The Flash Grand Ballroom of the Elorde Sports Complex, Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines
The most notable of three Asian shows this coming Saturday takes place in the Philippines, where we see a battle between two former world title contenders, along with two notable prospects. The former world title challengers are actually facing off as former WBO Flyweight title challenger Giemel Magramo (25-2, 20) takes on former WBC Minimumweight title challenger Jerry Tomogdan (29-12-4, 15). The talented Magramo was unfortunate in his world title fight to come up against the sensational Junto Nakatani, who really was levels above him and schooled him before securing an 8th round TKO. That loss was a one sided one, but Magramo is still a legitimate contender at 112lbs and we wouldn't be surprised to see him mixing it at world level again. As for Tomogdan it feels much like his career is coming to an end, and he's been stopped in his last 2 bouts, very early in both bouts, and hasn't scored a win in well over 2 years. This should be a show case for Magramo and little else. Another Magramo on this show is the once beaten Arvin Magramo (13-1-1, 9), who will be seeking a 5th straight early win as he takes on Ronald Alapormina (5-3-3, 2), who is 2-2-2 in his last 6 dating back 2017. Magramo has been scoring decent domestic wins, beating the likes of Jake Amparo, Francis Jay Diaz and Jerry Francisco, and should be strongly favoured to pick up a victory here. Another promising fighting on this show is the unbeaten Albert Francisco (5-0, 3), who is returning to the ring after more than 2 years out. Given his long lay off we can't really complain that he's being matched softly here, and will be up against Justine Polido (4-4-1, 3), who has lost his last 2 and is without a win since 2017, when he beat the then 0-3 Emil Ferran. Max Muaythai Stadium, Pattaya, Thailand In Thailand we're set for a pretty interesting card, with a mix of notable names and low level title bouts. One of the notable names on this show is once beaten Indonesian fighter Hebi Marapu (16-1, 12), who takes on Thai veteran Pipat Chaiporn (47-13-2, 30), aka Mike Tawatchai. The heavy handed Marapu was upset in 2021 when he last to Hero Tito, but has bounced back since then with a recent win in Switzerland, and will be looking to build on that here. As for Tawatchai the bout will be his first since a 2019 win over Keerati Rueangdet, and it's fair to question just what the 36 year old has to offer here. For winner of this the WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Lightweight will be the reward, and it is, admittedly, a very lowly regarded title. In a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental title we'll see Thai based Kiwi Nort Beauchamp (19-5, 3) face off with the limited Chaiwat Buatkrathok (37-6, 25), in a bout that really shouldn't be as competitive as it looks on paper. Chaiwat, also known as Kongfah Nakornluang,has an incredibly padded record and he loses when he faces fighters of any note, including limited Indonesian Jefrey Kakuhe who beat him in May. Whilst Beauchamp is no world beater he should be far, far too good for his man here, and should take a very comfortable victory, likely by decision. Also involved in title action will be Thai based French puncher Emmeric Dewaele (5-0, 5), who takes on Thailand's Thoedsak Sinam (16-8, 13) in a bout for the WBA Asia Super Middleweight title. So far Dewaele has taken out all 5 of his foes in a combined 21 rounds, whilst picking up two minor title, in fact he won those minor titles last time out with a come from behind TKO win over Apisit Sangmuang. Sinam on the other hand is something of a win some lose some fighter, who has moved through the weights and had very mixed success. Among the more notable names he's faced as Phoobadin Yoohanngoh and Nihito Arakawa, and to consider him a natural Super Middleweight would be very, very wrong. We suspect Sinam wil be too small and too under-powered here. Another battle between Indonesian fighters and Thai's will see hard hitting Indonesian fighter Jon Jon Jet (10-1, 8) take on unbeaten Thai 15 year old Surat Eaim ong (5-0-1, 2). Jet is will be fighting for the first time since a brutal TKO1 loss to Luke Boyd, back in November 2019, and prior to that he had been reeling off early wins back home in Indonesia. As for Surat debuted last November and this will be his 7th boxing bout in a little under 8 months! Despite being active this is very notable a big step up for him, but a win will push him towards a regional title fight of some kind. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan We also get a somewhat low key show in Tokyo, as we get the next card under the A Sign Bee banner. The card is certainly not a huge one, but it does have 3 bouts worthy of note on it. The main event is an interesting looking 8 rounder as the light punching, but aggressive, Ryuya Nihei (7-2-1, 1) takes Mugicha Nakagawa (24-8-2, 14), who is looking to bounce back from a loss to Ryo Akaho earlier this year. This has the potential to be a genuinely thrilling action bout, and a fun back and forth brawl if Nihei can drag Nakagawa into his type of fight. Sadly though there is also a real risk it ends up being an ugly stinker, like Nakagawa's bout with Akaho. Aged 24 Nihei does have the potential to mix it up on the domestic title scent in the coming years, and showed his potential last time out, when he beat the well liked Tom Mizokoshi, bit this is very much a step up in class for him. Arguably the most notable name on this card is model-boxer Tomomi Takano (12-5, 8) , who created a lot of buzz early in her career for her looks and did manage to twice fight for world titles. The tall, rangy and charismatic Takano has come up short in her most notable bouts so far, and at the age of 35 it's hard to know what desire she still has to make a name for herself as an actual boxer, rather than as a bit of a gimmick. Sadly her bout on this show is unlikely to tell us anything new about her, as she takes on limited 37 year old Ai Sugimoto (3-3, 2), who was stopped for the third time in her career this past March Makoto Kikuchi. The other bout on this card worthy of note is the debut of Kento Uchigamae (0-0), who went 39-22 in the amateurs. He debuts in a good looking 6 rounder as he takes on the fun to watch Ren Anzai (6-4-1, 2), in what could well be a very, very entertaining 6 round round war. Last time out Anzai scored a really solid win over Fuya Tomita, and will be looking to build on that win here, whilst Uchigamae will be looking to showcase what he learned in the amateurs Airport Hilton, Miami, Florida, USA As well as the action in Asia, we'll also get an Asian fighter in action in Florida, as the unbeaten Mekhrubon Sanginov (12-0-1, 9), a US based Tajik fighter, takes on Colombian puncher Janer Gonzalez (20-4-1, 16). The 26 year old Sanginov has won his last 5, following a draw in 2019 with Fred Wilson Jr, and has stopped 4 of those 5. Whilst that sounds good, it's worth noting that he has been facing decent competition and has been quietly making a name for himself. As for Gonzalez, he has actually lost 4 of his last 5, though they have come against some very good fighters, and sadly he only has a single win to his name since 2018. At his best Gonzalez would be a live under-dog, but now aged 35 with inactivity and poor form, it's very hard to see him posing a real test for Sanginov.
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This coming Saturday is a crazy day in Asian boxing, with the welcome return of one series of shows from Thailand as well as notable and large shows featuring Asian fighters in the Philippines and Russia as well as other action! Metro Manila, Philippines The most interesting card of the day is an MP Promoted card from Metro Manila, featuring a couple of world title eliminators, along with some other interesting supporting bouts. One of the world title eliminators comes at Bantamweight, where Michael Dasmarinas (28-2-1, 19) and Kenny Demecillo (14-4-2, 8) battle to become the IBF mandatory challenger at 118lbs. Of the two men Dasmarinas is the more experienced and more proven man, but Demecillo has proven to be capable of upsets in the past and will know that Dasmarinas looked less than his best last time out, being gifted a draw with Manyo Plange. A very interesting bout, with real significance in the packed Bantamweight division. Our full in depth preview of this contest can be read here - Demecillo and Dasmarinas clash in eliminator! Another world title eliminator on this card is an IBF Minimumweight eliminator, as Samuel Salva (16-0, 10) and Rene Mark Cuarto (16-1-1, 9) battle for the right to become the mandatory challenger. This is, on paper, more interesting than the Bantamweight bout due to how similar the records of the two men are, but will likely get over-looked in the west due to the weight class. Both will be aware that they could book a bout with Deejay Kriel with a win here, and that will drive both on in what could be a real classic. An indepth preview of this bout can be read here Salva and Cuarto battle in eliminator In supporting bouts we'll see Singaporean fighter Muhamad Ridhwan (11-1, 8) take on Landy Cris Leon (11-18-5, 5), in what should be a good confidence building bout for Ridhwan after a loss to Paulus Ambunda last September. Other supporting bouts will include Chinese prospect Lei Wang (2-0, 1) battling Adam Diu Abdulhamid (13-7, 5), in a tough test for the unbeaten novice, a brilliant all-Filipino match up between Ronnie Baldonado (13-1-1, 9) and Elias Joaquino (12-3-2, 6) and a potentially very fun contest between Orlie Silvestre (12-5-1, 8) and Joel Taduran (8-10-2, 2). Ekaterinburg, Russia As well as the Filipino show there's also a stacked RCC Promotions show in Russia. One of the main bouts here will see Tajik born Russian Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (13-0, 10) battle against South African Rofhiwa Maemu (18-7-2, 12), in what will be Rakhimov's third defense of the IBO Super Featherweight title. On paper this doesn't look great, but a lot of that is due to Maemu's 7 losses. Whilst that is notable we do need to put it into context and explain that 5 of those came in his first 11 bouts, and he has since gone 14-2. It should however be noted that Rakhimov is in amazing form and is expected to win and go on to much bigger and better things in the near future. Russian based Kyrgyzstan born fighter Akzhol Sulaimanbek Uulu (13-0, 6) will be expecting his next win as he takes on Thai veteran Mike Tawatchai (45-12-2, 28), who will be fighting for the 61st time as a professional. At his best Tawatchai could be a good test for Uulu, but at the age of 33 and more than 3 years removed from a win of note it's hard to see Tawatchai being much of a threat for the unbeaten hopeful. Other Asian fighters involved on this card include Uzbek born prospect Mukhammad Shekhov (3-0, 2), Kyrgyz fighter Erzhan Turgumbekov (5-0, 1), Filipino puncher Jon Jon Estrada (11-5-1, 10) and highly touted Uzbek fighters Makhmud Gaipov (2-0, 1) and Elnur Abduraimov (3-0, 3). Bang Phun, Thailand We return to the Workpoint Studio for the first WP Boxing show of 2019 and although the details aren't totally clear we do know that the show will feature hotly tipped Apichet Petchmanee (2-0, 2), who will be taking on Shota Suito (11-9-1, 1) for a WBC regional silver title. Apichet is one of the best talented in Thailand, and finers crossed he will be kept busy in 2019, because at the age of 2019 he sadly doesn't have much time to waste. Unfortunately this bout does look to be a step backwards for the Thai, but picking up some WBC title could open doors for him in the future. We have also been informed that Thai based Dutch fighter Nick Frese (8-0, 6) is expected to be on this card. Johore Bahru, Malaysia We're also expecting a card to take place in Malaysia, which again lacks in terms of details. The one bout that is listed for this show is a WBC Asian Boxing Council silver Super Middleweight title bout, with unbeaten local Adli Hafidz (5-0, 2) taking on Indonesian foe Bambang Rusiadi (9-8, 4), who is 0-5 outside of Malaysia. California, USA Over in the US we get an excellent match up as Filipino journeyman Ricky Sismundo (35-12-3, 17) hits the road again and takes on unbeaten Russian puncher Maxim Dadashev (12-0, 10). On paper this looks like a mismatch but the reality is that Sismundo is among the very best journeymen on the planet and the 31 year old has picked up upset wins against the likes of Yoshitaka Kato, Ghislain Maduma, Akihiro Kondo and Shuhei Tsuchiya. Dadashev is a great talent, but this should be a very good test for the Russian puncher. Tokyo, Japan The main show for us this coming Wednesday will come from the Differ Ariake in Tokyo. The card will feature a number of a very good bouts, mos of which will be Japan Vs China, though is headlined by an OPBF title fight between a Filipino champion and a Japanese prospect, in what ios a really mouth watering match up. The main event of the card will see OPBF Super Featherweight champion Carlo Magali (23-9-3, 12) face off with Japanese prospect Hironori Mishiro (5-0, 2), in a bout that is genuinely mouth watering. Magali has had a frustrating 2018, with several bouts announced and then falling through, and as a result this will be his return to the ring for the first time since his impressive January win over Masatoshi Kotani. Against Kotani we saw the Filipino show that he was a lot better than his record suggests, and it seems the OPBF title is helping Magali improve as a fighter, building his self belief. As for Mishiro the Japanese fighter was a former amateur stand out who only debuted 15 months ago but already holds notable domestic wins against Shuma Nakazato and Shuya Masaki and will be full of confidence coming into this bout. A win for Magali will perhaps move him on to bouts against top tier regional fighters, such as Masaru Sueyoshi or Reiya Abe, however a win for Mishiro will shoot him up to being one of the leading prospects in Japan. A really good match up, and a tough one to call! The leading support bout is one of the many Japan vs China bouts and will see recent Japanese Flyweight title challenger Katsunori Nagamine (14-2-1, 10) battle against Yujie Zeng (11-7-1, 6) in what should be a very exciting bout, as is the norm for a Nagamine bout. Nagamine came close to claiming the Japanese Flyweight title this past March, when he lost a very lose decision to Masayuki Kuroda, and he should come in to this bout with a point to prove. It's also worth notign that Nagamine's only other loss was to WBC Light Flyweight champion Ken Shiro, more than 3 years ago. Zeng on the other hand is pretty much an unknown outside of those who follow the Chinese domestic scene. His only real bout of note came last September, when he lost to promising Filipino Genesis Libranza, and aside from that there isn't really much we can take from the Chinese fighter's record, other than that he seems to be fighting from Minimumweight to Super Bantamweight. Given what we know of Nagamine we're expecting a win for the Japanese fighter here. In another Japanese Vs China bout fans will see the once beaten Shuma Nakazato (7-1-1, 6) battle against Qixiu Zhang (9-4-1, 3). Nakazato is one of the many hidden gems in Japanese boxing and managed to reach the 2015 Rookie of the Year, before needing to take almost 18 months away from the ring. Last year Nakazato suffered a narrow loss to Mishiro but has bounced back since with a blow out win against a Thai foe. The Chinese fighter is pretty unknown, though did impress last time out, when he travelled to Korea and scored an 11th round KO win against Nak Yul Park in May. That win aside there is little of note on Zhang's record and it;s hard to say what eh really has the potential to do, so this should give him a chance to answer some questions about his potential. Bangkok, Thailand As well as the action in Japan there will also be a show in Thailand, headlined by a regional title fight between Japan's Ryohei Takahashi (14-3-1, 6) and Thai veteran Mike Tawatchai (45-11-1, 28). The two men, who are clashing over the IBF Pan Pacific Super Bantamweight title, are at different stages in their careers and Tawatchai, a genuine veteran with close to 60 fights, seems to be looking past his foe already with another bout set for September. That could well be a mistake as Takahashi is a very capable fighter with good wins over Kazuki Tanaka and Matcha Nakagawa, and defeatuing Tawatchai isn't out of the question here. This coming Wednesday we'll not see a lot of action,but what we will get is pretty meaningful all the same.
Bangkok, Thailand In Bangkok we get a world title eliminator, as Thai veteran Mike Tawatchai (44-10-1, 27) takes on Australian based Irishman TJ Doheny (17-0, 13) in an IBF Super Bantamweight title eliminator. Originally Doheny had been scheduled to take on former world champion Evgeny Gradovich, though Gradovich pulled out and we'll instead see Doheny face Tawatchai. The bout will be Doheny's first in Asia, though if he wins he would likely need to return to face IBF champion Ryosuke Iwasa. For Tawatchai this unexpected eliminator is rather undeserved, especially given recent losses to Tomoki Kameda and Yukinori Oguni, but he will know that a win does open the door to another big fight. Interesting if Tawatchai wins he'll likely be looking to fight Iwasa anywhere but Japan, as he has an unflattering 1-10 record in the Land of the Rising Sun. Bohol, Philippines In the Philippines we'll get the chance to see road warrior Ricky Sismundo (32-10-3, 14) on Jason Redondo (11-5-2, 7). The under-rated Sismundo has been fighting in Japan, Canada and the US in recent years and other than his last bout, against Boyce Sultan in August, he hasn't fought in the Philippines since 2014. This is a nice chance for locals to get behind one of their most over-looked fighters and hopefully he will get another big opportunity, despite having proven himself to be a nightmare against the likes Jose Felix Jr, Dierry Jean and Ghislain Maduma. Tokyo, Japan This Friday marks the first “Asign Bee” card, and what a card it looks like being with 3 really notable bouts, each featuring a man with world title experience. The main event will see 2-time former world title challenger Ryo Akaho (29-2-2, 19) take on the once beaten Yushi Tanaka (19-1-3, 13) in a bout for the vacant Japanese Bantamweight title. The title was vacated last year by Kentaro Masuda, who seems set to turn his attention on regional titles, and we've got this intriguing match up as a result. Akaho will be favoured, he has fought at a higher level, holds the more notable wins and has fought in and around title level for years, but the 25 year old Tanaka will be hungry and will know that he has avoided the career harming wars that Akaho has frequently had. In the chief support bout we'll see former WBO Bantamweight champion Tomoki Kameda (32-2, 20) take on experienced Thai Mike Tawatchai (42-9-1, 25). Tomoki, fighting in Japan for the first time since December 2013, will be expected to over-come Tawatchai as he looks to begin a run towards Super Bantamweight gold, and will have eyes on the likes of IBF champion Yukinori Oguni. Talking about Oguni he actually stopped Tawatchai last year, in 5 rounds. Tawatchai has also suffered a relatively recent loss in Japan to Shingo Wake and will be looking to avenge a 2012 loss to Tomoki's older brother Daiki Kameda. Highly experience Tawatchai isn't a terrible fighter, but shouldn't be much of a test for Kameda. The third bout of note sees former world title challenger Hisashi Amagasa (31-6-2, 20), best known for twice dropping Guillermo Rigondeaux, taking on domestic foe Kinshiro Usui (27-4, 11) in a real must win for both men. Amagasa hasn't looked great in recent bouts, and it looks almost like his toughness is wearing down after damaging bouts with Rigondeaux, Patomsith Pathompothong, Josh Warrington and Carlo Demecillo. Usui is a former Japanese title challenger at Bantamweight and has mixed with good company himself, suffering losses to the likes of Kohei Oba, Ryosuke Iwasa and Takafumi Nakajima, but is riding a solid 6 fight winning streak and will be high on confidence coming into this bout. Western Australia, Australia We'll also see a number of Asian's fighting outside of Asia. One of those is Thai veteran Yodpichai Sithsaithong (12-16, 6), who takes on former world champion Vic Darchinyan (42-9-1, 31) in Australia. The Thai is a very limited fighter, who has lost his last 3, but will be going up against a very shot Darchinyan, who is more than a year removed from his last win, and has been stopped in 4 of his last 7, dating back more than 3 years. California, USA In the US we'll see once beaten Filipino hopeful Romero Duno (12-1, 11) take on the unbeaten Christian Gonzalez (16-0, 14) in a bout for the WBC Youth Intercontinental Lightweight title. This should be a genuinely exciting clash between two punchers, each looking to claim a title, and we'd be shocked if this one goes the distance. Between them the fighters have 25 stoppages from 29 fights and we'd be expecting both to go out swinging here. Philadelphia, USA Also in the USA we'll see American based Kyrgyzstan born Basyzbek Baratov (1-1-1) take on debut Tyrone Arzena (0-0). Baratov has had 3 very competitive bouts in his career so far, and could really be 0-0-3, but will be looking to add some consistency here and get some career momentum going in what will be his first bout in his adopted Pennsylvania. Surat Thani, Thailand
It's been a bad year for fighters from the Kiatkreerin stable in Thailand. We've seen Amnat Ruenroeng being stopped by Johnriel Casimero, Mike Tawatchai being stopped by Yukinori Oguni, Pomtomsith Pathompothong losing to both Ye Joon Kim, by wide decision on Korea, and by stoppage to Ryosuke Iwasa and Manus Boonjumnong suffering a stoppage loss to Ryan Ford. Despite those set backs the stable are looking forward and this coming Friday we get another Kiatkreerin show. One of the few fighters from the stable to progress this year has been Eaktawan Mor Krunthepthonburi (20-3, 13), who has recorded a trio of wins this year including a victory over Tkayuki Okumoto in Japan. He'll be looking to make if 4 out of 4 for the year as he takes on Indonesian Demsi Manufoe (10-5, 7),who has been take care off in 2 of his last 3 bouts. This won't be a case of whether the talented Eaktawan wins, but just how long will it take him. In the other notable bout Mike Tawatchai (39-9-1, 22) will be looking to score his second win following his loss to Oguni. The once highly ranked, at least by the IBF, Thai will be up against Paulus Baransano (2-7) in what should be a straight forward win for the local. Tokyo, Japan The action in Japan has been pretty none stop recently, and that continues this Sunday with a Kadoebi show at the Korakuen Hall. In the main event of the card fans get a rematch as Japanese 140lb champion Hiroki Okada (11-0, 9) battles against the exciting Koichi Aso (20-6-1, 13). Okada narrowly beat Aso when the men first met, back in July 2014, though has since shown genuine improvement with back-to-back 3rd round TKO wins. Aso has bounced back from the loss to Okada with back-to-back stoppage wins of his own, but this is a bigger test than he has faced since the first Okada bout. Potentially this could be a thriller and we'd be genuinely shocked if the bout wasn't action packed. In the chief support bout we have another intriguing match up as the world ranked Yukinori Oguni (16-1-1, 5) faces off against Thailand's Mike Tawatchai (38-8-1, 21). Both of these men have come up short against Shingo Wake however it's a great match up between two men who will both be viewing this as a chance to move towards a potential rematch with Wake, who could be the IBF champion by the time a rematch could be made. Oguni, a former JBC and OPBF champion, is a very talented boxer-move and should be too slippery for Tawatchai, however the Thai will refuse to to concede defeat and could be a very tricky assignment for Oguni. In another bout of note former Japanese title challenger Gosuke Seki (16-2-2, 3) will be up against Keisuke Ota (9-9, 2) in a bout that Seki must win if he's to remain relevant on the Japanese domestic scene. Seki has lost 2 of his last 3 and although talented cannot afford an upset loss to Ota. As for Ota he's taking a big step up in class but will see this as his chance to move towards a Japanese ranking. One final bout of note from this card will see the exciting Shuhei Tsuchiya (19-4, 16) in against against Thai visitor Ekarachan Mor Krungthep Thomburee (0-0) in what should be a straight forward win for the exciting, but flawed, Tsuchiya. Thailand There will be two cards in Thailand, one of which is a show from Nakornluang Promotions who will be show casing two of their best fighters. The most notable of those fighters is Super Flyweight destroyer Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (37-4-1, 34) [ศรีสะเกษ นครหลวงโปรโมชั่น] who is going to take part in a stay busy bout ahead of rematch with current WBC Super Flyweight champion Carlos Cuadras. Although we're not sure who Srisaket will be fighting we have been informed that it will be an Indonesian opponent and the bout will only be a stay busy. The other fighter is unbeaten Flyweight contender Nawaphon Por Chokchai (31-0, 24) [นวพล นครหลวงโปรโมชั่น] who is the mandatory challenger to Roman Gonzalez. The unbeaten Nawaphon will not be facing a test here with Nakornluang not risking his big bout later in the year, they may however petition the WBC to strip Gonzalez if the Nicaraguan does make the move up to Super Flyweight later in the year. We believe this card will be aired on Channel 7 in Thailand. Thailand The other Thai show will be put on by Kiatkreerin and features several notable fighters again. The main event of the card sees the experienced Mike Tawatchai (37-8-1, 21) defending his IBF Pan Pacific title against Japanese visitor Shingo Kawamura (11-2-1, 6). For Tawatchai this is his most notable fight since last June when he was widely beaten by IBF #1 ranked contender Shingo Wake whilst for Kawamura this is a big step up and sees him fighting in his first title bout. Also in action here will be former Olympic star Manus Boonjumnong (3-0, 1) [มนัส บุญจำนงค์]. Sadly we're unsure who Manus will be up against but we do need to confess we have been impressed by him so far. For fans interested in this one, it will be aired on Thairath Arizona, USA In Arizona there will be two Asian fighters in action. In the most notable of the two bouts fans will see touted Filipino Harmonito Dela Torre (17-0, 12) risk his record against Rafael Guzman (16-1-1-1, 10). On paper this looks like a genuinely tasty match up though we do wonder how good Guzman is given his competition so far has been relatively poor. If Guzman is as good as the numbers suggest however, then we may be in for a genuine treat here with the Filipino being given a real test. The other Asian in action is Kazak puncher Bakhtiyar Eyubov (9-0, 9), who takes a huge step up as he faces Jared Robinson (16-2-1, 7). The bout should pose real questions of both men and be a genuinely interesting fight. Eyubov, as mentioned, is stepping up massively whilst Robinson has faced some quality fighters like Amir Imam, who stopped him in 4, Michael Perez, who took a decision win against him, and Haskell Rhodes, who he fought to a draw. This really is a fantastic match up and credit to both men for taking it. A new week is upon us and we have plenty of action to kick things off on Monday! Hua Hin, Thailand The biggest match up of the day comes from Thailand where we get televised world title action, as well a fight featuring a 2-time Olympic medal winner, a former world title contender and a genuinely promising prospect. The main event of the card will see IBF Flyweight champion Amnat Ruenroeng (16-0, 5) defending his title against unheralded Japanese challenger Myung Ho Lee (19-4-1, 6), who is looking to claim a world title in his first bout at world level. Amnat, who won the title in early 2014, has already defended the title 4 times, with the most recent being his foul filled wrestling match with Johnriel Casimero, it's thought that a win against Lee will open the door for a potentially unification bout with WBC champion Roman Gonzalez in 2016. For Lee there's nothing to lose, it'd be surprisingly if he won and he probably knows it. The two-time Olympic medal winner on this card is Manus Boonjumnong (2-0) who looked to continue his career as he faces a third successive Indonesian fighter, Jonatan Simamora (23-26-5, 8). Despite the huge gulf in experience we suspect that the skills of Manus will be too much for the visitor, who's only recent win came against the man Manus beat on his debut. It's worth noting that Simamora hasn't won outside of Indonesia and hasn't fought in more than a year coming into this bout. The former world title challenger in action here is Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr (28-4-1, 15), who looks to continue his pursuit of a second world title fight as he takes on Indonesian fighter Boy Tanto (9-17, 1). The 22 year old Thai is a genuinely talented fighter who we suspect will get another world title shot in 2016 or 2017 and we can't imagine this bout will be anything more than a warm up for him against an opponent who has never really impressed and has lost 3 of his last 4. A really promising prospect on this card Atchariya Tor Chantaroj (6-0, 3), who looks to continue his impressive start to professional boxing as he faces experienced Filipino loser Richard Olisa (23-29-2, 12). If Atchariya is as good as he's looked this should be a mismatch, especially given that Olisa has lost his last 12, though the Filipino's experience may see him asking some questions of the Thai. One other bout on this card will see Mike Tawatchai (36-8-1, 21) defending the IBF Pan Pacific Super Bantamweight title against Galih Susanto (10-5-1, 1) Although Susanto will not be favoured to win, we wouldn't be surprised to see him ask some questions of Tawatchai and go the distance with him, given that the visitor has never been stopped and actually took Bantamweight contender Marlon Tapales the 10 round distance last year. Tokyo, Japan In Tokyo, at the Korakuen Hall, Japanese fans will get a Misako promoted card that really lacks much in terms of appeal. The only really notable bout is the 8 round main event which will see the promising Daishi Nagata (4-0-1, 2) risk his unbeaten record and OPBF ranking against the more experienced Yoshiyuki Suzuki (5-8-5, 1). Although less experienced Nagata is the more gifted fighter, the bigger puncher and in fact the more proven which should help see him to a win here. September 27th-Ioka Vs Sosa, Takayama Vs Hara, and a lot more to help close out the month!9/25/2015 This coming Sunday looks to be the perfect closing day to a month that hasn't been the most exciting for boxing fans. Osaka, Japan One of the cards of the month comes from the newly named EDION Arena Osaka where Ioka put on what may go down as one of the cards of the year. It feature 4 title fights, 2 notable prospects and more action than you shake a stick at. The headline bout sees Japanese Kazuto Ioka (17-1, 10) defending the WBA Flyweight title against Argentinian foe Roberto Domingo Sosa (26-2-1, 14). This is Ioka's first defense of the title that he narrowly won earlier this year, when he over-came Juan Carlos Reveco, and it could be another tough night for Osakan star. Whilst this bout could be a very tough one for Ioka it needs noting that the winner will have a tough one next time out, as they are mandated to face with Reveco by the end of the year. Another world title bout on this show will see IBF Minimumweight champion Katsunari Takayama (29-7-0-1, 11) defending his belt against Ryuji Hara (19-1, 11) in what looks like a potential FOTY contender. Takayama, who struggled last time out with Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr, is now 32 and has had a very hard career however Hara will be going into his first world title fight and was stopped in his most notable bout to date, by current WBO champion Kosei Tanaka. In a Japanese title fight fans will see Super Flyweight champion Sho Ishida (19-0, 10) defending his title, for the 3rd time as he takes on Hayato Kimura (23-7, 15). The unbeaten champion has looked impressive in 18 of his bouts however he was run very close last time out by Taiki Eto and it that bout left question marks regarding Ishida's stamina. If he impresses here he may find himself heading to a world title bout in 2016. However Kimura cannot be ruled here and the experienced challenger has waited for his shot at Japanese title. The fourth title bout on this show will see the unbeaten Kei Takenaka (9-0, 3) defending her OPBF Light Flyweight title against Thailand's Krikanok Islandmuaythai (4-4-1, 2). This looks like a mismatch though Takenaka may well be just one or two fights from a world title shot and will be hoping to get some much needed ring time here before a potential fight at world level. As for the prospects one of those is 17 year old Riku Kano (6-1-1, 4) who faces Kenta Matsui (6-4, 1) in what will be the teenager's second bout in Japan. The hope is that a win here will be followed in 2016 with a move towards a domestic title bout then a potential world title bout as he chases the record to be Japanese youngest world champion. Matsui is a safe option but also the type of fight who is physically tough enough to get Kano some competitive rounds. A less competitive bout will see Super Flyweight hopeful Masayoshi Hashizume (8-0, 5) face Thailand's Petchnamnung Sor Thiebkhun (0-10) in what looks like like a horrible mismatch. Petchnamnung has been stopped in 8 of his 10 bouts and we expect stoppage loss #9 to come here in what is, supposedly, his international debut. Of course The Thai probably has an incomplete record but what the data we have suggests that this is a horrible match up and that the talented Hashizume should win without ny problems. The two world title bouts from this card will be aired on TBS, though it's unclear at the moment if they will be “live” or on tape delay. Looking at the scheduled of the card however the odds are that Takayama Vs Hara will be aired on tape delay whilst Ioka Vs Sosa will likely be live, and will also be shown live on Argentinian TV. Osaka, Japan Staying in Osaka there is also a Rookie of the West card, in fact it's the Rookie of the West final. Sadly though it will be massively over-looked give the other card. Rather than going through all 12 bouts we've picked a few that interested us the most. At Super Flyweight unbeaten teenagers collide as 18 year old Shion Tamada (2-0) takes on 19 year old Kensei Hirano (4-0, 2). Tamada is a prospect of the Ioka gym and will have sparred with some top quality partners though given his age he's certainly a baby and could will find himself being pushed all the way by Hirano, who is more experienced and has shown more power. Another all unbeaten contender will come at Light Flyweight where Kaminoko Okamura Kentokid (5-0-3, 2) takes on Seigo Yuri Akui (3-0-1, 1). Although both men are unbeaten both have been relatively fortunate with draws and it's fair to say that neither is expected to be raced through the ranks if they do end up being crowned the Rookie of the Year. One other all unbeaten bout that has us excited is at Featherweight where teenager puncher Ryuya Yanagida (2-0, 2) takes on Yuto Nagano (4-0, 2). It's fair to say that Yanagida is completely unproven but he has shown solid power so far and may well need that power to get beyond the 21 year old Nagano, who had to gut out his most recent win, against Yu Konomura. Nonthanburi, Thailand As well as all he action in Japan Thai fans will also get their share of televised action with Mono 29 airing a Kiatkreein show, form 3PM local time. In the main event of this show fans will see Thailand's experienced Mike Tawatchai (35-8-1, 21) take on Filipino foe Junny Salogaol (9-7-4-1, 9) in a bout for the IBF Pan Pacific Super Bantamweight title. This is Tawatchai's first bout since being dominated by Shingo Wake in an IBF world title eliminator back in June and although that loss was a wide one he shouldn't struggle at all with Salogaol. Despite Salogaol's record being less than great he is coming into this bout in form, with 5 straight T/KO wins. Tawatchai isn't the only notable name on this show. Another is 2-time Olympic medal winner Manus Boonjumnong (1-0) who faces Indonesian Marco Tuhumury (10-11-2, 3). Although Manos is 35, and looked out of shape last time out against Jamed Jalarante, he has got a lot of skill and shouldn't struggle, at all, with Tuhumury. In fact if anything we're expecting the Thai to stop his foe here. Another fighter on this card is recent world title challenger Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr (27-4-1, 15) who will face Indonesian fighter Oscar Raknafa (12-10, 5) in a stay busy fight. This is Fahlan's first bout since his controversial loss to Katsunari Takayama back in April. A win here could see Fahlan's team moving him towards another title fight at some point in 2016. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) |
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