The card isn't one of the strongest, though interestingly when we say that they are the shows that do tend to massively over-deliver. The main event is a Japanese title fight, whilst the support-card features a former world title challenger and a once touted prospect. The main event will see veteran Makoto Kawasaki (12-8-1, 2) clash with the once touted Koki Koshikawa (9-3, 6) in a bout for the Japanese Light Middleweight title, which was recently vacated by Hironobu Matsunaga. Coming into this it's fair to say that both men have been shown to be under legitimate domestic title level, but both men will see this as a chance to claim a career defining win. Aged 37 it's hard to imagine Kawasaki getting another chance if he loses here, and sadly for him it's also hard to imagine him fighting his usual busy style with much success, over 10 rounds at his age. On the other hand Koshikawa has never really managed to develop into the professional fighter many expected him to become and now aged 31 it appears his career is winding down, and he's now almost 3 years removed from his last win. We don't expect this to be the highest quality bout, but the styles should make it entertaining and the hunger of both men to win a win a title should make it very watchable. A full preview of this bout can be read here Kawasaki and Koshikawa battle for vacant Japanese title! In the chief support bout former world title challenger Ryo Akaho (37-2-2, 25) will be up against the exciting Mugicha Nakagawa (24-7-2, 14), in what should be a very exciting match up. Now aged 35 Akaho's dreams of winning a world title seem pretty much over, after losing twice in world title bouts, but his hunger for the sport is still alive and he's looking for a 12th straight win here. Although not world class he's strong, heavy handed and does make for fun fights. Nakagawa on the other hand is 33 and has failed to win his last 3 fights, but will know that if he can get a result here he could find himself back in the domestic title picture, and jump start his career. It is however a big ask for Nakagawa, who hasn't fought since 2019 and hasn't won since 2018. On paper one of the most well matched bouts will see the in form Taison Mukaiyama (7-2, 4) battle against Ken Koibuchi (7-5-1, 6), in a nice matched bout. Coming in to this Mukaiyama is really in good form, winning his last 4 including two wins over Ryugo Ushijima and an impressive TKO win over Toru Kiyota last time out. He's got his career back on track after a 3-2 (3) start and appears to be developing into a genuine hopeful. Koibuchi on the other hand is 1-1-1 in his last 3, but has been fighting a good mix of fighters, and has been proving his chin recently, following a 2019 loss to Katsunari Endo. Mukaiyama should be the favourite, but he'll have to work for a win here. Also on this card is a bout between the once touted Shigetoshi Kotari (2-1-1, 1) and the limited, but hard hitting, Kazuaki Miyamoto (7-7, 6). Kotari turned professional with a lot of expectation on his shoulders, and was thought to be one of the future stars for Japanese boxing, and the MT Gym. Sadly for him he suffered his first loss last year, a close and competitive one to Junya Shimada, and then suffered a technical decision 5 months later, leaving him now really needing a win to get his career back on track. The 28 year old Miyamoto has proven to be dangerous at the lower levels of the Japanese scene, but with all 7 of his losses coming inside the distance he has a reputation for being a glass cannon, and we suspect Kotari's clean, effective shots will be too much for him here. The Flash Grand Ballroom of the Elorde Sports Complex, Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines Title action isn't limited to Japan today and over in Metro Manila we'll see a new OPBF Super Bantamweight champion being crowned, as the hard hitting Jhunriel Ramonal (17-9-6, 10) takes on the highly skilled Pete Apolinar (15-2, 9). The title became vacant when Hiraoka Teshigawara vacated it, and it's left us with a really nice looking match up between one of the most dangerous and over-looked fighters in the sport, and one of the most gifted Filipino fighters. Ramonal is well known to fans in Asia, in part thanks to his journeyman mentality, and also his ability to score brutal upset wins, as we saw in 2019 against Yusaku Kuga and Shingo Wake. Apolinar on the other hand has shownb to be a really nice to watch boxer, who sits in the pocket and has lovely defense, but a lack of man strength at 126lbs has seen him come down a weight here. This could be a very interesting bout of power and aggression vs skills and defense. Our preview of this bout can be read here Ramonal and Apolinar clash for OPBF honours! Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines A second Filipino show is pencilled in for Zamboanga City, sadly though the details for this show are few and far between. The only bout listed for this show at the time of writing will see former world champion Milan Melindo (37-5, 13) take on Crison Omayao (24-23-5, 8) in what looks like a ridiculous mismatch. But could turn out to be a genuine banana skin for the talented Melindo. The 34 year old Melindo hasn't been since in a ring since being stopped in 6 rounds by Junto Nakatani, back in 2019, and hasn't scored a win since a very close and somewhat controversial decision over Hekkie Budler back in September 2017. We do wonder what he has left in the tank and what he has to offer at Super Flyweight, which is the weigh he'll be at here. As for Omayao he hasn't scored a win since June 2018, when he stopped the dread Rogen Flores, and is unlikely to put up anything resembling a test for Budler Others pencilled in for this show are the debuting Joshua Borleo (0-0) and the hard hitting Anthony Marcial (24-4-1, 22), though at the time of writing neither man has had their opponent for the show announced.
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 EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
The Edion Arena plays host to two different shows this coming Friday, one from Taisei Promotions and one from Harada Promotion, both of which were originally scheduled to take place in June. The bigger of the two is the Taisei promoted event, which serves as a regional title double header. The main event will see former world title challenger Riku Kano (17-4-1, 8) defending his WBO Asia Pacific Light Flyweight title against the once touted Takumi Sakae (22-3-1, 16), in what could be a genuinely competitive match up. Kano was once regarded as the next super kid of Japanese boxing, but those hopes have faltered, repeatedly, in recent years and his ceiling, for now, appears to be this regional title level. Despite that comment he is a solid boxer, with good speed and he fights to his strengths. He is however too lightweight, at least at the moment, to make it to the top. Sakae was tipped incredibly highly at one point, but he has fallen short when he's stepped up and it seems clear that he doesn't have what it takes to reach the top. He's an exciting and fun guy to watch, but he's certainly lacking the tools to reach the world level. This bout could be a bit of a messy one, but should be competitive. Our full preview of this one can be read here Kano takes on Sakae in first defense of WBO Asia Pacific title In the co-feature veteran fighter Yuki Nonaka (34-10-3, 10) will defend his WBO Asia Pacific Middleweight title against Koki Koshikawa (9-2, 6). The talented Nonaka has had a remarkable career, and at 43 is among the oldest fighters in Japan. He signed a contract with an American promoted before the pandemic, and it was hoped that he would land a big US bout, but the pandemic put those plans to bed and he's now been out of the ring since September 2019. He desperately needs to get back in the ring, before father time beats him. In the opposite corner is a man who was tipped to be a star when he turned professional, following a strong run as an amateur, but has, so far, fallen short. Sadly for Koshikawa a TKO loss last time out, to Hironobu Matsunaga in 2019, has left his career dangling by a thread, and he needs a win here. It's rare for a bout to be a legitimate must win, but that's exactly what we have here. Our in depth preview of this one can be read here Veteran Nonaka takes on flawed Koshikawa! On the under-card we'll see WBO and JBC ranked Flyweight Arata Matsuoka (10-6, 4) take on Tetsuya Mimura (8-3, 1) in a 10 round bout. Matsuoka will be looking to fight for a domestic or regional title shortly, and this match up should help him prepare for something like that. As for Mimura he shouldn't be over-looked, but he's the big under-dog and probably lacks the power he'd need to defeat Matsuoka. One other domestic bout on this card worthy of some note will see Ryo Suwa (11-4, 2) take on Tomoya Kishine (6-4-1, 2), in a scheduled 6 rounder at Super Bantamweight. Suwa was once regarded as a domestic contender, but he has now lost 3 in a row and is more than 2 years removed from his last win. Kishine on the other hand is no world beater, but will feel he's getting to Suwa at the right time and a win here would still be a sizable boost to his career. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan The other show is a much smaller event headlined by a Japanese Youth title fight, and a really interesting one at that. That Youth title bout will see the unbeaten Tsubasa Narai (7-0, 6), look to build on his Rookie of the Year win, back in February, as he takes on Kyonosuke Kameda (6-2-1, 5) in a mouth watering match up. Both of these men can punch, both are young, and both are coming to fight. For Kameda, the cousin of the fighting brothers, the key will be to use his height and reach to keep Narai at range and box behind his long straight shots. As for Narai we expect to see him relying on his power, and his aggression and for him to try and take Kameda out with single heavy shots, and well placed counters. Our preview of this one can be read here Narai and Kameda battle for Youth honours!  This coming Saturday is set to be a great day for Asian boxing, with notable action in Thailand, Japan, Russia and the US.
Workpoint Studio, Bang Phun, Thailand For once we'll start in Thailand as WP Boxing give us one of their most interesting shows of 2020, and do so free on their YouTube and Facebook pages. The card isn't a monster card, but it does have two very interesting main bouts on it. The highest profile bout on the card will see former world champions colliding for a regional title. In one corner will be former WBO Bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu (54-8, 36), who showed there was still something left in the tank with a recent upset win over Campee Phayom, whilst the other corner will host Amnat Ruenroeng (20-4, 6), himself a former IBF Flyweight champion. On paper it seems easy to favour the hard hitting, and naturally bigger, Pungluang, however Amnat showed he still have plenty to offer when he ran Srisaket Sor Rungvisai close a few months ago. This is a really intriguing match up and will be for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Featherweight title. A second WBC Asian Boxing Council title fight on this card will be at Flyweight, with rising youngster Thananchai Charunphak (10-1, 8) defending his title over battle worn veteran Pigmy Kokietgym (61-13-2, 25). We are huge fans of the 20 year old Thananchai, who has been very impressive in recent bouts and will be looking to secure a third notable win here. Sadly Pigmy Kokietgym is about 10 years beyond his prime, and about 7lbs north of his best weight. We suspect Pigmy will give it a go early on, before being broken down and stopped by Thananchai. Although a mismatch we can't recommend fans following Thananchai enough, this youngster is one of the best prospects in Thailand. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan As well as as the action in Thailand we also get a pretty notable show at Korakuen Hall, sadly however this show won't be getting live TV coverage and instead will be televised a few days after the event takes place. Originally the main event here was supposed to see Japanese Middleweight champion Kazuto Takesako (12-0-1, 11) make a mandatory defense of his title as he takes on unbeaten youngster Riku Kunimoto (4-0, 2), as part of the Champion Carnival. Sadly the bout was cancelled just over a week before the show due to Takesako suffering a training injury. Due to the main event bout being cancelled the headline bout here will see former world title challenger Takeshi Inoue (16-1-1, 10) fight in what is supposed to be a tune up contest against the unbeaten Nath Nwachukwu (6-0-2, 3), who will likely see himself as a live under-dog. Inoue, best known for his 2019 bout with Jaime Munguia, will be seeking a 4th straight win and will be hoping to move into a second world level bout next year. Notably he won't be defending his WBO Asia Pacific title here, which he did defend back in January. The 23 year old Nwachukwu won the All Japan Rookie of the Year at Middleweight in 2018 and has picked up 3 wins since then. Although he's the under-dog Nwachukwu will know a win here would genuinely change his career. Another bout of note on this card will see flawed puncher Takuma Takahashi (5-0, 5) take on Kodai Kiyota (9-6-2, 9), in what could be a very explosive contest. Takahashi has looked very, very heavy handed, but he also showed some real vulnerability last time out, getting dropped and cut against Leonardo Doronio, and there are worries about his punch resistance. Kiyota is no world beater, and hasn't fought in over a decade, but he is heavy handed and could well have the power needed to take out Takahashi, if he lands clean. Also on this card will be recent Japanese title challenger Koki Koshikawa (9-2, 6), who takes on Yuichi Ideta (13-15-1, 7), with Koshikawa looking to bounce back from a loss to Hironobu Matsunaga. RCC Boxing Academy, Ekaterinburg, Russia The WP Boxing event isn't the only one we'll be getting for free on YouTube as RCC will also be giving us a show, this time from Russia, with several Central Asian fighters on it. One of the bouts on this show will see once beaten Uzbek hopeful Ravshanbek Umurzakov (10-1, 7) take on really talented Ukrainian Zoravor Petrosian (9-0, 4), in a bout that was originally for September. Umurzakov was upset back in January by Esneiker Correa, in a genuine surprise, and has been out of the ring since then. Petrosian on the other hand is a 22 year old who turned professional in 2018 and has scored 3 wins this year, whilst looking very highly skilled. This should be a very, very interesting match up. In a supporting bout baby faced Kazakh fighter Yerzhan Zalilov (11-2-1, 5) take on Russian fighter Evgenii Liashkov (6-1, 1). At one point Zalilov looks like a fighter with the potential to go places, but sadly 2 losses in is last 3 bouts have pretty much ended his hopes of reaching the top of the mountain. Liashkov is a light puncher who lost on but has reeled off 6 wins and comes into this with real momentum. One more bout on this show will see Uzbek born Russian Dmitry Yun (4-0, 1) taking on Sherzodjon Abdurazzokov (1-0). Yun is a really skilled boxer-mover, who looks like a brilliant talented, with lovely speed, movement and accuracy. Sadly however his lack of power, and questionable durability, seem likely to hold him back, despite how fantastic he is to see in full flow. Aged 20 Abdurazzokov is an Uzbek youngster who made his debut in 2019, and will go into this as the under-dog. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida, USA We will also Chinese Heavyweight hopeful Zhilei Zhang (21-0, 16) in action, as he begins his relationship with Matchroom Sports. The 37 year Chinese fighter, who has been spoken about as a future opponent for Anthony Joshua, will be up against 38 year old American Devin Vargas (22-6, 9). Sadly for a man that Eddie Hearn wants to talk about big fights for, time is rapidly running out for Zhang, and it seems highly unlikely that he will ever manage to reach the heights some expected of him.  This coming Saturday is an incredibly busy day for Asian boxing, with a two notable shows in Japan and very high profile bouts in the US.
California, USA The most notable of the bouts takes place in California, and is world title fight, with a supporting that also features an Asian fighter. The main event will see IBF Super Flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas (31-1-2, 21) battle against Mexican challenger Jonathan Javier Rodriguez (21-1, 15). For Ancajas this will be his 8th defense, though it's not the type of defense which will really improve his profile. Ancajas is incredibly talented, but seems to have been kept away from most of the other top Super Flyweights, which is incredibly disappointing and frustrating. For Rodriguez this bout is a big step up, and despite a win over Felipe Orucuta last time out there's very, very little quality on his record. Our full preview of this bout can be read here IBF king Ancajas takes on Rodriguez On the same show we'll see Japan's Hiroki Okada (19-1, 13) attempt to bounce back from his first loss, as he takes on 2008 Olympian Javier Molina (20-2, 8) in a very interesting looking bout. Okada was stopped last time out, by Raymundo Beltran in a very entertaining bout, and is not being given an easy comeback bout here. Molina isn't a big puncher, but is skilled and has won 3 in a row since his most recent loss, a 2016 decision loss to Jamal James. Las Vegas, USA A second US show of note will see two very interesting looking match ups. The most interesting of those will see the once beaten Romero Duno (21-1, 16) take on unbeaten American Ryan Garcia (18-0, 15). The talented Duno has won 12 in a row since suffering his sole defeat, a 2016 loss in Russia to Mikhail Alexeev. During his winning run he has scored some solid wins but a win here would put him on the map in a big way. On the other hand Garcia is a hotly tipped prospect, and is a hugely popular fighter who will be expected to get a real test here. Garcia has been able to build his record with noteworthy wins over the likes of Jayson Velez and Jose Lopez, but has yet to fight a young prime fighter. This is a big step up for both men and the winner will be ear marked to go a very long way. The second bout featuring an Asian fighter will see Kazakh fighter Meiirim Nursultanov (12-0, 8) take on tough Mexican fighter Cristian Olivas (16-5, 13). The talented Kazakh has looked good coming through the ranks but this is set to be a genuine test against a flawed but tough and heavy handed for. A very interesting match and a great test, on paper, for Nursultanov. Tokyo, Japan The most significant show in Asia for the day is at the Korakuen Hall and will be shown on G+ in Japan. The card has 6 bouts scheduled for it, but 2 of those really stand out. The main event of the show will see Japanese Light Middleweight champion Hironobu Matsunaga (15-1, 9) defending his belt against Koki Koshikawa (9-1, 6). The talented and exciting Matsunaga will be looking to make his first defense of the belt, following his title win over Nobuyuki Shindo earlier this year, and is riding a real hot streak with 9 straight wins. For Koshikawa, who was once tipped as a future star following a strong amateur background, this will be a big step up and marks his first title fight. A very interesting match up, and a very hard one to call. Our full preview of this bout can be read here Matsunaga seeks first defense as he goes up against talented Koshikawa The chief support bout on this show will be a Japanese Light Middleweight title eliminator, as former champion Nobuyuki Shindo (20-5-2, 8) takes on Yuto Shimizu (13-4-2, 5). This a match that will decide who challenges for the title in next year's Champion Carnival and is another hard one to call. Shindo is the more accomplished fighter but Shimizu has impressed in recent fights and will be there to build on a recent win over Charles Bellamy. Our preview of this eliminator can be read here Shindo and Shimizu battle in eliminator As well as the two main bouts there will supporting bouts featuring former world title challenger Ryohei Takahashi (17-4-1, 7) and the once beaten Kai Chiba (11-1, 7). Tokyo, Japan A second show at Korakuen Hall on Saturday, though the one which will actually take place first, is a Teiken show featuring 6 of their brightest hopefuls all in 8 round bouts. One of those hopefuls is Shuya Masaki (13-1, 5) who looks to be heading towards a title fight in the near future. He will be up against Filipino foe Roman Canto (14-13-3, 8) in what should be a relatively easy bout for Masaki. The Japanese fighter is only a bout or two from a title of some kind, though is likely to head for an OPBF or WBO Asia Pacific title fight in 2020. Canto has lost in 5 previous visits to Japan and it's hard to imagine him getting a win here. Another bout pitting a Japanese hopeful against a Filipino will see unbeaten Japanese puncher Hayate Kaji (13-0, 9) take on Diomel Diocos (14-4-3, 4). Early in his career Kaji looked like a star in the making, he looked like he had all the tools to go to the top, combining skills, power, speed and ambition. Sadly he's not really progressed as we'd hoped and his career seems to faltered, and he's had disappointing performances in his last two bouts. The Filipino has lost 2 of his last 3 and was stopped in 4 rounds last time he fought in Japan, being stopped in 2017 by Daigo Higa. Former amateur stand out Kuntae Lee (2-0, 1) takes his next step up as he takes on unbeaten Indonesian hopeful Rivo Kundimang (9-0-1, 5). As an amateur Lee really was a stand out, and he is hotly tipped to be a a future star in Japan. Despite only being a novice Lee he has already taken one unbeaten record, beating Marlon Paniamogan back in July. Kundimang will be fighting outside of Indonesia for the first time, and has win his last 9 bouts in a row, following a draw on his debut back in September 2017. In a good step up we'll also see Mikito Nakano (3-0, 3) take on Filipino foe KJ Natuplag (8-1-2, 7), in an excellent bout. The talented Nakano has adapted well to the professional ranks and looks to be on his way to real success at Featherweight in the coming years. On paper this is a step up, but Nakano has looked very good, and last time out he really impressed against Arvin Young. Natuplag has shown real promise, and back in March he stopped Robert Udtohan, but was beaten last time out by Joe Tejones. We're expecting an excellent showing from Nakano who will likely find himself in the title mix next year. Also on this card will be Kenshin Oshima (6-1-1, 3) and Masaya Tamayama (12-2, 6), who look to continue their rise through the ranks and move towards a title fight in the coming 18 months or so. Ekaterinburg, Russia One of the other interesting bouts for the day will see the unbeaten Tajik fighter Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov (14-0, 9) take on the once beaten Abraham Montoya (18-1-1, 13), in what will be Yaqubov's second defense of the WBC International Super Featherweight title. The talented Yaqubov has impressed recently and moved towards a world title fight thanks to wins over the likes of Mark Urvanov, Victor Alejandro Zunigaabd Emanuel Lopez, and another win here would leave him on the verge of a shot. Montoya, from Mexico, is unbeaten in 19 but this will be his first bout outside of Mexico. Unbeaten Kazakh Heavyweight Issa Akberbayev (20-0-0-1, 15) takes on his biggest test so far as he battles against 2016 Olympic champion Evgeny Tishchenko (5-0, 3), who is of course best known for his controversial Olympic win over Vasiliy Levit in the Olympic final. Despite being unbeaten the Kazakh will be the very clear under-dog and the Russian will be the favourite. Notably Akberbayev has been away from the ring for almost 2 years, and it's hard to not imagine that being a major issue here, against his most notable foe so far. Queensland, Australia In Australia we'll see the unbeaten Chris Brackin (7-0, 3), an Australian local, take on Indian fighter Balkar Singh (3-1, 1). Singh lost last time out, when he was out pointed by the unbeaten Andrew Hunt over 4 rounds, and we suspect he will suffer another loss here to the talented Brackin.  Tokyo, Japan
The most notable show for us this coming Friday is in Tokyo, where Hideka Todaka will be promoting a card. The main event of this show will see the talented Koki Koshikawa (8-1, 5), who is ranked #3 by the JBC at 154lbs, take on Indonesian visitor Yosmar Kefi (9-9, 8). On paper this looks like a dangerous bout for Koshikawa, given Kefi's reputation as a puncher, but in reality we don't see this as anything but a total mismatch as Koshikawa looks to move a step closer to his first title bout. In another notable bout, fans will see Japanese ranked Featherweights clash, with Kazuma Sanpei (16-5, 7) and Tatsuya Otsubo (13-9-1, 4) facing off in a must win bout. Both men had mixed 2018's, going 2-1, losing to real talented fights by stoppage. Sanpei was stopped in July by Yoshimitsu Kimura and a month later Otsubo was stopped in a Japanese title fight by Taiki Minamoto. This could easily be the Asian bout of the weekend. Also on this card was 2017 Rookie of the Year runner up Kento Yabusaki (6-2-1, 4), who has bounced back from his loss in the Rookie of the Year final with a couple of good wins. He'll be stepping up to his first 8 rounder here as he takes on domestic foe Yuji Okinori (8-4-2, 1), who has failed to take a win in his last 3 bouts. Singapore, Singapore As well as the Japanese card there will also be one in Singapore. The main event of the card will see Singapore's very own Hamzah Farouk (7-0, 5) battle against Thai veteran Paiboon Lorkham (19-11, 8), in what will be Farouk's first defense of the WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Super Featherweight title. It's hard to back the Thai here, despite his wealth of experience, given he's now 40, but he should be a decent test for Farouk who is looking to become the face of Singaporean boxing. In an all unbeaten bout we'll see Singaporean based French born fighter Abdelelah Karroum (4-0, 4) take on Filipino born Singaporean foe Alexandrew David (4-0-1, 2). This bout will be for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Light Middleweight title. It's hard to read too much into what the potential winner of this bout will do, but by it's self this does look like it could be a very interesting match up. Another bout of note here will see Filipino fighter Jeson Umbal (16-6, 11) take on Indonesian foe Tommy Seran (28-16, 16), in what should be a very straight forward win for the under-rated Umbal. It's worth noting that Umbal did lose last time out, losing a majority decision to Muhamad Ridhwan last year, but he shouldn't struggle at all against Seran, who has lost his last 4 and 7 of his last 8. California, USA As well as the bouts in Asia there will also be a notable bout in the US, with unbeaten Kazakh hopeful Janibek Alimkhanuly (5-0, 2) battling against American based Mexican foe Cristian Olivas (16-4, 13). This looks to be another good step forward for Alimkhanuly who looked good last time out after a fell than stellar performances. We suspect the Kazakh will again show his ability here, though there are still areas to work on, and we want to start seeing some killer instinct from him, rather than just the skills we already knew he had.  Tokyo, Japan
This coming Wednesday the Korakuen Hall hosts a small, but notable card. It involves a once touted prospects from the Celes gym, a former OPBF champion and a former Japanese title challenger. The main event will see the once touted Koki Koshikawa (7-1, 5) taking on former OPBF Light Middleweight champion Ratchasi Sithsaithong (8-7, 6) in a very good test for Kokshikawa. The Japanese fighter turned professional with a bit of early career buzz but would step up a touch too quickly and lose a wide decision to Koshinmaru Saito in 2015. After a 2 year break he has reeled off 3 straight stoppage wins, including a big win last time out against Daisuke Sakamoto. Ratchasi, aka Niwat Kongkan, went on a great run in 2016 and 2017 but has now lost 4 of his last 5. At his best the Thai was a nightmare to beat, with a determined will to win and heavy hands, but now appears to be a fighter well on the slide. Despite being on the slide a win for Koshikawa would be his best win to date. A very good supporting bout will see former 2-time Japanese Featherweight title challenger Tatsuya Otsubo (12-9-1, 4) take on Yosuke Kawano (13-7-2, 7), in a bout between two Japanese ranked fighters. The last time we saw Otsubo he came up short against Taiki Minamoto in a very exciting Japanese title bout that saw Otsubo being stopped in the 9th round of a very competitive contest. The 30 year old Kawano has faced a number of decent domestic foes, and has generally been competitive, fight to a draw with Takenori Ohashi and losing narrow decisions to Ryuto Araya and Dai Iwai. This should be a very competitive contest. A third bout of note will see Japanese ranked Kazuma Sanpei (15-5, 6) take on Yuji Awata (11-5, 4). Last time out Sanpei was stopped by Yoshimitsu Kimura, ending a 3 fight winning run, and he has mixed with very good domestic fighters since winning the 2013 Rookie of the Year. Awata on the other hand 2-2 in his last 4, but was the 2016 Rookie of the Year and is looking to get back to winning ways here.  Tokyo, Japan
Action is back at the Korakuen Hall this coming Monday for a notable Kadoebi show featuring a number of notable fighters. The main event of the card will see the retiring Daisuke Sakamoto (14-9-3, 8) take on the once touted Koki Koshikawa (6-1, 4). The 36 year old Sakamoto is a former Japanese “interim” Welterweight champion, who came up short when taking on the then regular champion Toshio Arikawa last November. Since the loss to Arikawa we've not seen Sakamoto in action and he has publicly that this will be his final bout. Koshikawa was once tipped for big things, and after some early promise his career has stagnated, and he has never really bounced back from a loss to Koshinmaru Saito in 2015. This is a big opportunity for Koshikawa, but an emotional moment for Sakamoto. Heavy handed Japanese Middleweight contender Shoma Fukumoto (12-2, 10) will be looking to continue rebuilding his confidence as he takes on unbeaten Australian Mark Lucas (9-0, 3). The hard punching Fukumoto was stopped inside a round last December by Kazuto Takesako in a Japanese title eliminator and since then has only fought once, beating a very over-matched Indonesian foe. This should be a step up in class for Fukumoto, a tough one on paper given that Lucas is unbeaten, will be hungry and actually holds a win over Arnel Tinampay, who stopped Fukumoto back in 2013. Saying that however Lucas has been inactive for a year, and that may show in his performance here. Popular Japanese-Brazilian Cristiano Aoqui (12-7-2, 8) will be looking to build on his quick blow out win over Duang Hongin as he takes on Filipino visitor Joffrey Garcia (6-8-4, 5). The talented and exciting to watch Aoqui had a nightmare 13 months, from July 2016 to August 2017, suffering 3 defeats but has since bounced back with a win and will be looking for a second one here. As for Garcia he has been stopped in both of his bouts outside of the Philippines, and we suspect that form will continue against Aoqui. Another man of note on this card is the very promising Kazuki Saito (5-0, 5), who is tipped to be a star following a very strong amateur career. The unbeaten 25 year old will be facing off with Thai foe Pharanpetch Tor Buamas (22-3, 18), a recent OPBF Super Featherweight title challenger. The touted Saito hasn't had things all his own way, having been dropped earlier in his career, but does look like a real talent and will be looking to shine against the experienced Thai. As for Pharanpetch he has lost in all 3 of his fights outside of Thailand, and it would take a career best performnce to avoid another loss on the road.  This coming Friday isn't a busy day, but there is a string of bouts worthy of note.
Tokyo, Japan The most notable Asian card of the day takes place at the Korakuen Hall and is headlined by a Japanese title eliminator. That eliminator comes at 140lbs and will see Japanese based Dominican Vladimir Baez (23-3-2, 21), aka “Destino Japan”, take on the in form Kazuyasu Okamoto (14-4, 4). Baez really impressed last time out, battering Daishi Nagata into submission in 5 rounds, and has scored 2 stoppage wins this year to get his career back on track following a loss to Teerachai Kratingdaenggym last year. Okamoto was stopped by Kazuya Murata back in December 2014 but has since gone 5-0 (1) and will be be fully aware that this is a great opportunity to secure a title fight in 2018. In one of a number of notable supporting bouts we'll see the light punching Ryo Narizuka (8-7) take on Japanese ranked Light Flyweight Naoyuki Tsukada (8-3-4, 3). Without a stoppage to his name it's hard to see a win for Narizuka, here. As for Tsukada he's in good form, going 5-0-3 (1) in his last 8, but hasn't really beaten a fighter of any note during that run. A bout between two Japanese ranked fighters will see Ganbare Shota (14-7-2, 2) take on Hikaru Ota (8-6, 4), with both men knowing a win will move them towards a potential Japanese title fight in 2018. At the time of writing Shota was ranked #13 and Ota #14 by the JBC at 112 lbs, and it's clear the winner should move to the top 10, whilst the loser will likely drop out of the top 15. One other bout on this card will see the touted Koki Koshikawa (5-1, 3) v look for his second win of the year. The Celes Gym fighter was tipped for big things, but a loss in 2015 put the breaks on his career, and saw him take more than 24 months out. Here he will be expecting a straight forward win as he takes on Thai visitor Taengthong Sithsaithong (0-3). Texas, USA There will also be notable Asian action in Texas, with a trio of Asian fighters fighting on the same card. The most notable of those bouts will see exciting Filipino puncher Aston Palicte (23-2, 19) fight for the second time on US soil. The heavy handed Filipino fighter will be up against former 2-time world title challenger Jose Alfredo Rodriguez (32-6, 19), who has lost in world title bouts against both Kazuto Ioka and Jerwin Ancajas. Coming in to this bout Rodriguez has suffered back-to-back losses, and is almost a year removed from his last win, and is unlikely to pose and threat to Palicte. Unbeaten 22 year old Kazakh Ali Akhmedov (9-0, 7) takes a notable step up on this card in the chief support bout, as he takes on fellow unbeaten fighter DeShon Webster (9-0, 6). The Kazakh has looked very destructive recently, and has stopped his last 3 fights to claim his first two titles. Those titles, the WBC Youth and NABF Light Heavyweight titles, will be on the line here. Aged 26 Webster really does seem to be the one taking the bigger step up in class here, but like Akhmedov he's unbeaten and will be full of confidence here going into the biggest bout of his career. Another unbeaten Kazakh on this card is Iskander Kharsan (2-0, 2), who takes on fellow novice David Alfaro (1-0) in a 6 rounder. This looks like a good match up on paper, but it's hard to see past the 20 year old Kazakh, who does appear to have some confident backers in his camp. Victoria, Australia Several Asian fighters will be fighting in Victoria. The most notable bout, at least for us, will see Sylvia Scharper (7-1-2, 1) take on Thai Ploynapa Sakrungrueng (13-10-1, 1) in a bout for the WIBA Super Flyweight title. The Thai has lost her last 4, including a stoppage to Momo Koseki and had previously fought Eun Hye Lee for a WBO world title, again suffering a stoppage. Scharper is far from being a world class fighter, but should be far, far too good for the Thai. Australian Capital Territory, Australia A second Australia show will take place in Woden, and we'll see a number of Asian fighters in action, mostly they are there to pad a local's record, sadly. One of those likely to pick up another loss is Egy Rozten (5-17-2, 3), who will be up against the unbeaten Haithem Laamouz (11-0, 4). Rozten has lost his last 5, and will almost certainly suffer another defeat again here, potentially inside the distance.  This coming Saturday isn't a huge day in the world of Asian boxing, but it is a pretty interesting one, with a number of notable fighters in action.
Victoria, Australia The most significant of the bouts is set to take place in Australia, where we actually see two Chinese fighters fighting in pretty interesting looking match ups. The more notable of the two bouts will see OPBF Super Middleweight champion Jayde Mitchell (14-1, 8) defending his title against heavy handed, and unbeaten, Chinese challenger Ainiwaer Yilixiati (10-0, 8), in what looks like a mouth watering bout. The Australian won the title last year, when he easily beat Shintaro Matsumoto, and has strung together 4 straight stoppages since then. Here however the champion goes in against a young and hungry puncher looking to make a name for himself in a what is a huge opportunity. The other bout featuring a Chinese fighter on this card will see the once beaten local Jake Carr (13-1, 4) take on Adili Abulimiti (8-1-1, 5). Again this looks like a really solidly made match up, and whilst the local will be the favourite the bout is certainly one with a danger to it, and Abulimiti will be looking to make the most of his opportunity to score a notable upset on foreign soil Tokyo, Japan In Tokyo we get a relatively low key card, but one that should have a fair bit of low key action. The main event will see Ryusei Nakajima (10-2, 3) look to play the spoiler as he takes on Vladimir Baez (22-3-2, 20), with Baez having a bout lined up for December 8th against Kazuyasu Okamoto to decide the Japanese mandatory challenger for the 2018 Champion Carnival. Nakajima will maybe feel like he's being over-looked here but he would still need a career best performance to over-come the heavy handed Japanese based Dominican. In a bout that should be more interesting than the records suggest we'll see Akinori Hoshino (13-7-1, 9) take on Isao Aoyama (9-5-1, 2). On paper this looks a pretty poor bout but neither man should be over-looked going forward. Aoyama holds a very notable draw against the recently crowned WBO Flyweight champion Sho Kimura and reached the 2011 Rookie of the Year final at Flyweight, whilst Hoshino is on a roll with recent upset wins over Kenya Yamashita and Shun Kosaka. This might not look amazing on paper but we're expecting something very exciting. Also on this card will be once touted prospect Koki Koshikawa (4-1, 2), who returns to the ring following a 2 year break. The last time Koshikawa fought he was widely out pointed by Koshinmaru Saito and he'll be looking to get things back on track here as he takes on a Thai visitor in an 8 rounder. Thailand Talking of Thai's it's worth noting that Thai teenager Saenganan Sithsaithong (16-0, 7) will be ending a 16 month break from the ring as he goes up against Indonesian visitor Waldo Sabu (12-9, 2) in a bout for the WBC ABC Silver Bantamweight title. The Thai was once touted by the Thai press, but his inactivity has clearly slowed his rise and it's going to be interesting to see what he's going to be like on his return to the ring. Singapore, Singapore In Singapore we'll see more regional WBC title action as Nor Rizan (8-2, 5) and Jaipetch Chaiyonggym (7-7, 4) battle over the WBC ABC Continental Bantamweight title, in what looks a less than amazing bout. New South Wales, Australia Going full circle, back to Australia, there will be a bout featuring the debuting Troy O'Meley (0-0) taking on Thai journeyman Aphichat Koedchatturat (2-15-1), in what should be a straight forward win for O'Meley.  Tokyo, Japan
One of the best Japanese shows of the month comes on June 8th in a card that has so many good bouts it's difficult to really know which contest is the most exciting. The main event is a Lightweight clash between current Japanese Super Featherweight champion Rikki Naito (12-0, 5) and former “world” title contender Nihito Arakawa (25-5-1, 16). This is a huge step up in class for Naito and is also a move up in weight for a man that many have tipped as a potential world champion. For Arakawa, who has shown signs of being on the slide, this is a must win after 3 losses in his last 4. On paper it's a brawler against a mover and we expect this could be something very special with both men being forced to answer a lot of questions if they are to come out on top. Brave match making from both and the sort of match up that we love. The co-main event will see the always fun to watch Koki Eto (16-3-1, 12) defending his OPBF Flyweight title against unheralded challenger Yuki Fukumoto (17-9, 5). On paper it looks like a mismatch though having followed Eto's career in the way we have we know he never makes life easy for himself and he'll almost certainly find a way to get himself in to some sort of trouble before scoring the all important win. We suspect that a win for Eto will be followed by him vacating the title and turning his focus on to winning a world title, though he is unfortunately stuck in one of the sports most stacked divisions. In a supporting bout we see the promising Koki Koshikawa (4-0, 2) take a huge step up in class as he takes on former Japanese and OPBF title challenger Koshinmaru Saito (20-7-1, 11). Koshikawa, a fighter from the Celes gym, is tipped to go a long way following a solid amateur career on the domestic scene however Saito is very experienced and came very close to winning the Japanese Welterweight title last year. This is a great match up and should answer questions regarding the future of both fighters. Another supporting bout will see Yusaku Kuga (10-1-1, 6) put his OPBF and Japanese rankings on the like against the more experienced Kojiro Takada (13-8-3, 9). We suspect that the talented Kuga will over-come Takada but this will be a good test for the once beaten fighter who will likely be looking at getting a Japanese title fight in the next 12-18 months, if he wins again here. One other bout of note will see the heavy handed and really exciting Daigo Higa (5-0, 5) in action against Filipino southpaw Cris Alfante (11-4, 4). Higa has looked like a destructive ball of anger so far but this is a big step up against a man who has mixed with very good fighters. Alfante has experience to make things very tricky for Higa however the home fighter has looked like a sensational prospect and will be hoping to shine again here. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) |
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