 This coming Saturday isn't a huge day for Asian boxing, but is an interesting one with a huge fight and several other bouts of note, as get a day to look forward to.
Pennsylvania, USA The most significant bout of the day takes place in the US as WBC Featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr (30-1, 18) defends his belt against unbeaten Mongolian challenger Tugstsogt Nyambayar (11-0, 9). Russell, who's reign has been among the worst in boxing, will be making his 5th defense of the title that he won way back in March 2015. Although a talented fighter he has completely wasted his prime years with a once a year schedule. Nyambayar on the other hand started his professional career with high activity, but has been a lot less active in recent years, following issues with his hands. The Mongolian, if he wins, will become only the second ever Mongolian world champion, but this is certainly not a gimme for a man looking to put his name in the history books. Although both have been inactive this is still a very interest match up and one we are really looking forward to. Our preview of this bout can be read here King Tug gets world title fight at last! But can he win? San Jose, Costa Rica Limited Filipino Carleans Rivas (8-6-4) will be getting a shot at the IBF female Minimumweight title, as she travels to Costa Rica to take on local star Yokasta Valle (19-2, 8). This looks like a really tough bout for Rivas who has struggled when she's stepped up in the past, and we expect her to struggle again here. Valle might not be a big name, but her title win last August against Joana Pastrana was impressive and we expect her to be far too much for Rivas here. This bout has been previewed here Rivas faces Valle in IBF title fight, but does she really have a chance? La Union, Philippines The most noteworthy or two Filipino cards will take place in La Union. The main event here will see unbeaten American Rafael Marzan (12-0, 9) take on Jestoni Autida (12-11, 6). In reality this should be a straight forward win for the talented Marzan, who is fighting in a 4th different country in as many fights. The American has recently fought at home, in the US, as well as Mexico and Germany, and it's kinda cool to see a fighter getting experience around the globe. On the other hand Autida has lost 4 of his last 5, and we would be shocked to see him really testing Marzan. In a support bout we are expecting to see OPBF Minimumweight champion Lito Dante (16-11-4, 8) fighting in a tune up bout against Sulis Barrera (4-7). There is some doubt about this contest taking place, given Dante is booked for a title defense in March, but in reality he should steam roll Barrera, who has won 2 of his last 9 bouts. In a bout that could be rather entertaining the heavy handed, but limited Alvin Lagumbay (11-5-1, 10) will be up against Bryan Macamay (10-10-3, 6). Lagumbay, best known for his 2018 upset win against Keita Obara, is 1-3-1 in his last 5 bouts, but should have far too much for the very limited Macamay. Also on this card will be debuting Uzbek hopeful Abdulkhay Sharakhmatov (0-0), who kicks off his career with a bout against Benjie Ebido (0-2). The very talented Sharakhmatov, who has competed in the WSB and was a very good amateur, is expected to be fighting out of the UK in the future, having signed with Frank Warren, and has the talented and amateur experience to be moved quickly. This should be a very easy win for the 23 year old who is expected to go very, very far in his career. Cebu, Philippines A second Filipino show is pencilled in to take place in Cebu. One of the bouts worthy of note here will see the unbeaten Bryan James Wild (4-0, 3) take on Margarito Moya (9-10, 3) in a 6 round contest. The 18 year old Wild made his debut in late 2018 and has looked promising but untested, and this will be a notable step up in class for him ahead of bigger and better fights in the coming years. Another bout of note on this show will see former amateur standout Criztian Pitt Laurente (4-0, 3) face off with the experienced Romnick Magos (12-11, 7). Pitt is regarded as a top Filipino prospect and this should a straight forward win for him, but as with Wild it is a clear step up in competition from the opposition he has been facing previously.
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 Tokyo, Japan
This coming Tuesday we see a really interesting card from Tokyo, as we get an OPBF title fight and a brilliant match up with a fast rising youngster against an rugged veteran. The main event will see OPBF Super Featherweight champion Hironori Mishiro (8-0-1, 3) defending his belt against once beaten Yoshimitsu Kimura (12-1, 7). The unbeaten champion won the title in summer 2018 and has notched up 3 defenses already, including very good wins over Takuya Watanabe and Ryo Takenaka. Despite his run Mishiro still has area's to improve on and this a good bout against a talented and hungry fighter. For Kimura the bout is a second shot at a title, following a competitive loss in 2018 to Richard Pumicpic for a belt at Featherweight. Both of these men like a fight, and we're expecting a bit of a tear up here in what could end up being a bit of a hidden gem of sorts. Our full preview of this bout is available here Mishiro clashes with Kimura in next OPBF title defense The chief support bout on this show is a mouth watering test for one of the most talented young fighters in Japan, who takes a huge step up and faces an OPBF champion, in just his second bout. The bout in question will see former Japanese amateur standout Yudai Shigeoka (1-0, 1) take on OPBF Minimumweight champion Lito Dante (16-10-4, 8), in a 6 round none title bout. On paper this looks like an easy win, but the reality is that Dante is a real dangerman, tough as old boots and is not an easy out for anyone, never mind a 1-0 novice. Shigeoka will likely be favoured, helped in part by the bout only being a 6 rounder, but this is a very real test for the youngster against a very rugged and determined Filipino foe. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Yudai Shigeoka takes on OPBF king Lito Dante in huge step up! Another talented Japanese youngster on this show is the light punching Fumiya Fuse (8-1, 1), who faces off with fellow feather fisted fighter Melmark Dignos (9-3, 1). On paper this is not likely to end early, but it should be genuinely compelling. We've often been impressed by Fuse's skills, and he is a real joy to watch, but here's up against a similarly skilled fighter here and Dignos has shown no fear on his travels, picking up a win last time he was in Japan. We expect this one to be very interesting, even if it will lack in terms of dramatic action. Kemerovo, Russia Several fighters from Asia are pencilled in to fight on a card from Russia. Among those fighters is once beaten Filipino Garen Diagan (7-1, 3), who will be fighting outside of the Philippines for the first time. The 23 year old Diagan has won 4 in a row following a 2017 loss to Marco John Rementizo, and has taken the unbeaten records of Arvin Magramo and Jerry Francisco in recent bouts. The Filipino will be up against debuting Russian Bator Sagaluev (0-0) in an interesting 6 rounder. Another Asian on this card will be Kazakh novice Nurzhan Makashbayev (0-0-1), who goes up against limited Russian Mikhail Lesnikov (4-4, 1). We saw Lesnikov score a brutal KO in January, against the over-matched Afrizal Tamboresi, but since the he has gone 1-2. As for the Kazakh this is a good chance to get his first professional win. Kharkiv, Ukraine In Kiev fans will be able to see Iranian fighter Puneh Akhundtabarmazandarani (5-1, 2) in a 6 rounder. Since losing on her debut, to up coming world title challenger Li Ping Shui, Akhundtabarmazandarani has gone unbeaten, though she has only faced novices so far. Sadly at the time of writing her opponent for this card wasn't named, leading us to suspect it'll be another novice.  Kanagawa, Japan
The most notable action this coming Sunday comes from Kanagawa where Dangan and the Cassius Gym put on an interesting card, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the E&J Cassius Gym. The main event will see Tsubasa Koura (14-0, 9) make his next defense of the OPBF Minimumweight title, taking on tough Filipino challenger Lito Dante (15-10-4, 7). The champion will be the very clear favourite here, and will be expected to make his 4th defense and build on wins over the likes of Masataka Taniguchi and Norihito Tanaka, but Dante is a trickier test than he's been given credit for, and he has scored upsets in the past, and proven himself as a very tough opponent. A Koura win will be expected, but if he stops Dante then we will be massively impressed. Our full preview of this contest can be read here Koura takes on teak tough Filipino challenge! Koura isn't the only notable E&J Cassius gym fighter on this card, as stable Mirai Naito (6-1, 2) features in the main support bout. The once beaten son of Cassius Naito will be up against a Thai foe, though we've not managed to work out who the Thai will be at the time of writing. Another fighter of name value on this show is the exciting and hard hitting Tsuyoshi Tameda (18-4-2, 16). Tameda will be fighting for the first time since being stopped by Hinata Maruta in 2018, and will be expected to get a confidence building win as he takes on Renerio Arizala (13-8-3, 5). On paper this looks potentially a battle for Tameda, but in realise Arizala has gone 0-6-2 in his last 8 and is likely to be splattered by the heavy hands of Tameda. Also on this card is the debuting Shisui Kawabata (0-0), who will be in a 6 rounder against Thai visitor Natchaphon Wichaita (0-1). Kawabata is the latest in the long line of fighters looking to be fast tracked at the Watanabe gym. For fans wanting to watch this show, it will be live on Boxing Raise. Aichi, Japan As well as the card in Kanagawa there is also a show in Aichi, which will feature several Rookie of the Year bouts. One of the best rookie bouts on this card will see Kenta Sugawara (1-0, 1) take on Satoshi Nagaya (1-0, 1) in a Super Flyweight bout. One of the great things about Rookie of the Year bouts is that fighters can't avoid decent tests or pad their record, and bouts like this show us what both men are made of. Despite this card having a number of Rookie bouts the main event is actually an 8 round bout, which will see Shin Tomita (10-5-2) risk his JBC Flyweight ranking against Katsuya Murakami (6-1-1, 2). Coming into this Tomita is riding a 4 fight winning run, including a win over Fire Ikkyu last time out, but has yet to score a stoppage win in his 17 career bouts. Murakami has won his last 2 bouts, but has been out of the ring for well over a year and would be scoring a career best win if he beat Tomita here  Metro Manila, Philippines
The biggest show this Sunday comes from the Philippines and features some very notable fighters, including an interim world champion, a former world champion and three touted prospects. On paper the main event will see WBA “interim” Bantamweight champion Reymart Gaballo (19-0, 16) battling against the horribly limited Julias Kisarawe (29-6-1, 15) of Tazania. The talented Gaballo claimed the interim title earlier this year, when he upset the unbeaten Stephon Young in the US, and showed that he was world class. Sadly Gaballo was one of the many talented Bantamweights who missed out on the World Boxing Super Series but as long as he stays active between now and the end of the tournament he will be in with a great chance of facing the eventual winner. Sadly this really is just a stay busy for Gaballo, and Kisarawe was stopped back in 5 rounds in July by Prince Patel, showing just how limited he is. The former champion on the card is former WBO Bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales (30-2, 13), who will be fighting for the first since he scored an 11th round KO against Shohei Omori in April 2017, a bout that saw him being stripped of the title for failing to make weight. Given his long break from the ring few we can't complain much about Tapalese being matched softly, and he has been. On paper Goodluck Mrema (22-3, 12) looks to be a decent opponent but the man from Tanzania has been matched very softly and has lost in his two bouts outside of homeland, including a stoppage loss in June in Scotland to the then 3-0 Lee McGregor. Tapales should have no problems dealing with the visitor here. One of the prospects on this card Dave Penalosa (13-0, 9), the nephew of promoter Gerry Penalosa, who looks to be taking a step up in class, at least on paper. The unbeaten southpaw will be up against Twalib Tuwa (21-5-2, 14), another import from Tanzania. Tuwa is 0-3 on the road, including a loss to to Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym. When you consider Kwanpichit is a Flyweight and Penalosa is a Featherweight we really should be questioning why Tuwa's team are throwing him in here. Another Penalosa on this card is Carlo Caesar Penalosa (12-1, 5), who will also be taking on an opponent from Tanzania, Jemsi Kibazange (11-2-2, 1). On paper this actually looks the most compelling of the Philippines Vs Tanzania bouts, despite Kibazange being very feather fisted. Kibazange hasn't never been stopped and despite suffering a couple of losses at least looks like he could be a test for Penalosa. Even if we are expecting the contest to be a mismatch. Kagoshima, Japan In Japan there will be two shows at the Kagoshima Arena, On paper the more notable of those two cards is the second show, which features a couple of notable bouts. The main event of this card will see Naoya Haruguchi (15-9, 6) take on Filipino visitor Lito Dante (14-10-4, 7). This will be Haruguchi's first bout since a loss to Tatsuya Fukuhara in July and although he's lost 2 of his last 3 he has proven to be a very credible fighter around the Japanese and OPBF title scene, with notable wins against the likes of Norihito Tanaka and Jeffrey Galero. On paper Dante looks like a limited fighter, but like Haruguchi he is much better than his record suggests and has gone the distance twice with Vic Saludar and also took Simphiwe Khonce the schedule. Dante is tough, talented and will be there to pick up a win on the road. This could be a thrilling and hotly contest contest. In the chief support bout we'll see OPBF female Bantamweight champion Miyo Yoshida (10-1) make her first defense, just weeks after winning the belt, as she takes on Thai challenger Phannaluk Kongsang (4-6-1, 2). Yoshida won the title on October 20th, to unify the OPBF and Japanese titles, and this will be her first defense of the regional belt as she gets a homecoming contest in Kagoshima, with the plan being for her to move on to world title fights in the near future. Coming in to this the Thai has lost 3 of her last 4, including a previous challenge for this title, and a win would be the biggest of her career, by far. We don't see the upset happening, but we do imagine the Thai will be able to last the distance, given Yoshida's lack of power. Kagoshima, Japan The other card in Kagoshima is a Rookie of the Year card, pitting the Western Japan champions against the Central Japan champions. The winners of these bouts will then find themselves one bout away from an appearance at the All Japan Rookie of the Year final in December. This card will feature 9 bouts in total with contests taking place from Minimumweight to Welterweight. We won't go through the bouts, but we are expecting some very competitive contests. Laguna, Philippines
To kick off a new week we have a small show in the Philippines, with a card that really won't get much attention, even in the Philippines. In one of those bouts we'll see former OPBF title challenger Lloyd Jardeliza (8-5-3, 6) take on southpaw foe Jerwin Mejes (4-2-2, 3) in what could be a hard hitting bout, albeit at a low level. Coming in to this Jardeliza has lost 4 of his last 6 but will be looking to get back on track with a second successive win. Mejes however is unbeaten in his last 3 and has a bit of momentum coming into this bout. Another relatively notable name on this show is Lito Dante (13-8-4, 7) who takes on Powell Balaba (8-23-1, 5) in what looks like a real mismatch. Dante was originally pencilled in for an OPBF title bout but for some reason was pulled from that bout for this one instead, which looks like a relatively meaningless match up if we're being honest. A third bout worth a tiny bit of attention will see 22 year old puncher Alvin Lagumbay (7-1, 6) taking on Jimmy Aducal (8-7-2, 6), in what should an explosive, but one sided, bout.  This coming Saturday is set to be a huge one in the Philippines where a host of notable fighters will be in action across three different shows.
Cebu, Philippines One of those Filipino shows is in Cebu and features a former world title challenger, a former world title contender and two really promising prospects. The biggest name in action here is fringe contender Froilan Saludar (24-2-1, 15), who takes on Salatiel Amit (10-2-2, 7) in what should be a straight forward win for the once touted Saludar. Although Saludar isn't as highly regarded as he once was, with some picking him as a world champion in the making several years ago, he should still be far too good for Amit here. Froilan's brother, Vic Saludar (14-2, 9), will continue to rebuild from his 2015 loss to Kosei Tanaka, in a WBO Minimumweight title bout, as he takes on the once beaten Toto Landero (8-1-2, 2). On paper this looks like it could be the bout of he day, and although Saludar will be favoured, given his destructive power, Landero is well schooled and won't be getting in the ring to suffer a second career defeat. Another pretty good looking bout will see the unbeaten Vince Paras (10-0, 9) take on Jimboy Haya (10-3-2, 6). Again the puncher should be favoured, given he's unbeaten and on the rise, but Haya has never been stopped, and lasted 12 rounds with the aforementioned Vic Saludar last year, suggesting he can take a shot even if he was widely beaten but the former world title challenger. Another unbeaten on this card is Robert Paradero (13-0, 8), who faces veteran Fabio Marfa (25-33-4, 12). Marfa began his career back in the mid 1990's and began as a promising teenager, going 9 bouts unbeaten before suffering his first defeat, sadly he's gone 0-12 in the last 9 years or so, and is unlikely to pose any real test for Paradero. Cotabato del Sur, Philippines Another notable Filipino card takes place in Cotabato del Sur and will again feature some notable names in action. One of the most notable name on the card is the fast rising Romero Duno (13-1, 12), who looks to follow up on his career best win over Christian Gonzalez back in March. The once beaten Duno will be hotly tipped to score a 5th straight win as he takes on puncher Jason Tinampay (8-4-1, 7). This could be a shoot out, given that Tinampay's only chance seems to be a puncher's one, but it's still hard to doubt anything but a Duno win. In one of the other notable bouts we'll see big punching hopeful Aston Palicte (22-2, 18) take on former world title challenger John Mark Apolinario (18-8-3, 4) in a bout that really should be a stepping stone for the much fancied Palicte. The twice beaten man, who was very controversially beaten in Mexico not too long ago, should be too strong and too powerful for Apolinario, who doesn't have the power to get the respect of a fighter like Palicte. Malaysian Muhamad Farkhan (3-0, 3) will be in the remaining headline bout, as he takes a huge step up to take on Marlon Alta (12-7, 9). The talented Farkhan has looked promising and has 11 rounds under his belt, but this is a big step up in class against a Filipino who can punch, and is an experienced professional. Although Alta's record isn't great he has mixed in good company, facing the likes of Makoto Fuchigami, and Peng Qu, and should ask questions of Farkhan. This card also features the debut of two touted youngsters. One of those is Dave Apolinario (0-0), who is viewed as a real prospect following success in the amateurs, and he will be up against Prince Canonero (0-3) and the other is Mark Antonio (0-0), who will be facing fellow debutant Rusty Padua (0-0). Cavite, Philippines A smaller show in the Philippines comes from Cavite and really lacks attention grabbing name action. In one of the bigger bouts Alphoe Dagayloan (5-2-4, 2) will face limited veteran Ryan Tampus (11-18, 8) whilst another leading bout will feature Jerome Clavite (7-4-2, 3) taking on Mark Anthony Florida (9-7, 7). With all the other action in the Philippines it is, admittedly, hard to card much about this show. Jinan, China Staying in Asia there will also be a show in China, where we'll see a number of notable of bouts. One of those will see former world title challenger Angky Angkotta (28-14-1, 14) battle against Chinese southpaw Yong Cai Liu (4-4-3, 3) in an interesting looking 6 rounder. On paper Angkotta will be favoured, but it's been a while since he last scored a win and Liu will be looking for his biggest win to date. The best bout,on paper at least, will see Zhong Liu (8-0, 2) battle against Sen Chen (8-0, 2) in a perfectly balanced bout. Liu is a 25 year old Southpaw, and will be the slightly more experienced with 5 rounds more than 24 year old Chen, but the bout really is a toss up on paper. Gauteng, South Africa We get some really good looking bouts in South Africa as Filipino warriors continue to show their grit on the road. The main event is an IBF Minimumweight title fight, which will see Simphiwe Khonco (17-5, 7) battle Lito Dante (13-7-4, 7) in a battle of the under-rated. Of the two men Khonco is likely the more well known, having lost in a thrilling WBA title bout to Hekkie Budler in 2015 before defeating Nkosinathi Joyi last time out. Dante however shouldn't be over-looked and could be a genuine banana skin for the local here. In an even more mouth watering match up we'll see the Jayar Inson (13-0, 9) take on Thulani Mbenge (10-0, 10) in a battle of unbeaten punchers. Inson caught our eye last year, when he stopped Ryota Yada in Osaka and announced himself as a genuine prospect, but he's in tough here against a local puncher who has been taking out foes quickly, with only one bout going beyond 4 rounds for Mbenge. This could be a very exciting shoot out. Zhukovka, Russia In Russia we'll see Uzbek novice Ulugbek Xakberdiyev (2-0, 1) take on Russian based Argentinian veteran Oscar Roberto Medina (27-14-2-1, 9). Although Xakberdiyev has only fought 7 rounds so far we already know that top Uzbek fighters don't wait around and we don't expect to see the 24 year old to actually struggle here, given that Medina has lost 5 of his last 6 and is now a 35 year old who has had than 230 professional rounds under his belt. |
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