 This coming Saturday is a hectic day for Asian fight fans, the first of 3 really busy days to end the month of March. The key action is in Aichi, but there is also action in Tokyo, Incheon, Bangkok and even a bout of note in Germany.
Aichi Sky Expo, Tokoname, Aichi, Japan As mentioned the key show for the day is in Aichi, with 3150 and LUSH Bomu working together to deliver a card that is packed with notable fights, including a world title fight, a regional title fight and several notable prospects. The main event will see IBF Flyweight champion Angel Ayala Lardizabal (18-0, 8) take on IBF Light Flyweight champion Masamichi Yabuki (17-4, 16), with Yabuki moving up 4lbs to challenge Lardizabal in a mouth watering clash. The unbeaten Mexican champion won the title in august, when he stopped Dave Apolinario, and built on an impressive run of results that also included wins against Cristofer Rosales and Felix Alvarado, albeit a very lucky win over Alvarado. Aged 24 Lardizabal is a talented youngster, and does have a good record, but this will be his first bout outside of Mexico, and it’ll be interesting to see how he fares against the hard hitting and hungry Yabuki, in Yabuki’s backyard. Yabuki is one of the heaviest handed fighters, pound for pound, in the sport today. He’s a KO artist as such, but he’s someone with sledgehammer, power, and unlike some punchers who wade in looking for the finish, he boxes, and lets his power work it’s way naturally into fights, as we saw when he stopped Sivenathi Nontshinga. Given Yabuki’s power, and the fact it carries late into fights, and the fact Lardizabal is the natural Flyweight, this bout really is a very intriguing one. The other title bout on this card will see OPBF Super Flyweight champion Giemel Magramo (30-4, 23) defending his title against the fast tracked Aoi Yokoyama (2-0, 1), in what looks to be a very dangerous big of match making for Yokoyama. Magramo is no world beater, he has come up short at, and around, world level with losses to Muhammad Waseem, Junto Nakatani, Taku Kuwahara and Anthony Olacuaga. He is however very much part of the top contenders, and wins over Judy Flores, Jayr Raquinel, Wenfeng Ge and Renz Rosia, have shown he's dangerous, skilled and not someone who should merely be seen as a stepping stone. As for Yokoyama, the Japanese youngster is hotly tipped by those at 3150 and Watanabe gym, but was given a real test last time out, when he narrowly got past Denmark Quibido. He was a very good amateur, and has shown a lot to like as a professional, with good skills, power and movement, but his composure has been questioned and there is a real feeling that Kameda is pushing him too fast, and maybe he needed another fight or two before a bout at this level. The under-card for this card is really solid, with numerous good looking bouts. One of those will see unbeaten youngster Ayumu Sano (9-0-1, 4) take on Thai visitor Nattapong Jankaew (13-4, 9). Sano looks to be one of the best hidden secrets in Japan, and at 22 has already won a WBC Youth title. Jankaew on the other hand showed a lot of promise early on, but has gone from 11-0 to 13-4 and although some of those losses have come to good fighters, such as Marlon Tapales and Hiroto Yashiro, it’s clear he’s not going to be mixing at world level. Sano should be favoured, but it’s a good step up. Another Japan Vs Thailand bout on this card will see Thai puncher Nanthanon Thongchai (13-3-2, 11) take on the debuting Rikito Irita (0-0) in a battle of 20 year olds. Thongchai, like many Thai’s, has padded his record at home in low level bouts and has lost when he’s faced notable names on the road, such as Regie Suganob and Takeru Inoue, and it’s expected that he will move to 0-4 on the road here. Irita, although this is his debut, was a good domestic level amateur, running up a 21-9 record, and he should be too good fir the visitor here. Interestingly the other 3 bouts on this card are all Japan Vs Philippines bouts. On paper the most interesting of those will see former world title challenger Jeo Santisima (25-7, 21) take on unbeaten youngster Ei Go (4-0, 2). Santisima was once looking like a solid world class contender, sporting a 19-2 record when he went into his 2020 bout with Emanuel Navarrete. Sadly since being stopped in 11 by Navarrete the Filipino has gone 6-4, and now looks like the best he’s going to do is become a stalwart at domestic level as a game title contender, though come up short as we’ve seen him do against Toshiki Shimomachi, Hayato Tsutsumi and Kenji Fujita. As for Go, the 24 year old Japanese fighter appears to be quickly rising through the rankings, scoring a notable domestic win over Koshin Takeshima and a win over Filipino Roldan Aldea. Notably Go should be too big for Santisima, given he's a Lightweight come Super Featherweight taking on someone who fought for a world title at Super Bantamweight. Santisima isn’t the only former world title challenger on this card as Kyosuke Okamoto (9-1-1, 6) takes on former Bantamweight world title challenger Michael Dasmarinas (36-3-2, 25), best known for losing to Naoya Inoue. Okamoto is stepping up massively for this bout, but the 21 year old has shown plenty of promise and is the naturally bigger man here, fighting at Featherweight, whilst also being a genuinely heavy handed fighter who has stopped his last 3. Dasmarinas is highly experienced, and the 32 year old Southpaw has mixed at a very good level, obviously given his bout with Inoue, but he has fought much of his career at Bantamweight and is certainly not someone who’s been beating world ranked fighters in pursuit of a second world title fight. Another Japan Vs Philippines bout will see highly touted professional novice Hayate Hanada (2-1-1, 1) clash with Yeroge Gura (8-1-1, 3), who’s only loss came to the previously mentioned Ayumu Sano last time out, with this being an easy to overlook bout, but one that should deliver some really high level action to open the show. Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, Japan The card in Tokyo is much smaller with the main event here being a 6 rounder between the once beaten Ryu Suzuki (5-1-1, 1) and the unbeaten Shota Kajino (4-0-1, 3). The 25 year old Suzuki made his debut in 2022, losing on debut, and has since reeled off a number of low key domestic wins, most notably a 6 rounder against Shun Nakamura in November, over 6 rounds. Kajino on the other hand is an unbeaten puncher who drew on his debut, in early 2024, before reeling off 4 wins to win the Rookie of the Year in December, just 10 months after his debut, stopping Otaro Segawa in 4 rounds. Both have momentum coming into this but Kajiona has the clear edge in power whilst Suzuki is the naturally bigger man. World Siam Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand We also get a small card in Thailand, where one of the more noteworthy bouts will see once beaten Kazakh Heavyweight Askat Zhantursynov (8-1, 7) take on 20 year old local Weerapat Kamlangwai (7-4, 4), showing the level of show this is, it also features 50 year old Japanese fighter Toshiki Era (25-4, 20) , as he continues his genuine weight career, that has seen him fighting in more than 30 years after his debut! Nova Boxing Gymnasium, Incheon, South Korea Over in Incheon we have a low key show, headlined by a 6 rounder between the unbeaten Jae Sung Park (4-0-1) and Joon Hee Lee (5-2-1, 2) at Welterweight. Park is the younger man, at 31 whilst Lee is 37, and given the ages of the two men it’s fair to say neither is being eyed as the future of Korean boxing. Despite that the bout is well matched, has two two men looking to move their career forward, towards a domestic title, and a bit of history, with the two fighting last September when Park took a very competitive win over 6 rounds. Since then Park has been out of the ring, whilst Lee has picked up a low key win and will feel he has some momentum coming into this. Deutsches Haus, Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Away from Asia we’ll see Japan’s Akane Fujiwara (7-4-1, 2) battle for the lightly regarded WBF female Super Featherweight title, as she takes on the in form Lara Ochmann (14-2, 5). The 37 year old Fujiwara has won both domestic and regional titles, albeit at Featherweight, but this will be her first bout outside of Japan, her first 10 rounder and is something of a step up, from fighters like Kimika Miyoshi and Yoshie Wakasa. Ochmann on the other hand has mixed with world class company, though was shut out over 10 rounds by Sarah Mahfoud in her one step up to that level, with her best win to date being over Leonie Giebel. On paper this isn’t a well matched bout, but Ochmann has a much more padded record than Fujiwara and the bout should be more competitive than it looks on paper.
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 Twin Messe, Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan
With Christmas just around the corner it seems the boxing gods are giving us early Christmas presents this year, and this coming Saturday they come thick and fast with 2 noteworthy shows in Japan. Notaly it’s a show in Shizuoka that stands out, for a number of reasons. Rather oddly the main event here, as least nominally, is an 8 rounders as former amateur stand out turn red hot prospect Aoi Yokoyama (1-0, 1) kicks off his 3150 x LUSHBOMU contract with a bout against OPBF ranked Filipino Denmark Quibido (13-3-2, 7). Yokoyama went 44-12 in the amateurs, won the 2022 All Japan Championships, and in his professional debut he stopped Hao Wang, in a scheduled 6 rounder. Now jumping up to an 8 rounder to take on an OPBF ranked fighter shows the confidence Watanabe and 3150 x LUSHBOMU have in him, and a win over Quibido would really see him in the mix for a regional title fight in early 2024. As for the Filipino he has never been stopped and is gaining valuable experience on the road, with 3 of his last 5 fights on the road, including losses to Sikho Nqothole and Landile Ngxeke and a technical draw in October with Hayate Hanada. Although he has only 1 win in his last 4 bouts, that was a win over the very solid Danrick Sumabong, and he recently went 12 rounds with former world title challenger Giemel Magramo. Quibido is no push over, and this ia case of sink or swim for Yokoyama. Although Yokoyama is technically the main event, the most notable bout on the card is actually an all-Mexican bout as Willibaldo Garcia Perez (22-5-1-1, 13) takes on Rene Calixto Bibiano (23-0, 9) in a bout for the vacant IBF Super Flyweight title, which was given up by Fernando Daniel Martinez so that he could rematch Kazuto Ioka at the end of the year. Perez is somewhat known in and around the world stage, having lost a close fight to Alexandro Santiago in 2020, and pushed Paul Butler all the way in 2021. He is currently riding a 10-0 (7) run since his loss to Butler, and whilst his competition hasn’t been great during that run it’s not been awful and does include a very solid win over Victor Mendez. Bibiano on the other hand is an unknown at world level, but a very close friend of Tomoki Kameda who has helped establish him in Japan, with this being his third bout there in 22 months, where he has scored a notable win over fancied prospect Hayate Hanada. There is little in terms of known quality on his record, though he did beat Sikho Nqothole last time out, in what should serve as a good warm up for this match up. We’re expecting this to be a brilliant mix of skills and machismo and it really could be a very special bout for the fans tuning in on Abema and those in attendance. Yokoyama isn’t the only touted unbeaten prospect on this show as Ryusei Moriwaki (2-0, 2) also steps up in class as he seeks a third pro win, taking on Salvador Juarez (19-9-2, 4). To date both Moriwaki's bouts have been scheduled 6 rounders, though he has ended both early and only has 5 combined rounds as a professional. Despite his professional inexperience Moriwaki went 26-9 in the amateurs, won the Under 15 and Under Junior Championships twice, each, as well as the National Athletic Meet, so was an accomplished young amateur before making his debut in March. This bout will be expected to get him some good seasoning, as he competes in his first 8 rounder and takes on a 30 fight Mexican veteran who has only been stopped once, by former world title challenger Argi Cortes. This is a monstrous step up for Moriwaki, with Juarez being a a very capable fighter. During his 30 bout career he has pushed the likes of Rodrigo Guerrero, Aaron Alameda and Victor Reyes Bernabe close in losses, and taken wins against Leosdan Nunez, Geraldo Valdez and Keyvin Lara, with those 3 wins all coming on the road. This is a very serious test for the 20 year old Moriwaki but if he passes it in impressive fashion, the rocket will be strapped firmly to his back. Japan’s Matcha Nakagawa (16-2-2, 6) will be seeking to build on July’s win over former OPBF champion Pete Apolinar as he takes on once-beaten Filipino Rocky Ogden (7-1, 5). Nakagawa, who is now 30, made his debut way back in 2013, with a draw against future world title challenger Ryohei Takahashi and would go on to win the All Japan Rookie of the Year in 2015. Since then he has failed to really kick on, losing in a rematch with Takahashi, later losing a bout with Kai Chiba, in 2019. He is 3-0-1 since that loss to Chiba, but the win over Apolinar is his most notable win since his Rookie of the Year triumph. As for Ogden, the Australian is seeking a second straight win following a big upset loss to Chengcheng Yang back in April, a loss he avenged in July. This is Ogden’s first bout away from home, and whilst it is certainly a winnable one, he will be the under-dog. Another Filipino Vs Japanese bout will see Filipino fighter Angelo Beltran (10-2, 8) take on Kyonosuke Kameda (14-3-2, 8), in what will be Beltran’s Japanese debut. The 24 year old “Axe Boy” debuted in 2018 and whilst his career has almost all been fought at home, he has shown plenty of power and his last 4 wins have seen him beating the likes of Jeny Boy Boca and Chrstian Jude Capuno. Sadly however a 7th round KO loss last year to Dana Coolwell is hard to over-look. We like Coolwell, but that is Beltran’s only bout so far outside of his homeland, and a big indicator that he may struggle with the power of Kameda. The 26 year old Kameda is the cousin of the fighting Kameda brothers, and despite losing in his debut, back in 2018, he has gone on to have a very good career since, reaching the All Japan Rookie of the Year in 2019, claiming the Japanese Youth Featherweight title with a win over Tsubasa Narai which has aged really well and is unbeaten in his last 8, with notable wins against Jon Jon Estrada, Karoon Jarupianlerd, Mugicha Nakagawa and Suriyan Sor Rungvisai. This is a step for Beltran, it’s his second fight away from home, and it’s hard, really hard, to see him having much to test Kameda, who is looking likely to move into the regional title picture next year. On paper a clash between Thailand’s Nattapong Jankaew (13-4, 9) and Japanese promoted Mexican Kenbun Torres (15-5, 10) really doesn’t look like anything special, but this could end up being one of the best bouts on the show. Jankaew was once regarded as a really promising Thai, with some very nice technical skills, unfortunately he's not had the durability to go with the skills, and has lost 4 of his last 7, 3 by stoppage, to Adrian Lerasan, Hiroto Yashiro, Sathaporn Saart and Marlon Tapales. Those wins have essentially undone a good start to his professional career, which had seen him win his first 10 including wins against Wittawas Basapean, Karoon Jarupianlerd and Wicha Phulaikhao. He now needs a notable win to get his career back on track. As for Torres his career looked all but over just a few fights ago, but now, aged 37, he’s in the form of his career scoring 3 straight wins, including an opening round TKO of Reymart Gaballo and a Split Decision over the previously unbeaten, and much fancied, KJ Cataraja. Those two wins have put the 37 year old into the world rankings, at Super Flyweight, of all 4 title bodies, however with this bout being fought at a contracted 53.2KG (around 117.3lbs) he may well find himself up against a naturally bigger man. Also on this card is the fast handed Mitsuro Brandon Tajima (10-1, 8), who looks to bounce back from an upset loss to Alexandru Jur as he takes on once beaten Venezuelan Rosmen Brito (11-1, 9), in what looks like a very even bout, at least on paper. The 30 year old Tajima, is short for a Heavyweight, standing at less than 6’, but is explosive, fast handed and exciting to watch. Sadly he was around 280lbs last year, and whilst his weight has come down there are question marks about how seriously he is taking the sport, and how much he has gotten by, so far, on natural talent. Given the loss to Jur, back in March, he can ill afford another one, and the hope is that loss will have served as a wake up call for someone with clear areas to work on. As for Brito the 34 year old was stopped in a round last time out, by Lenar Perez, in his only fight outside of Venezuela. On paper his record looks good, but only 2 of his victories have come against fighters with wins, and it’s hard to read anything into those wins. This is clearly a bit of a smoke and mirrors bout for Tajima, who needs a win, and needs to show some serious improvements from his recent loss. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Over in Tokyo Korakuen Hall plays host to this year’s All Japan Rookie of the Year finals, which, as always, gives us some really intriguing matchups, and could potentially unearth some talented young talent and future world champions. One of the many interesting match ups here will be at Welterweight, a division that Japan doesn’t shine at globally but does tend to have some compelling domestic bouts. The fight in question here will see the once beaten Takumi Fukunaga (5-1) take on the unbeaten Ryuto Sumida (6-0, 3). The 24 year old Fukunaka lost early in his career, against Yoshiki Kaneko, but avenged that loss in November in the West Japan Rookie of the Year final and comes in on the back of 4 straight wins. He's a talented outside boxer, with good footwork and a good jab, but will be facing the hungry Sumida. Aged 21 and standing at 6'0 Sumida will tower over his foe, and looks to be really showing what he can do, stopping 3 of his last 4. On paper his competition has been less impressive than Fukunaga’s, but he’ll know this is a huge chance to make a statement, and do so at a very young age. At 140lbs Xiaoling Koji (2-0, 1), a 33 year old former kick boxer with a very aggressive style, will be up against 23 year old Shota Tashita (4-0, 2), who’s much more technically sound and has good counter punching. Although not a standout kickboxer, by any stretch, Koji is much more experienced than his 2-0 record suggests, and when he’s in the ring his aggression shows that he’s not worried about taking a shot to land one, which makes him a very fan friendly fighter. His aggression, however, could prove to be his undoing here, against the quick handed Tashita, who has shown some lovely counter punching in the early stages of his professional career. At Super Featherweight we have unbeaten youngsters facing off, with 19 year olds Shota Kajino (3-0-1, 2) and Otaro Segawa (5-0-1, 2) clashing. Not only are both 19, but both actually drew on debut, and have reeled off a nice, though short, winning run since. Kajino has fought all 4 of his bouts this year, all at Korakuen Hall, and scored stoppages in his last 2. Interestingly all 3 of his wins have come against unbeaten fighters. As for Segawa, a very physical fighter, he debuted in 2022, aged 17, and has won his 5 subsequent bouts, with 3 wins coming this year, the most recent of which was a split decision over Koki Nitta. This will only be his second bout outside of Osaka, and the win over Nitta was his most notable win to date, by far. With both being so young we’re interested to see how composed both can be in such a major bout. At Super Flyweight the Shuta Takahashi (6-2-1, 4) takes on the unbeaten Aoi Murata (6-0, 4), in a bout that could be the most explosive bout on the show. The 23 year old Takahashi was stopped early in his career, and was 3-2-1 (3) at the end of 2023, but has developed well, picking up 3 wins this year, all again unbeaten fighters. In fact Takahashi's last 5 opponents have been unbeaten with a combined 19-0-2 record. To date he has only faced a single with a loss, not a losing record by a single loss, and all 9 of his bouts have been at Korakuen Hall. Murata, representing West Japan, is proving to be a well travelled fighter, with bouts in Aichi, Kanazawa, Shizuoka, Nakatsu and Osaka. After going the distance in his first 2 bouts he has scored 4 straight stoppage, including one over Junta Shiraki last time out, who had an identical record to Takahashi's current one. Aged 20 Murata is one of the few fighters out of Aichi who looks more than capable of becoming a force on the national scene, if he can get the developmental fights, a win here will help him secure solid domestic fights down the line. Of the two Takahashi is the more aggressive but Murata sticks to basics really well, and has got very good pop in his shots.  Midas Hotel and Casino, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines
This coming Friday attention turns to the Philippines for a notable card featuring a recent former unified world champion and a former interim world champion. The biggest name in action is former IBF and WBA Super Bantamweight, and former WBO Bantamweight, world champion Marlon Tapales (37-4, 19), who returns to the ring for the first time since losing to Naoya Inoue in December. The rugged Filipino will be up against Thai fighter Nattapong Jankaew (12-3, 8), with the men battling for the WBC Asian Continental Super Bantamweight title, and a chance to stay in the mix for a WBC world title fight. For Tapales, the clear favourite, the bout will be his first in the Philippines since November 2020, when he beat Eden Sonsona. Since that win he has stopped Hiroaki Teshigawara and Jose Estrella, in the US, and taken a decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev, and lost to Inoue in a battle for the Undisputed title. He has proven himself as a legitimate world class Super Bantamweight, despite losing to the Monster. As for Nattapong, he once seemed like a rising face of the Thai boxing scene, and he raced to 10-0 (6), with notable domestic wins against Wittawas Basapean, Karoon Jarupianlerd and Wicha Phulaikhao. Since then however he has gone 2-3, been stopped by Adrian Lerasan and Hiroto Yashiro, and lost a domestic bout against Sathaporn Saart. A second bout of note sees former WBC “interim” Bantamweight champion Reymart Gaballo (27-1, 22) take on Mexican fighter Kenbun Torres (13-5, 9). Gaballo is best known for his controversial decision win over Emmanuel Rodriguez in 2020 and his blow out loss at the hands of Nonito Donaire.in 2021. Since that loss he has picked up 3 wins at home in the Philippines, including a surprisingly competitive decision over Michael Bravo last June. In the ring he’s explosive, powerful and quick, but also flawed and it does seem like if a fighter can take his power he really struggles to change things up. As for Torres, the son of former world champion German Torres, this bout follows a 1-3 run, and he's only scored 1 win in the last 7 years. Despite that the 36 year old does fight to win, and won't be there to just roll over, though he is, clearly, the under-dog against the naturally bigger, stronger and younger fighter. Lake Event, Samut Prakan, Thailand
This coming Friday our attention turns to Thailand for an interesting card featuring two of the most promising Thai prospects, as well the ring of a former world title challenger, in what is very much a gimmie bout bout after more than a year out of the ring. The main event is a genuine great one as unbeaten Thai hopeful Nattapong Jankaew (10-0, 6), one of the more naturally skilled Thai's out there, takes on under-rated Filipino Adrian Lerasan (11-4, 4). The bout will be for Jankaew's WBA Asia Super Flyweight title, which he will be looking to defend for the second time. The Thai has proven to be a truly skilled fighter with a lot promise, but someone who has, at times, not fully performed to his ability, and has gone through the motions at times, when really he should have been showing what he can do. If he looks to cruise here he could be in a lot of problems. On paper Lerasan is nothing special however he has won his last 4 by stoppage, including 3 wins in Thailand over much fancied prospects, stopping Tanes Ongjunta and Phongsaphon Panyakum, and he has already shown Thai hopefuls not to over-look him. This is a potential banana skin for Jankaew, who should win, but will have to take Lerasan seriously. Another unbeaten hopeful on this card is the 20 year old Chaiyapong Phongwankittikun (6-0, 6) who will be stepping up massively, as he takes on veteran Aekkawee Kaewmanee (24-18, 12). The youngster is looking for his third win of the year, and is clearly making up for lost time having not fought at all in 2021, but to date his wins have come against very, very limited opponents, and he has taken them out early on, with no one lasting more than 4 rounds with him. Kaewmanee is a proper veteran, who has been around 2013, but he is now 40 and has lost 5 of his last 6. He's still racking in bouts, and this will be his 6 of the year, but he lacks any ambition and the real question is how long will be survive with the youngster The former world title challenger on this card is Komgrich Nantapech (30-5, 21), aka Eaktwan BTU Ruaviking, who came up short against Donnie Nietes in 2017 and Juan Carlos Reveco that same year, but has reeled off an 8 fight winning runs since then. Sadly Komgrich has been out of the ring since March 2021, and rather than taking on someone testing he will be up against Thawi Chaisat (0-13), a very limited who has been stopped 13 times in just 32 rounds. Komgrich shouldn't break a sweat here, but sadly this is the 6th straight bout against a limited local foe, and we really hope he faces someone more meaningful next time out.  T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
This coming Saturday the attention of the boxing world is focused on Nevada for one of the biggest shows of the years, headlined by the face of boxing. Whilst the focus of the show will be the main event, the undercard has a number of Asian fighters on it, all of which are looking to move their careers forward. The main event will see Kyrgyzstan born Russian Dmitry Bivol (19-0, 11) defending his WBA Light Heavyweight "super" title against Mexican megastar Saul Alvarez (57-1-2, 39). For Bivol this is the biggest fight of his career, by far, and a chance for the talented, but often frustrating, technician to announce himself on the wider boxing world. There is no doubting Bivol's ability, but he has frustrated fans, and opponents, in recent years with safety first performances and his bouts have often been dreary to watch. As for Canelo he seems to be getting better and better, an recent wins over Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant saw him putting on great performances and breaking both men down. Although Alvarez will go in as the big favourite, Bivol should ask serious questions of Alvarez with his footwork and good work at range. However Bivol needs to stick to his fight, needs to create space and do anything he can to prevent Canelo from getting close, where he's at his most dangerous. Our in depth preview of this one can be read here Bivol and Canelo clash in legacy defining bout! Aside from the main event, the most notable supporting bout was supposed to be an IBF Heavyweight world title eliminator, between unbeaten Chinese fighter Zhilei Zhang (23-0-1, 18) and Croatian fighter Filip Hrgovic (14-0, 12). Sadly that Hrgovic was forced to pull out, and he has been replaced replaced by Scott Alexander (16-4-2, 8), in a massive down grade, though thankfully the card is still a strong one. In a solid supporting bout unbeaten Uzbek fighter Shakhram Giyasov (12-0, 9) will be up against Mexican puncher Christian Gomez (22-2-1, 20), in a bout for the IBF North American Welterweight title fight. The 28 year old Giyasov has blown hot and cold at times, but the 2016 Olympic Silver medal winner is an undeniable talent, and when he's looked good he has looked really good, including his wins over Darleys Perez and Winston Campos, and looked like a fighter with the potential to win a world title. One day. As for Gomez the Mexican is a real danger man who has won both of his previous US bouts, and recently ended the unbeaten run of Jorge Perez Sanchez, who was 13-0 at the time. Given both of these men have heavy hands this could be explosive, exciting, and dangerous for both men. Another Uzbek hopeful on this card is Elnur Abduraimov (8-0, 7), who returns to a US ring for the first time since 2018, as he takes on fellow unbeaten Manuel Correa (11-0, 7), a US based Cuban, in a brilliant match up. The hard hitting Abduraimov has long been tipped as one to keep an eye on, though sadly hasn't really raced through the ranks like many expected, instead deciding to flip-flop between the professional ranks and the amateur one, though hopefully his focus will now be on the pros. As for Correa, the 31 year old has a great looking record, but there really is no substance to his 11-0 record, and he was some what fortunate in February to squeak past Marcello Williams, a limited Brazilian fighter. This should be explosive, exciting and well worth tuning in early to the show for. Suamlum Night Bazaar, Ratchadaphisek, Bangkok, Thailand Whilst the biggest card of the day is in the US, by far, there is a reason to actually look at what's happening in Asia as Thailand plays host to a card featuring some of the country's top young talent. The main event of the card will see WBA Asia Flyweight champion Tanes Ongjunta (9-1, 4) look to make his second defense, as he takes on the highly experienced Kongfah CP Freshmart (41-1-1, 20). The talented Ongjunta has rebuilt well since his 2020 loss to Adrian Lerasan, and has looked like a genuine prospect, though we will always wonder what happens when a fight sticks it on him, much like Lerasan did. In the opposite corner is a man who has bucket loads of experience, and has gone 28 bouts unbeaten, since a 2015 loss to Daigo Higa. That run has been, mostly, poor but has included wins over Samartlek Kokietgym and Ryoji Fukunaga and he is certainly a talented fighter, who should have done a lot more with his career. An indepth preview of this fight can be read here Tanes Ongjunta V Jakrawut Majungoen – Fight Breakdown and Prediction Another title bout will see the talented Thitisak Hoitong (3-0, 2) take on the once beaten Kitidech Hirunsuk (8-1, 5) for the WBA Asia Light Flyweight title. We were impressed by Thitisak on his 2020 debut, when he beat Samartlek Kokietgym, and since then he has looked a real talent, though this is arguably the first time he's taken on a fighter looking to beat him. Kitidech on the other hand is a 19 year old, who won his first 8, against low level competition, but was beaten back in March, when Huu Toan Le took a very close 12 round decision over him in Vietnam. That loss in Vietnam showed Kitidech was a very capable fighter and he will not be fighting to just make up the numbers here. One of the most skilled Thai prospects coming through the ranks is Nattapong Jankaew (9-0, 5), who has already notched notable wins against the likes of Samartlek Kokietgym, Petchbarngborn Kokietgym and Pigmy Kokietgym. Sadly for someone with a strong resume after 9 bouts, be really is competing in a nothing bout here, as he faces off with Worawatchai Boonjan (19-26-2, 16), who doesn't belong in the ring with Nattapong. Whilst Worawatchai is experienced he has been stopped 16 times in his career, including an opening round loss in 2019 to Andrew Selby, and this shouldn't be a test for the unbeaten hopeful. One other top Thai prospect on this card is Yuttapong Tongdee (6-0, 4), who looks to secure his next win as he takes on Lerdchai Chaiyawed (6-7, 2). This should be a straight forward win for Tongdee, who was a top Thai amateur, but it should also be a case of him getting some much needed rounds, after fighting just once last year. Tongdee is a talent, but at the age of 28 he needs to be active, and his team needs to begin to move his career along. A win here needs to be followed by a notable step up in class later in the year. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan We also get some action at Korakeun Hall, as we see the next set of qualifying bouts for the East Japan Rookie of the Year. The stand out bout on this card will see Kenshin Hosokawa (2-0, 2) and Kota Araki (3-0, 2), who clash at Super Bantamweight. The 19 year old Hosokawa debuted in December, and has needed 6 rounds for his two wins to date, including one over the then unbeaten Kenshin Tomihira, whilst 22 year old Araki has got 7 rounds to his name, since making his own debut last August. This is the type of bout Rookie of the Year throws at us, and the type of bout we love to see, between two young hopefuls.  Blue Arena, Samut Prakan, Thailand
The main action this coming Sunday comes from Thailand where Tantelecom are putting in a very, very interesting card, and as with two shows on Saturday this will be free to view online, via the promoters website. The main event will see the very promising Nattapong Jankaew (6-0, 3) take on former Naoya Inoue opponent Petchbarngborn Kokietgym (44-9, 20). We've been really impressed by Nattapong and see him as being among the best of the rising Thai prospects. Unlike most Thai's he's very much a boxer first and it's clear he has some solid amateur pedigree and very good boxing foundations. Petchbarngborn is a 35 year old who has been been a pro since 2009 and has faced a relative who's who, including Inoue, Kohei Kono, Sho Ishida and Amnat Ruenroeng. Sadly though he is well past his prime and we see him really struggling here with the very skilled Nattapong. In a supporting bout we'll see the debuting Thitisak Hoitong (0-0) take on former world title challenger Samartlek Kokietgym (34-14-1, 12), who was last seen losing a decision to Nattapong. Sadly we don't know much about Thitisak, though it is known he fought as an amateur and is only 24 years old, but we do love the fact he's taking a test like Samartlek on his professional debut. Samartlek is past his best, but has proven to be a tough guy, who comes to fight ask questions of prospects and is a baptism of fire for someone making their debut. A very interesting fight, and a really tough debut for Thitisak. Saga, Japan Over in Japan we get the set of bouts from the Western Japan Rookie of the Year in Saga. Originally this show was supposed to have 10 bouts, but 3 of those bouts have been cancelled, including a Middleweight bout. Despite several bouts being cancelled there are still several worth talking about. One of the more interesting bouts on this show is at Bantamweight, where Hiroki Kinjo (5-0, 4) takes on Fuya Tomita (3-2, 2), in a battle of 21 year olds. The unbeaten Kinjo made his debut in 2018 and has looked good so far, but has only faced absolute novices and his record lacks any sort of substance. In fact his 5 wins have come against opponents with a combined 1-3 record. Tomita's record is less impressive than that of Kinjo, but he has, on paper, faced better competition and was unfortunate in one of his losses. This might look like a mismatch but should be more competitive than it looks. Another bout worthy of some attention is at Featherweight, where the 21 year old Hikaru Fukunaga (6-1, 4) takes on unbeaten 25 year old Masashi Tokihiro (1-0-1, 1). The talented Fukunaga lost around a year ago to the brilliant Jinki Maeda and since then has bounced back with two straight decision wins, though was run very close last time out out. Tokihiro made his debut in September 2019 with a win, but was held to a draw last time out. We expect this one to be explosive, and competitive.  This coming Sunday we get quite a bit of action with a televised card from Thailand and two shows from Japan, where we are well and truly in Rookie of the Year season!
Blue Arena, Samut Prakan, Thailand One complain we've long had about the Thai scene is that we don't see enough good all-Thai match ups, with the country often relying on having a local fighter battle a limited foreign visitor. Thankfully that's not been possible recently and we have had some interesting all-Thai bouts in recent months as a result. We potentially get two more here. In the main event of the card we'll see Campee Phayom (20-4-2, 12) defending his WBA Asia Super Featherweight title against former WBO Bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu (53-8, 35). The 22 year old Campee is no world beater in the making, but he's a solid fringe regional level fighter who is getter and is starting to get some attention in Thailand. He needs to be stepped up and given developmental fights and that's sort of what we see this as. Aged 30 Pungluang is a little bit long in the tooth, but isn't a shot fighter in terms of his age, he is however a fighter fighting well above their best weight, and that will likely be the difference here. We suspect Pungluang will ask questions of the youngster, but lack the physical traits to be a danger to the developing Campee. In a second all-Thai bout on this show the unbeaten Nattapong Jankaew (5-0, 3) will be defending his WBA Asia South Super Flyweight title against Samartlek Kokietgym (34-13-1, 12). For the 24 year old Nattapong this will be his first defense as he looks to build on an solid win earlier this year against John Kenan Villaflor. The champion is the younger, unbeaten and naturally bigger man, but Samarlek has significantly more experience and has faced the likes of Naoya Inoue and Akira Yaegashi. We suspect Samartlek's experience will see him asking questions of Nattapon, but suffer a 5th straight loss here against a talented young who will be looking to launch himself towards bigger and better fights over the next few years. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan At the Holy Land of Japanese boxing we have an East Japan Rookie of the Year card. In total there are, 9 bouts set for this card. From the bouts on this card the one that interests us the most is the Flyweight bout between Kei Fujita (1-0, 1) and Shugo Namura (2-0, 2). From the 3 combined bouts these two have had so far not one has gone beyond 2 rounds. We expect this to be a shoot out! Another bout worthy of noting here will see 19 year old Aito Abe (1-0, 1) fight for the second time, as he takes on he 35 year old Kentaro Omori (2-2, 1). For Abe this bout will see him looking to build on his debut win in November whilst Omori will be returning to the ring more than 4 years after his last bout, was was a loss back in April 2016 to Satoshi Tanaka. Amazingly Omori's last win came in June 2015, at that point in time Abe was just 14! Sun Rise Park Gym, Saga, Saga, Japan Over in Saga we get a Western Japan Rookie of the year show, with just 4 bouts scheduled for this card. The bout that stands out here will see 21 year old Featherweight hopeful Hikaru Fukunaga (4-1, 4) take on 36 year old southpaw Kohei Suzuki (1-0-1). Fukunaga competed in last year's Rookie of the Year, and was 1 win away from reaching the All Japan final, losing to the brilliant Jinki Maeda. Given his experience from last year, along with his power and aggression Fukunaga has got to be among the favourites for the tournament. As for Suzuki he impressed in August when he beat the more experienced Majisuka Kosaka and will feel the confidence of an unbeaten man who has twice gone the 4 round schedule. This could be a genuine highlight for fans at the Sun Rise Park Gym. On the total opposite end of the spectrum we are interested in the match up between Yoshitada Shimogishi (0-1) and Ryoki Terada (0-3), who clash at 140lbs. With both men having lost all their bouts we have an interesting dynamic here with both know they can get off the mark. For Shimogishi this will be his first bout in more than 2 years, when he was stopped in 2 rounds by Sota Kohara. As for Terada he fought 3 times last year, and lost all 3 by decision. Whilst fights between win-less fighters aren't usually high quality they are usually entertaining and we see suspect that will be the case here. |
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