Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand
The day after Christmas is called “boxing day” in some parts of the world, and this year we certainly have a boxing day fight to be excited about in Bangkok, as we’re set to see a new world champion being crowned. The match up in question will see former WBC Minimumweight champion Panya Pradabsri (43-2, 27) look to become a 2-weight world champion as he takes on the criminally under-rated Carlos Canizales (27-2-1, 19) for the vacant WBC Light Flyweight title, with Canizales looking to end the year on a higher. The 33 year old Pradabsri is best known for his short but notable reign as the WBC Minimumweight champion. That reign began when he dethroned the then 54-0 Wanheng Menayothin, saw him record 4 defenses, including one over Wanheng and two over Norihito Tanaka, before losing the belt in Japan to Yudai Shigeoka. He has long been one of the best fighters at 105lbs, but also someone who seemed big at the weight and as if he was boiling down hard to mark 105lbs, as opposed to letting his body fight at a more natural weight of Light Flyweight or even Flyweight. As for Canizales, he is perhaps the best active fighter to have never won outright recognition as a "world" champion, having only held the WBA "regular" title when Hiroto Kyoguchi was the "Super" champion. He is legitimate world class, with the only marks on his record being a draw against Ryoichi Taguchi, and losses to Esteban Bermudez, in a 2021 Upset of the Year contender, and Kenshiro Teraji, in a razor thin bout in January of this year. Canizales is tough, heavy handed, highly skilled, has a great engine, applies constant pressure, and is a complete nightmare to fight. Unlike many fighters from Venezuela, who pad their record but come undone against fighters on their travels, Canizales has proven his skills on the road, not just with the bouts against Taguchi and Kenshiro, but also wins against Reiya Konishi, Lu Bin, Sho Kimura, Ganigan Lopez and Daniel Matellon. Given the styles of the two men, who are both, strong, come to fight and like to enforce their wills, we are expecting a very, very special bout here, to give us a late Christmas treat. Spaceplus Bangkok RCA, Bangkok, Thailand We have a second show in Bangkok, albeit a much smaller one, at the Spaceplus Bangkok RCA. One of the best match ups on the card will see unbeaten Filipino Arvin Jhon Paciones (9-0, 5) take on under-rated Chinese fighter Xiang Li (9-2-2, 4) in a scheduled 12 rounder. The 19 year old Paciones has had a pretty notable 18 months come into this, stopping Jonatan Refugio, taking a good 12 round win over Kitidech Hirunsuk and beating former world champion Rene Mark Cuarto. He is a real prospect, with skill, power, speed and a willingness to take tests, both at home and on the road. The 26 year old Li is no push over, with his losses coming to Miel Fajardo and Jonathan Almacen, with that one coming in the Philippines, and notable results against Raymond Poon KaiChing, who he beat in Hong Kong, and a Ryu Horikawa, who he fought to a 10 round draw This is a genuinely good match up, and the winner should be in the mix for a recognised regional title sooner rather than later. Having just mentioned Raymond Poon KaiChing (10-3, 6) it’s worth noting he is on this card, as he takes on former world title challenger Komgrich Nantapech (37-13, 27). Nantapech was once a very solid fighter, who gave Donnie Nietes a competitive bout in 2017, and also gave a good account of himself, albeit in a wide loss, against Juan Carlos Reveco. Since however he has gone a very mixed 15-8. Whilst some of those losses are at a good level some aren’t and he has been stopped 5 times in his last 11, going 6-5 over those bouts, suggesting a fighter who has either taken too much punishment, or is happy to go down softly nowadays. As for KaiChing the 28 year old from Hong Kong is 3-2 in his last 5 and whilst he hasn’t scored a notable win, he will likely come into this seeing it as a huge chance to get a career best win. Unbeaten American Jermaine Hardison (4-0, 3) looks to score his latest win, and claim a minor regional title, as he takes on Thai local Thuwanan Tumninlakan (4-2-1, 4). Hardison has required 14 rounds for his first 4 wins, and whilst the opposition hasn't been tough the 21 year old is getting on with things and, for the most part, seeing off his opponents the way he and his team would have been hoping. The 19 year old Tumninlakan however has been matched very softly, and failed to win other of his last 2 bouts, fighting to a draw with Supakorn Boonmak and a loss to Nattawut Kaewkhanchum. In fact he is 1-2-1 in his last 4, and it would be a real surprise to see him beat Hardison Another unbeaten hopeful on this card is Matvei Lagerev (6-0, 5), a Thai based Russian, who will be expecting to pick up another win as he takes on Phatiphan Krungklang (20-9-1-1, 12). In just 15 rounds Lagerev has discord 6 wins, including one over forms world title challenger Pigmy Kokietgym, albeit a faded and undersized Pigmy. On paper Krungklang is a step up for the Russian, but in reality it's not a notably step up, especially when you realise Krungklang has been stopped in 8 of his 9 losses and his wins have come at a very poor level.
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Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
In Tokyo we get the next show from Dangan and it’s one that mixes a female title bout with The main event of the show will see Akane Fujiwara (6-3-1, 2) look to make her first defense of the JBC Female Featherweight title, as she takes on former champion Yoshie Wakasa (7-4, 2). The champion won the title in April, when she beat Kimika Miyoshi in the second bout between the two women, making the most of her 4th shot at a title. Prior to that win she had gone 0-2-1 in title fights, with two of those bouts being incredibly close. As for the challenger, Wakasa won the title in 2020, when she also beat Miyoshi, but lost 2 subsequent bouts to Miyoshi and now hasn’t fought in close to 2 years coming into this bout. From the 10 other bouts on the card 7 are East Japan Rookie of the Year qualifying bouts as the tournament field continues to get cut down. On paper the most interesting of the Rookie bouts will be at Super Bantamweight, and see 20 year old Kazuki Sato (3-0) risk his unbeaten record against fellow unbeaten Marc Yano (1-1), who is only 23 years old himself. Sato made his debut at the start of 2023 and notched 3 wins by the end of the year, though has now been out of the ring since December and lost some of the momentum he had starting the year. Yano also debuted last year, and has actually not fought since August, when he picked up his first professional win. Despite both being out of the ring both are young, unbeaten and hungry and should make for a really entertaining 4 rounder. Rangsit International Stadium, Rangsit, Thailand As well as the Dangan show in Japan we also get an interesting card in Thailand, featuring a former world title challenger, a former world champion and a rising hopeful. The former world title challenger is the headline of this show, and that’s Tasana Salapat (75-1, 53), aka Petch CP Freshmart, who looks to defend his WBC Asian Bantamweight title, as he takes on Chinese fighter GuiMing Li (6-5-1, 2). The 30 year old local, who has a staggering 76 fights to his name is currently riding a 27 fight winning run, since suffering his sole loss in 2018 to Takuma Inoue in a bout for the WBC “interim” Bantamweight title. Sadly that long run looks good on paper, but lacks any type of quality there. Sadly that’s not going to change here as he takes on a Chinese fighter who has 1 win in his last 5. Despite his poor form, Li has never been stopped and should be sturdy enough to take the Thai some rounds, even if he doesn’t survive all 10. Also on this card is former WBC Minimumweight champion Panya Pradabsri (42-2, 26), aka Petchmanee CP Freshmart, who seeks win #3 following his title loss last year to Yudai Shigeoka. The talented former champion will be hoping to land another shot at a world title in the future. The fact Panya’s opponent wasn’t known at the time of writing would suggest it’s not going to be a testing one for the Thai, and should be a tick over rather than a real fight, as he keeps busy, keeps in shape and keeps ring rust off as he awaits a chance to become a 2-time champion. Another man facing, what we suspect, is a late notice opponent is the rising hopeful Anuchai Donsua (14-0, 5). The unbeaten 27 year old debuted in 2022, and within 14 fights has scored several solid domestic wins, beating Sukpraserd Ponpitak and Komgrich Nantapech. Sadly he has been out of boxing all year, despite fitting in 8 fights last year, and has lost some of that momentum he seemed to be building. Fingers crossed we see him in with a notable regional opponent in 2025. Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
This coming Wednesdays our attention turns to Thailand as WBC Minimumweight champion Panya Pradabsri (38-1, 23) seeks his third defense, and takes on Japanese veteran Norihito Tanaka (20-8, 10), who will be getting his second world title shot. The talented champion won the title in 2020, when he defeated Wanheng Menayothin and ended his fellow Thai's lengthy unbeaten record, sadly though since that huge win he has only defended the title twice, and hasn't really distanced himself from fellow Thai world champion Knockout CP Freshmart. Here he's taking on a former Knockout foe, and one Knockout really dominated back in 2020. As for Tanaka, the now 37 year old will know this will be his final chance to win a world title, and if he comes up short, as expected, he'll probably be retiring soon afterwards. In a supporting bout Thai teenager Rachata Khaophimai (12-2, 9) will be taking on Japan's Hyuma Fujioka (12-10-1, 1). On paper this looks like a real mismatch, with the 19 year old local having a very nice looking record, however Rachata has lost his two most notable bouts, and Fujioka is very much a step up from the quality of opponent he has been beating. As for Fujioka he comes into this on the back of good wins over Ryugo Ushijima and Ryohei Takahashi, and could well be a banana skin for the local hopeful. City Hall Ground, Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
This coming Tuesday our attention turns to Thailand, for a notable show, headlined by a rematch that is now on it's third date this and also features a major step up for a prospect taking on a former world champion. The main event of the card will see WBC Minimumweight champion Panya Pradabsri (37-1, 23) taking on former champion Wanheng Menayothin (55-1, 19), in a much anticipated rematch between the two men who fought back in 2020. In their first bout we saw a great performance from both men, with the judges narrowly giving the win to Panya, to end Wanheng's notable, and lengthy, unbeaten run. It was assumed that would be the end for Wanheng, who has instead bounced back with a single win and will now be determined to avenge his sole loss. As for the champion this is a great chance to solidify his reign, and prove he didn't need a little bit of luck from the judges when the two men first met. Notably this bout has been pencilled in for January and February, and is now on its third date this year, fingers crossed it won't be postponed again. Our in depth preview of this bout, which was written ahead of the original January date for the bout, can be read here Panya and Wanheng clash again for WBC crown! The main support bout for the show will see novice Peerapol Boonchauy (1-0) take on former world champion Suriyan Satorn (61-13, 41), also known as Kompayak Porpramook, in a huge step up in class. Aged 22 Peerapol debuted last November, beating Chaiwat Buatkrathok, and is now stepping up to face someone who once held the WBC Light Flyweight title. Whilst this is a huge step up, it should be noted that Peerapol is a naturally bigger, much younger fighter, and at 39 Suriyan is now little more than a trial horse for Thai prospects, than a real threat. Even with that in mind however, Peerapol will have to answer some genuine questions posed by the veteran here. Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
The main show this coming Tuesday is in Thailand where we'll see a world title fight, and a former world champion. The world title fight will see WBC Minimumweight champion Panya Pradabsri (36-1, 20) defending his title, for the first time, as he takes on fellow Thai Danai Ngiabphukhiaw (9-2, 5). For Panya this will be his second fight since winning the title, almost a year ago, but his first defense and sadly it's a thoroughly under-whelming one as he takes on someone who can only be described as professional novice. Danai has got some promise, but that's all it is, some promise. He's not anywhere close to world level, and we'd be very surprised if he was able to win even a minute of bout, before being stopped in the middle rounds. Our in depth preview of this one can be read here WBC king Panya set for first defense, faces fellow Thai! Also reportedly set for this card is Wanheng Menayothin (54-1, 18), who is expected to fight in a bit of a tune up bout before a potential rematch with Panya in the new year. His opponent has sadly not been announced for this show, but we're hoping for someone sturdy enough to give the former WBC world champion a few rounds and let him shake some ring rust. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan As well as the action in Thailand there will also be a small card in Japan, as Dangan put on one of their fun 4 round shows. Whilst none of the bouts are big news, we are exciting to see Michiaki Eguchi (0-0) and Kenta Kawakami (0-0) clash in an all debutant bout at 105lbs. Eguchi is a 23 year old whilst Kawakami is 19, and given their youth, plus the fact this is a bout between debutants, we are expecting a wild and exciting tear up here. There's also a female bout on this card as Kagishippo Sachi (0-0) takes on Natsuki Tamagawa (0-0). This is another 4 rounder, but it's interesting to see two women facing off, especially given that neither is a youngster. Sachi is 34 coming in to this bout, and will need to be moved quickly if she's going to fight in bouts of any significance in the future, whilst Tamagawa is 27, and no spring chicken herself. March 6th-Panya Pradabsri in action! Indian action! Central Asian's look to shine in the US!3/3/2021 This coming Saturday isn't a huge day for boxing, but there is more than enough to get your teeth into as we begin quite an interesting month for Asian boxing.
Rangsit Boxing Stadium, Rangsit, Thailand Arguably the most notable action of the day, at least for us, is in Thailand where we'll see a world champion in action and a really good looking all-Thai regional title bout. The world champion in question is WBC Minimumweight champion Panya Pradabsri (35-1, 22), who will be in action against a low level domestic opponent in a contracted bout well above the Minimumweight limit. This will be Panya's first bout since his title win, and huge upest, against Wanheng Menayothin. The plan for Panya is to have a tune up here before a potential rematch with Wanheng in the summer, so we don't expect to see him do much more than go through the motions here, but it's still good to see him in action. The most interesting of the bouts, on paper at least, is a WBC Asia title fight at Super Flyweight which will pit Kongfah CP freshmart (35-1-1, 18), aka Jakkrawut Majoogoen, against former world title challenger Wittawas Basapean (34-15-1, 12) aka Samartlek Kokietgym. On paper this might not look the best fight, but if we're being honest we expect a really exciting fight here. Kongfah is the younger and naturally bigger fighter, but Samartlek comes to fight and never takes a backwards step, so we are, genuinely, expecting a bit of a war. Kongfah should win, but he will not have an easy time with his more experienced foe. Aizawl, India Staying with Asian action we also get a show in India, which features a couple of noteworthy bouts. The main event here will see 21 year old Indian hopeful Lalrinsanga Tlau (4-0, 2) take on Ghana's Eric Quarm (4-1, 1) for the WBC Youth Super Featherweight title. The unbeaten Tlau will be fighting in his title bout and so far he has been pretty impressive, barely losing a round since his debut in 2019. The 23 year old Quarm, who is fighting outside of Africa for the first time, was last seen in the ring in 2019 when he lost in a bout for the West African Union Lightweight title. Although neither man is well known, this is a really interesting contest, and one that should provide some really good action, with both men desperate to avoid a loss and desperate to win the Youth title. Also on this card is an interesting match up between Indian fighter Asad Asif Khan (9-2-1-1, 2) and Afghan fighter Aimal Ahmad Sediq Zada (5-1, 4). Khan made his debut all the way back in 2011 and despite going 2-2-1-1 in his first 6 has reeled off 7 straight wins, and done so internationally with bouts in Thailand, Dubai and the Philippines. The hard hitting Zada lost on his debut, in 2018, but also comes into this one with some momentum on the back of 5 straight wins. This could end up being a very good bout, but one that is certainly easy to over-look. Miami, Florida, USA As well as the action in Asia we also have some central Asian fighters in action in Florida. One of those Central Asian fighters is Uzbek hopeful Kozimbek Mardonov (1-0, 1), who was impressive in his January debut. The talented former amateur standout is expected to be moved quickly he's being matched with the experienced Abel Nicolas Adriel (23-20-3, 5) here. The 31 year old Adriel has been collecting losses during his career, but with only 4 stoppage losses he is durable and should be able to survive a few rounds with Mardonov, though the Uzbek will be strongly favoured to pick up the win. Another Central Asian on this card is Tajik fighter Mekhrubon Sanginov (9-0-1, 6) , who looks to build on a career best win over Quincy LaVallais as he takes on Miguel Angel Suarez (15-6, 9). The 25 year old Sanginov will be favoured here, and will be expected to pick up his 10th win, and do so relatively quickly. Suarez, and Argentinian 39 year old, was once 15-0 but has lost his last 6, and has been stopped in 5 of those 6 losses. This looks like an easy win for Sanginov following some struggles vs LaVallais in January. Also scheduled for this show, though with no opponent named at the time of writing, is US based Azeri fighter Elvin Gambarov (14-0, 13), who will be looking for his third win of 2021. Gambarov has already blown away two limited opponents in Colombia this year and he's likely to be facing another over-matched foe here. It's a shame that we really don't know how good Gambarov can be as his competition so far has been beyond terrible. Fingers crossed we see him tasted later this year. This coming Friday is set to be an interesting day for Asian boxing. We have a massively significant world title bout in Thailand, and two unbeaten Central Asian hopefuls in action in the US. Despite that we don't have much else. It's certainly quality over quantity here!
Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand The title bout in question comes from Nakhon Ratchasima and will be the 13th time two Thai's have clashed in a world title bout, dubbed a "Bloodline Battle". This will be the first in more than a decade, and promises to be an excellent match up. In one corner is unbeaten WBC Minimumweight champion Wanheng Menayothin (54-0, 18), the longest reigning world champion in men's boxing and the man who's unbeaten record is longer than that of Floyd Mayweather Jr. In the opposite corner is hungry, powerful and heavy handed challenger Panya Pradabsri (34-1, 22), who is getting a chance to prove himself in a major all-Thai bout. For the champion the bout will be his 13th defense in just over 6 years, and a win may well see him ride off into the sunset with a 55-0 record. As for the challenger this is his chance to grab the proverbial torch of Thai boxing, along with the WBC title and really make a name for himself. This is as big a bout in Thailand as we've seen in a very long time. Our full, in depth preview of this bout can be read here Wanheng and Panya clash in 13th Bloodline Battle Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida, USA As well as the bout in Thailand we also have two central Asian hopefuls looking to move their careers forward on a Matchroom USA card in Florida. One of those hopefuls with be Kazakh Welterweight Daniyar Yeleussinov (9-0, 5), who takes on former unified world champion Julius Indongo (23-2, 12) in a bout for the IBF Inter-Continental Welterweight title. For the unbeaten Yeleussinov, a 2016 Olympic gold medal winner, the bout is a huge step up in class and this should be a chance for him to get a notable scalp on his record, even if Indongo is a long way removed from the fighter he once was. As for Indongo the Namibian former world champion will know he's being viewed as a stepping stone here, but may well have enough left in the tank to ask real questions of the talented "Kazakh Thunder". The only men to have beaten Indongo so far are Terence Crawford and Regis Prograis, and a win for the Kazakh will see him moved towards a world title fight in 2021 or 2022. The other Central Asian on this card is hard hitting Azeri Heavyweight Mahammadrasul Majidov (2-0, 2), who takes on unbeaten Puerto Rican Sahret Delgado (8-0, 7). On paper this looks like a good step up in class for Majidov, but the 34 year old really needs to make a move next year, before he's essentially aged out of contention of ever getting a chance. Delgado's record looks pretty, but in reality his competition has been dire and he's taking a leap up in class. We're expecting a win for Majidov, but sadly we don't imagine this will be the big boost forward that his career needs. Instead he needs a big bout in 2021 if his career is going to take off in the way many had hoped, and in the way Azeri boxing really needs. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
For the second day running we get East Japan Rookie of the Year action from Korakuen Hall, 9 bouts expected to be on the show. Originally there was 10 bouts set for this event but one of those, was cancelled several weeks ago. The pick of the bouts on this show will see the 20 year old Tsubasa Narai (3-0, 2) take on Tomohiro Igarashi (2-0, 1) in a Super Featherweight bout. The talented Narai made his debut in April 2019 and scored his 3 career wins in just 4 months, though had been away from the ring for more than a year now. Igarashi on the other hand debuted in October 2019 and fought this past August, which will perhaps aid him here, given his activity. Either way this is an excellent Rookie match up and could end up being the pic of the bouts from this round of the Rookie of the Year. Another Super Featherweight bout will see Koichi Ota (2-0, 2) and Hiromichi Komatsu (3-5-2, 3). On paper this doesn't look amazing, but in reality this could end up being something very exciting. Ota, who's 35, has stopped both of his opponents so far in round 3 and will know that if he losses that's probably the end of his career, given his age. At the age of 27 Komatsu is the much younger man but is someone who has typically stopped or been stopped, with 7 of his 10 bouts ending by stoppage, including his last 3. This could be very, very explosive! One other bout that is maybe worth a mention will be a Bantamweight clash between 20 years olds, as Izuki Kodaka (1-0, 1) takes on the debuting Ryuki Sudo (0-0). Whilst it's far too early to get too excited about either man, we do love seeing youngsters being matched very early in their careers. These sorts of bouts, where neither man is experience enough to worry, do tend to give us some amazing action and fingers crossed this one delivers as well. Rangsit International Stadium, Rangsit, Thailand As well as the action in Japan we'll also see once beaten Thai contender Panya Pradabsri (33-1, 21) compete in a tick over against Wichet Sengprakhon (11-7, 6). Although this is very much a stay busy bout the talented Panya will be dropping down to Minimumweight for the bout, which will be for a regional title. ![]() Compostela Valley, Philippines The most notable card this coming Friday is in the Philippines where we get a small but interesting card with several notable domestic clashes taking place on the show. The main event will see PBF Flyweight title bout between Arnold Garde (10-7-3, 4) and Renz Rosia (14-8-1, 7), in what is easily the best bout of the show. Garde was last seen going 8 rounds with Hayate Kaji in Japan, and show he was tough and a little awkward. Despite that showing it needs to be noted that he has only scored 1 win in his lat 5 and it's hard to know what ambition he really has. Rosia, of course, is no world beater himself but another loss for him really could be the end of any hopes he has of landing another big fight, and would leave him win-less in 5. For both guys this is essentially a must win bout. In a supporting bout we'll see talented Light Flyweight Rene Mark Cuarto (16-2-1, 9) look to bounce back from a recent loss to the world ranked Samuel Salva. The talented Cuarto will be expected to get a relatively straight forward win here, as he takes on the limited Mike Kinaadman (6-9-2, 4), who has lost his last 7 in a row. One other fighter on this card worthy of a note is Aries Buenavidez (13-3, 7), who will be expecting to pick up his 14th win as he takes on limited domestic foe Kim Lindog (5-6-1, 4). Tokyo, Japan As well as the Filipino card there is also a small card in Toyko thanks to Flash Akabane. Sadly the most interesting fighter scheduled for this card, Zirolian Riku (8-0, 3), has had his bout cancelled and won't be on the card despite being announced for the show to begin with. The main event of this card will see Akihiro Yamanaka (7-7-2, 3) battle against Yuki Uchida (6-6, 1), in an 8 round bout. Given the records of the two men it's clear neither is a world beater. However both are well matched and this should be a very competitive and well contested bout between two men with very similar records, and two men who will be coming into this with the belief they can pick up a win. The co-feature will see Ken Achiwa (11-15-5, 4) take on Hikaru Ota (9-9, 5), in another bout that should be competitive, but not an incredibly high quality bout. Achiwa may have the worse looking record on paper but he has been matched incredibly hard and run guys like Suguru Muranaka and Yuki Nasu and Yuku Fukimoto close, and he could have had a very, very different record with a little bit of luck through his career. Thailand One other card, that we got late notice of, was a show in Thailand, set to be headlined by OPBF Flyweight "silver" champion Panya Pradabsri (25-1, 14), who will be looking to get past tough Filipino Robert Onggocan (12-5, 8) before beginning a run for a Light Flyweight world title later in the year. His team had planned to petition the WBO for a shot at Angel Acosta before Acosta's recent loss, and will likely still push forward with their desire for a world title fight at 108lbs. Nevada, USA In the US we'll see Uzbek fighter Sanjarbek Rakhmanov (11-2-1, 5) look to rebuild his confidence after losses in 2 of his last 3. Having started his career 10-0-1 Rakhmanov has really faltered in recent fights, losing to Marquis Taylor and Keith Hunter in the last 12 months. He's not a bad fighter, but we don't expect him to be one of the stars of Uzbek boxing in the future. ![]() Osaka, Japan Japanese attention turns to Osaka this coming Friday where we get a domestic title fight and a couple of supporting bouts between Japanese and Korean fighters. The Japanese title fight will see Japanese Light Flyweight champion Tetsuya Hisada (32-9-2, 19) make his 5th defense as he takes on 2016 Rookie of the Year winner Akihiro Toya (8-4, 1). This looks like a stay busy defense for the 34 year old champion, who is on the verge of a world title fight, but any sort of slip up here could end those dreams. At 23 years old Toya is still maturing, but a loss earlier this year to Takumi Sakae doesn't bode well for him against someone as talented as Hisada. A full preview of this bout can be found here Hisada defends Japanese crown against youngster Toya! One of the supporting bouts will see Japan's Yuki Takahashi (8-3, 4) battle against Korean rankled visitor Hwan Young Jo (5-5, 1). Takahashi has been stopped in his last 2 bouts and hasn't shown too much promise coming into this, but he will be favoured given he is the home fighter and has the better looking record. Jo on the other hand challenged for the Korean Super Featherweight title back in July, and will be looking to bounce back from a loss in that bout. Another Japan Vs Korea bout will see the limited but hard hitting 23 year old Shota Asami (6-5, 4) battle against Hyun Joo Lee (2-0). Asami began his career 4-2 (4) but hasn't scored a stoppage in his last 5 bouts, whilst going 2-3. Lee is ranked by the KBF but his record doesn't seem to be complete on boxrec, with the KBF listing him as being 5-1-1 (4). If the KBF record is complete then we could be in for a fun fight between punchers, though how good he actually is, is unclear. Thailand There's also a show in Thailand this coming Friday The big talking point is that WBC Minimumweight champion Wanheng Menayothin (51-0, 18) will be on the card in a stay busy bout, taking on Indonesian foe Tyson Lahagu (2-9-1, 2). The contest is supposed to be a tune up for the Thai ahead of a potential world title defense at the end of the year, and will see him stretching his record 52-0 as he looks to further increase his unbeaten record. Although Wanheng and his unbeaten record will get much of the attention it also seems like we'll see OPBF silver Minimumweight champion Panya Pradabsri (24-1, 13) defending his title against talented Filipino Dexter Alimento (13-4, 9), in a very good looking bout. This has the potential to be very exciting and very fun, and we wouldn't be surprised to see Alimento push the local all the way. Pennsylvania, USA We'll see US based Tajik prospect Anvar Yunusov (5-0, 2) look to continue his rise through the ranks as he takes on Joshua Davis (11-3, 5). The unbeaten man debuted last year, in a match up against the experienced Justin Savi, and has been matched well so far, but this should be regarded as his best test to date. Davis has lost his last 2 bouts but at 27 he will have ambition to get his career back on track and should make for a compelling opponent for the Yusunov, who was a 3-time Olympian. Johore Bahru, Malaysia As well as the show in Japan there will also be a card in Malaysia. One of the bouts on this card will see unbeaten local Adli Hafidz (3-0, 2) take on experienced Thai foe Yuttana Wongda (13-21, 9). The local fighter, aged 29, has been matched softly so far, and this should be considered as a step up in class, but a very manageable one. Yuttana has gone 2-10 in his last 12 bouts and we suspect he will come up short again here. |
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