 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Saturday attention turns to Korkuen Hall for an interesting card under a join A-Sign and Dangan banner. The card features a number of notable names, and whilst none of the matches look like certified bangers, they should provide good action. The main event will see former world title challenger Shingo Wake (28-7-2, 20) take on Mugicha Nakagawa (24-9-2, 14). For Wake the bout serves as his second since a a 2021 loss to Takuma Inoue, and he will be looking to secure another victory here and move towards having one more run at the domestic or regional title scene. Although 35 Wake is still a very capable fighter and the talented, sharp shooting southpaw will feel he can still mix with the top domestic level fighters. As for Nakagawa the once promising fighter is now 0-4-1 in his last 5, he's not scored a win since 2018, and his career seems to be coming towards an under-whelming end. He did get some attention this year, prior to a very ugly fight with Ryo Akaho, and it's likely that this will be one of his final bouts. In a really interesting match up we'll see former Japanese 140lb champion Masahiro Suzuki (6-1, 4) look to bounce back from a recent loss to Shu Utsuki as he takes on Tetsuya Kondo (6-6, 4). On paper this is a mismatch, however the loss to Utsuki was a hard painful one and it's fair to say that Suzuki probably is well off getting something of a gimmie here. That loss came after a very close win over Seiryu Toshikawa and it's hard to know whether he really still have the hunger he showed in his title victory over Daishi Nagata. Coming in to this with 4 straight losses Kondo won't be given much of a shot, but his losses have come to decent domestic fighters, including Takeru Kobata, Kaiki Yuba and Daishi Nagata, and he could genuinely be a decent challenge for Suzuki. Another bout of note will be a rematch, as Hironori Shigeta (8-2-1, 5) and Shoki Sakai (26-13-2, 14) face off for the second time. These two clashed in 2020, in what was Sakai's Japanese debut, in what was a very fan friendly bout, and we're expecting another really fun one here between two fighters who have solid power, good engines and styles that gel well. We suspect Sakai's extra experience and know how will be the difference, as it was in their first bout, but this should still be a really fun one to watch.
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 This coming Saturday isn't a huge day for Asian fight fans, but there is a nice mix of action, including title fights, in both Japan and the Philippines, as well as prospects in action in what should be a better day of action than it looks on paper.
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan For us the most interesting action comes from Tokyo, where will be getting the latest Dynamic Glove show. The card features an Oriental title fight, a rematch of an interest Japanese Middlewieght bout and a the next step up for a promising prospect. The title bout will see OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific Welterweight champion Ryota Toyoshima (14-2-1, 9) make his second defense of the OPBF belt as he takes on "reimported" boxer Shoki Sakai (26-12-2, 14), who first made his name fighting in the West. The talented Toyoshima has been on a tear in recent bouts, and scored notable wins over Riku Nagahama and Yuki Beppu already this year, a win over the teak tough Sakai would put him in the running for the Japanese domestic fighter of the year. Sakai on the other hand was last seen losing a close, and hotly contested, bout to Keita Obara for the Japanese title, and he'll know that a loss here might be his final shot to win a notable title, especially his style which does seem him taking a lot of punishment. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Toyoshima defends OPBF title against tough guy Sakai! In an interesting Japanese Middleweight bout, yes we do actually get some of those, we'll see All Japan Rookie of the Year winner Katsuhiro Nakata (7-0, 4) look to repeat his September win over once touted amateur Ran Tomomatsu (1-2). In their first bout Nakata won 58-56 on all 3 cards, but Tomomatsu was certainly not shown up there and will be determined to get revenge here, and get his career back on track after back to back losses. A third bout of note on this card will see promising novice Yudai Murakami (1-0), who was a very solid Japanese amateur, look to score his second win in the professional ranks, as he takes on Yudai Yakabu (3-2, 3). Murakami looked solid in his debut, back in January, but this is a credible step up and the hard hitting Yakabu will be in the ring to stop, or be stopped. Interestingly Yakabu has never seen round 4 of a fight, and has only gone beyond a single round twice, so we do not expect this one to go long. The Flash Grand Ballroom of the Elorde Sports Complex, Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines As well as the Japanese card there's also an interesting one in the Philippines featuring former world title challengers and promising unbeaten fighters. The best bout on the card sees the once touted Mark Anthony Geraldo (38-9-3, 19), who really is a skilled fighter but has been inconsistent at times, take on exciting youngster Carl Jammes Martin (17-0, 15) for the GAB Super Bantamweight title. Geraldo won the title in 2019 and has defended it once since winning it, but has been inactive and this will be his first bout in over 2 years. Although very skilled we do wonder problems inactivity will cause for him here. As for Martin he is one of the rising stars of Filipino boxing, with an exciting, hard hitting style. Martin has been stepping up his level of competition in recent bouts, and will feel confident of making this step up as well as he looks to prove he's ready for bigger and better bouts. This should be a very interesting test for the unbeaten youngster. In a battle of unbeaten fighters former amateur standout Charly Suarez (8-0, 6) will be up against Delmar Pellio (9-0, 4). Suarez was someone who had the skills to go a long, long way in the sport. Now aged 33 it seems he will never come close to reaching his potential, and instead it seems almost like he's going to be a fighter who retires as tale of what could have been, had he turned professional younger and had the Pandemic not hit. Aged 21 Pellio is promising youngster, but sadly he comes into this bout having been out of the ring for almost 2 years and he is stepping up massively. It's hard to see past a Suarez win here, but he needs to kick on in 2022 if he's ever going to come close to landing a major international bout. A third bout of note on this card will see two former world title challengers facing off, as recent Naoya Inoue victim Michael Dasmarinas (30-3-1, 20) takes on Ernesto Saulong (22-7-2, 9), who challenged the then IBF Super Bantamweight champion Ryosuke Iwasa back in 2018. On paper this looks a pretty interesting bout, but Saulong has struggled for wins recently and is 1-5-1 in his last 7. Despite that he is tough and he will be in the ring looking to upset Dasmarinas, who hasn't fought since losing to the Monster back in June. The loser of this is unlikely to find themselves anywhere close to a major international fight, but the winner could end up landing a fight of note next year. CAA Centre, Brampton, Ontario, Canada Away from Asia we'll see Canadian based Indian fighter Sukhdeep Singh Bhatti (8-0, 3) take on limited veteran Juan Carlos Raygosa (17-18-3, 6). Singh is a solid boxer, but the 29 year old is going to have to look to make up for lost time next year, as he only fought once in 2020 and this will be his first bout of 2021. Thankfully he will get some rounds here because Raygosa, for all his faults, is a tough and rugged guy capable of taking good fighters rounds. This is not the "gimmie" it looks, but it's hard to see past a Bhatti win. 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.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Let's be honest April started like a month on fire with a lot of action in the first few days of the month, and it's been nice to have a few days to catch our breath. But we're back on April 8th with the next show from Korakuen Hall and it's one that we're really excited about. It features a Japanese title bout, the Japanese debut of a highly regarded prospect and the next bout in the career of a very exciting puncher! The exciting puncher in question is Yasutaka Fujita (6-1, 6), who came runner up in the 2019 All Japan Rookie of the Year. Since his Rookie run he has fought just 19 seconds, blowing Kensuke Nakamura out last September. Here he will be up against the decent Shun Akaiwa (5-2-1, 3) in a scheduled 6 rounder. Akaiwa started 2020 with a career best win, stopping Kenta Endo, but ended the year having been blitzed in 45 seconds by the destructive Jin Sasaki. We suspect Fujita will try to replicate Sasaki, and this could mean we get a very, very explosive match up. If you're in the venue for this one don't blink! The prospect making his Japanese debut is Go Hosaka (4-0, 3), who fought his first 4 bouts in the Philippines under the guidance of the now defunct ALA Promotions. Since ALA folded, in 2020, he has signed with Misako in Japan and will be looking to show what he can do as he takes on Kanta Fukui (7-3-1, 5). So far in his career Hosaka has looked like a fantastic prospect, with lovely technical skills, sharp punching and good movement, though he hasn't really had to answer too many questions in his 4 fights so far. Fukui has proven to be a decent fighter on his day, had success in the 2018 Rookie of the Year, pushed Shuma Nakazato close and held Yoji Saito to a draw. He is however 2-2-1 in his last 5 and lacks the technical tools that Hosaka has. For a first fight in Japan this is a genuine test for Hosaka, but one he should pass, albeit one he'll have to work for. The main event will see Japanese Welterweight champion Keita Obara (23-4-1, 21) make his first defense, following his title win in February 2020, as he takes on the tough Shoki Sakai (25-11-2, 12). The 34 year old champion had sadly been out of the ring for well over a year now and his hopes of securing another big international fight, like his 2016 world title bout with Eduard Troyanovsky, appear to be over. As for Sakai he only made his Japanese debut last August and this will be his third fight on Japanese soil. Aged 30 Sakai is the younger man, but certainly has more miles on the clock and is very much a fighter who has taken significant punishment during his career. The styles here should gel well, with Sakai being a pressure fighter, marching forward and Obara being a rangy boxer, and we expect some genuinely exciting action here. The winner of this likely gets a defense towards the end of the year but for the loser, it's really hard to see where to go, and we suspect retirement may loom if either man gets stopped. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Obara faces Sakai in first Japanese title defense!  For those who want a late Christmas present, we have one of those for you this coming Saturday as Japan put on two shows and China also put on a show. One of those Japanese shows is a mouth watering card from Tokyo, which is set to be streamed live on the A-Sign YouTube channel whilst the second, from Aichi, will be shown on delay on Boxing Raise.
Christmas might be over, but the gifts keep coming! Sumida City Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan The more significant of the two shows is the Tokyo one, and it's a genuinely stacked domestic card that should give us a big of everything. The main event should be a fairly technical contest, the opening bouts should be competitive under-card bouts, and we get at least one, if not two, shoot outs on a genuinely fantastic show. The main event will see former WBO Super Featherweight champion Masayuki Ito (26-2-1, 14) take on current OPBF Super Featherweight champion Hironori Mishiro (9-0-1, 3). Mishiro won't be risking his title here, in a 10 round bout at Lightweight, but the winner will certainly see their standing improve, and we could end up seeing the winner being just a fight or two away from a potential world title fight. Ito is, of course, the more well known fighter and the more established but he has only fought once since losing the WBO title to Jamel Herring in May 2019, and since then he has had a bout cancelled and has had surgery. Mishiro on the other hand is bit of advanced novice, who has been fast tracked to an OPBF title and already has several wins of note to his name, and other here would really boost his standing in the sport. We expect this to be a tactical early on, but will, sooner or later, descend into more of an exciting back and forth war. Talking about wars we are really exciting about the Japanese Youth Light Welterweight title bout on this show, between Jin Sasaki (9-0, 8) and Aso Ishiwaki (8-2-1, 6), and this really should be a war. The hard hitting Sasaki has been creating a buzz with quick knockout and early wins, including a trio of success opening rounds wins, but Ishiwaki is the more proven man and a tough warrior. The 19 year old Sasaki really is a brutal boxer-puncher, and he's been swiping opponents aside with ease but has faced little in terms of competitive opposition. Ishiwaki has faced the much better competition, and has done so without much fuss, whilst creating a bit of an international following with his heart, energy, toughness and physical strength. This could be incredibly brutal war, and we do not expect it to go the scheduled 8 rounds. Our full preview of this one can be read here Sasaki and Ishiwaki clash for Youth Honours in potential Christmas Cracker! On the subject of bouts not going the distance we don't imagine the 8 rounder between Kai Chiba (12-1, 8) and Haruki Ishikawa (8-2, 6) will see the final bell either. The hard hitting Kai Chiba was one looked at as a future regional champion, but a 2018 loss to Brian Lobetania, in a major upset, slowed his rise and he has only really began to rediscover his form in recent bouts, have now scored 5 straight wins. Ishikawa on the other hand is an explosive, heavy handed and wild fighter who comes into the ring with a war monger attitude and may well be too aggressive for Chiba to cope with. Interestingly this bout was delayed from earlier in the year following a positive Covid19 test for Ishikawa. Former 2-time world title challenger Ryo Akaho (35-2-2, 23) looks to extend his current winning streak as he takes on youngster Yuto Nakamura (11-5-1, 8). The 34 year old Akaho has won his last 9 in a row though it does seem unlikely that he will land a third shot at a world title, following losses to Yota Sato and Pungluang Sor Singyu. At just 23 years old this is a great chance to Nakamura to show what he can do at a higher level following a short reign as the JBC Youth Super Flyweight champion. Sadly however it's hard to Imagine Nakamura coping with the power and strength of Akaho at Super Bantamweight. One other bout worthy of attention is the second bout in Japan of "reimported boxer" Shoki Sakai (24-11-2, 13), who made his name in Mexico and the US. The exciting and rugged Sakai will be up against Takeru Kobata (8-4-1, 3). This really should serve as little more than a showcase for Sakai who should be too good, too strong and too powerful. Despite being the under-dog Kobata has some momentum coming into this, on the back of a solid win over Change Hamashima back in February. Even with that in mind it would still be a huge ask for him to be competitive with Sakai here. Aioi Hall, Kariya, Aichi, Japan The other show, the one from Aichi, is easier to over-look but does promise a very exciting main event between one of the biggest punchers at 108lbs and, strangely, just a single supporting bout. The main event will see Japanese Light Flyweight champion Masamichi Yabuki (11-3, 11) making his first defense of the belt as he takes on veteran Toshimasa Ouchi (22-9-3, 8). The hard hitting Yabuki moved down to Light Flyweight last year, stopping Rikito Shiba in 4 rounds and then blasting out Tsuyoshi Sato inside a round this past July to claim the title. Originally he had made his mark at Flyweight, losing in the 2016 Rookie of the Year final to Junto Nakatani, but looks much more suited to the 108lb limit and could find himself fighting for a world title in 2021. Ouchi on the other hand is a 35 year old, potentially getting his last notable fight. Although no world beater Ouchi has shared the ring with some notable names, including going 12 rounds with Kenshiro Teraji in 2016, and facing Kenichi Horikawa, shin Ono and Ryoichi Taguchi earlier in his career. Ouchi is tough, but we do wonder what his 35 year old body will do when it's caught by the power of Yabuki. Our full preview of this bout can be read here Japanese champion Yabuki faces first challenger as he takes on Ouchi The only under-card bout scheduled for this show will see Teru Nobita (5-3-1, 2) face John Yano (5-6, 2). Nobita went through a run where he won 1 in 5, going 1-3-1, but did win last time out and will look to build on the momentum that December 2019 win over Kenshin Megumi. Yano on the other hand is a Japanese based Filipino who has stopped 2 of his last 3 and will be looking to show that power against Nobita. Potentially a much better bout than it looks on paper. TSSG Center, Qingdao, China As well as the action in Japan we also get a show from China, which is set to be one of their best of 2020. In a bout at 154lbs we'll see Tonghui Li (12-2, 6) take on Dacong Wang (7-1-1, 1) in a bout for the interim WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental title. This will be Li's third bout since a loss to Jung Kyoung Lee, and at 30 years old it really is now or never for him to move his career forward. For Wang this is a massive step up in weight, but he has momentum on his side and is riding an 8 fight unbeaten run, and a 6 fight winning run. On paper this looks interesting, though we suspect Li's power and higher level experience will prove to be the difference. The second bout of note will be an IBO International Lightweight title bout, pitting the unbeaten Ju Wu (9-0-2) against Xiao Tao Su (11-1, 6), with Wu looking to defend his minor IBO title for the first time. The talented Wu is the more skilled man and the naturally bigger fighter, but we do wonder how he will cope with Su's power, which has seen him score stoppages in his last 3. Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, Japan
We turn our attention back to Japan to end the month, and we get treat very nicely thanks to A-Sign boxing who are putting on a live stream of their event from the Shinjuku Face in Tokyo. The event isn't a massive card, but it is a compelling card, featuring a nice mix of prospects, domestic hopefuls and the Japanese debut of a fighter who has, until now, been fighting entirely in the west. In the main event we'll see veteran Shoki Sakai (23-11-2, 13) make his Japanese debut after more than 30 fights in Mexico and the US. The tough and rugged Sakai was once a fighter with a genuine hunger and ambition, but in recent years he has been used as a gatekeeper of sorts in the West. He has lost his last 4, though managed to ask questions of Genero Gamez, Eddie Gomez, Alexis Rocha and Gor Yeritsyan and has proven his value as a genuine trial horse. For his Japanese debut he is being matched some what easier than he has been in the West as he takes on Hironori Shigeta (6-1-1, 3), who is best known for winning the 2017 All Japan Rookie of the Year, at Welterweight, though he has failed to kick on since then and has fought just twice since that Rookie triumph. Shigeta is unbeaten in his last 7 but this is a serious step up in class for him. One of the best prospects on this card is unbeaten teenage Jin Sasaki (7-0, 6), who turned 19 in July. The talented Sasaki will be taking a big step up, as he takes on Shun Akaiwa (5-1-1, 3), who answered what was essentially an open challenge by the promoters of the event. Sasaki has shown a lot to be excited about, including power, skills and timing, though unfortunately had to pull out of the East Japan Rookie of the Year final in 2019. The youngster is tipped for big things but this is expected to be a real test. Akaiwa enters the bout ranked #13 by the JBC at 140lbs and has won his last 3, which has seen him avenge his sole defeat and score a shock TKO win over Kenta Endo. This is a genuinely serious test for Sasaki and a win here will give him a huge boost after the disappointing end to his Rookie of the Year journey last year. A win for Akaiwa on the other hand will continue his great form and move him a step closer to a title fight. This is a real 50-50 type bout. In a bout that could, potentially, be an explosive bout we'll see Ryugo Ushijima (3-1-2, 2) and Ryukyu Oho (6-3, 3) battle in a 6 rounder. We were impressed and frustrated by Ushijima last year. His bout with Shota Ogasawara was an instant classic, but he then went 0-1-2 for the rest of the year, and failed to show any real development. Aged 19 and stood at 5'10" he is very much a growing boy and not the complete product, but we do need to start to see some improvements from the youngster, who has the size and frame to be a genuine prospect, despite his current record. Oho on the other hand has struggled for form recently, losing 2 of his last 3 including a 2018 Rookie of the Year bout with Hikari Mineta. This has the potential to be the hidden gem on the card with both men desperate to get a win. The 2019 All Japan Rookie of the Year Super Featherweight king Hyoga Taniguchi (3-2-2, 1) will be up against Yoshiki Tatsukami (4-6-1), in what will be Taniguchi's first bout since his Rookie triumph in December. The 21 year old Taniguchi has got promise but his lack of power could be a major issue, unless he develops it in the coming years. Coming in to this Tatsukami has lost his last 3, but has generally asked questions of fighters, testing Mirai Naito and Hokuto Matsumoto. We expect Taniguchi to take the win, but this will not be easy for the youngster. In an easy to over-look bout the limited but hard hitting Ken Koibuchi (5-4, 4) will be up against one of our favourite unheralded fighters Takuya Yamaguchi (4-11-2, 2). Coming in to this Koibuchi has lost 3 of his last 4 but two of those were razor thin decisions and he's certainly better than his record suggests. Yamaguchi on the other hand is a very likable loser, and the recent A-Sign documentary on him is brilliant, insightful and opens a door into the life of someone who has charmed us in recent years. We suspect Koibuchi will have too much for the 34 year old Yamaguchi. In a Rookie of the Year bout we'll see the unbeaten and charismatic Kosuke Tomioka (2-0, 2) in action against Shota Hara (2-2-1). Although he's still only a boxing baby Tomioka has been receiving a lot of attention for his exciting style and unique in ring flair, which we hope to see more of here. Hara is the older man, but is very much coming into this bout as the under-dog and we suspect he will struggle, despite having an under-rated counter punchers game. This coming Thursday fight fans in the US will get the chance to see one Asian fighters in action, with 2 different shows.
California, USA The most notable of the two contests features a Mexican based Japanese fighter taking on an unbeaten prospect. The unbeaten prospect is 21 year old American fighter Alexis Rocha (12-0, 8), who will be defending his WBC Continental Americas Welterweight title, as he takes on Japanese fighter Shoki Sakai (23-9-2, 13). The 28 year old Sakai has gone 0-2-1 in his last 3, but will be a live underdog here and could score his first win since beating Ashley Theophane in 2017.  Cebu, Philippines
The biggest card of the weekend comes form Cebu and is a stacked ALA card. The main event of the card will see former world title challengers Milan Melindo (34-2, 12) and Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr (31-4-1, 16) face off to crown a new IBF “interim” Light Flyweight champion, and decide the mandatory challenger for current world champion Akira Yaegashi. Melindo, fighting in his third world title fight, should be favoured here but Fahlan has put in his best performances as the under-dog, and the Thai is of course best known for upsetting Ryo Miyazaki. The bout should be a really intriguing one given the match up, and the fact that the winner moves into a world title bout this is an incredibly significant bout. In a support bout will see the world ranked Jason Pagara (39-2, 24) battle former world champion Jose Alfaro (28-10-1-2, 24) in an interesting 10 rounder. Alfaro is a long way removed from his short reign as the WBA Lightweight world champion, but still has power and could still hurt Pagara who has shown himself to be a genuine world class fight. Sadly for Alfaro his only chance is a puncher's chance. Staying with the Pagara family another bout will see the once beaten Albert Pagara (26-1, 18), who was last seen being stopped by Cesar Juaez, take on the tough but limited Raymond Commey (16-3, 9), who we saw lose to Qiu Xiao Jun not too long ago. The bout is a big question of Pagara's mental state, and whilst he should be favoured there is some worries that he will be damaged goods given the way he couldn't see Juarez and was stopped himself as Juarez rode the storm and came back strongly. Commey appears to be very durable and could be a real nightmare down the stretch for Pagara. A really interesting looking all Filipino under-card bout will see former OPBF title challenger Jimmy Paypa (18-3-1, 6) battle the under-rated Jerry Nardo (21-9, 11) in what could potentially help decide a future OPBF title challenger. On paper Paypa should be favoured, especially given that Nardo has gone 2-5 in his last 7, but Nardo can spring upsets at domestic level and this bout could be a banana skin for Paypa. Another good looking all-Filipino domestic bout will see Jeo Santisima (11-2, 10) face recent OPBF challenger Rex Wao (11-3, 9) in what look like a potentially explosive bout between very well matched fighters, at least on paper. One of the most promising Filipino fighters is Kevin Jake Cataraja (4-0, 3) who looks for win #5 as he takes on the more experienced John Kenan Villaflor (6-1-2, 2) on a minor step up, and will hopefully be Cataraja's final bout before being stepped up. Another unbeaten hopeful in action here is the big punching Melvin Jerusalem (10-0, 7), who takes on Bonjun Loperez (10-5-1, 5) in a bit of a stay busy bout for the unbeaten youngster. Batangas, Philippines A second Filipino card of the day comes from Batangas. In the headline bout on this card we'll see a rematched between the experienced Roberto Gonzales (27-2, 17) and Ryan Sermona (19-8, 12), who fight for the GAB Lightweight title. On paper it looks like a straight forward first defense for Gonzalez, who has won his last and 7 bouts, however he was stopped by Sermona when the two men first fought back in May 2012 and Sermona will be confident of scoring a second win over Gonzalez. In an interesting match up we'll see the experienced Al Sabaupan (25-2-1, 20) battle Jheritz Chavez (5-1-2, 3) in a real cross roads. Sabaupan had once been tipped as a world title contender but losses in 2012 and 2013 ended those hopes. Sabaupan has won his last 5 but hasn't shown his early promise in recent years and has only fought twice in he last 25 months. Chavez was beaten last time out but is unbeaten at home and could prove to be a total handful for Sabuapan. Another bout on the show will see Glenn Porras (29-4, 17) battle against the very limited Jayar Estremos (10-12, 4). Porras was beaten just 2 fights back, though that was back in December 2012 and he has did return to winning ways last time out. Estremos is a very limited fighter and it would be a huge surprise for him to test Porras, even with Porras' recent lack of activity. Icheon City, South Korea In South Korea fans will see former world champion Eun Hye Lee (8-1, 3) battle against Thailand's Nongnun Mor Krungthepthonburi (5-3-1) in a bout for the WIBA Flyweight title. Lee was unlucky to not become a 2-weight world champion this year, losing a controversial bout to Nana Yoshikawa. The Thai will be the huge under-dog and we can't see how she wins here. Mexico In Mexico we'll see Japanese born, Mexican based, Shoki Sakai (21-6-1, 13) face off with Jose Lopez (26-6-2, 15) in a really well matched bout. Sakai has suffered back-to-back setbacks, albeit controversial ones, and will be looking to score his second win of the year. Whilst Sakai has been unfortunate this year Lopez had been in a bad run of form, going 1-3-1 in his last 5 bouts over the last 14 months. This Saturday sees a lack of action actually in Asia but there is a couple of Asian fighters in action making a note of.
Moscow, Russia One of those is upset minded Filipino Rey Labao (27-8, 18) who fights in Russia against the unbeaten Russian based Armenian born Petros Ananyan (6-0-2, 3). This an easy looking bout for Labao however Ananyan has been fighting at Welterweight and scored notable results over Vaginak Tamrazyanm Baxrom Oayazov and Uktamjon Rahmonov. Labao holds wins over Masao Nakamura, Daiki Koide and Jay Solmiano and so will be confident of picking up a win here, though has lost 3 of his last 4. Distrito Federal, Mexico In Mexico fight fans will be able to see Mexican based Japanese fighter Shoki Sakai (21-5, 13) battle against Luis Jesus Vidales Gutierrez (9-4, 5). On paper the under-rated Sakai should be favoured however Gutierrez has proven to be an upsetter himself with wins over the likes of Ernesto Ortiz, then 9-0, and Antonio Moran, then 16-0. Sakai is coming in to this one on the back of a win in his US debut and will be looking to secure his 5th straight win.  Recent weeks have seen a rise in fights of note, and that's certainly the case this coming Saturday with a host of fights featuring Asian fighters, 3 of which feature world title bouts.
California, USA The most notable of those world title bouts comes in California as Middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin (34-0, 21) defends his WBA “super”, IBF and WBC “interim” titles against IBF mandatory challenger Dominic Wade (18-0, 12). The bout pits unbeaten fighters together but the reality is that the bout is widely seen as a mismatch with Golovkin a clear favourite and a man who is simply destroying the contenders at 160lbs as he continues to hunt more titles and unifications bouts. Cebu, Philippines Another of the world title bouts headlines a card in the Philippines and, like the bout in California, this one is also viewed as a mismatch. The world title bout in question will see WBO Super Bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (36-3, 23) defending his title against the very unqualified Hungarian challenger Zsolt Bedak (25-1, 8). For Donaire the bout will be his first since reclaiming the title in December, winning a very competitive bout with Cesar Juarez, and it's an easy first defense if we're being honest. Bedak has only lost once, losing by 10th round TKO to Wilfredo Vazquez Jr, but has done nothing since that loss to deserve a world title fight. Whilst the world title bout on this show is likely to be a exercise in pointlessness for the champion the show does feature a really tasty looking support bout as the touted Mark Magsayo (13-0, 10) battles former world title challenger Chris Avalos (26-4, 19) in a bout for the WBO International Featherweight title. Avalos has lost 2 of his last 3, by stoppage, but this should be a good test for Magsayo who is stepping up in quality fight by fight. On the under card are several notable fighters, one of which is Light Welterweight contender Jason Pagara (37-2, 23) who faces off against Mexican Miguel Zamudio (35-8-1, 21), who is best known for his exploits down at Featherweight, where fought for a WBA interim title. Sadly given the natural size difference this looks to be another mismatch in favour of the local favourite who seems to be treading water. Another undercard bout will see former world title challenger Rocky Fuentes (36-8-2, 21) ace off against Romnick Magos (12-5, 7, in what looks like a safe fight for Fuentes. The bout will be the “Road Warrior's” second contest since his stoppage loss to Roman Gonzalez in late 2014 and looks to be a case of staying busy rather than anything else. As for Magos the “Daredevil” will be looking for a career best result, though is unlikely to find it here. Sinaloa, Mexico The third world title fight to feature an Asian will see Filipino Richie Mepranum (31-4-1, 8) battle against WBC Super Flyweight champion Carlos Cuadras (34-0-1, 26). On paper this is a mismatch in favour of the Mexican champion, who is looking for his 6th defense of the title, but Mepranum has got experience at this level and holds a notable win over Hernan Marquez. Saying that however Cuadras should be too big and too good for the challenger. Notably however the winner of this will go into a mandatory title bout against Thailand's all action Srisaket Sor Rungvisai later in the year. Texas, USA In the US fans will get their first chance to see Mexican based Japanese fighter Shoki Sakai (20-5, 13), who makes his US debut against Texan Carlos Villa (11-2-1, 6). The bout should be a win for the under-rated Sakai, though travelling to Villa's home state may make things difficult for Sakai, Metro Manila, Philippines Back in the Philippines fans get a low level domestic card, with the most notable bout being a contest between former world ranked fighter Renan Trongco (17-6, 10) and domestic journeyman Ricky Oyan (4-27-2, 2), in what should be a straight forward win for Trongco. |
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