December 28th- Bin Lu in action on busy day in China!

12/24/2024

This coming Saturday attention turns to China, where we have 3 different shows. Although none are huge, all 3 are worthy of some attention.

Wuyuan River Stadium, Haikou, China
The best of the 3 Chinese shows is from Haikou, where we have 3 title fights, including an excellent fight between a former world title challenger and an unbeaten Filipino visitor.

The former world title challenger on this card is China’s Bin Lu (4-1, 2), who famously chased greatness by attempting to win a world title in his second professional bout, before being stopped by the excellent Carlos Canizales, who takes on Vencent Lacar (8-0, 4) in a bout for the WBC Far East and WBO Oriental Flyweight titles, both of which are currently vacant. Following his loss to Canizales, in 2018, Bin spent some time away from the ring but returned in 2022 and has reeled off 3 wins, whilst getting himself back into shape. In his ring return he was at Bantamweight, but has been working his way down the weights, with this bout set to take place at Flyweight. Bin is a very good fighter. He was a stellar amateur and had his team not sought to etch his name in the history books against Canizales there is a great chance he’d have won a world title by now. He has skills, excellent amateur experience, good speed, ring IQ and power, but was simply out gunned, out fought and broken down by Canizales, who is a truly excellent fighter. As for Lacar the unbeaten Filipino has been slowly crafting a solid record of his own, winning the PBF title in September, following a career best win over the touted Shunpei Odagiri in Japan in June. Lacar is no push over, and will be confident of picking up a second win on the road this year. This should be high quality action from the opening bell, and a great chance for the winner to move towards a world title fight, though they are probably going to want another few fights and a bit more seasoning before a bout at the top level.

A second notable title fight will see the unbeaten Yongqiang Yang (16-0, 12) face off with Kazakhstan fighter Ablaikhan Khussainov (13-1, 10) fighting for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Lightweight title. Aged 32 Yang has had a quiet but solid building of his record, without getting much fanfare. He debuted in 2016 and notched solid wins against Takuya Watanabe and Harmonito Dela Torre in 2018, before adding wins against Ernie Sanchez and JR Magboo. His last 3 wins over been less notable, but he and his team will be looking at this as a chance to take a huge step towards a major bout. He's tough, strong, has decent power, and whilst he is flawed defensively, he seems to have a solid and a real desire to win. Sadly at the age of 32 we do wonder whether father time will start to catch up with Yang soon. As for Khussainov, the 33 year old is fighting for the second time in 18 months, following his loss in Russia to Artur Subkhankulov. At one point he was part of a contingent of Canadian based Kazakh fighters, but that agreement has ended and his last 5 bouts, dating back 5 years, have been outside of Canada. At his best he looked like someone with the potential to make a mark on the world rankings. In recent years however inactivity, a lack of real desire and a loss to Artur Subkhankulov, have really ended any idea of his making a mark at a higher level. Despite both men being the wrong side of 30 we see them as being well matched, and this should be a great fight, even if neither man really has the tools, or time, to make a mark at world level

A third title bout on this card will see Chinese puncher ZhiGang Zhang (8-2-1, 6) take on unbeaten Filipino Alfred Deano (13-0-1, 10), with the men facing off for the WBC Far East Super Featherweight title. The 30 year old Zhang has had 11 bouts and 47 rounds, with only 2 contests going the distance. He started his career with two early losses, being stopped in round 3 in both, but has now gone 9 fighters unbeaten. Sadly his most notable wins have come in Thailand, where he has beaten Wicha Phulaikhao, Conrado Tanamor and Campee Phayom. Notably his draw, which occurred last time out, against Rhonvex Capuloy, was a 6th round technical draw, also for the WBC Far East Super Featherweight title. As for Deano, he fought to a draw on his debut, and has run up a good looking record, though has mostly been fighting at Bantamweight and lacks any wins of real note. To date his biggest win has been a KO over Bryan Macamay, more than a decade ago, where he failed to make weight for the bout. On paper this looks competitive, but in reality it’s hard to imagine the naturally smaller Deano extending his unbeaten record here.

MGM hotel, Shanghai, China
We get more title action in Shanghai, albeit at a much lower level than the Lu Vs Lacar and Yang Vs Khussainov bouts.

The title bout on this card will see Chinese based British fighter Ellie Bouttell (3-0-1) take on once beaten Indian fighter Renu Phogat (6-1,2) for the lightly regarded WBC Far East female Bantamweight title, with the two fighting to become the inaugural champion. Boutell, who has fought her entire career in China, is part of the M23 Boxing Club, which has led the likes of Can Xu and Wulan Tuolehazi to major international fights. She is somewhat unproven, but is slowly making a name for herself in China, with this being her 5th bout in a little under a year. As for Phogat who's also fighting for the 5th time in 12 months, this bout will be her second outside of India, as she looks to rebuild following a loss to Seren Cetin in Türkiye, in October. Interestingly Phogat will be fighting at a career lowest for the bout, at Bantamweight, having previously fought as high as Welterweight early in her career.

A second notable bout on this card will see unbeaten teenage puncher Saipaier Rouzi (3-0-0-1, 3) take on Yihao Wang (13-4, 8). All 3 of Rouzi’s wins have come in the first round, however they have come against rank novices, and it's hard to get any sort of a read on him from those bouts. Aged just 19 however we’re interested to see how he fares here in a notable step up. Yihao Wang, who has been stopped in 3 of his 4 losses, is unbeaten in more than 5 years, and after a faltering start, going 5-4 (1) in his first 9 has found his groove, winning his last 8, with 7 of those wins coming early. Notably that winning run has been, mostly against limited foes, with Keon Woo Kim being the best of them, and the most recent win coming more than a year ago. Still this is a good step up for Rouzi and a win here could, hopefully, open the doors for him to move towards regional level title fights.

Qidong Sport center, Nantong, China
The least notable of the Chinese acton comes from Nantong, in a show that really feels like it could be one that’s easy to ignore in favour of the other two, much more interesting looking, shows.

One of the bigger bouts on this card will see local fighter Min Nuo (8-4, 4) face off with visiting Thai Anuson Thonglueang (21-5-1, 16) is a pretty solid looking 8 rounder. Nuo is a 25 year old with some international experience,. having fought in both South Korea and Thailand, along with his native China. His most noteworthy bouts so far are early losses to Abdurasul Ismoilov and LeQuan Wang, which seem to suggest he is some way short of top regional level. Aged just 20 Thonglueang is looking to have his 5th bout of the year, and score his first win away from home, having been stopped in Kazakhstan and Australia earlier this year. Prior to 2024 he had also lost in all his other bouts on foreign soil, being stopped in Vietnam and out-pointed in Japan, with this now being his fifth fight on the road, and perhaps his best chance to pick up a win away from home.

The other bout of note is a 10 rounder as local fighter Abulimiti Tuersunniyazi (10-4-2, 7) takes on Filipino visitor Ador Torres (12-5-1, 8), who we believe is a late replacement for Elmo Traya (14-5, 9). The 33 year old Tuersunniyazi has been a professional since 2015 and whilst he has faced some notable domestic fighters, such as Youli Dong and Cheng Su, he has never really beaten anyone of any note, at all. His 10 wins have been against low level imports or inexperienced domestic fighters, and it seems clear his career isn’t going far. As for Torres, the Filipino is an upset minded fighter, who has spent the last few years fighting mostly in Thailand, where he won and defended a low level Welterweight title. He is 8-1 in his last 9, with the one loss coming in September to the fast rising Kosei Nogami, in Japan, with that bout proving that Torres was tough as he lasted the 8 rounds with Nogami. Interestingly, the winner here will have scored their career best win.

Nova Boxing Gymnasium, Incheon, South Korea
As well as the action in China we also get a low level show in Incheon, South Korea, as the Nova Boxing Gym put on a show packed with 4 rounders. The one bout scheduled for more than 4 rounds is a 6 rounder, as Hyung Shin Chae (4-3, 1) takes on Woo Sung Kim (3-2, 2), in what should be a fan friendly, low level, fighter between two men with defensive issues. Chase, the more experienced man, has been stopped in his last 2, including a Korean title, both this year. Notably in just 7 bouts he has faced 6 unbeaten men, including a debutant, with only one of his 7 opponents having had a loss. As for Kim, his opponents have been less promising, though he did score his biggest win to date in October, when he stopped the experienced Chul Woo Yoon in 5 rounds. For fans of low level wars, this show should be fun, but it will be low level action, with flawed, crude, novices.

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July 15th-Pacquiao and Matthysse headline in Malaysia on a brilliant day of boxing!

7/11/2018

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
This coming Sunday we get one of the biggest shows of the year, possibly in fact the show of the year, as Pacquiao fever takes over Malaysia for a stacked card with 4 world title fights, and a number of notable under-card fights.

The main event will see Manny Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38) challenge WBA Welterweight champion Lucas Martin Matthysse (39-4-0-1, 36) in what is really a must win for both men. The Filipino icon, 39, hasn't fought in over a year with his last outing being a controversial decision loss to Jeff Horn in Australia. In fact we now need to go back to November 2016 to find Pacquiao's last win, which came against Jessie Vargas. At his best Pacquiao was a destructive dervish in the ring, but he is several years beyond his best. Matthysse also looks to be on the slide, and looked like a shadow of himself last time out against Teerachai Kratingdaenggym. Although a dynamite puncher, with under-rated skills, Matthysse can be out boxed, and can be made to look slow and predictable. We're not sure what to expect here, but with both men being past their prime neither can really afford a loss.

In another of the world title bouts we'll see former IBF Flyweight champion Moruti Mthalane (35-2, 24) look to reclaim that title as he faces South Korean based Pakistani Muhammad Waseem (8-0, 6). The IBF Flyweight title became when Donnie Nietes vacated it, to move up to Super Flyweight, and as a result we have a brilliant match up here. At his best Mthalane was a leading Flyweight, an aggressive but technically sound fighter with wins against the likes of Hussein Hussein, Julio Cesar Miranda, Zolani Tete, Johnriel Casime and Ricardo Nunez. Sadly though the former champion is now 35, ancient for a Flyweight. Waseem on the other hand was on the fast track to the top to begin his career, but financial issues have slowed his rise and he's spent the last year treading water to keep off ring rust. At his best Waseem is an excellent boxer, but this is easily his toughest test to date. This could be a really high class contest.

Another of the title fights could, potentially, be an historic one. The bout in question sees WBA Light Flyweight champion Carlos Canizales (20-0-1, 16) defending his belt against Chinese novice Lu Bin (1-0, 1). The Chinese 23 year old is looking to become the new record holder for the fewest fights to win a world title, doing so in 2 fights, and the confidence of Bin suggests he believes he can do it. He was a former amateur stand out and, like Vasyl Lomachenko, wanted to be fast tracked in the professional ranks. A win for Bin really would raise the bar for what is expected of true “super prospects”. Canizales on the other hand is looking for his first defense, after winning the title against Reiya Konishi earlier this year. The Venezuelan puncher is a fearsome fighter who's only set back was a split decision draw with Ryoichi Taguchi, and coming into this bout he may well be the best fighter at 108lbs, though obviously has stiff competition from the likes of Ken Shiro. We suspect Canizales will be the favourite but Bin is not there to roll over and lose.

The 4th world title bout will see Filipino Jhack Tepora (21-0, 16) battle against Mexican Edivaldo Ortega (26-1-1, 12) for the WBA “interim” Featherweight title. The talented Tepora has long been tipped as one of the most promising young Filipino fighters and has picked up a number of minor titles in recent years but this is a big step up from the likes of Lusanda Komanisi, who Tepora stopped in eye opening fashion last September. The Filipino is flawed but has lights out power and will be a very dangerous fighter to go toe-to-toe with. Ortega is an all-action fighter with a come forward pressure style. He has scored notable wins over the likes of Juan Carlos Carlos Sanchez Jr, Tomas Rojas and Drian Francisco, but has never been in with someone who has power like Tepora. We're expecting to see Ortega bring the action and Tepora look for counters in what could be an absolute barn burner.

The under-card here is littered with great match ups, including a bout between unbeaten Chinese fighter Yongqiang Yang (10-0, 7) and once beaten Filipino Harmonito Dela Torre (19-1, 12), in what really could be a very special bout. Another good looking contest will see the hard hitting Filipino Jayar Inson (16-1, 11) taking on Aussie foe Terry Tzouramanis (20-3-3, 3) in what could be a very exciting contest.

Aichi, Japan
As well as the big Malaysian show there will also be a smaller, though somewhat notable, card in Aichi.

The main event of this Aichi card will see 2017 Super Featherweight Rookie of the Year Musashi Mori (6-0, 5) battling against Filipino foe Allan Vallespin (12-2, 9). The 18 year old Mori is one to watch, blessed with natural power, speed and skills he appears to be a fighter who could find himself in the title mix in 2 or 3 years, if he can continue to rack up wins. On paper this is a notable step up in class for the Japanese teenager, given that Vallespin's only losses have come to very decent fights in the form of Masaru Sueyoshi and Denys Berinchyk. This is a a really interesting bout and a very tough test for Mori.

Also on this card is the hard hitting Arashi Iimi (5-1, 5), who takes on Suntorn Panhom (2-2, 1) on Thailand. The Japanese fighter came runner up in the 2017 Rookie of the Year at Super Bantamweight and has since bounced back with a stoppage over Shuto Takase in April. This will be his first bout against a non-Japanese fighter. Panhom comes into this on the back of back-to-back losses and we're not expecting him to to handle the power of Iimi, at all.

South Korea
There is also a small card in Korea courtesy of the KBA.

The headline bout here will see WBA female Super Featherweight champion Hyun Mi Choi (15-0-1, 4) defending her title against Argentinian challenger Mayra Alejandra Gomez (18-7, 4). Choi, the only current Korean world champion, will be looking to extend her reign and increase her profile with this win as she attempts to make her 6th defense of the title. The champion, a tall and rangy fighter, should be strongly favoured, but Gomez has fought at world level before and has proven to be no push over against the likes of Jackie Nava.

Also on this card will be Ji Hyun Park (22-3, 6), who will be up against a Thai foe. The Korean is a IFBA, WIBA and WIBF world champion who will be looking to add a WBF International Minimumweight title to her collection. Although she's a multi-time title winner Park was beaten last time out in a WBO world title fight by Kayoko Ebata, in what was her first defeat in over a decade. We suspect she'll be back to winning ways here.

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September 29th- Busy day in China! Amagasa takes on Pumicpic in Japan!

9/25/2017

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This coming Friday is a crazy day in the world of Asian boxing with a trio of Chinese cards, as well as a notable Japanese show. The bouts aren't likely to have much global attention, but they range from a really high profile debut, to a potentially thrilling war on the verges of world class.

Beijing, China
For us the biggest show of the day is from Beijing, where we see a number of prospects in action, in bouts of varying quality.

One of the really good looking bouts will see Filipino Ronnie Baldonado (9-0-1, 6) defending his WBO “interim” Oriental Flyweight title against touted Indonesian puncher Iwan Zoda (14-2-1, 13). For the champion the bout will be his first defense of the title he won back in April, when he stopped Yiming Ma inside a round whilst Zoda will be looking to rebuild after a year that has seen hi suffer a stoppage to Robert Onggocan and a surprising draw with Ical Tobida. It's fair to say Zoda can ill afford a set back but Baldonado is on a role with a trio of first round blow outs.

Another really interesting contest will see Filipino prospect Mark Anthony Barriga (6-0, 1) take a huge step up to face former 2-time world title challenger Samartlek Kokietgym (33-6, 12) in a contest for the WBO International Minimumweight title. The 24 year old Barriga was a top Filipino prospect and it's clear his team view him as a special talent but this is a massive step up in class, and should tell us a lot about just how far Barriga could go. Samartlek, who is best known for losing in world title bouts to Naoya Inoue and Akira Yaegashi, does have a padded record, but is a very decent fight and will certainly not be afraid of Barriga's amateur background.

Another title bout featuring an unbeaten fighter on this show will see Jin Xiang Pan (7-0, 4) take on James MacDonald (8-1-1, 4) for the WBO Youth Super Featherweight title. On paper this bout doesn't have the appeal of the ones above, but it's a step up for both fighters and it should be very interesting to see where both men are going in their career.

Arguably the most notable title bout on the card, yet potentially the most one-sided, will see former Chinese amateur stand out Lu Bin (0-0) take on Thai foe Chatchai Or Benjamas (8-9, 6) for the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Light Flyweight Title. Making his professional debut in a 10 rounder is clearly Bin and his team looking to make a statement and given his background in amateur boxing and the APB there is real star potential here. It should be noted that Chatchai isn't great, and was an early opponent for the likes of Yohei Tobe and KJ Cataraja, but Bin's willingness to fight for a title early is still a statement from his team.

One other bout of note from this show will see big punching Filipino Jayar Inson (13-1, 9) take on China's Yangcheng Jin (5-1-2, 1). This is likely to be a straight forward win for the visitor, but he is coming in to the bout on the back of a loss on the road in South Africa, and may be wearing the mental scars of that defeat.

Xi An, China
We get more title action in Xi An as novices Yiran Li (3-0, 3) and Super Top Singnamchai (2-0, 1) battle for the WBC Youth Featherweight title. Li made his professional debut back in April and has needed just 7 rounds to despatch his first 3 foes whilst the Thai visitor apparently debuted in 2012, and hasn't had a boxing contest in more than 5 years, making this a very perplexing contest on paper.

Jinan, China
Staying in China just a little longer fans will get card in Jinan where the headline bout will see Indonesian veteran Hero Tito (23-12-2, 8) battle with local Aizi Aili (5-2-1, 2), in what could be a pretty solid match up between well matched fighters at different stages of their career.

Tokyo, Japan
As well as all the action in China there will also be a notable card at the Korakuen Hall, which will be available on the A-sign service.

The main event of the card is a potential war as former world title challenger Hisashi Amagasa (33-6-2, 21) takes on Richard Pumicpic (19-8-2, 6) in a bout for the WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight title, essentially securing the winner a top 15 WBO ranking. Of the two men Amagasa is the more well known, given his bouts with Guillermo Rigondeaux and Josh Warrington, and will be favoured, however Pumicpic is no pushover and he has has pushed fighters like Ryosuke Iwasa, Cesar Juarez and Yohei Tobe all really close in thrilling fights. We're expecting this fight to be the bout of the day.

In another good looking contest we'll see veteran Takafumi Nakajima (28-9-1, 12) take on Jin Miura (9-2, 1). Coming in to this Nakajima has a little bit of momentum, with 3 straight wins to put back to back losses behind him, whilst Miura comes in on the back of a narrow loss in Russia. This could be a highly skilled battle with both men looking to really boost their hopes of a potential domestic title bout.

One other fighter of note on this card is Naoki Mochizuki (11-2, 6), who will be facing off with a Thai visitor.

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February 11th-Iwabuchi Vs Rivera and Zhong Vs Bin!

2/8/2016

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Tokyo, Japan
The main action of the day sees action return to the Korakuen Hall for what looks to be a genuinely interesting looking card.

The main event will be a real treat for fight fans as punchers collide in a bout for the OPBF 140lb title. The match up will see former Japanese champion Shinya Iwabuchi (26-5, 22), fighting in his third OPBF title fight, face off against Filipino puncher Al Rivera (14-2, 12), who comes into the bout on the back of a stoppage win over Adones Cabalquinto last November. This will almost certainly be a fire fight and, given the power and style of the two men involved we wouldn't be surprised if this ended with an eye catching KO.

As well as the mouth watering main event this card features 3 other bouts of note. One of those is an evenly matched Flyweight bout between Yuta Matsuo (9-2-1, 5) and Seiya Fujikita (8-2, 1). This is a wonderfully matched bout between two fighters with similar looking records. Matsuo has won his last two bouts but was beaten last May by Ardin Diale whilst Fujikita has been very close in both of his losses. This really could be a very competitive and exciting bout.

A less competitive, yet still very relevant match up, will see the unbeaten Daishi Nagata (5-0-1, 3) battle against Kentaro Endo (5-6, 4). It's hard to see anything but a win for the unbeaten 26 year old here, however Endo is no push over and could test Nagata.

Possibly the most eye raising bout on the card will see the much touted Shuichiro Yoshino (1-0) battle against Thai veteran Chaiyong Sithsaithong (39-14-4, 28) in what will almost certainly see Yoshino answering questions about his potential. This really is a risky match up for the unbeaten 24 year old.

China
As well as the action in Japan there is also set to be a very interesting card in Chin where two codes of professional boxing collide in what is being regarded as a very unique show to begin the Chinese new year.

The main event of the card will see former WBC Minimumweight champion Xiong Zhao Zhong (26-6-1, 14) face off with APB champion Lu Bin. The bout between the two has been hyped by Chinese boxing sources as a “Super Bowl” of boxing and is a real oddity in boxing where the “normal” professional fighters and the “APB” professionals have stayed away from each other. Unfortunately a lack of clear details on this bout do leave us wondering if the contest will be counted officially on either man's record.

The show will feature three other, similar bouts, one of which will be between the under-rated Xinghua Wang (12-13-1) and Jiawei Zhang.

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December 28th- Bin Lu in action on busy day in China!

July 15th-Pacquiao and Matthysse headline in Malaysia on a brilliant day of boxing!

September 29th- Busy day in China! Amagasa takes on Pumicpic in Japan!

February 11th-Iwabuchi Vs Rivera and Zhong Vs Bin!

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