 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Wednesday we get the next notable card from Ohashi Gym, who have a mouth watering card with two title bouts and a host of young, emerging, prospects. The main event will see unbeaten fighter Masayoshi Hashizume (19-0-2, 11) look to make his first defense of the WBO Asia Pacific Super Flyweight title, as he takes on former 3 weight world champion Kosei Tanaka (16-1, 9), in what is an incredibly important bout for both men. Hashizume scored his most notable win last time out, when he took a decision over Akio Furutani to claim the WBO Asia Pacific and OPBF titles, and despite long being touted as one to watch he still lacks that B+ type win. A win he however would change that massively, and would really help him establish himself as a legitimate contender on the world stage. As for Tanaka this will be his second bout since losing to Kazuto Ioka at the end of 2020, and will see him looking to build on his 2021 win over Sho Ishida. Notably this will only be Tanaka's second bout at Korakuen Hall, and will see him return to the venue where he claimed his first professional title, way back in October 2014. He'll go in to this knowing he needs a win if he's to get a second shot at a Super Flyweight world title, and the pressure is all on Tanaka, despite the fact he's the challenger. Our preview of this bout can be read here Tanaka challenges regional champion Hashizume! The other title bout on this card will see Yoshiki Minato (10-5, 5) and Yasuhiro Kanzaki (7-2-1, 2) battle for the Japanese Youth Super Flyweight title. Coming in to this we have seen Minato really struggling, losing 4 of his last 6 including one to Masayoshi Hashizume last year, though he is a talent and aged just 23 we wouldn't write him off at all. Sadly though he does need time to build so momentum and his 2020 win over Kohei Oba is easily forgotten now. As for Kanzaki he's 21 years old and reached the All Japan Rookie of the Year final in 2020, losing in the final to Akira Hoshuyama. Despite that loss he showed the level he can compete at and he should come into this bout thinking this is his time to shine. Going in to this we expect to see both men putting on a great show in what should be a very good technical bout between two talented youngster looking to make their mark on the sport. Our preview of this bout can be read here Minato and Kanzaki battle for Japanese Youth title The leading support bout from the under-card will see the touted Keisuke Matsumoto (4-0, 4) look to extend his perfect record as he faces his first international opponent, Thailand's Nakharin Hangyu (4-1, 2). The promising Matsumoto looks like a kid with natural power, and very good size, but we're still yet to see anything close to he can really deliver and he is clearly a work in progress, albeit a very advanced work in progress and more well developed than most 4-0 fighters. The Thai visitor is someone who's untested, and is taking a big step up here, and we don't expect him to offer much competition to someone with the promise of Matsumoto. In another notable under-card bout Japanese ranked 154lb hopeful Rikuto Adachi (16-3, 12) taking on Hisashi Kato (10-10-2, 6). Aged 24 Adachi has time on his hands, and even with 3 losses to his name there is no reason to write him off, though he is very much a work in progress and really needs to develop defensively given his last 2 losses have both come by stoppage. He is someone with a lot of potential, but his team do need to let him develop slowly, and he needs to be given time to fill out his frame. As for Kato the 36 year old southpaw is no world beater but should have the tools to ask some questions of Adachi, especially with his lefty stance. The card also feature the much anticipated debut of former Japanese amateur standout Taiga Imanaga (0-0), who kicks off his professional career with a bout against Takahiro Hamazaki (3-8-3, 1). The 22 year old Imanaga is tipped for big things, and whilst his debut isn't a tough one, at least on paper, the bout will give him a chance to show what he can do and hopefully help settle him into the pro-style of boxing before bigger and better bouts later in the year. As for Hamazaki, the 36 year old is 1-5-3 in his last 9 and isn't expected to do much more than survive a few rounds with the talented former amateur.
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 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan This coming Tuesday we get the next show from Hideyuki Ohashi, as the former world champion and current promoter of Naoya Inoue, gets the chance to show case some of the bright young talent coming through the Japanese ranks, including several fighters desperate to bounce back from recent losses. One of those fighters looking to bounce back from a recent loss is former OPBF Bantamweight champion Kazuki Nakajima (10-1-1, 8), who was last seen being stopped by Keita Kurihara. He'll be hoping to get back to winning ways here as he takes on the pout of form Shohei Kawashima (18-6-2, 4), who has lost 4 of his last 5 and been stopped in his last 3. Although we'd understand Nakajima being low on confidence his team really couldn't have matched him with a made "made to order" opponent, given the recent form, and questionable durability, of Kawashima. A smart bit of match making from the Ohashi team, and a good to get their hard hitting fighter his 11th win. Another notable Ohashi Gym fighter looking to get to winning ways is Taku Kuwahara (8-1, 4), who lost last year in a Japanese Flyweight title bout against Seigo Yuri Akui. The talented Kuwahara gave Akui a really good fight last year, and is getting a chance to rebuild as he takes on the limited Takashi Hisano (6-5-1, 3), in what is a massive step up for Hisano. This, much like the Nakajima fight, is about getting the talented Ohashi man back to winning ways, before bigger and better fights in the near future. The most noteworthy bout on the card is, oddly, somewhat buried in the middle and that's a bout which will see Japanese Youth Super Bantamweight champion Haruki Ishikawa (9-3, 7) defending his title, for the first time, as he takes on Ryuya Tsugawa (8-1, 4) in a very good looking bout. Although no world beater Ishikawa is an exciting fighter, with nasty power, and a really fun, aggressive style and will be looking to take out Tsugawa. Tsugawa on the other hand has gone on a really run recently, winning 4 in a row, 3 by TKO, and will feel this is his chance to shine. Our in depth preview of thius bout can be read here Ishikawa takes on Tsugawa in first title defense Interestingly both of the men from the fight above have lost to Yusie Fujikawa, in fact Fujikawa beat them in back to back fights in 2018, before seemingly vanishing from the sport afterwards leaving us wondering what could have been for him, and his career. One final bout worth talking about is a bout between the touted Rikuto Adachi (15-3, 11) and Middleweight veteran Toshihiro Kai (6-13-3, 2). Adachi was once regarded as a genuine hopeful, but with stoppage losses in 2019, to Kudura Kaneko, and in 2021, to Takeru Kobata, there is a real worry about his future and it's going to take time for him to mature physically and develop his boxing. A bout like this has clearly been put together for Adachi to not only get a win, but also get some rounds against a naturally bigger man who's also a southpaw. As with the Nakajima and Kuwahara bouts this is smart matchmaking, but not the type of bout that will make for anything too competitive. This card was also supposed to feature a bout featuring the very highly regarded prospect Ryutaro Nakagaki (2-0-1, 2), who was supposed to take on the experienced but light punching Toma Kondo (8-7-1, 1), but this one was sadly cancelled back in mid February.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
The main action this coming Thursday takes place at Korakuen Hall as we get a touted prospect being matched hard, a potentially explosive bout just under the Light Middleweight limit and a Super Middleweight bout between two debutants. The most notable bout, and the show's main event, will see former Kick boxing champion Yoshiki Takei (1-0, 1) continue his professional boxing career as he goes up against fellow unbeaten Azusa Takeda (5-0, 5). as a kick boxer Takei was a genuine standout, but has changed over to boxing, signed with the Ohashi Gym and is being trained by former 3-weight world champion Akira Yaegashi. This is just his second bout as a boxer, but the expectations are high, and he looked very good in his debut. Takeda on the other hand has been a professional boxer since 2018, and has looked destructive, with 5 wins all inside the distance, but his last bout was more than 2 years ago, and his bouts, so far, have come against very inexperienced fighters. He's looked dangerous but, if we're being honest, this is a major step up in class for him, even if Takei is a novice boxer himself. In another main bout on this card we'll see the once touted Rikuto Adachi (14-3, 11) battle against Tetsuya Kondo (6-3, 4), in a scheduled 8 rounder. Adachi was touted a few years ago, though sadly his career has fallen apart recently, and he is 2-2 since May 2019, having been stopped in both of those losses, both in bouts for the Japanese Youth Welterweight title. We suspect the plan here is for Adachi to dip his toes the Light Middleweight limit, though with his chin and the relatively tough domestic picture at the weight it may not be the best move for him. Kondo has had mixed results, losing in his debut and be splattered inside a round by Jin Sasaki in 2019. Notably Kondo will be the smaller man, but he does have decent power and if he can get close to Adachi he may have the power to take him out. One other bout we want to mention from this card is a Super Middleweight clash between the debuting pair of Dan D Dillinger (0-0) and Kazuma Ito (0-0). Dillinger, originally from Liberia, is 34 years old and we don't expect him to have a long career, but at 6'1" he's certainly a huge guy to be fighting in Japan and it's going to be interest to follow his career, no matter how short it ends up being. Ito on the other hand is 32 and has some amateur experience, going 5-3 in the unpaid ranks. We don't expect either of these to make much of a mark on the sport, but it is interesting to see a Japanese bout at Super Middleweight, something that really is rare. Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, India As well as the Japanese card there will also be a small one in India. Sadly this card is mostly packed with debutants and novices, and the most experienced fighter on the show is limited Featherweight Sandeep Singh Bhatti (3-2), who takes on debuting 18 year old Sandeep Singh (0-0).  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Thursday we get the next show from the Ohashi Gym and despite once looking like a really good card the show has been ravaged by issues which has resulted in two of the bouts being removed from the show in the weeks leading up to the event. Despite the cancellations on the event we still have a solid show which should shine a light on some of the most promising young talent in Japan. The main event will see unbeaten Japanese 140lb hopeful Andy Hiraoka (16-0, 11) fight in Japan for the first time since 2019 as he takes on domestic foe Fumisuke Kimura (9-6-1, 6) in a scheduled 8 rounder. The talented Hiraoka, who is co-promoted by Top Rank, has had his last two bouts in the US, and now looks to tick over in what should be a straight forward bout here. In the opposite corner to the unbeaten 24 year old will be a 33 year old puncher who has lost his last 2 and would be seeking his first win in almost 2 years. On paper Kimura should be able to ask some questions of Hiraoka early but we suspect he'll come undone and be stopped somewhere in the middle rounds. In the chief support bout we'll see former K-1 champion Yoshiki Takei (0-0) make his professional boxing debut and take on 34 year old veteran Kazunori Takai (6-7-3, 3). Although Takei will be boxing for the first time he has turned to the sport with lofty expectations and has impressed with his hands, in K1 and in his pro-test bout. Despite only taking to the sport in the last few months it's clear Takei has a natural affinity to boxing and with Akira Yaegashi training him huge things are expected from him. It's hard to see this being anything but an impressive looking debut from Takei, who really has looked a natural in the footage that's been released of him training. Potentially the bout of the show will be a Flyweight bout as the unbeaten Taku Kuwahara (7-0, 4) takes on former Rookie of the Year winner Yoshiki Minato (9-3, 4). The 25 year old Kuwahara has been tipped for major success, but was sadly unable to fight in 2020, losing some of the moment he had built following a successful 2019, and will feel a need to shine here. Minato, who's just 22, made his big mark in 2018, when he won the All Japan Rookie of the Year, but back to back losses in 2019 slowed his climb through the rankings. Thankfully for Minato he scored a huge win last year, stopping Kohei Oba, and will be riding that win into this bout. Although not a huge bout this has the potential to be a very, very interesting and competitive one. The show will also have a Japanese Youth title bout on it, as Rikuto Adachi (14-2, 11) and Takeru Kobata (8-5-1, 3) trade blows for the vacant Japanese Youth Welterweight title. For the 22 year old Adachi this will be his first bout in well over a year, and his first since he left the Hiroki Ioka gym and became an Ohashi Gym fighter. Although talented Adachi was stopped juts a few bouts back, for this very title, when Kudura Kaneko broke him down and on paper this looks like it could be a tough bout for him. Kobata, despite having a less than flattering record, looked good last time out, when he ran Shoki Sakai close, and has the style and tenacity that could break Adachi down. Although not the most interesting bout on the show, on paper, this could end up being a very hotly contested one. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here - Adachi and Kobata go for Youth gold at Welterweight!  Osaka, Osaka, Japan
Attention turns to Osaka this coming Saturday for a show that will be added to the Boxing Raise video on demand service soon afterwards. It's not a huge show, but it is very much a notable show. The main event of the card will see former Japanese Super Flyweight champion Sho Ishida (28-1, 15) take on Israel Gonzalez (24-3, 11) in an IBF Super Flyweight world title eliminator. The two men have both come up short at world level, with both men losing competitive decisions to Kal Yafai and Gonzalez also losing to IBF champion Jerwin Ancajas, and are looking to get another shot at the top. With the bout taking place in Japan it seems that advantages lie with Ishida, but Gonzalez looked really good against Yafai and will not be looking to make up the numbers here. Our preview of this bout can be read here Ishida and Gonzalez clash in world title eliminator In a supporting Welterweight bout we'll see Rikuto Adachi (13-2, 10) take on Masafumi Ando (6-9-2, 3) in an 8 rounder. This will be Adachi's second bout since losing in May to Kudura Kaneko and the youngster has a lot of promise, though there is clearly a lot of work that needs to be done for him to reach the potential that Hiroki Ioka has seen in his young charge. Ando on the other hand has had an interesting 2019, starting the year with a draw, then upsetting former Japanese champion Toshio Arikawa before suffering a wide loss to Ryota Toyoshima in September. As wee this as a straight forward win for Adachi, but it's never easy to predict results for an Ando fight. Another supporting bout will see the unbeaten Joe Shiraishi (9-0-1, 4) defending his JBC Youth Flyweight title against Jukiya Washio (7-4-1, 2). On paper this isn't that appealing, but in reality we don't have any real complaints with this as a first defense for the 23 year old. Shiraishi won the title back in September, with his second win against Yoshiki Minato, to extend his current winning run to 8 straight fights, and he will be favoured. However the 22 year old Washio has proven to be a good fighter and he's hungry, though sadly lacks the power we suspect he'd need to get Shiraishi's respect. Regardless of leaning strongly in favour of the champion we do expect to see him needing to earn his win here. Our preview of this bout can be read here Shiraishi defends Japanese Youth title against Washio  Osaka, Japan
This coming Monday isn't a huge day for boxing, but there is still a lot of action in Osaka prefecture, with 2 cards taking place in the region, with a combined 4 title bouts! The most significant bout from those two cards takes place in Osaka city and will see WBO Asia Pacific Middleweight champion Yuki Nonaka (33-10-3, 10) making his first defense of the title he won earlier this year. The Japanese veteran, who vacated the OPBF title in the hope of moving towards a world title fight, will be defending the WBO regional title as he takes on South Korean Korean puncher Yang Hyun Min (8-2, 7) in what is expected to be little more than a work out for Nonaka. The highly skilled Nonaka is a very smart fighter who, even in his 40's, is a very talented and driven boxer who has made it clear he's still chasing goals in hi career. Min on the other hand is a bit of an unknown outside of Korea, and he's not expected to have much to test Nonaka, though has shown pretty heavy hands on the Korean domestic scene. For those interested in more information about this bout a preview can be read here Preview - Yuki Nonaka Vs Yang Hyun Min The other title bout on this card will see youngsters collide, with Joe Shiraishi (8-0-1, 4) and Yoshiki Minato (8-2, 3) facing off for the Japanese Youth Flyweight title. Shiraishi came to our attention in 2017 when he won the All Japan Rookie of the Year, beating Minato along the way in fact, and has since added two stoppage wins since then. Sadly inactivity has been an issue for him but he is a really youngster. Of course he's not the only talented youngster here and Minato will be seeking revenge for his 2017 loss, however he comes into this on the back of an opening round blow out loss to Seigo Yuri Akui back in April. Incidentally Minato won the All Japan Rookie of the Year himself in 2018, meaning this is a clash of Rookie champions. A full preview of this bout can be read here Shiraishi and Minato rematch for Youth title! Another interesting supporting bout on this card will see Rikuto Adachi (12-2, 9) and Change Hamashima (10-4-1, 4) battle at Welterweight. Both men really need a win here, following recent losses, and interestingly both have also lost recently to Kudura Kaneko. Adachi was stopped in 5 rounds by Kaneko, who simply over-powered him, whilst Hamashima has lost 2 decisions to Kaneko and was also stopped in 7 rounds last time out by Masaharu Kaito. It's really hard to see where the loser goes next, but the winner will likely find themselves working towards a Japanese Youth title bout. Osaka, Japan Staying in Osaka Prefecture, though going from Osaka City to Sakai City, we get another notable card with double title action on it, albeit on a less interesting card than the other card. Like the other card the main event is a WBO Asia Pacific title fight, though this time it's down at Light Flyweight where the once beaten Daiki Tomita (13-1, 5) takes on Hayato Yamaguchi (15-7-1, 2) for the vacant title. Tomita, who turns 22 in November, impressed us last year when he put up a brave effort against Tsuaba Koura in an OPBF title fight. Tomita impressed again last time out, blowing away Jeffrey Galero and we do suspect his move to 108lbs will be a good decision for his career. For Yamaguchi this is just his second bout since being stopped in October 2016 by Tetsuya Hisada, and we do wonder he has left in the tank at the moment in time. Our in depth preview of this bout is available here Tomita and Yamaguchi face off for WBO Asia Pacific title! In a notable supporting bout former OPBF title challenger Shingo Kawamura (16-5-2, 8) taking on the light hitting Jin Miura (10-3-2, 1). Coming in to this Kawamura is well over a year removed from his last win, which came back on April 28th 2018, and another set back here really will leave the 29 year old Southpaw in an terrible position if he's wanting to get another shot at gold any time soon. Although no world beater Miura is unbeaten in his last 3, including a notable draw against Mugicha Nakagawa and an upset win over Tatsuya Matsumoto, and a win here will move him towards a title fight of his own. A really interesting one, even if it's not likely to be the most explosive. A second title bout on this show will see Tomoko Okuda (5-2-1, 1) take on the fast rising Kanako Taniyama (2-0, 1) in a bout for the JBC female Bantamweight title. This will probably be the only chance that the 36 year old Okuda has to win a notably bout whilst Taniyama will be looking to prove her move over from kick boxing to boxing has been a success. At 2 years old Taniyama is no spring chicken but her combat sport experience is expected to be a launch pad to help her move into world title action sooner rather than later. If Taniyama is what the Watanabe gym are hoping for she needs to win, and win big here. A preview of this bout can be read here Taniyama and Okuda battle for female Bantamweight title!  Osaka, Japan
This coming Friday our attention turns to Osaka for a small but notable card thanks to Hiroki Ioka. The main event of the show is a brilliant Japanese Youth Welterweight title fight, pitting unbeaten champion Kudura Kaneko (9-0, 6) against Ioka protege Rikuto Adachi (12-1, 9), in what could end up being the best Japanese Welterweight bout of the year. Kaneko comes into this bout seeking his 10th straight win, and looking to build on an excellent win last year over former national champion Toshio Arikawa. Adachi on the other hand will be looking for his 5th straight stoppage win, and will be looking to score his biggest win to date. On paper this is mouth watering, and there is a very real chance that the winner fights in either a senior title fight this year, or gets a Japanese title eliminator at the end of the year. A full preview of this bout can be read here Kaneko and Adachi clash in battle of young Welters! Former female world title challenger Terumi Nuki (10-4, 7) looks to bounce back from her 2018 loss to Mariana Juarez. She will be up against a Thai opponent in what should be a straight forward win for the local. Sadly a bout that was supposed to feature 2017 all-Japan Super Bantamweight Rookie of the Year Toshiki Shimomachi (9-1-2, 5) hasn't actually materialise, leaving the entire card with just 4 bouts on it. Western Australia, Australia As well as the Japanese card there is also a bout of interest in Australia. The bout in question will see Australia's very own Wes Capper (19-2-1, 12) return to the ring after a little over a year out, to take on Filipino journeyman Arnel Tinampay (25-23-1, 11). On paper this is a mismatch, but one thing bout Tinampay is that he plays the under-dog. The Filipino is a heavy handed tough guy who is a lot better than his record suggests, and could well upset Capper here in a very intriguing contests, despite the obvious difference in the records of the two men. Osaka, Japan
The first post-Christmas show in Japan this year will held at the EDION Arena Osaka and will be a small card promoted by the Hiroki Ioka Boxing gym. The main event sees rising hopeful Rikuto Adachi (11-1, 8), who is currently ranked by the OPBF, taking on Thai visitor Phongsathon Sompol (9-4, 5). The talented Adachi, who impressed last time out by stopping Jonel Dapidran in 3 rounds, will be strongly favoured here. The visitor is 0-2 when he fights outside of Thailand and we are expecting to see him suffer another stoppage loss on the road here, especially given how good Adachi is. In a supporting bout we'll see Japanese based Korean Tae Il Atsumi (14-2, 7) take on Filipino Jerry Castroverde (10-4, 5), who will be fighting for the first time since joining the gym run by Nobuhiro Ishida. This will be Atsumi's second bout since losing a close decision to Shingo Kawamura, and he'll be looking to shine as he tries to end the year on a high. As for Castroverde the bout is his first of the year, and follows a 21 month break from the ring. Originally Yuki Nonaka (32-10-3, 10) was planned for this card, he is however not going to compete here due to his recently announced bout against Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa (11-3, 10) on February 24th. Agusan del Norte, Philippines In the Philippines we'll get two smaller shows. One of those will be headlined by Jobert Alvarez (18-2-2, 7), as he takes on Michael Bravo (13-2, 6). This looks good on paper, with both having winning records, and both coming in to this bout in the hope of a win. Alvarez was once touted as a special fighter, but in recent times has failed to deliver on that early promise. Bravo on the other hand never got the same hype, and was stopped last time out by Giemel Magramo. We suspect Alvarez will win, but he is a live under-dog. Metro Manila, Philippines A second Filipino card will see former world title challenger Toto Landero (10-4-2, 2) take on Oliver Gregorio (10-8-3, 5). We think Landero is a very good fighter, with the potential to win a world title in the future, and should win here. However Landero has lost his last 3, and 4 of his last 6 and may be lacking confidence. Gregorio on the other hand has gone 1-5-2 in his last 8 bouts. Another bout on this card will see Vergil Puton (17-11-1, 8) take on Landy Cris Leon (11-18-4, 5) in what should be a straight forward win for the under-rated Puton, who has proven himself as an excellent gate keeper. Leon should be the smaller man, the lesser skilled man and the clear under-dog.  This coming Monday attention turns to Osaka where we get two different shows.
Osaka, Japan One of the two shows takes place at the EDION Arena Osaka, where Hiroki Ioka puts on a small card, featuring a couple of low key but relatively notable contests. The main event is scheduled for 10 rounds and will see Rikuto Adachi (10-1, 7) take on Filipino Jonel Dapidran (10-2, 6) in a brilliant clash of 20 year olds. The Japanese fighter suffered his only defeat in the 2017 Rookie of the Year final at Welterweight, losing a close decision to Hironori Shigeta, but has since bounced back with a pair of stoppage wins over visitors. Dapidran is a solid fighter, but has lost 2 of his last 5 and a win here would be his best so far. We genuinely are expecting this to be the bout of the day. In the chief support bout on this card fans will see Koya Sato (11-4-1, 2) battle against Tatsuya Terada (6-3-2, 1). Sato is the more experienced fighter, and is currently riding a 4 fight winning run. Terada on the other hand is 1-1-1 in his last 3 bouts. This should be competitive, but Sato's experience should be the difference maker. Osaka, Japan The other show is an Apollo promotions card from the Yodogawa Ward Center. As with the Hiroki Ioka card this isn't a big show and only really has 3 bouts of any note. The headline bout on this show will see the unbeaten Takuya Uehara (15-0, 9) face off against Noriyoshi Taki (6-7-1, 1). The talented Uehara has impressed in recent bouts, with notable wins against the likes of Markquil Salvana and Takuya Yamamoto. The 25 year old Taki is a southpaw, which Uehara does need experience against, but he has been stopped in 3 of his last 5 and we would be surprised by him lasting the distance with Uehara. On paper this is a step down for Uehara, but a chance to get some ring time against a southpaw. In the leading support bout fans will see former Uehara foe Shota Yukawa (8-5-3, 3) take on Indonesian foe Ramly Pasaribu (6-13, 1). Coming in to this Yukawa has gone 2-3-1 in his last 6 and needs a confidence building performance. Pasaribu should serve as that confidence building win for Yukawa, with the visitor having been stopped in 11 of his 13 losses. On paper the most even bout is another Japan Vs Indonesia bout, and will see touted prospect Takamori Kiyama (1-0, 1) face off with Ken Neparasi (1-0, 1). On paper this is an even looking bout but Kiyama is very highly touted and is expected to go a long way. Neparasi may turn out to be a surprising talent but we would be very shocked to see him really test the Japanese prospect, despite their similar professional records.  Osaka, Japan
They key show this coming Friday comes from Osaka, where we get a Japanese title fight, and several under-card bouts featuring notable fighters. The main event will see Japanese Super Flyweight champion Hiroyuki Kudaka (26-17-2, 11) make his first defense, as he takes on Takayuki Okumoto (20-8-3, 10), a man fighting in his first world title challenge. Kudaka, a 4-time world title challenger, won the Japanese title this past April, when he out pointed Go Onaga for the vacant title. At 33 years old Kudaka will know that he can't really afford another set back, but will feel like he can pick up a straight forward defense. So far Okumoto is 0-2 in title fights, including a Japanese title fight last year against Ryuichi Funai, but he's a capable fighter who has gone 4-1-1 in his last 6 and will be riding some momentum here. We favour the champion, but suspect he will have to work hard for the victory. The chief support bout will see 2017 Welterweight Rookie of the Year runner up Rikuto Adachi (9-1, 6) face off with limited Indonesian fighter Maxi Nahak (7-15-3, 3). Adachi lost to Hironori Shigeta in the Rookie final, but has bounced back with a 6th round KO of a Thai foe which he's looking to build on here. As for Nahak, he's 0-4 in Japan and has been stopped in 3 of his last 4, suggesting that Adachi should be able to pick up a win here with out too many problems here Also on this card will be former OPBF Super Featherweight champion Masao Nakamura (23-3, 22), who will be fighting for the second time since ending his retirement earlier this year, and former Japanese and OPBF Light Middleweight champion Yuki Nonaka (31-10-3, 10), who looks to bounce back from his recent loss to Takeshi Inoue. We've been informed that Nonaka will be facing a Thai whilst Nakamura will be up against Marbon Bodiongan (14-7-2, 11). Tokyo, Japan As well as the action in Osaka there will also be a show in Tokyo, though this card is lacking in the name value that the Osakan card has. The main event will see Masanori Rikiishi (2-1, 1) look to bounce back from his recent loss to Kosuke Saka as he takes on limited Indonesian foe Egy Rozten (5-18-2, 3). Despite the loss to Saka it seems clear that Rikiishi's team have big hopes for him and despite this being a straight forward bout, at least on paper, the fact he is main eventing shows the belief that the Green gym have in him. Rozten comes into this on the back of 6 straight stoppages, and has gone 0-6-1 in his last 7 bouts, showing just how much of an easy opponent he should be for Rikiishi. In the chief support bout fans will be able to see Japanese ranked Featherweight Yosuke Kawano (12-7-2, 6) take on Masajiro Honda (6-9, 4). The 29 year old Kawano has gone 2-3-1 in his last 6, but is better than that form suggests with his draw coming to Takenori Ohashi, who went on to claim the Japanese Featherweight title last year, and ran the likes of Dai Iwai and Ryuto Araya very close. Honda has been stopped in his last 5 bouts, and is without a win since November 2014. It's clear that Kawano has been matched softly here and should pick up a pretty simple win. Another Japanese ranked fighter on this card is Takahiro Araki (11-7, 4), who will be facing off with Yoshiyuki Takabayashi (9-9, 4). Araki is nothing great, going 3-3 in his last 6, but should have more than enough to deal with Takabayashi, who has gone 1-6 in his last 7 bouts. Jakarta, Indonesia Staying in Asia there will also be a double title show in Jakarta. One of the bouts will see the very experienced James Mokoginta (37-18-3, 23) take on hard hitting Filipino Jon Jon Estrada (11-4-1, 10), in what will be Mokoginta's first defense of the WBA Asia Featherweight title. Although Mokiginta has 58 career bouts he's only 27 years old and has the potential to be in some good fights. It is worth noting however that Estrada is a genuine banger, and has stopped usually durable fighters like Pablito Canada and Brian Lobetania in recent years. Given the power of Estrada we can The other title bout will see the limited Ruben Manakane (24-17-1, 13) face off with the unbeaten Muhammad Ashiq (4-0, 3) for the vacant WBA Asia Super Bantamweight title. The 25 year old Manakane is limited but is currently riding a 5 fight winning streaking, having claimed several titles during that run. Ashiq is a bit of an unknown, only debuting last September, but looks like he could be a prospect worth following and a win here would put him on the map, at least domestically. California, USA In California fight fans will be able to see unbeaten American Genaro Gamez (8-0, 5) take on Filipino foe Recky Dulay (10-3-0-1, 7) in a bout for the NABF Super Featherweight title. Gamez started his career slowly but has stepped up this year, beating Shoki Sakai in April to notch his best win to date. Dulay is coming into his prime has lost 2 of his 3 bouts in the US, including a stoppage to Gervonta Davies. We would be surprised by a win for Dulay, but he has surprised us in the past. |
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