 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
The first Japanese show of the new year takes place this coming Tuesday from Korakuen Hall, thanks to Suruga Danji Promotions, who put on a card littered with promising talent, including a notable debutant and a man once tipped for major success, though now needs to get his career back on track after a number of injuries. In the main event we’ll see the once beaten Shunpei Ohata (3-1, 2) take on former world title challenger Karoon Jarupianlerd (55-15, 29). The 24 year old Ohata has bounced back since suffering a razor thin win in a Japanese Youth title fight against Kai Watanabe in April 2024, scoring a good TKO win over Rhonvex Capuloy, and it's clear his team believe he’s a special talent, with a very bright future. They aren’t protecting him, and instead have pushed him hard from the off, taking on a 7-0 fighter in his debut, Watanabe in his third bout and now a former world title challenger in his 5th bout, and will be hoping he can continue to impress. As for Jarupianlerd, also known as Petchbarngborn Kokietgym, he is well known in Japanese circles where he has fought numerous times since 2010. His most notable bouts have been against Japanese fighters, losing to Kohei Kono, Sho Ishida, Naoya Inoue, Kazuki Nakajima, and whilst Ohata isn’t as established as any of those were at the time they beat the Thai. A win for Ohata might not mark him as a future world champion in the making, but this is an excellent bit of matchmaking and should be seen as chance for Ohata to get some good rounds against an experienced, though much smaller, fighter. One of the other main bouts will see the very talented Rentaro Kimura (8-1, 4) face off with Yuri Takemoto (9-3-1, 5). When he turned professional we were hugely excited to see Kimura’s rise through the ranks, and he was expected to be a genuine sat from Shizuoka, though has failed to come close to meeting expectations, in part due to hand injuries, which have resulted in his fighting only 4 times since a September 2021 win over Yoji Saito, and only once in 2022 and once in 2024. He has also had issues making weight, missing weight for his most recent fight. At his best he is an excellent fighter, but with the issues piling up it’s now time for the 27 year old Southpaw to kick on. As for Takemoto he's been even less active, and since losing in a Japanese Featherweight title fight in 2020, to Ryo Sagawa, he has fought just twice with the most recent bout being a win over Thai visitor Atthachai Prasoetsri. He started his career 8-1-1 (4) but now seems to be a man who has already started to look past the sport, and a loss to Kimura will probably be the end of his in ring career. On paper the pick of the bouts is, possibly, the clash between Yuya Tanaka (3-1, 2) and Yushi Yamaguchi (2-0). Tanaka is a 25 year old from the Ohashi gym, who is a tall rangy southpaw with a solid Japan, who suffered his only pro loss in a competitive decision to Hiroki Ogawa, and has notched a single win since then. With 56 amateur bouts to his name Tanaka is an experienced fighter with a lot of potential. Yamaguchi on the other hand is a 23 year old from the Misako Gym who notched a 29-12 amateur record and has looked impressive picking up a debut win over Wesley Caga then traveling to Korea and beating Dong Yub Lee. This will be Yamaguchi’s first scheduled 8 rounder, and is, on paper, a step up, but these two should make for an excellent technical battle. In a really exciting debut, we’ll get the chance to see Haruya Ogo (0-0) kick off his professional career, as he battles Chinese visitor Hu Xiong (4-1, 3). The 18 year old Ogo went 41-8 in the amateurs, won several High School tournaments and looked like one to keep an eye on going forward. He’s not with a huge promoter, fighting out of the Kichijoji Tekken 8 Gym in Musashino City, but he’s likely to be one of the gym’s major focus points and will be given opportunities due to the gym’s good relationships with other gyms. Here he is being thrown in deep on debut as the 23 year old Xiong is no push over, being a previous WBC Youth champion at 140lbs, and having 3 early wins to his name, including one on the road in Thailand. Notably he was beaten last time out, losing a 6 round decision to Guoqi Chu, but will look to chin check the teenager.
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 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
On May 14th Suruga Danji Promotions are set to put on a really interesting card at Korakuen Hall, with a number of touted hopefuls and a number of notable veterans in action. The card isn’t a huge show, but it is one that nicely mixes notable domestic names and very bright prospects. The main event of the show will see former Japanese Super Bantamweight champion Ryoichi Tamura (15-8-1, 7) take on Asato Mori (9-4, 5) in an 8 rounder. On paper Tamura should be strongly favoured, given his more notable career, at a higher level and his former status as a domestic champion. He is however now 36, had a style that doesn’t make for long careers, and has lost 3 of his last 4. In his prime Tamura was a must watch fighter, with an incredible work rate, toughness and tenacity, but a lot of what made him great to watch has started to fade with age and he’s looked like an “old” fighter for a few years now. Mori on the other hand is 27 has won his last 4 and seems to be coming into his prime. If Mori uses his youth he should be able to pick up the win here, but Tamura will pressure, press and make life very difficult, and if Mori stands and trades this could be very interesting. The other notable Japanese veteran on this card is former world title challenger Shingo Wake (30-8-2, 21), who looks to build on a recent win over Jose Velasquez as he takes on Thai visitor Prathip Chinram (8-5, 3). At his best Wake was a sharp shooting southpaw, with great timing, good counter punching and real toughness, with that toughness on show in his notable loss to Yonatan Guzman. Sadly though at 36 his career is also coming to an end, he has lost some of that sharp punching ability, has taken a lot of punishment and although still a talented boxer is very much a faded force. As for Chinram he really isn’t expected to offer much at all, and will be in Japan for his 5th bout there, where he has been stopped in his previous 4, in fact all 4 bouts combined lasted just 11 rounds, and we expect this to be over early as well. The most notable prospect on this card is the once beaten Rentaro Kimura (7-1, 3) , who turned professional with a lot of fanfare, and looked like he was going to be a nailed on star, but injuries and a loss have really slowed his progress, and there is talk that his injuries may well force him into an early retirement. The 26 year old southpaw will be fighting for just the third time since a 2022 loss to Jinki Maeda, as he takes on Filipino Jess Rhey Waminal (16-10-1, 9). The talented Kimura really does look exception al at times, with great hand speed, shot selection and some of the best footwork in Japan, but it appears that he has a lack of fight ending power, likely due to repeated hand injuries, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him needing to go rounds with Waminal here. The Filipino has lost his last two, and was taken out in a round by Mikito Nakano in January, though has typically been a tough fighter who comes to win and has solid power on his shots. This should be a decent test for Kimura, though we do wonder just how much Waminal has left in the tank. Arguably the most interesting matchup on the card will see Kaishu Harada (4-0, 2) take on WBO Asia Pacific and OPBF ranked Filipino Rhonvex Capuloy (11-2-2, 8), in a really good looking 8 rounder. The 23 year old Harada was a solid amateur, going 49-14 (4), winning one national tournament and coming runner up in the All Japan Championships, and has impressed since turning professional. He has barely lost a round in the pros and scored good wins over Sukpraserd Ponpitak and Claudevan Sese. Capuloy on the other hand is a heavy handed Filipino, who was stopped early in his career, but appears to have matured since then and was last seen fighting to a technical draw in South Korea against ZhiGang Zhang. The visitor should give the local novice a chin check, and make him work for a win, though it does seem like Harada should have tools needed to take the victory and move into the regional rankings. In a good looking all Japanese bout we’ll see the light punching Takumi Uematsu (5-0) take on Ryo Hoshino (6-2-2, 2), in what looks likely to be a very technical 6 round match up. Uematsu is 28 and has only lost 1 or 2 rounds during his career so far, and is clearly a promising fighter, though really does lack power and that could hold him back at the upper echelons of the domestic scene. Hoshino on the other hand is win-less in his last 3, and is now looking for a win to get his career back on track, as he's now around 18 months removed from a win.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Attention turns to Korakuen Hall once again this coming Tuesday for the first Diamond Glove show of 2022. The card is set to feature 6 bouts in total, but is a very, very top heavy one, with 3 very good bouts, partnered by 3 low key 4 rounders. Of the 3 main bouts, all 3 are worthy of serious attention, with a good domestic level bout, a great bout between two unbeaten prospects and brilliant bout for the vacant Japanese Lightweight title. The less significant of the three main bouts will see the once beaten Tsubasa Murachi (7-1-1, 3) take on Musashi Yoshino (11-6, 4), in a bout that will move the winner towards a title fight, of some kind. Murachi turned professional with high expectations, and his team moved him very quickly. In fact they moved him a bit too quickly and in just his 5th bout he was stopped by Froilan Saludar in a bout for a regional title. Since then he has bounced back, with 3 wins, but was held to a very disappointing draw last time out against Yuto Nakamura. Yoshino in the other hand hasn't been pushed as anyone special, but comes in on the back of decent wins over Shunpei Kubo and Wataru Ikegami, and will feel full of confidence. Don't expect this one to be the most exciting bout of the show, but it should be a really solid one, it's well matched and both men have plenty of tools in their arsenal. In the chief support bout of the card we see the very highly regarded Rentaro Kimura (5-0, 3) take on fellow unbeaten Jinki Maeda (8-0, 4) in a mouth watering clash. This was supposed to take place late last year, before Kimura was forced to pull out of the scheduled date with an injury. Rather than seeing the two men go their own way, they have re-arranged it, and we should be in for a treat. Kimura, and his team, feel he is a very special fighter, but in his last bout he was given a genuinely tough time by the hard hitting Yoji Saito, and it will be interesting to see if being dropped twice by Saito will change his approach in the ring. Maeda on the other hand has had to create buzz about himself, winning the 2019 Rookie of the Year and putting in some very good performances since then. On paper Maeda will be the under-dog, but he should be regarded as a very, very live under-dog, and he certainly has the tools to ask serious questions of Kimura. The main event will see former Japanese 140lb champion Masahiro Suzuki (7-0, 4) look to become a 2-weight champion as he takes on Shu Utsuki (9-0, 7) in a bout for the Japanese Lightweight title. Of the two men Suzuki is the more proven, and the better natural boxer. He moves around the ring easier, and things look more fluid for him, however Utsuki is a heavy handed pressure fighter who will be looking to get to Suzuki, use his superior physicality and break him down. This one could end up being something a little bit special, with skills against power, and the styles clash should deliver something really exciting. Especially if Suzuki gets off to a good start before Utsuki begins to time him with power shots. The winner of this will pick up the title that was vacated in 2021 by Shuichiro Yoshino, and we dare say the winner will begin to actively chase a bout with Yoshino in the next year or two. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Suzuki and Utsuki face off for Japanese title  This coming Sunday is an interesting day for Japanese fight fans who get three shows across the country. The most notable show of the day is Shizuoka, packed with prospects, whilst the other two shows are both at Korakuen Hall as part of the East Japan Rookie of the Year.
FujisanMesse, Fuji, Shizuoka, Japan The show we like the most of the three is the show from Shizuoka, which features a bunch of notable prospects, many of whom are tipped to win titles over the next few years. The most notable of the prospects on the show is the brilliantly talented Rentaro Kimura (4-0, 3), who takes on a really tough bout foe here as he battles the heavy handed Yoji Saito (3-1-2, 3). We've loved watching Kimura so far, and he does look like a very, very special talent who can do it all in the ring, but he has been caught a few times in the past and we suspect his team have put this bout together to give him a genuine chin check, with Saito being a genuine brute in the ring. This will be a battle between Kimura's skills, speed and movement, and Saito's power, strength and aggression and it should make for a genuinely brilliant contest. Another major prospect on this card is Kimura's stablemate Tsubasa Murachi (7-1, 3), who looks to continue to move his career forward as he takes on Yuto Nakamura (11-6-1, 8). The talented Murachi has been rebuilding well since a 2019 loss to Froilan Saludar, winning his last 3 by decision, and it certainly seems that that brutal KO loss has seen him fighting in a more safety first style that could end up really being a great change for his career, and longevity in the sport. Nakamura on the other hand is now world beater, but he is better than his record suggests and will looking to get his career back on track following a TKO loss in December to Ryo Akaho, in a bout that never really made much sense. At his best Nakamura is a good Super Flyweight and he should ask questions of Murachi, but not be a real threat to him. Another very highly regarded prospect on this card is second generation fighter Kento Hatanaka (11-0, 9), the son of former world champion Kiyoshi Hatanaka, who looks to fight for the first time since beating Roland Jay Biendima in February 2020. Sadly Hantanaka's bout appears to be more of a tick over fight than a really competitive one as he takes on the limited Daisuke Sudo (7-7-3). Given lengthy break from action this is ideal to help Hatanaka shake some ring rust, but it really is a shame that his career has been on the back burner since the pandemic began to affect boxing in Japan. One final touted prospect here is Narumi Yukawa (2-0, 1), a sparring partner of Kimura's and a man with a great story of redemption following an criminal issue before he got the chance to begin his professional career. He's in a really good match up on this show as he takes on Yuji Awata (12-8-1, 5), in what is arguably the most well balanced of the bouts with prospects, outside of Kimura's. Awata is no world beater but he's a very competent domestic level fighter and we suspect Yukawa will want to shine, but will have to work hard here. It's also worth noting that Renataro Kimura's cousin Tentaro Kimura (6-0-2) is also on this card, as he takes on Satoru Hoshiba (7-5, 2). Kimura, although unbeaten, isn't regarded as a prospect in the same way that his cousin is, but is a talent and Danji Suruga, his promoter, does speak very highly of him, and his talent. Hoshiba's record is very misleading, but he's aggressive, he comes to fight, and he could be a real thorn in the side for Kimura here. Kimura is the favourite, but we suspect he will be asked real questions from the aggression and pressure of Hoshiba. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan The first of the Rookie of the Year cards starts at 11:30am and features a total of 8 bouts, all 4 rounders. We're not going to take a look at all of them but there are some have caught the eye. One of those worthy of some attention will see Ryugo Yanagibori (4-2, 1) take on the amazingly named Scorpion Kintaro (2-0, 2), who we really do think might be a Mortal Kombat fan. The 27 year old Yanagibori made his debut in 2018 and and has been stopped in both of his losses, but is coming into this bout with a recent win over Yuki Aizawa, a win that secured his place in this stage of the Rookie if the Year. Kintaro on the other had debuted in April, and has scored two quick wins, but this will be the first time he's facing a fighter with some professional experience. In a bout at Featherweight novice fighter Daisuke Yoshikawa (1-0) will take on heavy handed 32 year old Kiyoharu Nunozaki (4-0, 3), in what should be an explosive encounter. Interestingly Yoshikawa is just 5'6" and will be giving up 4" here to Nunozaki, who will be the bigger man, the more experienced man and the heavier handed. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan The second Rookie of the Year card, which will take place from 5:30PM, is a show with 6 bouts on it, including 3 at Welterweight. On this card there are a couple of debutants that we're going to be focusing on. One of the debutants is 28 year old Sarimanu Suzuki (0-0), who takes on 29 year old Yusaku Minami (2-2, 2). Whilst we're interested to see how Suzuki fares it's worth noting that Minami has been a stop or be stopped fighter, with his bouts never getting past round 3. Suzuki will know about Minami's history, and will be looking to make the most of Minami's questionable chin, whilst looking to also avoid his power. Another debutant we'll be interested in seeing is 22 year old Middleweight hopeful Ryuya Kusamura (0-0) who takes on the limited, but experienced, Kazuki Ikeya (1-4). Given how few Middleweights there are in Japan it's always good to see novice Middleweights and we're hoping that Kusamura can make a mark going forward.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Thursday the Korakuen Hall plays host to the next show in the Diamond Glove series of events televised, on tape delay, by Fuji TV. Although not a massive card it does have a Japanese title bout, along with some very interesting supporting bouts, with some of the stars of the latest Rookie of the Year looking to shine. The main event of the card will see Japanese Light Welterweight champion Daishi Nagata (15-2-2, 6) look to make his second defense of the title, which he took from Koki Inoue in 2020, as he takes on the unbeaten Masahiro Suzuki (5-0, 3). The tough and rugged Nagata will come in to this as a huge favourite and will try to use his physicality and pressure to break down the smaller, less experienced Suzuki, however that might not be as easy to do as Nagata might think. Suzuki, although inexperienced as a professional was a very good amateur and has impressed since kicking off his professional career with an excellent win against Antonio Siesmundo. This will be pressure against movement, and those bouts do tend to make for some very good stylistic clashes. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Nagata defends against unbeaten Suzuki! In a really, really good looking chief support bout we'll see the very highly regarded Rentaro Kimura (3-0, 3) take on the once beaten Hikaru Fukunaga (8-1, 5) in a very solid 6 rounder. Kimura has looked fantastic since making his professional debut, late last year, and clearly has his eyes on getting title fights later this year. To do that he needs to keep winning and can't afford a slip up here against Fukunaga. As for Fukunaga he reached the All Japan Rookie of the Year final, but sadly tested posted for Covid19 before the bout and was unable to compete in his scheduled bout. With that disappointment we expect to see Fukunaga come in to this bout full of hunger and desire, and he could be a real test for Kimura in this mouth watering contest. Another excellent match up on the under-card will see All Japan Rookie of the Year winner Ryota Karimata (6-0, 3) take on Hayato Aoki (4-0, 3) in a brilliant match up. The 25 year old Karimata is one of the potential stars from the belated Rookie of the Year tournament, and he looked solid through the tournament, despite some struggles in the final against Hyogo Kimura. He's aggressive, heavy handed, and a fun to watch fighter who lets his hands go. Aoki on the other hand is a 36 old who knows he can't afford any more set backs if he's ever going to secure a title fight. Expect to see a hot tempo set early on and bombs to be thrown by both men in this one. Another notable standout from the latest Rookie of the Year tournament was Akira Hoshuyama (5-0, 2), who won a Flyweight. He will be looking to build on his Rookie success with a bout against former amateur standout Shisui Kawabata (2-2, 2), who has struggled since moving over to the professional ranks. Hoshuyama's Rookie of the Year final, against Yasuhiro Kanzaki, was one of the more controversial, and exciting, finals and he'll be looking to put to bed some question marks that hang over his head from that bout. Kawabata on the other hand desperately needs a win after back to back losses to Rikito Shiba and Yuki Nakajima. Kawabata might have two losses in 4, but he can fight, and if he clicks here he could end rebuilding rapidly, and becoming the fighter many expected him to become when he made his debut in early 2018. The remaining bout on this carer will see the crude but fun to watch Shota Ogasawara (6-3, 3) take on Rookie of the Year runner up Naito Oikawa (3-1, 1) in a 6 rounder. This isn't a great bout, but it should be regarded as a must win for both men, following some disappointing performances in recent contests.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Thursday fight fans in Tokyo will get the next Diamond Glove show and it's an interesting one, with a Japanese title fight in the main event and two solid prospects in supporting bouts. It's not a massive card, and features just 4 bouts in total, but it is one worthy of attention. The main event of the show will see Japanese Light Welterweight champion Daishi Nagata (15-2-1, 6) make his first defense, as he takes on veteran Akihiro Kondo (32-9-1, 18). The talented Nagata won the title in July when he scored a major upset victory over Koki Inoue, stopping Inoue who then retire from boxing. That was the highlight of a career that had promise a lot but had seen Nagata suffer from some misfortune, including a draw with Takeshi Inoue and a razor thin loss to Rikki Naito. At 30 years old we are hoping to see Nagata kick on, and have a solid reign with this title, and potentially a rematch Naito. Kondo on the other hand is a 35 year old who has shown his age recently. Losses to Downua Ruawaiking and Andy Hiraoka in 2019 have left his career hanging by a thread, and another loss here likely sends him into retirement in 2021. Although we do strongly favour a Nagata here it needs to be said that Kondo is tough, a veteran, knows how to handle himself in the ring and can make for exciting match ups due to his style and toughness. Our in depth preview of this one can be read here Nagata seeks first defense as he goes up against tough guy Kondo In the chief support bout we'll see fast rising prospect Rentaro Kimura (2-0, 2) return for his third bout of the year as he takes on Thunder Teruya (7-7-1, 4) at Korakuen Hall. Kimura, who debuted in an empty Korakuen Hall a few months ago, has looked really impressive, and looks like a man capable of being fast tracked to titles next year. In many ways we had hoped he was going up against a better fighter than Teruya here, but in reality this should be regarded as a showcase for fans who haven't yet seen him. He's a real natural with amazing balance, footwork, timing and every punch in the book. Despite being the very, very, clear under-dog Teruya comes into this bout on the back of 3 straight wins and 5 wins in his last 6. He has got some momentum going for him and is the naturally bigger fighter, but he is going to be in with a sensational fighter. Another prospect on this card is the once beaten Tsubasa Murachi (5-1, 3), who is in a very good looking bout here against Isao Aoyama (12-7-1, 3), in a bout which sees both men entering as Japanese ranked fighters. Of the two men the 23 year old Murachi is the one regarded as the bigger hope and the brighter talent, despite a brutal 2019 TKO loss to Froilan Saludar in a regional title fight. Since his sole loss he has bounced back with a single win, over Ryotaro Kawabata, and looked very good in that bout. The 31 year old Aoyama has had mixed success, going 4-4 in his last 8, but has shown enough to suggest that he should be able to ask questions of Murachi. He'll be a clear under-dog, but will certainly be there to win and will feel he has the experience to deal with Murachi. The other bout on this card will be a female bout between Nanako Suzuki (4-2, 1) and Megumi Hosoda (3-1), in what should be an entertaining 6 round female war between two JBC ranked fighters.  FujisanMesse, Fuji, Shizuoka, Japan
For a second day running we get live streamed action from Japan, with the Suruga Boys Channel streaming a show from Shizuoka. The card isn't a huge one, but it is one we're really interested in, given it features a really fun to watch fighter, a prospect looking to bounce back from a brutal KO loss and one of the hottest young prospects in Japan The most established name on the card I former Japanese Light Welterweight champion Koichi Aso (23-9-1, 15). The 34 year old Aso is certainly coming to the end of his career, and has lost 2 of his last 4, but will be looking to get another win on the slate here. In the opposite corner to Aso is the flawed Shogo Yamaguchi (12-5-3, 7), who has scored 1 win in his last 4, but that was a career best win over Shuhei Tsuchiya earlier this year. Given the styles of the fighters involved this could be a lot of fun! The actual main event of the card will see Tsubasa Murachi (4-1, 3) looking to bounce back from a loss to Froilan Saludar, as he takes on domestic foe Ryotaro Kawabata (12-3-2, 6). The talented Murachi had won his firs 4 bouts with no real issues but was put in with Saludar way too early. He did have some success against the experienced Filipino, but was brutally knocked out in round 8 and it's now going to be interesting to see how he bounces back. Kawabata on the other hand isn't a gimme opponent and has shown what he can do with results like a draw against Rene Dacquel and a close loss to Mark John Yap. This is a genuine test for Murachi and could be a really, really tough out for the youngster. Although not the main event it's hard not to feel that Rentaro Kimura (1-0, 1) is the star of the show. The talented youngster has been tipped as a future world champion, he looked great on his debut, scored a KO of the year contender and was a very accomplished amateur. Sadly his original opponent had to pull out and has been replaced by Takafumi Iwaya (4-3), who is unlikely to pose many questions to Kimura who will be looking to shin and make a statement. Given how impressed Kimura looked on debut we can't imagine anything but a destructive stoppage here, before his team strap a rocket on him and race him to a title. Kazan, Russia As well as the Japanese action there is also set to be a card in Russia featuring a couple of Kazakh hopefuls. One of the hopefuls on this show is teenager Dastan Saduuly (3-0, 3) who takes on Vildan Minasov (3-0, 2) in an 8 round contest at 135lbs. So far neither of these two men have faced any sort of a test, so this is a step up for both men. The press in Kazakhstan are excited about the 18 year old Saduuly, and have tipped him since he made his debut, aged just 16, but this is his first real test. As for Minasov the 23 year old Russian has got more rounds to his name, but his competition has been horrifically bad and it's hard to say how he'll fair against someone who hits him back. In a much more interesting match up we'll see the unbeaten Bobirzhan Mominov (11-0, 8) battle against Vaghinak Tamrazyan (17-7, 5) in a contender for the IBF Inter-Continental Welterweight title. For the 28 year old Mominov the bout will be a chance to build on a win over Cameron Krael back in June, as part of the Top Rank Summer Series, and will also be his first bout in Russia. Aged 34, and heading to his 35th birthday, Tamrazyan has won just 1 of his last 4, but has been matched hard and should prove to be a good test for the bullishly strong Mominov. Although maybe not the highest level bout we'll be getting this Sunday this could end up being a very good contest between two real tough guys, both vying for some silverware. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
We return to Korakuen Hall this coming Wednesday for the next show in the Japanese capital and this is an interesting one, with a Japanese title fight, the notable debut of a very promising young fighter and female bout. In total the card only has 3 bouts so for this, as we did with the Ohashi card last week, we'll look at all the bouts on the show. The female bout, which we believe is the first Japanese female bout up on the countries boxing restart, will see 20 year old youngster Nanako Suzuki (3-2, 1) take on 36 year old Aoi Watanabe (2-2, 1). Coming into this it seems like both fighters do have limited potential, but may be able to make a mark on the domestic title scene and both are in the top 10 of the Japanese female Flyweight rankings. Of the two Suzuki is the one with the more upside, and despite losing last time out to Renz Dacquel she did some nice skills as she battled back from a knockdown. For Watanabe this will be her first bout in the capital and only the second she'll have faced someone not making their debut. The big debut is that of Rentaro Kimura (0-0), who has been tipped for huge things by those in the know in Japan. Kimura has spoke about getting a world title fight within 10 fights, is managed the Suruga Boys gym and trains at the Misako gym, alongside a number of Japanese champions and world champion Kenshiro Teraji. The expectation is on the 23 year old to shine as he takes on Yuya Azuma (5-3-1, 1), however Azuma is no push over and has won his last 3 in a row. In fact Azuma's last two losses have both meen razor close and had he had a bit of luck on his side he could easily have an 8-1 record. This might look like an easy debut for the very talented Kimura but in reality this should be regarded as a very serious debut for former amateur standout. In the main event we'll see a Champion Carnival bout as Japanese Super Flyweight champion Kenta Nakagawa (18-3-1, 12) defends his title against mandatory challenger Yuta Matsuo (15-4-2, 8). On paper this is likely to be a much, much better fight than the records of the two men suggest. Nakagawa is a very solid punching boxer-puncher, who has notable domestic wins against the likes of Hayato Kimura, Ryosuke Nasu and Takayuki Okumoto, but with his 35th birthday just a few weeks away we do wonder what he has left in the tank. He look great in December, beating Okumoto, but at his age a fighter can get old over-night. Matsuo on the other hand is a pressure fighter, with an exciting style and a point to prove following back to back set backs. Despite failing to win a bout last year Matsuo is hungry and could end up having the desire needed to over-come the champion. This is the sort of bout that the Champion Carnival gives us, and is one of the best match ups for the month of July. Our full preview of this bout can be read here Nakagawa takes on Matsuo in first defense! |
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