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Conrad Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
We were expecting a big show this coming Friday in Dubai, though sadly the planned big show was made significantly smaller when the main event of the show was cancelled at short notice due to an injury suffered in training by one of the two fighters. Despite the huge loss at the top of the card, there are three bouts of note on their with Asian interest, still. The main event is one of those bouts with Asian interest as unbeaten Kazakh hopeful Ali Baloyev (10-0, 7) takes on Rolly Lambert Fogoum (11-1-1, 10), who is based in Dubai and originally from Cameroon. The promising Baloyev seemed set for big things early in his career, but sadly he has never stepped up or kicked on with things, and on paper this is actually his toughest bout to date. Something that should be regarded as a genuine shame given how promising he seemed to be in his first few bouts. As for Fogoum his competition has also been poor, but there's never really been much fuss about him showing much promise. This is a strange one, in that both men have good looking records, but we really don't much at all about either man. Another bout of note is an all-Thai fight, which will see Apichet Petchmanee (9-0, 2) defending his WBC regional Lightweight title against Phumiritdet Chonlathondamrongkun (7-0, 7). This is not just an all Thai bout, but also a bout between two unbeaten fighters. Apichet has long been touted as a potential star of Thai boxing, but in recent bouts he has looked very limited, and a lot of hype surrounding him has died off. Phumiritdet on the other hand is real unknown, but has scored all of his wins by stoppage, and that could be a problem given that Apichet has shown a questionable chin in the past. The third bout of note for us will see unbeaten Indian fighter Faizan Anwar (7-0, 4) take on Filipino veteran Ricky Sismundo (35-15-3, 17). The unbeaten Anwar is taking a huge step up in class here, especially given the competition he has faced so far, however Sismundo is not the fighter he once was, and he has lost his last 4, and is almost 3 years removed from his last win, with 2 recent losses coming by stoppage. Anwar is not only the younger, fresher fighter, but also the naturally bigger fighter and should be seen as the huge favourite, but this is easily the toughest match up of his career so far. Airport Hilton, Miami, Florida, USA As well as the action in Dubai we'll also be expecting to see Filipinos in action in the US . One of the Filipino fighters in question is the heavy handed Romero Duno (22-2, 17), who is set to take on the limited Ramon Elizer Esperanza (22-19-1, 11). This will be Duno's second bout since he was beaten by Ryan Garcia, and this really should be little more than a formality for Duno, who is levels above Esperanza. Another Filipino set to be on this show is Mike Plania (25-1, 12), who takes on the very poor Jonathan Lecona Ramos (18-31-5, 6). Sadly Plania is one of those fighters has really not been able to build on a big win. His win over Joshua Greer Jr in 2020 is almost forgotten, and although he's world ranked this is the type of fight he's now getting, whilst Greer just got a big fight on ESPN last weekend. Fingers crossed Plania will get big fights in the near future, but this bout should serve as little more than a tick over for "Magic Mike". Puebla, Mexico We get more action in the west as two notable Japanese fighters take to a ring in Mexico for bouts as A-Sign boxing take their show on the road and go international. The more notable of the two Japanese fighters on this show is Japanese Light Middleweight champion Hironobu Matsunaga (18-1, 11), who takes on the very limited Gustavo Garibay (16-14-2, 8). The talented Matsunaga has proven himself as a fantastic fighter in Japan, the hope is that, in the next year or two, he will land a big fight in the US and this bout should help him prepare for a big US bout by allowing him experience of fighting in a very different environment than he's used to in Japan. The other Japanese fighter on this card is more well known to Mexican fans, and that's because Shoki Sakai (25-12-2, 13), first made his name in Mexico before later fighting in the US and Japan. Sakai, who last fought in Mexico back in 2016, will be up against Dario Ferman (18-9, 15), a 37 year old who's heavy handed, but has been stopped in 8 of his 9 losses and should be seen as a bit of a glass cannon.
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 This coming Saturday is a crazy day in Asian boxing, with the welcome return of one series of shows from Thailand as well as notable and large shows featuring Asian fighters in the Philippines and Russia as well as other action!
Metro Manila, Philippines The most interesting card of the day is an MP Promoted card from Metro Manila, featuring a couple of world title eliminators, along with some other interesting supporting bouts. One of the world title eliminators comes at Bantamweight, where Michael Dasmarinas (28-2-1, 19) and Kenny Demecillo (14-4-2, 8) battle to become the IBF mandatory challenger at 118lbs. Of the two men Dasmarinas is the more experienced and more proven man, but Demecillo has proven to be capable of upsets in the past and will know that Dasmarinas looked less than his best last time out, being gifted a draw with Manyo Plange. A very interesting bout, with real significance in the packed Bantamweight division. Our full in depth preview of this contest can be read here - Demecillo and Dasmarinas clash in eliminator! Another world title eliminator on this card is an IBF Minimumweight eliminator, as Samuel Salva (16-0, 10) and Rene Mark Cuarto (16-1-1, 9) battle for the right to become the mandatory challenger. This is, on paper, more interesting than the Bantamweight bout due to how similar the records of the two men are, but will likely get over-looked in the west due to the weight class. Both will be aware that they could book a bout with Deejay Kriel with a win here, and that will drive both on in what could be a real classic. An indepth preview of this bout can be read here Salva and Cuarto battle in eliminator In supporting bouts we'll see Singaporean fighter Muhamad Ridhwan (11-1, 8) take on Landy Cris Leon (11-18-5, 5), in what should be a good confidence building bout for Ridhwan after a loss to Paulus Ambunda last September. Other supporting bouts will include Chinese prospect Lei Wang (2-0, 1) battling Adam Diu Abdulhamid (13-7, 5), in a tough test for the unbeaten novice, a brilliant all-Filipino match up between Ronnie Baldonado (13-1-1, 9) and Elias Joaquino (12-3-2, 6) and a potentially very fun contest between Orlie Silvestre (12-5-1, 8) and Joel Taduran (8-10-2, 2). Ekaterinburg, Russia As well as the Filipino show there's also a stacked RCC Promotions show in Russia. One of the main bouts here will see Tajik born Russian Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (13-0, 10) battle against South African Rofhiwa Maemu (18-7-2, 12), in what will be Rakhimov's third defense of the IBO Super Featherweight title. On paper this doesn't look great, but a lot of that is due to Maemu's 7 losses. Whilst that is notable we do need to put it into context and explain that 5 of those came in his first 11 bouts, and he has since gone 14-2. It should however be noted that Rakhimov is in amazing form and is expected to win and go on to much bigger and better things in the near future. Russian based Kyrgyzstan born fighter Akzhol Sulaimanbek Uulu (13-0, 6) will be expecting his next win as he takes on Thai veteran Mike Tawatchai (45-12-2, 28), who will be fighting for the 61st time as a professional. At his best Tawatchai could be a good test for Uulu, but at the age of 33 and more than 3 years removed from a win of note it's hard to see Tawatchai being much of a threat for the unbeaten hopeful. Other Asian fighters involved on this card include Uzbek born prospect Mukhammad Shekhov (3-0, 2), Kyrgyz fighter Erzhan Turgumbekov (5-0, 1), Filipino puncher Jon Jon Estrada (11-5-1, 10) and highly touted Uzbek fighters Makhmud Gaipov (2-0, 1) and Elnur Abduraimov (3-0, 3). Bang Phun, Thailand We return to the Workpoint Studio for the first WP Boxing show of 2019 and although the details aren't totally clear we do know that the show will feature hotly tipped Apichet Petchmanee (2-0, 2), who will be taking on Shota Suito (11-9-1, 1) for a WBC regional silver title. Apichet is one of the best talented in Thailand, and finers crossed he will be kept busy in 2019, because at the age of 2019 he sadly doesn't have much time to waste. Unfortunately this bout does look to be a step backwards for the Thai, but picking up some WBC title could open doors for him in the future. We have also been informed that Thai based Dutch fighter Nick Frese (8-0, 6) is expected to be on this card. Johore Bahru, Malaysia We're also expecting a card to take place in Malaysia, which again lacks in terms of details. The one bout that is listed for this show is a WBC Asian Boxing Council silver Super Middleweight title bout, with unbeaten local Adli Hafidz (5-0, 2) taking on Indonesian foe Bambang Rusiadi (9-8, 4), who is 0-5 outside of Malaysia. California, USA Over in the US we get an excellent match up as Filipino journeyman Ricky Sismundo (35-12-3, 17) hits the road again and takes on unbeaten Russian puncher Maxim Dadashev (12-0, 10). On paper this looks like a mismatch but the reality is that Sismundo is among the very best journeymen on the planet and the 31 year old has picked up upset wins against the likes of Yoshitaka Kato, Ghislain Maduma, Akihiro Kondo and Shuhei Tsuchiya. Dadashev is a great talent, but this should be a very good test for the Russian puncher.  Jeonju, South Korea
Arguably the most interesting action this coming Saturday is in Korea, where we'll see the next Korea Vs Japan card, and it features so pretty interesting fighters. A bout where the Korean will be favoured will see Ro Joon Suh (5-0, 2) take on Japanese visitor Ken Koibuchi (4-2, 3). The 20 year old Suh will be moving up from 4 round bouts for the first time, but he has looked good since turning professional in October 2017, though he does perhaps lack a bit of power. Koibuchi on the hand has got power, but can be out boxed, and was beaten last time out, losing in the East Japan Rookie of the Year final to Yusaku Sekishima. A bout where the Korean will be the clear under-dog will see local fighter Jong Min Jung (9-8, 3) take on Japanese puncher Kai Chiba (9-1, 7). The local is a former "interim" PABA Featherweight champion who debuted way back in 2008 and struggled early on in his career, though is 5-1 (2) in his last 6 bouts. Chiba began his career 7-0 but was stopped this January by Brian Lobetania and hasn't quite refound his form, despite scoring two wins since then. At his best Chiba is a monster boxer-puncher, but we're not sure what his confidence is like at the moment. A pretty interesting match up on this card will see Seung Yoon Shin (3-1-3, 1) take on Japanese novice Tatsumasa Abe (1-0, 1). The Korean 21 year old will be facing his first non-Korean opponent, and it's hard to read too much into his record, which has come against fellow domestic novices. Abe on the other hand was a stellar amateur, going 71-19 in the unpaid ranks, and is tipped as one to watch. Interestingly Abe debuted in Thailand in August and this will be a second bout outside of his homeland as he embarks on an unusual start to his career. The main bout from the card isn't part of the Korea Vs Japan event, but is instead an All Korean 10 round contest and will pit Hyun Je Shin (9-8, 2) against Chan Young Kim (3-1-2, 1), with the two fighting for the Korean Super Featherweight title, BoxingM version. Shin is a former Korean title challenger at Flyweight, Super Flyweight and Super Featherweight, who is sadly 0-3 in title bouts. Despite the poor record in title bouts he does hold wins over Kazuki Sanpei and Daniel Ferreras. Kim on the other hand is a 20 year old who comes into the bout on the back of a good win against Hwan Oh Kim. Gyeongju, South Korea A second Korean show, from the KBA, will take place in Gyeoingju. Sadly this card is scarcely worth a mention, with the main event being a 6 round contest between Yi Fan Liu (3-0, 3) and Jong Bin Lim (4-0, 1). That's a good main event but there's no real big name to attract fans from the much better Korea Vs Japan card. Yubei, China A second major show on the Asian front at least, is in China where we'll be getting a trio of title bouts. The most notable bout on the card will see the exciting Baishanbo Nasiyiwula (14-2-1, 6), who has suffered competitive losses to Rikki Naito and Fredrick Lawson, taking on Venezuelan veteran Ernesto Espana (26-1-1, 21) in a bout for WBC International Light Welterweight title. The Chinese fighter is an aggressive warrior, who has got limitations but is a real handful, and is better at 140lbs than at 147lbs. Espana on the other hand is a 37 year old who has mostly fought awful competition, but in 2016 held Ruben Nieto to a draw in Spain and went the distance with the talented Yves Ulysse Jr earlier this year. We suspect the Chinese local will come out on top but Espana has shown enough to suggest this will not be an easy win for Baishanbo. Another title bout on this card will see the unbeaten ZongLi He (4-0, 1) take on Filipino Vincent Astrolabio (12-2, 8) for the vacant WBO Oriental Youth Bantamweight title. He turned professional last year, but has stepped up quickly and claimed the WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Super Flyweight title this past May when he defeated experienced Filipino Diarh Gabutan over 10 rounds. Astrolabio looked like a promising prospect a year ago, when he was 10-0, but losses to John Mark Apolinario and Yuki Strong Kobayashi leaves him needing a big performance. This is a really interesting match up, but one where the local will be favoured. A third title bout on this card will see Casey Morton (7-0-3, 1) take on Jutamas Jitpong (4-2, 2) for the WBO Asia Pacific Female Super Flyweight Title. The unbeaten Morton is an Hawaiian who is becoming a frequent fixture on the Asian scene, has recently fought twice in Thailand and once in China, scoring a good win this past March against Nongmuay Kokietgym in Paranque City, to claim the Flyweight version of this title. The Thai 20 year old has lost 2 of her last 4, and it's hard to really gauge how good she actually is from her competition and performances. A win for Jitpong would be her biggest win by some margin, whilst Morton has got a big win coming in to this bout. One other bout of note on this card is contest between Qixiu Zhang (9-5-1, 3) and Karen Margaryan (3-0-1). The Chinese local is looking to bounce back from a recent loss to Joe Noynay in the Philippines, whilst Russian based Armenian Margaryan is taking a marked step up and actually risking his unbeaten record. We've also been informed that Ricky Sismundo (35-11-3, 17) will be in action on this show, against Chinese fighter Lei Wang (1-0, 1), who was a former WSB fighter before making his regular professional debut in September. This looks like being a really good fight, and a one that both fighters will believe they can win, though of course Ontario, Canada In Canada we'll see Indian fighter Neeraj Goyat (10-3-2, 2), fighting for the second time in Canada, take on Bence Molnar (18-8, 10). On paper this is a fantastic step up for Goyat, who will be fighting over 8 rounds, rather than the 4 rounds he fought last time. At 27 years old he has time to develop but it's hard to see him getting too far in the sport given how few Indian's have made a mark on the pro-scene, so far. Molnar on the other hand is an Hungarian journeyman, who has fought through most of Europe, and is notable for having gone 10 rounds with hard hitting Brit Lewis Ritson in 2016. This could be a very good test for Goyat and give his team a chance to really see what he's really about. Zhukovka, Russia In Russia we're expecting to see a trio of Kazakh punchers in action, with Super Middleweight Ibragim Iskandarov (5-0, 5), Uzbek born Kazakh Cruiserweight Ualikan Bissengulov (7-0, 7) and American based Kazakh Yedil Kozhamberdiyev (5-2, 5), also a Cruiserweight, expected to be in action. Sadly their opponents haven't been announced. Bohol, Philippines
On Wednesday in the Bohol fight fans will be able to see a small card with a few notable names involved. The most notable is the well travelled, and criminally under-rated, Ricky Sismundo (34-11-3, 16). The talented Sismundo is set to go over old ground with a second bout against Jason Redondo (11-6-2, 7), who he stopped last year in 5 rounds. Sismundo can't really be questioned in terms of his competition, given he has faced a real who's who at Lightweight and Light Welterweight, but this is disappointing. Redondo really doesn't have much a chance of getting revenge for his prior loss to Sismundo. The other notable name is Marco Demecillo (22-7-1, 17), who will be fighting for the first time since losing to Jason Moloney in February 2017. Demecillo looks set to be eased back into professional boxing with a match up against the limited Romnick Magos (12-6, 7), who hasn't fought in over 2 years and is 3 years removed from his last win. Demecillo will likely have some ring rust, but Magos is expected to have more and be the naturally smaller man. Bohol, Philippines
This coming Monday our attention turns to Bohol as fans get several interesting match ups. The main event of the card will see the under-rated Ricky Sismundo (33-11-3, 15) battle against Romeo Jakosalem (18-17-1, 10) for the Philippines Boxing Federation Welterweight title. The talented Sismundo, who has given fits to world class fighters like Jose Felix Jr, Dierry Jean and Ghislain Maduma, should be heavily favoured here, though he isn't a Welterweight and could find the 147lb limit to be a problem here. As for Jakosalem, a former OPBF champion, his recent form has been awful with 5 straight losses and he's a long way removed from the fighter he once was. We expect Jakosalem to have some success early on but Sismundo will be too good and too experienced for the former Oriental champion. In a supporting bout fans will see Nelson Tinampay (12-7-1, 5) take on Jayson Nicart (4-4, 2). Coming in to this it's worth noting that Tinampay's form has been dire, going 2-6 in his last 8 bouts with notable losses to Yong Soo Choi, Masaru Sueyoshi, Xiangxiang Sun and Baishanbo Nasiyiwula. Despite those losses Tinampay has to be favoured here against Nicart, who has been stopped in back to back bouts coming in to this contest. One other supporting bout will see Roldan Sasan (5-1, 3) take on journeyman Ryan Makiputin (13-13-2, 4). Last time out Sasan was stopped in 3 rounds by Mark Vicelles and will be looking to bounce back from that loss. Whilst Sasan lost his unbeaten record last time out it's worth noting that Makiputin has gone 2-8 in his last 10, dating back almost 8 years! This should be a safe bounce back for Sasan. This coming Wednesday we'll not see a lot of action,but what we will get is pretty meaningful all the same.
Bangkok, Thailand In Bangkok we get a world title eliminator, as Thai veteran Mike Tawatchai (44-10-1, 27) takes on Australian based Irishman TJ Doheny (17-0, 13) in an IBF Super Bantamweight title eliminator. Originally Doheny had been scheduled to take on former world champion Evgeny Gradovich, though Gradovich pulled out and we'll instead see Doheny face Tawatchai. The bout will be Doheny's first in Asia, though if he wins he would likely need to return to face IBF champion Ryosuke Iwasa. For Tawatchai this unexpected eliminator is rather undeserved, especially given recent losses to Tomoki Kameda and Yukinori Oguni, but he will know that a win does open the door to another big fight. Interesting if Tawatchai wins he'll likely be looking to fight Iwasa anywhere but Japan, as he has an unflattering 1-10 record in the Land of the Rising Sun. Bohol, Philippines In the Philippines we'll get the chance to see road warrior Ricky Sismundo (32-10-3, 14) on Jason Redondo (11-5-2, 7). The under-rated Sismundo has been fighting in Japan, Canada and the US in recent years and other than his last bout, against Boyce Sultan in August, he hasn't fought in the Philippines since 2014. This is a nice chance for locals to get behind one of their most over-looked fighters and hopefully he will get another big opportunity, despite having proven himself to be a nightmare against the likes Jose Felix Jr, Dierry Jean and Ghislain Maduma.  Hyogo, Japan
In Japan we see a show in Hyogo which features the first of the upcoming Japanese title eliminator bouts. That title eliminator will see world ranked Minimumweight Ryoki Hirai (9-4-1, 4) taking on Kenta Matsui (8-6, 1), with the winner to get a guaranteed Japanese title fight next year. Coming into this Matsui is riding an inconsistent run where he has gone 3-4 in his last 7, with losses to Seita Ogido, Riku Kano and Tetsuya Hisada among others, though he has scored wins over Rikito Hattori and Genki Hanai and has shown he has the ability to score upsets. As for Hirai he has won his last 4, with a notable upset against Takumi Sakae, and we've become fans of his during this short run, with the expectation that he will come out on top here, but it'll be a really tough fight between two hungry fighters. The main supporting bout will see Giraffe Kirin Kanda (9-2, 5) take on Tsunehiko Aitoku (4-5-1), in a less than great supporting contest. Kanda has won his last three bouts, including an upset victory over Ukyo Yoshigai last time out. As for Aitoku he has won just one of his last 3 bouts, and been stopped in those two losses. It's hard to imagine anything but a win for Kanda here, in what looks like a mismatch. Bohol, Philippines In the Philippines we have another show where mismatches are expected, but in at least one of those it's a mismatch that we can't really complain about given the competition one fighter has been in recently. That “defensible” mismatch sees Ricky Sismundo (31-10-3, 13) take on Boyce Sultan (9-8-1, 5). This will be Sismundo's first bout in the Philippines in over 3 years, during which time he has faced Masayoshi Nakatani, Shuhei Tsuchiya, Akihiro Kondo, Yoshitaka Kato, Jose Felix Jr, Dierry Jean, Ghislain Maduma and Yves Ulysse Jr. This should be a really straight forward win for a fighter as talented Sismundo, and a nice chance for the Filipino fans to see a road warrior return home. On the under-card we'll see promising teenager Danrick Sumabong (2-0, 2) take on Jong Sabellina (5-16-1, 1) in what should be a straight forward win for the 18 year old puncher. Sumabong made his debut back in March, fighting in a 6 rounder, and will now be stepping up to 8 rounds for the first time. Coming into this Sabellina has failed to win in his last 11 bouts, and has been stopped in 6 of those, with this likely to be another stoppage against him. Jakarta, Indonesia A third show will come from Indonesia, where we'll see a couple of national title fights. One of those will see the unbeaten Hebi Marapu (9-0, 6) battle with Master Suro (12-9-1, 2) for the Indonesian Lightweight title. Earlier this year Suro went the distance with heavy handed Filipino Jeo Santisima and will look to do the same here, however that will likely be the best he can hopefore against the fast rising Marapu, who does look to be one of the more notable prospects in Indonesia. The other title bout on this show will feature John Basan (2-0, 1) taking on Jack Madison (2-15) for the Indonesian Super Bantamweight title. Basan made his debut in May, fighting in 8 rounders for his first two bouts, and will moving up to 12 rounders here against Madison. As for Madison he has lost his last 13 bouts, 7 of those by stoppage, and it's hard to imagine him being a real test for Basan here. Quebec, Canada
Although there is no shows set to take place in Asia this coming Saturday there are a number of fights through North America featuring an Asian fighter. Arguably the best of that action is in Canada. The bout that really stands out will see Filipino road warrior Ricky Sismundo (31-9-3, 13) taking on unbeaten Canadian prospect Yves Ulysse Jr (13-0, 9) in a really good match up. Although Sismundo has the record of a journeyman he is a genuine fringe contender who has gone 9-2-3 in his last 14 fights, including wins over the likes of Shuhei Tsuchiya, Akihiro Kondo, Yoshitaka Kato and Ghislain Maduma, and he was very unlucky against Jose Felix Jr and Dierry Jean. Ulysse is a real talent, and is tipped for big things, but this is a very interesting match up and sees the Canadian up against a talented and proven road warrior. A really good match up, which should tell us a lot about both men. On the same card we'll see Kazakh Nurzat Sabirov (1-0, 1) fight for the second time in just a few weeks. The Kazakh's opponent hasn't been announced yet, but it's hard to imagine him being tested here. Nevada, USA In Nevada we'll see ultra-talented Dmitry Bivol (10-0, 8) look to extend his winning record, and build further towards a world title fight, as he takes on former world title challenger Cedric Agnew (29-2, 15). The talented Kyrgyzstan born contender will be fighting in his 4th US bout and it's likely that his next will be a world title contest, potentially against the two men featured in the main event of the same card, Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev. Maryland, USA In Maryland we get a rescheduled bout as Kazakh prospect Aidos Yerbossynuly (5-0, 5) takes on the once beaten Devin Butcher (6-1, 3). This bout was supposed to take place a few weeks ago, but it has been delayed and now comes this Saturday in what is still set to be a real test for the unbeaten Kazakh prospect. Kansas, USA Unbeaten Canadian-Filipino Marc Pagcaliwangan (10-0-1, 8) will be making his US debut. Touted as one to watch Pagcaliwangan is rarely in a dull fight, but he's faced mostly limited competition so fa, and that doesn't look set to change here.  This coming Saturday is a busy day though it's exciting an important day with a really notable domestic card in Japan and notable bots in Mexico and Canada.
Tokyo, Japan That Japanese card is a small one, but a very significant one as it's the Strongest Korakuen show and will establish 4 fighters who will fight for Japanese titles in the first half of 2017. The highest weight to see action is the 140lb Light Welterweight division where we will see the exciting Koichi Aso (20-7-1, 13), who has come up short in previous Japanese title bouts, face off with talented novice foe Noriaki Sato (4-1-1). Aso has the advantages in power and experience but Sato is certainly no push over and he comes in the back of wins over Valentine Hosokawa and Kazuya Ito. This really could be an an excellent match up with very contrasting styles. At Super Featherweight we'll see recent title challenger Satoru Sugita (11-3-1, 7) face off with the experienced Tsuyoshi Tojo (13-13-5, 2). Sugita was beaten last time out, when he he came up short against Japanese champion Kenichi Ogawa, though will clearly be looking to move into a second title fight. On paper this looks like an easy win for Sugita but Tojo is a much better fighter than his record suggests and he is a real potential banana skin for someone like Sugita. The best of the bouts takes place at 122lbs where the highly experienced Japanese based Filipino Jonathan Baat (32-7-5, 14) takes on 25 year old puncher Yusaku Kuga (12-2-1, 8). Baat is tested at a high level and is a potential banana skin for every one below world class, and he's had solid showings against the likes of Liborio Solis and Rey Megrino recently. Kuga on the other hand came up narrowly short in his most notable bout, against Japanese champion Yasutaka Ishimoto, and will be looking for a rematch with Ishimoto if he wins here. This is a really mouth watering contest and potentially thriller between two men who are at different stages of their career and should put on something a bit special. The lowest weight covered here is Light Flyweight where Tetsuya Hisada (26-9-2, 16) will face Hayato Yamaguchi (14-6-1, 2) in a really interesting fight. Aged 31 Hisada cannot afford a loss but is 8-5-2 in his last 15 bouts and has been inconsistent against his more notable opponents, he is skilled, and has developed some real sting on his shots, but is fundamentally flawed. Yamaguchi has come up short against his most notable opponents but has got the ability to give Hisada fits, unfortunately he too is inconsistent. This could be a great bout, or it could be a case that the fighter who turns up wins without needing to impress. Also on this card is a stay busy bout for Ryuichi Funai (25-7, 17), as he faces Jomyuth Looktabthai (1-0) in what should prepare him for a bout with Kenta Nakagawa in 2017 when he competes in the Champion Carnival. Quebec, Canada In Quebec we get 3 bouts of interest. The most interest of those 3 bouts sees experienced Filipino Ricky Sismundo (30-9-3, 13) take on the once touted Canadian based Ghislain Maduma (18-2, 11). It was only a few years ago that Maduma was looking like a future world title challenger in the making but 2 losses in his last 4 have left him fighting for his career and he can't afford another loss. Although Sismundo has a less than stellar record he has been a surprising fighter with upsets against the likes of Shuhei Tsuchiya, Akihiro Kondo and Yoshitaka Kato and deserved wins recently over Jose Felix Jr and Dierry Jean. This looks like a mismatch on paper but certainly won't be when the men get in the ring. In an interesting step up we'll see Canadian based Kazakh puncher Batyrzhan Jukembayev (5-0-0-2, 5) face the much more experienced Ivan Pereyra (20-7, 14). Jukembayev is a really promising prospect with serious power and looks to be one of the truly exciting punchers making their marks. In Pereyra we have an experienced Mexican but one who has been stopped in 3 of his last 6 bouts, and will likely struggle to see the final bell here, if Jukembayev is as good as he has looked so far. Another Canadian based Kazakh hopeful on this card is Ablaikhan Khussainov (2-0, 2), who takes a notable step up in class to face Attila Csereklye (6-2, 4). So far Khussainov has been matched incredibly easily and although this is, technically, a step up Csereklye isn't expected to pose much of a threat, with Hungarians being notoriously bad when facing fighters who punch back. Yinchuan, China In China we get a show from Yinchuan, for the second day running. In the main event we'll see the experienced Xing Xin Yang (11-4-3, 8) battling against the once beaten Tong Hui Li (6-1, 4). Coming in to this Yang is 1-1-1 in his last 3, having been stopped by Jack Brubaker last year in that loss, but should be favoured over his countryman. Li is looking for his second win since a loss to Alimu Tuersun back in March but this is a step up in class for him. In another bout on this card we'll see the once beaten Hu Li Fu (3-1, 2) battle Kazakh hopeful Viktor Kotochigov (2-0, 1). On paper this doesn't look the most interesting but Kotochigov scored a notable win over A Fu Bai last time out and a win here could solidify him as one to watch going forward. Interestingly the Kazakh will be fighting in China for the third time. Baja California, Mexico One of the more interesting bouts comes from Mexico as the unbeaten Luis Nery (20-0,14) takes on Filipino former world title challenger Richie Mepranum (31-5-1, 8). On paper this one looks like a step up for Nery but given the weight Nery has to be favoured and Mepranum has been stopped in his last two international bouts, with this likely to be another loss for the “Magnum” and a chance for Nery to further prove himself as a rising contender. Benguet, Philippines We get a Filipino show in Benguet which is headlined by a title fight, and features an interesting test for an unbeaten fighter on the under-card. The title bout will see the once beaten Bener Santig (4-1-1, 1) face off against the unbeaten Dexter Eraya (2-0, 1) for the LuzProBA Super Bantamweight title in what looks like an intriguing match up between two men on the rise. Santig is looking to record a third win since his sole defeat, which came last November, whilst former Muay Thai fighter Eraya looks to record his best win as a boxer. In another interesting bout Danny Tampipi (5-6-2, 3) will be looking to test the unbeaten Ralph Jhon Lulu (12-0-2, 5) in an 8 rounder. Lulu, if he wins here, should be stepped up in 2017 with the “Bomber” in need of a win over a notable foe. Negros Occidental, Philippines A second Filipino show is set to be held in Negros Occidental. The most notable bout here will see the once beaten Raul Yu (8-1-2, 7) face off against Paul Varona (2-6-1), in what looks like a mismatch in favour of the promising and heavy handed Yu. On the under-card of this show fans will be able to see the unbeaten Kenneth Paul Gentallan (4-0, 2) fight against the once beaten Ricardo Sueno (2-1-3, 1), in what could be a good test for the 20 year old Gallan. Queensland, Australia In Australia fight fans will get the chance to see two limited Thai's in action. One of those bouts will see Jamie Hilt (4-1-1) take on Aphichat Koedchatturat (1-8) in what looks like a recording padding bout for local fighter Hilt, who lost last time out whilst the other will see the win-less pairing of Mel Baker (0-1) and Monthida Rattanachai (0-1) face off in a female bout. Quebec, Canada
Strangely the most notable Asian action this Friday is in Canada where we get the chance to see a very intriguing bout featuring a criminally under-rated Filipino and the “debut” of a Kazakh prospect. The under-rated Filipino fighter is the well travelled Ricky Sismundo (30-9-2, 13), who adds the Canadian stamp to his passport. The Filipino warrior was unlucky earlier this year against Jose Felix Jr, losing a much debated split decision, and will be hoping for some good fortune this weekend as he goes up against former world title challenger Dierry Jean (29-2, 20). On paper this is a huge ask for Sismundo, who is going up in weight against a 2-time world title challenger, but the Filipino has never backed down from a challenger and he'll almost certainly give his all here. The “debuting” Kazakh on this card is Battyrzhan Jukenbayev (0-0-0-2), who's record lists 2 “No Contests” Kamil Wybranie (3-2, 3). Although touted Jukenbayev is thought to be perhaps lacking mentally and will need to answer that if his career is actually going to get off the ground with a real result. Queensland, Australia In Australia fans will get the chance to see Australian based Filipino “Cinderella Man” Jack Asis (34-18-5, 18) look to continue his remarkable career turn around. Asis, who was 21-18-4 (10) just 5 over years ago. has gone 13-0-1 (8) in his last 14 and will be looking to extend that unbeaten run as he takes on Waylon Law (9-6, 2). Law is the naturally bigger man, and should tower over Asis, though hasn't fought in close to 2 years ad we think this a genuinely intriguing contest. Tokyo, Japan In Asia fans will be able to see a qualifying round of the East Rookie of the Year at the Korakuen Hall. In total 11 bouts will be on this card with, arguably, the most interesting being a Featherweight bout between Ken Matsuzawa (3-0, 3) and Yoshimitsu Kimura (3-0, 1). Matsuzawa will be the favourite, given his perfect KO record, but 19 year old Kimura is a stable mate of Daigo Higa and Koki Eto and will be full of confidence coming into this one. |
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