 Kanaoka Gymnasium, Sakai, Osaka, Japan
This coming Sunday the Kanaoka Gymnasium in Sakai City plays a major role, and does double duty. The first of the two shows at the venue will begin in the morning and is, arguably the card of the day with a solid main event, that also acts as a Japanese title eliminator, a very intriguing supporting bout and a notable debut. The main event of the show is a Japanese eliminator as Kyohei Tonomoto (16-4-1, 8) clashed with Yuya Oku (8-0-1, 5) at Featherweight. The 29 year old Tonomoto has been one of the fighters whose career has quietly boiled in the last few years. He debuted in 2013, reached the 2014 All Japan Rookie of the year final, losing to Reiya Abe, then went on a 5 fight unbeaten streak before losing to Satoshi Shimizu, in a really gutsy performance that saw him being stopped in 7 rounds, then reeling off 5 wins before losing to Jong Seong Kang in a war in South Korea least year. He’s not a world beater but he’s gritty, he’s tough, he’s reliable and he makes for good, entertaining, fights. Oku on the other hand made his pro debut in 2021 and quickly raced through the ranks, with decent domestic wins, over the likes of Kazunori Hirano, Daiki Imanari, Ryukyu Oho and Morihisa Iju. He’s more polished than Tonomoto, but is less battle hardened and it’s going to be interesting how he copes with the determination of Tonomoto, who has home advantage with this bout being in Osaka. The winner of this will be expecting to face Keisuke Matsumoto during the Champion Carnival in the new year. In an excellent supporting bout the unbeaten Sora Fukunaga (14-0, 7) will face the once beaten Kenshin Hosokawa (7-1-1, 5), with both men bringing Japanese Super Bantamweight rankings into the bout. The 27 year old Fukunaga is a solid all rounder, with good technical skills, solid power and a regional ranking, along with his Japanese one. Although he doesn’t look like he has the tools to develop into a world beater he definitely could be a long term contender on and around the Japanese title, especially given his willingness to be involved in fan friendly wars, most notably his 2022 war with Kenya Yamashita. As for Hosokawa the 22 year old won his first 4 before back to back disappointments in 2022 and 2023, however he has bounced back with 3 wins in the Philippines and has plenty of momentum on the back of those bouts. He is a very fun to watch and exciting fighter and we suspect the styles of these two will gel excellently to give us a thrilling war. Buried in the middle of the card is the debut of 20 year old hopeful Kazusa Kawabuchi (0-0), who faces off with veteran Hideo Mikan (9-15-2, 2). Kawabuchi earned his pro-license earlier to some local fanfare, doing his B license test aged 19 following an amateur career that saw him going 23-5 in the unpaid ranks and winning the Inter High School title in 2022. It wouldn’t have been a surprise to see him debut against a poor foreign fighter, so to see him in with Mikan is a somewhat welcome surprise. Mikan is no world beater, and at 39 is very much coming to the end of his career, but has shared the ring with a who's who of domestic fighters over his career facing the likes of Hikaru Nishida, Yosuke Kirima, Takeshi Inoue, Makoto Fuchigami, Riku Nagahama, Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa and Junpei Tsujimoto. He has often given them some questions, even if he’s ultimately always come up short, and is a very good opponent for a debut. Kanaoka Gymnasium, Sakai, Osaka, Japan Staying at the same venue, we also get an afternoon show. This is a much smaller event, promoted by Sakai Haruki Promotions, and featuring two bouts of interest between local hopefuls and Thai’s in what should be exciting clashes. The main event will see Mioto Noguchi (6-2, 6) look to continue his great run of form against visitors, as he takes on Phatiphan Krungklang (20-8-1-1, 12). The 25 year old Noguchi, who's a freakishly tall 6' and fights at 140lbs, has won his last 4 bouts in a combined 7 rounds, and his last 3 in just 3 rounds, including a very notable win over Filipino Jessie Cris Rosales. He has rebuilt excellently since a 2022 loss to Scorpion Kintaro and will be looking to win here and move towards bigger and better things. As for Krungklang the 27 year old dubbed "Tiger" has been stopped in 7 of his 8 losses, including all 5 bouts outside of Thailand. He returns to Japan for the first time in 2 years, with his last visit seeing him stopped in 3 rounds by Jin Sasaki. Although the Thai has 20 wins they have come at a very low level, and the expectation here is that he will put up an effort before finding himself out of his depth and being stopped, it’s just a case of how long he lasts until then. Another bout of some note will see JBC ranked Flyweight Hinata Takakura (1-0, 1) look to build on her debut win, as she takes on Natthanan Sangiamchit (4-1, 4). Takakura looked really good in her debut, stopping Suphattra Aunruean inside a round, with crisp, clean punches, good combinations and the 20 year old seems to have the potential to go a very long way, but will need some genuine developmental fights. Sangiamchit has a good looking record, but her 4 wins have come against opponents with a combined 0-15 record and the only time she faced a fighter with a win she was soundly beaten, back in July. On paper this looks like a tough second bout, but Takakura should have way too much for her Thai foe. Dome Tachikawa Tachihi, Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan Another Japanese show, this time over in Tokyo, looks to be a solid card, with several notable domestic fighters on it, including a number of 8 rounders. Sadly whilst these bouts do feature some solid domestic names, a number of the fighters involved have been struggling in recent bouts. One fighter who has been struggling is Thai visitor Sakda Langkabam (9-4, 7), who has been stopped in 2 of his last 3 and will be a clear under-dog against the WBO Asia Pacific ranked Shun Sekine (11-1-1, 9). The 26 year old Langkabam has been padding his record at home, often against novices and win-less fighters, but struggled when he has faced fighters with ambition, as seen last time he was in Japan when Kosei Nogami stopped him. Sekine has won his last 6 by stoppage, 5 against Thai's, and this bout feels like "much the same" for someone who should be facing stiff tests at this point in his career. This really should be little more than an easy win for Sekine, who hopefully faces stiff tests in 2025. More fighters who are struggling at the moment are Shinnosuke Saito (12-6, 3) and Atsuyuki Sato (9-5-2, 6) who face off at Lightweight. Both of these men have been stopped twice in recent bouts and both will know that they can ill afford another loss. Saito, who still has a JBC ranking, was smashed earlier this year by Yoji Saito and whilst he has beaten Anuson Thonglueang and Ryuji Ikeda it is clear he's not close to domestic title level and with 4 stoppage losses his chin ia a real issue. He's skilled but fragile. As for Sato he's heavy handed but also lacks durability, which he likely feels won't be an issue here. For Sato the bout is a great chance for him to get a JBC ranking, but he will have to find a solution to the size and skills of Saito. Another fighter currently struggling for results to go his way is Kensuke Suzuki (5-3-2, 2), who returns to Korakuen Hall for the first time in over 2 years. After winning his first 4 professional bouts he has gone 1-3-2, being stopped in all 3 losses, and desperately needs to get his career back to winning ways. He’s up against it here as he takes on JBC ranked fighter Masateru Hatagami (9-4-1, 4) who has won his last 3 and will be looking to not just build on that momentum, but also impress in what is his Korakuen Hall debut. Hatagami will know that putting on a show in the Holy Land can open doors for his career, and will want to do more than just score a win here. In the main event Hayato Ono (12-5-3, 11) will clash with Hiroto Hoshi (6-3-4, 3) and once again we see two fighters who have struggled in recent bouts going 1-1-1 in their last 3. Notably however the draw they both have came in June when the two men fought each other. In their first bout there was really little to split them after 8 rounds, with all 3 judges having the but 76-76, as Ono’s power failed to create the cracks in Hoshi, whilst Hoshi showed off his counter boxing skills. Coming into this both are highly ranked by the JBC and both have top 15 WBO Asia Pacific rankings, so both will know a win here could set them up for a title fight. Notably both have come up short in title fights, with Ono losing in a Japanese title fight in summer 2023 against Homura Fujita, suffering his 5th career loss and his 4th by stoppage, whilst Hoshi came up short against Jin Sasaki in a WBO Asia Pacific title fight, also in the summer of 2023.
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 Shiga Daihatsu Arena, Otsu, Shiga, Japan
The main card this coming Sunday will see Koki Kameda and his 3150 Promotion head to Shiga, for what is said to be the first ever world title fight in the area, for what is a really interesting card. The main event will see IBF Minimumweight champion Ginjiro Shigeoka (11-0-0-1, 9) defending his title title against mandatory challenger Pedro Taduran (16-4-1, 12), who was supposed to face Shigeoka in March before pulling out at short notice and leaving Shigeoka facing a late notice foe. The unbeaten Japanese champion is looking for his second defense, and is looking to build on stoppage wins against Rene Mark Cuarto, Daniel Valladares and Jake Amparo, who was the late replacement for Taduran in March. He’s fast, exciting, powerful and one of the most fun to watch fighters on the planet, and also a man who is unlikely to move up the weights, given he’s small, even at 105lbs. As for Taduran the 27 year old Filipino is a former world champion, who stopped Samuel Salva in a 4 round shoot out in 2019 for the IBF title. Sadly since his career defining win he has gone 2-2-1 and although he has won his last 2, he will go into this as the very clear under-dog. Taduran is tough, but he has been down before, and given Shigeoka’s power he could be in real trouble here. In a solid supporting bout Filipino Pete Apolinar (17-4-1, 10) will take on Matcha Nakagawa (15-2-2, 6). Apolinar, a former OPBF champion, is 0-3 outside of the Philippines, and 0-2 in Japan, but his bouts on foreign soil has been against tough foes, with the losses on the road coming to Jong Seon Kang, Yoshiki Takei and Hayato Tsutsumi. He’s talented, hits harder than his record suggests, and although he’s suffered recent losses he is very much a solid regional level fighter. As for Nakagawa he’s a very good domestic level fighter, but one who's biggest win came back in 2015, when he beat Tenta Kiyose in the All Japan Rookie of the Year final. Since that career best win he has gone 7-2-1 with losses in his two most notable bouts. This is a really interesting regional type bout, and the winner will boost their standing in the sport, even if it won’t secure them a major bout. An interesting rematch on this card will see the hard hitting but flawed Kyonosuke Kameda (12-3-2, 8), the cousin of promoter Koki Kameda, take on Mugicha Nakagawa (28-10-3, 18), the brother of Matcha Nakagawa. These two men fought last August, fighting to a split decision draw, and both will be looking to go better this time and pick up a win. Kameda, the younger fighter by 10 years, is coming into his physical prime and has picked up two wins since that draw. At 35 Nakagawa is very much coming to the end of his career but is still a tough guy, who was last seen losing in a regional title bout to the hard hitting Kazuki Nakajima. In his prime Nakagawa would likely have the tools to deal with Kamedam though maybe not the consistency. Here though we’d be surprised to not see Kameda pick up a win. Another supporting bout that’s very interesting will see Toma Kondo (8-8-3, 1) take on Hayate Hanada (1-1, 1), On paper this is a weird one to get excited about, and we’ll admit that, but again it’s not the numbers on paper that tell the story. Kondo is an experienced fighter who has shown him to be much better than his record suggests, despite the fact he has only scored a single win since July 2018, going 1-6-3 in his 10 subsequent bouts. That 10 bout run has included a Japanese Youth title fight, which he lost by split decision, draws with Yuki Nakajima, Ryutaro Nakagaki and Ryo Miyazaki, and a close loss to Tsubasa Murachi. He is much better than his record shows. As for Hanada he might be the best 1-1 boxer on the planet having stopped Sandeep Kumar on debut and then took a huge step up, losing to the world ranked Rene Calixto Bibiano in his second professional fight. He is better than his record suggests, and hasn’t got an opponent here who should take him rounds, whilst also allowing him to rebuild some of his confidence. One other bout of interesting on this card will see Cambodian amateur champion Lim Seavlam (0-0) make his professional debut, against the much touted Japanese hopeful Ryusei Moriwaki (1-0, 1). Moriwaki looks to be another in the long line of top Japanese amateurs looking to make a mark over the coming years, and despite being only 20 years old, he does look to be a very operator. It’s hard to know what Seavlam has to offer, but Cambodians tend to come to win, even when they are regarded as big under-dogs and given the amateur background of Seavlam, he’s certainly be fighting to win, in what could be a very fun fight, for as long as it lasts. Art Center, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan A second Japanese card, a much smaller one, comes from Kobe where Senrima Kobe will be putting on a small, yet solid, card for the locals. The main event will see Japanese ranked Featherweight hopeful Seira Kishida (9-2-2, 3) battle against Eiji Togawa (8-7, 4). For Kishida this will be his first bout of the year, and his second since losing to Ryusuke Sunagawa last July, though that seemed to show how good Sunagawa rather than how bad Kishida was. Kishida is a solid fighter, though he does have a lack of power which will likely be an issue against top domestic fighters, and will almost certainly prevent him from making a mark at the top of the domestic scene. As for Togawa he is a win-some-lose-some fighter who is 2-4 in his last 6 and has really struggled after reaching the All Japan Rookie of the Year final. Despite his losses he is pretty durable and should survive the 8 round schedule here. In a really well matched bout Daiki Kameyama (10-6-2, 3) will take on Shun Kosaka (19-9, 4), with both men looking to get their careers back on track after some recent set backs, and both also hoping to secure another regional or domestic title bout. The 27 year old Kameyama won the All Japan Rookie of the Year in 2018, with a then 7-2-1 record, but has gone 3-4-1 since then losing to Shokichi Iwata, Yuga Inoue, Kosuke Ando and earning a draw in a regional title fight with Riku Kano. He’s been fighting at a good level, but losing at that level. As for Kosaka, he started 9-0, before losing in the 2014 All Japan Rookie of the Year final, and has gone 10-9 in his last 19 fights. Whilst some of his losses have come at a good level, including losses to Junto Nakatani and Seigo Yuri Akui, who both won world titles, others have come against much lower level domestic foes, such as Shota Asami. Given both men have struggled in recent years we suspect both will come into this feeling they have the tools needed to beat the other, and this could end up being a genuinely great fight between two limited but game domestic fighters. One other bout of note on this card will see 18 year old Thai Saharat Taehirun (8-1, 4) take on former regional title contender Kyohei Tonomoto (15-4-1, 7). In 9 bouts Taehirun has lost once, to the criminally under-rated Ryo Nakai, sadly the Nakai bout aside there is nothing on his record to show any real ability, with all 8 wins coming against very low level opponents in Thai gym fights and it’s hard to read much into his record. As to Tonomoto he’s a fun fighter to watch, he showed he was game in his most bouts notably bouts, including losses to domestic foes Reiya Abe and Satoshi Shimizu and regional contender Jong Seon Kang, and has also shown enough to get excited about with wins against the limits of Kimihiro Nakagawa, Hiroyuki Takahara and Hikaru Matsuoka. He’s not a world beater, but a very solid domestic fighter, who is much better than his record suggests. Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
The biggest card of the week sees attention turn to Australia, for a major Lightweight title rematch between Devin Haney and George Kambosos. The main event doesn't involve an Asian fighter, but one of the main support bouts does, and it's an incredible notable one. The bout in question will see two world ranked contenders face off as popular Australian Jason Moloney (24-2, 19) takes on highly experienced Thai fighter Nawaphon Kaikanha (56-1-1, 46), in what is a WBC world title eliminator, setting the winner up for a potential WBC Bantamweight title fight next year. The highly skilled Moloney will go in as the favourite, as he looks to secure a second world title shot following a loss to Naoya Inoue back in 2020. Since that loss he has reeled off 3 wins, included notable ones against Joshua Greer Jr and Aston Palicte. As for Nawaphon the Thai is looking to land his own second shot at a world title, having lost in a WBC Flyweight title bout back in 2017 against Juan Hernandez Navarrete. Since that loss Nawaphon has reeled off 20 wins, including wins over former world champions Amnat Ruenroeng, Sonny Boy Jaro and Kompayak Porpramook, though all 3 were very much faded forces by the time he faced them. Art Center, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan As well as action in Australia, we're also set for a trio of shows from Japan. The most notable of those is from Kobe. One of the main bouts here will see Hiroyuki Takahara (9-4, 6) look to bounce back from a recent loss as he takes on Kyohei Tonomoto (12-3-1, 5) in what should be a hotly contested bout. Takahara, from Kobe himself, has really turned his career around in recent years, winning 5 of his last 6, and he'll be desperate to get back to winning ways here. As for Tonomoto he showed that he was a decent fighter when he challenged OPBF champion Satoshi Shimizu in 2020, since then he has reeled off 3 wins, and although he's the away fighter here he will know this is a great chance to continue building some career momentum. The chief support bout will see Kazunori Yorimasa (6-7-4, 2) take on JBC #3 ranked Flyweight contender Shun Kosaka (17-8, 4). Kosaka, who has challenged for the OPBF and Japanese Flyweight titles, is really struggling to keep his career alive and has lost 5 of his last 7. Thankfully for him a win in May, against Sho Omote, has kept his career alive but another loss will see him losing his ranking and any chance of getting another big fight in the near future. As for Yorimasa he will come into this as a major under-dog, however he did score a win last time out, when he beat Kenta Taguchi, and he is 3-1-2 in his last 6, giving him more momentum than we'd expect given his career record. A third bout of note will see Seira Kishida (6-1-2, 2) risking his Japanese Super Featherweight ranking as he battles Morihisa Iju (11-5, 9). Kishida suffered an early career loss, but has gone 5-0-2 since then, including a win over Seika Fukuda last time out. He's no world beater but the 24 year old is heading in the right direction and it wouldn't be any surprise at all to see him competing for a Japanese title in the future. Iju on the other hand is better than his record suggests, but unfortunately he's not fought in almost 3 years and has lost 3 of his last 4, so we do wonder what his hunger and desire is like coming in to this bout. At his best Iju could ask questions of Kishida, but we're not sure we'll see Iju even close to 100%. Shiroyama Sky Dome, Ashikita-gun, Kumamoto, Japan A second Japanese card, this time in Kumamoto, features something of a Japan Vs Taiwan show, with the two feature bouts both featuring locals taking on the visitors. The nominal main event of the show will see professional novice Kazuhiro Imamura (2-1-1, 1) take on Yu Che Li (6-3-2, 4) in a 6 rounder. Imamura was last seen being stopped inside a round by the destructive Yoshiki Takei, towards the end of last year, and is now without a win since October 2019, going 0-1-1 since then. Although he had promise he was derailed by the pandemic and is now 30 years old and needs to make up for lost time after this bout. As for Li, the Taiwanese 29 year old debuted in 2016 but has lost his last 2 bouts, and like Imamura needs a win to get his career going again. Sadly for him this is a big on Japanese soil and he'd likely need a career best performance to take home a win. The other Japan Vs Taiwan bout will see the once beaten Misaki Hirano (6-1, 2) take on Chuan Hsun Hong (3-2, 2). Hirano suffered his sole loss back in October 2020, and since then has reeled off 5 wins and won the All Japan Rookie of the Year, which he did back in February. He certainly has momentum on his side coming into this bout but this will be his first bout against a non-Japanese fighter. As for Hong, he has never faced a man with a loss, and won the WBO Asia Pacific Youth Featherweight title last time out. Notably though he has lost 2 of his last 3, and has only scored 1 win since the start of 2019. Aioi Hall, Kariya, Aichi, Japan On a third show in Japan, this time in Aichi, we'll see the highly experienced Takahiro Murai (16-10-2, 5) take on Tom Hamaguchi (6-4-2) in an 8 rounder. Neither of thee two are JBC ranked, or heading towards a title bout, but they are well matched and they should make for a decent contest. Although both men are relatively limited, and both have bad looking records, it should be noted that both are better than the numbers indicate, with Murai having had a number of very close decisions go against him and with that in mind he should be favoured here. The Flash Grand Ballroom of the Elorde Sports Complex, Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines Over in the Philippines fight fans will get the chance to see the once beaten Arvin Magramo (14-1-1, 9) take on veteran Jonathan Refugio (22-8-5, 8), in what looks like a good step up for Magramo. At one point Refugio was considered a very solid regional level fighter, and he has been in with something of a regional who's who including Melvin Jerusalem, Hiroto Kyoguchi, Taku Kuwahara, Knockout CP Freshmart, Merlito Sabillo and Wanheng Menayothin. Sadly though he has only notched a single win since the start of the pandemic and it's hard to imagine him having what's needed to over-come the fresher, hungrier Magramo.  City Plaza Yayoinokaze Hall, Izumi, Osaka, Japan
This coming Sunday is a quiet one in Asian boxing, but there is an interesting, though small, card in Osaka. The show certainly doesn't screen "must watch action", but there are reasons to be aware of it, with some decent match up on it. The main event of this show will see the once beaten Yuki Nakajima (4-1-2, 4) take on 22 year old Aoba Mori (7-3-1, 1) in a really matched bout. Of the two men Nakajima is the more touted, and when he turned professional there was a lot of fuss about him, though he has struggled recently and is 2-2-1 in his last 5 bouts, with draws in his last two bouts. Mori on the other hand, who is also 2-2-1 in his last 5, is 22 years old and had no real hype behind him but did impress in 2019, before losing to Yasuhiro Kanzaki into he West Japan Rookie of the Year. Coming into this both men need a win, and we suspect they'll put on a great battle here. In a notable supporting bout Retsu Kosaka (10-7, 4) takes in JBC ranked Featherweight Kyohei Tonomoto (11-3-1, 5) in what could be something of a thriller. Kosaka, who holds a win over Ryo Sagawa, was once well regarded as a hopeful in Japan, but has struggled in recent years and has lost his last 3 and 5 of his last 7. He needs a win if he's going to get his career back on track. Tonomoto on the other hand has won his last 2 following a 2020 loss to Satoshi Shimizu and will be looking to keep that momentum rolling here as he looks to move towards a another title bout. Given how fun Tonomoto is to watch this should prove to be a really fun fight, and see both men throwing some huge leather. One other bout on this card worth being aware of is the debut of 22 year old hopeful Taketo Yamahara (0-0), who debuts in a 6 round B Class bout against Mikado Konishi (6-5, 4). As an amateur Yamahara went 29-16 and was ranked #1 in Japan, with some being really excited about his debut. Sadly for him he doesn't have a major gym behind him, but it will be interesting to see his development over the coming years. As for Mikado he has lost his last 3, but had been matched hard against the likes of Kaiki Yuba and Ken Osato. On paper this is an easy match up for Yamahara, but we expect Konishi to genuinely test him here. Grosse Freiheit 36, St. Pauli, Hamburg, Germany As well as the action in Japan, we'll also see some interesting female action in Germany as unbeaten Thai youngster Phannarai Netisri (10-0, 4) takes on the hard hitting Crystal Garcia Nova (10-1, 10) in a bout for a trio of minor titles. The 21 year old Thai has impressed since her debut in 2019, and although she's gone the distance in her last 3 bouts she does have pop and will feel she has what it takes to win here. Nova on the other hand is a 22 year old from the Dominican Republic, who comes into the bout with a reputation as a dangerous fighter, though he competition so far has been really poor, and her one loss so far came in her only bout away from home. This could be really entertaining, though Netisri should be regarded as the favourite here.  City Plaza Yayoinokaze Hall, Izumi, Osaka, Japan
This coming Tuesday attention turns to Izumi, in Osaka, for a show from Mitsuki Promotions. It's not a big show by any stretch if the imagination, but it does have two bouts worthy of attention on it. The first of the two bouts will see the once beaten Taichi Sugimoto (6-1-1, 1) look to bounce back from his first defeat, which came in the All Rookie of the Year final in February. The promising Sugimoto isn't being given a gimme here, as he takes on the under-rated, and rugged, Taiga Higashi (6-5, 2). Higashi is no world beater, but he's tough, he comes to win and he has been proving himself to be a good test for Japanese prospects, such as Kazuki Nakajima, Kantaro Juri and Yusuke Mine. Sugimoto should be good enough to win, but he'll certainly have to work for his victory against Higashi. The main event of the show will see former OPBF title challenger Kyohei Tonomoto (10-3-1, 4) take on Takaaki Kanai (9-9, 4). This will be Tonomoto's second bout since his 2020 loss to Satoshi Shimizu, in a bout that saw Tonomoto impress despite being stopped in 7 rounds by the hard hitting Shimizu. As for Kanai he has been stopped in his last 2, and is 2-6 in his last 8. It's fair to say Kanai has been selected as a bit of a patsy for Tonomoto who should pick up the win here, relatively easily.  This coming Saturday is one that has seen a whole host of changes to what we were supposed to get, but still managed to deliver a decent day of boxing, even if two of the fights that we most wanted to see were cancelled. It's still a day that promises plenty of action and fingers crossed gives us a great great final weekend before Christmas.
Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA The show that the most changes was PBC's show in Uncasville, which was supposed to see two bouts featuring Filipino's in major bouts. Originally we had expected to see Nonito Donaire (40-6, 26) battle Nordine Oubaali (17-0, 12), though Oubaali tested positive for Covid19 in November and then Donaire got a positive test in December, though it does seem like his was a false positive. As a result both of those men are off the show. As a result of the positive tests we will now see unbeaten Filipino Reymart Gaballo (23-0, 20) take on Emmanuel Rodriguez (19-1, 12) for the interim WBC Bantamweight title, in a genuinely mouth watering match up, put on on short notice. Gaballo is looking to announce himself as the next big star of the Philippines and has the power, speed and style to genuinely make a name for himself at the top level. Rodriguez on the other hand is a former IBF champion who was last seen in the ring being stopped in 2 rounds by Naoya Inoue. Since that loss Rodriguez has genuinely had no luck at all, and we do wonder what his mental state his coming into this bout. Although Gaballo took this bout on short notice he had been set to fight on the show anyway, with the Filipino scheduled to face Jose Velasquez (28-6-2, 19) for the WBA "interim" Bantamweight title before replacing Donaire in the main event, so he should be in great shape for this bout. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan Over in Osaka we again see a card that had one main event planned for it, before changes had to be made, and end up getting a different bout that had already been postponed twice. Originally we were set to get a WBC Light Flyweight title fight here, with Kenshiro Teraji (17-0, 10) defending his title against Tetsuya Hisada (34-10-2, 20). That bout was cancelled when Kenshiro was contacted about a drunken incident in the summer, scrapping the bout at relatively short notice. Sadly instead of the world title bout headlining the show we will instead see 4-time world title challenger Hiroyuki Kudaka (26-18-4, 11) headline the event in a bout against the once beaten Tetsuro Ohashi (7-1-1, 2). the 35 year old Kudaka, also known as Hiroyuki Hisataka, is a true veteran of the sport having debuted back in 2002, and has been in with a who's who of the sport, including Tomonobu Shimizu, Takafumi Sakata, Denkaosan Kaovichit, Hugo Fidel Cazares, Omar Andres Narvaez and Takuma Inoue. Sadly in recent years Kudaka's career has been catching up with him and he's scored just 1 win in his last 6. Ohashi on the other hand is a 22 year old looking to bounce back from an 8th round KO loss to Suzumi Takayama last year. Although he lost there he is still very well regarded as a prospect and did win the 2018 All Japan Rookie of the Year at Super Flyweight. In a supporting bout we'll see recent OPBF title challenger Kyohei Tonomoto (9-3-1, 4) take on Kimihiro Nakagawa (7-4-2, 3), in what should be a really good, 50-50 type bout between two men each looking to pick up a win to end the year with. Tonomoto showed good ability in his July loss to Satoshi Shimizu, but lacked the power needed to get Shimizu's respect, despite the loss we are looking forward to seeing him in action. Nakagawa on the other hand is riding pretty following an upset loss against Yosuke Kawano in April 2019 and will be looking to build some momentum after 20 months away from the ring. The real one to make a note of on this show is the rescheduled match up between Ryosuke Nishida (2-0, 1) and Shohei Omori (21-3, 16), which is now on it's third date. The bout is a massive step up for the talented, and touted Nishida, who looks like he is potentially the future of the Mutoh Gym and someone that MTK's Japanese arm will be very hopeful of. Omori on the other hand is former world title challenger who will be looking to salvage his faltering career. For Nishida the bout is massive risk-reward, and he will likely enter as the under-dog, but a win would put him right in the domestic and regional title mix. For Omori a loss is unthinkable, and he needs a win. A really big match up, despite the issues surrounding it. For those wanting to watch this card, it appears it will be shown live on Boxing Real. Suamlum Night Bazaar, Ratchadaphisek, Bangkok We also get action in Thailand, as TL Promotions put on their last show of 2020. The main event here is a weird one as Chaloemporn Sawatsuk (21-6, 14) takes on former Welterweight contender Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (43-1, 31), aka Tewa Kiram, for the vacant WBA Asia Light Heavyweight title. Teerachai, best known for his bout with Lucas Matthysse, has no right fighting at 175lbs, though he should look in much better physical shape than the 32 year old Chaloemporn, who is only 5'6" and has looked very chubby when competing as a Middleweight. On paper not a bad bout, though we do, genuinely, wonder how the men will look at Light Heavyweight. For those wanting to watch this it will be aired on Thairath. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
After a low profile Rookie of the Year card on July 12th in Kariya we see higher level action return to Japan this coming Thursday as we get the first card in Tokyo since February. Thankfully this is actually worthy of attention, despite only having 2 bouts on it. This is a card where quality comes first, and the two bouts we get are both very solid match ups. The first of the bouts on the show will see OPBF Featherweight champion Satoshi Shimizu (8-1, 8) defending his title against Kyohei Tonomoto (9-2-1, 4), in what will be Shimizu's 5th defense of the belt and Tonomoto's first bout at Oriental level. Shimizu won the belt way back in October 2017 and looked like he was going to quickly rise through the rankings, but a 6th round TKO loss at Super Featherweight last July put a stop to that and injuries delayed his return. Now aged 34 he can't afford another set back if he's to get a world title shot. Whilst Shimizu had a nightmare 2019 Tonomoto had a solid year winning, and defending, the Japanese Youth Featherweight title. Aged 25 Tonomoto will know that a win here will put him on the boxing map, but he will also know that he's been chosen as a supposedly safe opponent for Shimizu, given the champion's inactivity and recent injury woes. Our preview of this bout can be read here Shimizu returns to Featherweight to defend OPBF title! The other title bout on this show is a Champion Carnival bout and will see Japanese Light Welterweight champion Koki Inoue (15-0, 12) defending his belt against mandatory challenger Daishi Nagata (14-2-1, 5). This bout was originally supposed to take place in March before being delayed, originally due to Inoue being injured, to May which it's self was delayed by the on going global situation. As a stand alone bout this is an excellent match up with Inoue, the cousin of Naoya and Takuma, looking to extend his reign and Nagata looking to claim a title in his second title fight. Style wise we're expecting this to be a really fun contest, with Nagata pressuring the more naturally skilled champion, who will stand and fight in spurts. Although we feel the champion will have too much we do expect this to be a very, very good fight and the ideal type of bout to headline the first Korakuen Hall boxing show in months. Our preview of this bout can be read here Koki Inoue returns to the ring to take on mandatory challenger! Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Former OPBF Bantamweight champion Mark John Yap (30-15, 15) looks to end his 2 fight losing run as he takes on former world title challenger Miguel Marriaga (29-3, 25). Although Yap is fighting above his best weight, and has never really refound the form he had when he was fighting out of the Muto Gym, he's going to be alive under-dog here against the big punching Marriaga. The heavy handed Marriaga is the naturally bigger man, and has only lost at world level, but there are questions about his mental attitude after his 2017 bout with Vasyl Lomachenko. On the same card will be fellow Filipino John Vincent Moralde (23-3, 13), who will be up against Mexican Alexis del Bosque (17-5, 9) in what looks like a very interesting match up and an even contest on paper.  Through December every weekend seems to have something of note happening in the wonderful world of Asian boxing.
Thankfully for those who need a bit of a break this coming weekend looks like the best on to take some time to yourself, but is still a pretty interesting weekend with a female world title fight, a Japanese youth title fight and a GAB title fight all coming on Saturday! Kagoshima, Japan The biggest of the shows takes place in Kagoshima, where we see a female world title fight, as well as domestic stalwart take on a Thai visitor and a Rookie of the Year winner taking on an unbeaten Thai puncher. The world title fight will see Japanese veteran Tenkai Tsunami (26-12-1, 15) make her second defense of the WBO female Light Flyweight title as she takes on Filipino challenger Jessebelle Pagaduan (12-1-1, 5), who gets her third shot at a world title. The 35 year old Tsunami has held this title since March 2018, but has only defended it once due to challenging Naoko Fujioka for the WBA Flyweight title earlier this year, and fighting to a draw in a fantastic 10 round back and forth. Filipino fighter Pagauan, also 35 years old, has failed in 2 other title challenges, both in Japan. In the first she lost to Nao Ikeyama, in a bout for the WBO Atomweight title, before a headclash with Kumiko Seeser Ikehara saw her WBO female Minimumweight title fight end in a technical draw. Although Pagaduan will be hungry, she will be up against it here. Our preview of this bout can be read here Tsunami and Pagaduan clash in WBO world title fight! In a supporting bout Naoya Haruguchi (15-11, 6), one of the most over-looked fighters in Japan, will take on Thai visitor Sanchai Yotboon (6-3, 6). Although Haruguchi's record is patchy at best his last 4 defeats have come to current Japanese champion Norihito Tanaka, current OPBF champion Lito Dante, former world champion Tatsuya Fukuhara and former world title challenger Riku Kano, and he wasn't embarrassed in any of those bouts. As for Yotboon he is 0-3 in Japan and was actually the debut opponent for Ginjiro Shigeoka in September 2018. Incidentally Yotboon was stopped by another fighter on this card, Sora Takeda, back in April. Talking about Sora Takeda (5-1, 1) the 2018 Rookie of the Year winner is in an interesting bout of his own as he takes on unbeaten Thai puncher Phanuwit Siriwong (7-0, 6). Since winning Rookie of the Year last December Takeda hasn't really done much, with his sole bout being his 3rd round KO win over Yotboon. The 18 year old Siriwong on the other hand has notched up 6 stoppage wins this year and will be in Japan looking to score his biggest win to date. Osaka, Japan A second Japanese show is headlined by a Japanese Youth title bout, as Kyohei Tonomoto (9-2, 4) looks to make his first defense of the Japanese Youth Featherweight title. The under-rated Tonomoto, who suffered early career losses to Shingo Kawamura and Reiya Abe, has won his last 4 and took the title last time out with a decision win over Hikaru Matsuoka. On the other hand the once beaten Ryotaro Motohashi (9-1, 2) is on a 7 fight winning run, including a credible win over Noboru Osato back in April. This isn't a bout that will get much attention but could end up being a very compelling bout for those in Kishiwada. Our preview of this bout can be read here Tonomoto to defend Youth crown against Motohashi! Cebu, Philippines As well as the action in Japan we're also set for some Filipino action, with the most notable of two Filipino cards coming from Cebu. Sadly this card isn't a particularly strong one, with the only bout of real interesting being the main event, which will pit the hard hitting Jeo Santisima (18-2, 15) against former OPBF Super Flyweight champion Rene Dacquel (20-9-1, 6). This should be a good test for Santisima, but Dacquel has lost his last 3, and suffered his first stoppage loss last time out. Santisima will be favoured, but this is still a solid test for him at this stage in his career. In the main support bout Peter Apolinar (10-1, 7) will take on former OPBF title challenger Lloyd Jardeliza (8-10-4, 6). Although Jardeliza did once fight for an OPBF title, way back in December 2015, he has gone 1-5-1 in his last 7 and appears to have essentially given up actually trying to win fights On the under-card the unbeaten Regie Suganob (3-0, 1) will take on Rolly Dorong (1-1- 2) and Go Hosaka (4-0, 3) takes a good step up in class to battle Boyce Sultan (10-12-1, 5). These bouts will see Hosaka and Suganob fighting their third bout in the space of 5 months, though it's unclear on just how much ALA can really push them at this moment in time. Metro Manila, Philippines There will also be a small card in Metro Manila, which will be headlined by a bout between Cris Paulino (20-4, 8) and Mateo Handig (15-20, 9), who clash for the GAB Super Flyweight title. On paper this should be an easy win for Paulino. Although limited the 26 year old dubbed "The King" is a solid fighter on the Filipino scene, and all 4 of his losses have come to fighters above domestic level. On the other hand Handig has picked up just 2 wins since he upset Katsunari Takayama back in 2012, going 2-15 in his last 17. A mismatch to say the least.  Hyogo, Japan
This coming Sunday our attention turns to Hyogo for a title triple header from the Sanda hotel. The show, put on by Taisei, isn't a huge one, but does have some pretty interesting match ups on it, and a lot of young talent. The main event will see former world title challenge Riku Kano (14-4-1, 7) take on Indonesian visitor Mektison Marganti (5-10-1, 3) in a bout for the WBC Youth Minimumweight title. The once very highly regarded Kano has struggled in recent bouts, losing last year to Shin Ono and has also been beaten in recent years to Jerry Tomogdan and Katsunari Takayama. The Indonesian visitor is no world beater, but he has shared the ring with Wanheng Menayothin and Satanmuanglek CP Freshmart, so it is well experienced. This should be a straight forward win for Kano, but Marganti is expected to take Kano plenty of rounds. Our in depth preview of this bout is available here Kano and Marganti battle for WBC Youth crown! A second title fight on this card will see JBC Youth Featherweight champion Hikaru Matsuoka (15-4-3, 2) make his first defense, and take on the under-rated Kyohei Tonomoto (8-2, 4) in a pretty tough match up. Coming in to this Matsuoka has won his last 3, including a technical decision for the title last December, but has been stopped in 3 of his 4 losses and his chin is thought to be rather shaky. Tonomoto isn't a big puncher but is a very capable fighter who reached the 2014 All Japan Rookie of the year, losing to Reiya Abe, and he is clearly a very live challenger. We're expecting a very hotly contested bout here. A preview of this clash can be read here Matsuoka and Tonomoto battle for Featherweight crown! Another Japanese youth title fight will see Flyweight champion Arata Matsuoka (7-6, 4) defend his title against Jukiya Washio (7-2-1, 2), with Matsuoka making his first defense. The 24 year old champion has turned around a really poor start to his professional career, winning 5 of his last 6, but those wins have typically come against limited opposition. The 21 year old challenger has won 5 of his last 7, but this will be his first 8 round bout and his first contest for a title. The preview of this bout can be read here Youth Flyweight king Matsuoka takes on Washio |
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