 Tokyo, Japan
Kadoebi will be putting on a pretty stacked card at the Korakuen Hall, headlined by a Japanese title fight and littered with notable names from the Kadoebi stable. The main event of the card will see Japanese Featherweight champion Takenori Ohashi (15-4-2, 10) make his first defense of the title, as he battles fellow puncher Taiki Minamoto (14-5, 11) in a Champion Carnival bout. Ohashi won the title last year in bizarre fashion as he stopped Kosuke Saka as Saka misheard the end of round clacker, and this will be his first defense since that win. Prior to the stoppage Ohashi had looked a monster against Saka, but with 3 stoppages against his name it's clear he's not the toughest. Minamoto is himself a bit of a glass cannon, with 2 stoppages against his name, but he did show good skills last October when he defeated Dai Iwai to earn this shot. This could well be a shoot out, and could be something very exciting. The chief support bout is a mouth watering ,match up between Akinori Watanabe (35-7, 30) and Ratchasi Sithsaithong (10-4, 7). Watanabe has lost 3 of his last 5, including an 8th round TKO loss last time out to Magomed Kurbanov, but is still a really dangerous puncher and will know that a win here will see him back in the OPBF title mix. For Ratchasi this will be his first bout in Japan since losing the OPBF Light Middleweight title to Takeshi Inoue last October, and prior to that he had been on a role with wins against Cobra Suwa, Yutaka Oishi and Jumbo Oda Nobunaga Shoten Petagine. We're expecting this to be two men each fighting to remain relevant, and could be very special. Fast rising Kadoebi prospect Kazuki Saito (4-0, 4) will be continuing his development as he faces off with Marbon Bodiongan (14-6-2, 11). Despite only having 4 bouts to his name Saito is already ranked by the JBC and OPBF and looks to be racing towards a title fight thanks to good wins over Jimmy Borbon and Alvin Lagumbay. This is, on paper, a slight step up in class for Saito as he takes on his most experienced opponent. Bodiongan is 0-3 on his travels, but has has mixed with the likes of Nihito Arakawa and Masaru Sueyoshi, and should give Saito a chance to compare himself to those two men. They both stopped Bodiongan though if Saito can stop him in 4 rounds he would have bettered both men's win over the Filipino visitor. Last November we saw Shoma Fukumoto (11-2, 9) being stopped in a 90 second war with Kazuto Takesako, who has since gone on to win the Japanese Middleweight title. Fukumoto makes his return on this show as he goes up against Indonesian foe Maxi Nahak (7-14-3, 3), who has been stopped in his 3 previous visits to Japan. Another man looking to get some momentum into his career is Cristiano Aoqui (11-7-2, 7), who has lost his last 3 bouts, and 4 of his last 5. The Japanese-Brazilian will be expected to pick up an easy win here as he takes on a poor Thai visitor. The under-card also has a really interesting match up on it as the 21 year old Tsuyoshi Sato (5-1-1, 2). who was the 2017 Light Flyweight Rookie of the Year, takes on the unbeaten Yuma Wada (4-0-1, 1), also 21. Sato had a big year in 2017 going 4-0-1 with an opening round win over Yusei Nagai in the All Japan Rookie of the Year final, to put himself in the JBC rankings. He will be risking that rankings here against Wada, who looks a very capable young fighter himself. Cebu, Philippines As well as the action in Tokyo there will also be a pretty notable Asian show in Cebu. The main event of this card will see Joe Noynay (13-2-1, 4) defending his WBO Asia Pacific Youth Super Featherweight title against Mexican Hector Garcia (12-6-2-1, 7).We're really unsure how Garcia qualifies for this title, given that he's not from the Asia Pacific region, but he is battle tested and will be a very tough test for Noynay. The Mexican has never been stopped and gave decent tests to Devin Haney and Juan Carlos Burgos last year. Noynay is a genuine talent, and gave Reiya Abe real problems last year, so should be able to come out on top here, but he should get well tested by the Mexican visitor. One of the main bouts will see Cris Alfante (13-6-1, 5) hunt a third straight win as he takes on Renoel Pael (21-8-1, 11) in a 10 rounder. Coming in to this one Alfante has got a big of momentum with back to back wins, though he has suffered 2 losses in his last 5 bouts, including a 4th round KO defeat to Daigo Higa. Pael once looked like he could be a diamond in the rough, but with 4 straigth losses his career is floundering now and there is a risk that he has resigned himself to being little more than a regional gatekeeper, which would be a shame given his competitive bouts with Ardin Diale and Suguru Muranaka. Other undercard bouts on this card will see Cris Paulino (16-3, 6) take on Jason Tinampay (8-8-1, 7), in what could be much better than it looks, and Ronel Sumalpong (4-0, 4) risk his unbeaten record against fellow unbeaten Justin Darap (2-0, 2). Alberta, Canada In Canada fans will be able to see former world title challenger Michael Farenas (42-5-4, 34) take on Guadalupe Rosales (34-14, 18). Filipino banger Farenas has had a pretty stop-start career in recent times, with a couple of low key bouts in 2015, none in 2016 and one last year. Aged 33 there is still life in Farenas' career, but he will need a big and busy 2018, with this bout being a perfect chance to shake some ring rust. Rosales on the other hand is a relatively low risk opponent for someone like Farenas and despite being tough, shouldn't have the legs to avoid Farenas.
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Metro Manila, Philippines
For us this Saturday's highlight comes from the Philippines where several notable fighters will be in action. For us the most notable of those is the really promising Giovanni Escaner (13-3, 9) who fights for the first time since his upset win over Naoto Uebayashi in April. Escaner, who has had a few tough bouts recently, has been matched lightly here against Jayar Estremos (10-11, 4), who has lost his last 6 including 5 straight stoppage defeats. This is a big step down in class for Escaner but he deserves a homecoming after two tough wins in Japan. Also booked for this show is former world title challenger Michael Farenas (40-5-4, 32). The tough nosed “Hammer Fist” hasn't had his opponent for the card announced but is expected to pick up a win and get back to climbing the rankings. The bout will be his second since losing, back in November to Jose Pedraza. Yangju, South Korea In Korea we see another rookie show as the KBC continue to develop their domestic scene. This particular card is a very small one with just 4 bouts. Of the bouts only 1 is scheduled for more than 4 rounds, and that is a 6 rounder between Gun Woo Gang (2-0-1, 1) and Jung Ho Jang (2-1-1, 1) in a bout at 154lbs. New Delhi, India In India fans will will get the chance to see a rare show promoted by Mike Miranda and Brico Santig. The card is certainly not a big one but it will, hopefully, help generate attention for the Indian boxing scene. From what we under-stand the bout worth making a note of is an all debutant bout between Mukesh Kumar (0-0) and Sandeep Singh (0-0), with Kumar's brother being an Olympian. Hamburg, Germany In Germany we'll get the chance to see Kazakh banger Sadam Sascha Kerimov (12-0, 12) attempt to extend his record. The heavy handed 21 year old will be up against 42 year old journeyman Albert Starikov (16-20-1, 7) in what should be a clear mismatch  This coming Saturday isn't a "big" day in terms of a big fight, but it is a packed day with a lot of fights involving Asian fighters, notably Filipino's.
Haikou, China Possibly the most notable all-Asian bout of the day comes from Haikou in China where the heavy handed Froilan Saludar (21-1-1, 13) battles Indonesian tough guy Faris Nenggo (10-7-3, 3) in a bout for the WBO Inter-continental Flyweight title. The talented Saludar was being lined up for a world title fight though was said to need more preparation time and has instead taken this bout, which looks to be a mismatch. Although limited Nenggo has gone the distance with some world class fighters and is actually coming into this bout on the back of a career defining victory over former world champion Merlito Sabillo, who Nenggo stopped on cuts last November. We suspect Saludar wins here but he may find it difficult to stop the tough Indonesian fighter. Kunming, China A second Chinese card will come from Kunming where Zovi appear to be putting on a show of novices. In total there is 11 bouts scheduled for the card and the most experienced fighters on the card only have 2 career bouts coming into the show. Rather than going through the card we'll just mention that 10 of the bouts are 4 rounders with the only non-4 rounder being a bout scheduled for 6. That bout will see Jian Hai Fei (0-1) take on debutant Zhu Yuan Cai (0-0) in a bout at Featherweight. Metro Manila, Philippines For Filipino fans at home the day is a busy one with stacked card, though unfortunately much of the card is less than exciting. The main event of the show will see the hammer fisted Michael Farenas (39-5-4, 31) battle against Thai visitor Chaiyong Sithsaithong (36-13-4, 26) in what should amount to being little more a tune up for Farenas. The former world title challenger was disappointing last time out, when he was clearly beaten by Jose Pedraza, but is several levels about the tough but limited Chaiyong, who has only been stopped once. In the chief support bout we'll see the promising Rommel Oliveros (3-0-1, 1) take on veteran Ricky Oyan (4-23-2, 2). On paper this is a huge step up for the unbeaten 19 year old who has faced poor novices so far however Oyan has lost his last 14 bouts dating back more than 3 years, with 10 stoppage losses coming during that run. Another apparent mismatch will see former world title challenger Silvester Lopez (23-10-2, 17) battle against Danny Tampipi (5-4-2, 3). On paper this is a mismatch but Lopez's career really has fallen apart in recent years with 3 losses in his last 4 and a record of 5-7-1 in his last 13 bouts! Also on this card is the once touted Gabriel Altarejos (12-3-1, 4), who battles the very limited Diover Mangayaay (1-6-1). A few years ago Altarejos was 12-0 and a really promising youngster though he has gone 0-3-1 in his last 4 and hasn't been in the ring in more than 18 months. As well as the 4 bouts mentioned here there is a further 8 expected to take place on the card. Distrito Federal, Mexico In Mexico we see another Filipino in action as Jeffrey Arienza (12-3-1, 7) battles against Mexican slugger Dante Jardon (25-5, 20). Jardon, best known for his loss to Takashi Miura in a WBC Super Featherweight title bout, has gone 1-2 in his last 3 bouts and knows that he'll need to start stringing together wins if he's to be moved towards another world title bout. Unfortunately for Arienza he is 0-2 in bouts held outside of the Philippines and it's unlikely he'll be able to overcome “Crazy” Jardon. Tijuana, Mexico Staying in Mexico fans will get the chance to see former world title challenger John Mark Apolinario (18-5-3, 5), another Filipino, take on the unbeaten Edibaldo Ortega (20-0-1, 11). This looks just as tough at Arienza's bout, at least on paper, though we need to admit we know very little about Ortega coming in to this one. Queensland, Australia In Australia fans will have the chance to see the win-less Arnon Yuchareon (0-8) continue his career as he takes on Ben Kite (1-2). Kite isn't anything special and although Arnon hasn't won a bout so far he is better than his 0-8 record suggests and we'd not be that shocked if he managed to pull out the upset here. (Image courtesy of notifight,com)  This coming Friday isn't one of the biggest days in Asian boxing boxing but we do have several interesting bouts including a bout that could help change the life of a popular and exciting Filipino slugger.
Hato Rey, Puerto Rico The biggest bout involving an Asian fighter today comes all the way from Puerto Rico as former world title challenger Michael Farenas (39-4-4, 31) battles against the unbeaten Jose Pedraza (18-0, 12) in an IBF Super Featherweight final eliminator. The bout is biggest bout of the night and promises to be a very exciting one with on the line. For Pedraza it's a huge opportunity to put himself in line for a title fight whilst for Farenas it's a chance to put a frustrating year behind him. We all thought Farenas was going to get an IBF title shot following his victory over the previously unbeaten Mark Davis, instead however he got told to have another eliminator which then saw various opponents avoid him and sadly leaving him out in the cold before Pedraza got the call. Hopefully the frustration won't have got to Farenas too much as this could open up a very good chance for him to become a world champion in 2015. Tokyo, Japan In Tokyo we get a 9 fight card courtesy of Noguchi gym who are putting on a relative small show headlined by Japanese ranked Featherweight contender Daisuke Yokoyama (15-5-1, 6) who will be hooping to retain his #2 domestic ranking as he battles journeyman Keita Ito (8-18-2, 4) in what looks to be little more than a stay busy fight. Yokoyama enters the bout 1-1-1 in his last 2 bouts dating back more than 24 months though the one loss was a close one in a Japanese title fight against Hisashi Amagasa and we suspect he may be looking to get another title fight in 2015. In the co feature we will see another ranked Featherweight in action as Noriyuki Ueno (17-11-5, 5) battles against Kazunori Takayama (19-8-4, 4) in a 6 rounder. Although Ueno's record is poor on paper he is one of those fighters with a misleading record and has lost in 3 Japanese title fights. This bout will see Ueno risking his #9 OPBF and #4 JBC rankings against against Takayama who returns to the ring after more than 3 years out. Another interesting 6 rounder will see Takeshi Inoue (0-0-1) battle against Samson Por Thitima (0-1) in a very interesting bout despite the fact neither man has a win on his record, according to boxrec.com. Inoue fought to a 6 round draw with fellow debutant Daishi Nagata back in August whilst Thitima's only recorded bout saw him being stopped by the debuting Ryo Okayama back in November 2009, as with many Thai's however we do suspect his record is inaccurate given that 5 years between bouts in extraordinary. A third 6 rounder that we feel is worth noting will see Kyohei Tsunashima (4-4, 3) battle against Takashi Sakamoto (5-3, 1) in a very evenly matched contest. It's not a bout that will have fans cramming into the Korakuen Hall but we suspect the fans there will enjoy this one whichever ways it ends up going. Of the two men Tsunashima is the bigger puncher but also the less durable whilst Sakamoto takes a shot better but delivers a much less punch himself. Osaka, Japan A second Japanese show comes form Osaka where OPBF #3 ranked Minimumweight Jetly Purisima (19-13-4, 5), from the Philippines, battles against Japan's Yuki Takemoto (16-18-2, 7) in a very interesting looking main event. Neither guy will be confused for a world class fighter but both should act as a fantastic foil for the other in what is likely to be one of the best contested bout of the day and with Pruisima's OPBF ranking on the line neither man will be happy to lost this one. In the chief support bout Koichi Ogawa (10-4-1, 5) will battle against Japanese based Brazilian Cristiano Aoqui (8-3-2, 4) in what appears to be another really good contest that could be easily over-looked. Neither guy is likely to win a title at any point but both should again make for a good fight together. One other interesting bout from this 6 fight show will see Ryo Kosaka (8-3-1, 4) battling against the more experienced Hiroki Yoshimura (7-10, 4). Yoshimura enters the bout on the back of 5 straight losses and desperately needs a win to end his bad run however Kosaka isn't as good as his record indicate and this could end up being a bit of an upset if Yoshimura has any confidence left. New South Wales, Australia In Australia we're expecting a very interesting contest as Thailand's Padjai Yongyuthgym (17-1-2, 12) takes on Chad Bennet (34-4-3, 25) in a bout for the WBC Eurasia Pacific Boxing Council Light Welterweight title. The Thai, a former PABA Featherweight and Super Featherweight champion, is a big puncher and probably should be unbeaten in all honesty, though we do wonder how he will do up at 140lbs. If his power is as good as we believe then Padjai does have half a chance here. New South Wales, Australia On a second show in Australia we will have an all-Asian bout as Australian based Filipino Aswin Cabuy (17-48-4, 7) battles with Australian based Chinese fighter Zhang Yong (2-4-1, 1) in a contest for the WBF Asia Pacific Middleweight title. The bout will be the second between the men this year after they fought to a 4 round draw in March. We suspect Cabuy will know too much for the Chinese fighter but Cabuy himself isn't a great fighter and his own flaws could make this interesting. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp)  Connecticut, USA
It's not often that we get Wednesday night fights coming from the US but this coming week sees us given just that courtesy of a special ESPN card promoted by rap music mogul 50 Cent. One of the televised fights is particularly of interest to us as hard nose Filipino warrior Michael Farenas (38-4-4, 30) takes on unbeaten American Mark Davis (18-0, 5) in a contest that is great on paper. Davis is a slick, speed and skilled fighter whilst Farenas is a limited but exciting monster who combines crude boxing with teak toughness and heavy hands. It's a true boxer Vs slugger contest that we tend to love watching. Whilst we love the Farenas/Davis fight on paper it needs to be noted that the bout is also an IBF Super Featherweight title eliminator with the winner set to face the winner of the upcoming IBF title fight between Argenis Mendez and Rances Barthelemy. On the same card, though on the untelevised portion of the card, there is also a bout scheduled for the win-less Azamat Umarzoda (0-3-1) from Tajikistan. Umarzoda will be facing the unbeaten Junior Younan (4-0, 4) in what looks to be a total mismatch in favour of the unbeaten American prospect. (Image courtesy of SMS Boxing)  This coming Friday is a busy day in the boxing, especially in Asia where we have 3 separate cards all with their own significant bouts on. That's not to suggest the bouts in question will have direct consequences on the world stage but all will either have an affect on the world rankings, or feature a former world champion.
Bueng Kan, Thailand We'd suggest that the most interesting single bout of the day, at least in Asia, takes place in Thailand where the world ranked, and currently unbeaten, Thai Welterweight Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (24-0, 18) battles against Uzbekistan's Behzod Nabiev (22-7-1, 16). This is going to be the second meeting between Teerachai and Nabiev with Teerachai having out pointed the Uzbek last year, despite having been dropped himself. Since then Nabiev has won once and lost twice whilst the Thai has gone 4-0 (4). In fact Nabiev is the only man to have seen the distance with Teerachai in the Thai's last 10 bouts and it's fair to say that Teerachai will be hoping that he doesn't have a repeat if that here. Whilst we know about the main event of this card we're unfortunately none the wiser on the rest of the card. Thankfully though it will be televised on Thai Channel 7 and should prove to be well worth tuning in for. Metro Manila, Philippines Whilst the most interesting bout of the day is in Thailand we dare say that the best card of the day is in the Philippines in Metro Manila. As with the Thai card this one features a world ranked fighter in the main event and in fact features two former world title challengers facing off. For us the favourite is Filipino Michael Farenas (37-4-4, 29) who has fought both Takashi Uchiyama and Yuriorkis Gamboa. Farenas, a tough and hammer fisted fighter, will be hoping to score his 30th stoppage as he battles Mexican veteran Hector Velazquez (56-20-3, 38) who will be best known for his loss to Farenas's compatriot, and global boxing star, Manny Pacquiao. We favour Farenas here though Velazquez is a late replacement opponent and with his experience could certainly frustrate Farenas who will be hoping to claim the vacant WBC Asia Council Continental Super Featherweight title and move towards a third world title fight with a impressive victory. Whilst Farenas is the main draw this show also features some notable prospects. These include the unbeaten John Vincent Moralde (7-0, 4), who will be taking on compatriot Roman Canto (8-3-2, 3) in a really good test for the youngster, and also third generation star Dave Penalosa (7-0, 5), who will be fighting Alem Robles (6-4-2, 2). Penalosa is regarded as one of the most promising young Filipino fighters out there and although Robles is a decent test for novice Penalosa should really have more than enough in his locked. As well as the three bouts we've mentioned we expect a further 7 bouts to be on the show. Rizal, Philippines As well as the Metro Manila show there is a second Filipino card that takes place in Rizal. This show, is a lot less interesting than the other Filipino show though it does feature 2 title bouts. The most notable fighter on the show is former WBC Flyweight champion Sonny Boy Jaro (35-13-5, 25) who will be hoping to claim the vacant Philippines Luzon Professional Boxing Association (LuzProBA) Super Bantamweight title as he battles domestic rival Jovel Romasasa (10-12, 4). It's hard to see past a victory for Jaro even though Super Bantamweight isn't "his division" so to speak. The other title fight on this show is a much lesser bout as the experienced Edgar Gabejan (25-29-6, 7) battles fellow Filipino Weng Haya (17-7, 9) in a bout for the vacant Philippines Games & Amusement Board (GAB) Super Featherweight title. In terms of competitiveness we expect this to be much better than the other bout even though neither man is a big name. In total this show features 8 bouts including the two title fights. Unfortunately however it does lack the significance of the other Filipino card considering Jaro is coming to the end of his long, and insanely interesting, career. New South Wales, Australia As well as the bouts in Asia there are also some Asian fighters in action "down under". These include the very experienced Indonesian Aswin Cabuy (14-45-3, 7) who will be hoping to claim the New South Wales State Light Middleweight title when he takes on the unbeaten Ahmed Dib (11-0, 7). As well as Cabuy there is also a fight involving Thailand's Pramool Boonpok (0-2) who ill be hoping to claim his first professional victory when he fights Mathias Collados (4-2) in what is a genuinely winnable contest. (Image courtesy of MAG Pacman Boxing International Promotion) |
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