Victoria, Australia There isn't much action this coming weekend, as we await next week's bumper weekend, but there is some Asian action, including a trio of Filipino's in Australia. In one of the main bouts we'll see WBA Oceania Super Flyweight champion Andrew Moloney (13-0, 8) defending his title against Raymond Tabugon (20-7-1, 10), and also fighting for the OPBF Silver title. The talented Moloney won the title last year and will be looking to record his 4th defense of the title, and continue his success over Filipino's, including Renoel Pael, Jether Oliva and Markquil Salvana. Tabugon has fought on the road before, but has gone 1-4 outside of the Philippines, and is unlikely to come out on top here. In the co-feature Andrew's brother Jason Moloney (13-0, 11) will be defending his WBA Oceania Super Bantamweight title against Lolito Sonsona (21-1-4, 9) in what looks like a more competitive bout. Moloney, like his brother, will be the favourite for what will be his 5th defense of the title. Like his brother we've seen Jason defeat a string of Filipino's, but this does look like a step up in class. Sonsona is unbeaten in his last 8, with his only loss being a decision to the talented Ardin Diale. This could genuinely be a very good test for both men A third bout of note between an Aussie and a Filipino will see the once beaten Ibrahim Balla (11-1, 7) take on former world title challenger Silvester Lopez (28-13-2, 19). Balla comes into this having won his last 2 since suffering a stoppage loss last year to Neil John Tabanao and it's fair to say that the heavy handed Lopez will be looking to repeat Tabanao's success. Lopez has been inconsistent in recent years, but can be a handful on his day and won't have travelled to suffer a 14th loss. Texas, USA We also get some title action in the US as Kazakh Ali Akhmedov (7-0, 5) takes on fellow unbeaten Curtis Hill Jr (10-0, 5) in a bout for the WBC Youth Light Heavyweight title. It's always good to see unbeaten fighters face off against each other early in their career and it's hard to complain about this fight. The 22 year old Kazakh has proven to be dangerous early, with 5 stoppages in the openign round, but has also proven his stamina over 8 rounds. Hill on the other hand is less proven and this will be a sizeable step up for him. Jinan, China For the second day running we'll get low key action in Jinan, with a trio of 6 rounders. One of those is an all teenage bout which will see the unbeaten Jiancong Bao (2-0) battle Guangxiong Li (4-1-1). On paper this is a solid contest, though the lack of power, on behalf of both fighters, does make it unlikely that we'll see a stoppage. Whilst it's probably going the distance it could still be a very fun bout. Another teenager looking to extend his unbeaten record is Alimujiang Abulaiti (1-0, 1), who takes on a really stiff test against Jianzheng Wang (5-0, 3) in a Cruiserweight bout. This one really does look like a tough test for the teenager, but he may well have the skills, and power needed to over-come his 30 year old foe. Another notable unbeaten is Jianjing Wang (5-0-1, 3) who will be taking on fellow Middleweight southpaw Ju Xiang Huang (6-4-2, 5) in a second bout between the two men, who fought to a draw in 2016. In their first bout the judges all scored it 38-38, but this time around both men will be looking to close the show, or at least take a clear victory.
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This coming Sunday is set to be a very busy day in Japanese boxing circles Osaka, Japan The most interesting card of the day comes from the EDION Arena Osaka where Green Tsuda put on what looks like a really interesting show. The main event of the card will see Japanese and OPBF ranked Takayuki Okumoto (18-7-2, 8) battle against Filipino visitor Eranio Semillano (13-7-2, 4), with the Filipino himself holding a top 10 OPBF ranking. Both fighters will be entering this bout with the knowledge that a good performance could move them to an OPBF title fight, and both will also know that their opponent can be beaten, and can be stopped. Interestingly this is an southpaw bout with both men being 25 years old, but it's the visitor who will be the taller man. In the chief support bout we'll see the hotly tipped Kazuki Tanaka (6-0, 5) take on world ranked Thai Sukkasem Kietyongyuth (16-6, 11). Although inexperienced Tanaka is tipped for the top and is a former stand out amateur who has long been viewed as a future world champion in the making. On paper this could be a step up, given that Sukkasem has a #15 ranking with the IBF, but the Thai has lost every time he's faced a notable fighter, and was stopped in 5 rounds last year by Japanese champion Yusaku Kuga, with that likely being the marker that Tanaka will be looking to beat. Another Japan Vs Philippines bout will see exciting local Ryuto Kyoguchi (14-1-1, 10) takes on former world title challenger Silvester Lopez (27-12-2, 9). For Kyoguchi this is a real gut check with the youngster, the older brother of Hiroto Kyoguchi, having only had 1 round of in ring action in almost 2 years. At his best Kyoguchi is a real talent, but this is a genuinely tough test. Lopez, who fought for the WBC Super Flyweight title in Japan back in 2012, has picked up a lot of losses recently but is still a test at this level and did drop Sho Nakazawa back in 2015. Sylvester has power and could well be a banana skin if Kyoguchi over-looks him. Also on this card will be former OPBF champion Yu Kawaguchi (25-8, 12) and rising female star Fuka Komura (2-0, 1), who will both be up against low key Thai foes. Osaka, Japan Staying at the EDION Arena in Osaka there will also be a Dangan card. Originally it was set to be headlined by Ken Shiro defending the Japanese Light Flyweight title against Tetsuya Hisada but Ken Shiro chose to vacate the title, with a rumoured WBC title fight set to be announced, forcing that bout to be cancelled. Despite that the show will still go ahead and Hisada will get a shot at the Japanese title on April 21st. As a result of Ken Shiro vacating the Japanese title we now see the main event as a bout between defending OPBF Super Flyweight champion Rene Dacquel (18-6-1, 6) and Japanese challenger Shota Kawaguchi (20-7-1, 8). The bout is a pretty good one on paper, but one where Dacquel will be favoured and one that feels like a disappointing main event given that Ken Shiro was supposed to be headlining. In supporting bouts we'll see former world title challenger Atsushi Kakutani (18-5-1, 11) and unbeaten teenager Daiki Tomita (8-0, 2), both of whom will be battling against limited Thai visitors. Okinawa, Japan We also get a small card in Okinawa. The card really doesn't have much of note on it, but does feature one man who we suspect will be one to watch over the coming decade or so. The fighter is Lightweight puncher, and 2016 Rookie of the Year, Shawn Oda (5-0, 5). The teenager really impressed last year, debuting in May and winning the Rookie of the Year in December, and will be looking to kick off 2017 with a bout against Thai visitor Tienchai Sor Kanitsorn (2-8, 1). Tienchai is a regular in Japan, fighting his 10th bout in the country, and although he's there to be beaten by Oda we suspect the local will still be looking to give the fans a show before stopping the Thai. Shizuoka, Japan There will also be a low key card in Shizuoka. In the main event of this card we get a really good match up as former Japanese title challenger Cristiano Aoqui (11-5-2, 7) takes on the under-rated Noriaki Sato (4-1-1) in a bout at Welterweight. Aoqui's best success has been at 140lbs, where he fought the then Japanese champion Hiroki Okada last year, but it looks like he's moving up to continue his career. Sato on the other hand was forced up in weight after failing to make weight for last year's Strongest Korakuen, when he was unable to make 140lbs to face Koichi Aso. The bout should be an exciting one and a real crowd pleaser. In a supporting bout on this card the 21 year old Daiki Ichikawa (8-2, 6) will be risking his OPBF ranking against Takaki Sakurai (7-7-1, 3). Coming in Ichikawa is ranked in the top 15 by the OPBF at Lightweight and may well feel like he is just a few fights away from getting a title shot, something he is ill prepared for at the moment. As for Sakurai he's lost his last 5, but could still be a problem for the heavy handed Ishikawa, if the youngster is over-looking Sakurai. Daejeon, South Korea There is also set to be a very low profile card in South Korea. This card doesn't have anyone of any note on it , with the main event being a 6 rounder between Hyun Min Yang (4-1, 4) and Heuk San Lee (1-0-1). Metro Manila, Philippines The only Asian card of the day comes from the Philippines. The most significant bout of the card will see former 2-time world title challenger Jonathan Taconing (22-3-1, 18) look to bounce back from his recent loss to Ganigan Lopez, as he takes on the heavy handed Salatiel Amit (9-1-2, 7) for the vacant WBC International Light Flyweight title. Taconing is a bull in the ring and it's hard to see him losing here to Amit, however the 24 year old Amit will know that a win will put him in the mix for a world ranking and may well meet fire with fire, potentially leading to a war. Recent Kosei Tanaka victim Rene Patilano (15-2-2, 7) also returns to the ring following a loss, with the twice beaten Patilano taking on domestic journeyman JC Francisco (6-13-5, 2) in a key supporting bout. Patilano was made to look poor against Tanaka but this bout should be an easy win for the former world ranked Light Flyweight. Francisco is win-less in 10 bouts and is unlikely to change that here. Another fighter looking to bounce back from a loss is Wilbert Berondo (10-1, 4), last seen being stopped by the sensational Hinata Maruta. The once beaten Berondo will be facing off with Robin Dingcong (3-3-2, 1) in what looks like an easy return to the ring for Berondo, who was made to look very poor against Maruta, though it does seem like Maruta will make very good fighters look average in the years to come. Connecticut, USA The most significant bout, at least in terms of the world title scene, comes form the US where Japan's Ryosuke Iwasa (22-2, 14) battles the unbeaten Luis Rosa (22-0-0-2, 10) in an IBF Super Bantamweight world title eliminator. The winner of this will be particularly interested in the December 30th bout between Jonathan Guzman and Yukionori Oguni, and may well find themselves facing the winner of that bout next year. It's a major test for both and is a really good match up, worthy of it's eliminator status. Nevada, USA Staying in the US there are several Asian fighters in action on the Nevada card, headlined by Sergey Kovalev's bout with Andre Ward. One of those bouts will be a battle of unbeaten men as American based Uzbek Botirsher Obidov (6-0-1, 2) risks his record against Russian puncher Bakhram Murtazaliev (6-0, 4). This is a notable step up for both men and should prove to be a great test for both fighters, who have got a lot of questions to answer still. The other Asian is debuting Kazakh Meirim Nursultanov (0-0), who looks to make his first mark on professional boxing as he takes on the limited Henry Beckford (4-5,1) in a 4 rounder. Tasmania, Australia There is also notable action in Australia where unbeaten local Luke Jackson (12-0, 5) takes on Filipino visitor Silvester Lopez (27-11-2, 19). Coming into this Lopez is on a bit of a run having won his last 3, but has been inconsistent in the last few years going 8-8-1 in his last 17 bouts. A former world title challenger Lopez was one a threat at 115lbs but is now fighting well above his best weight and should be too small to really test Jackson, but may have the power to hurt the local favourite. Victoria, Australia In less significant bouts in Australia we'll see Brent Dames (3-2) battle against Australian based Thai Paitoon Jaikom (5-22, 2) and the unbeaten Kayne Clarke (1-0, 1) take on Arnon Yuchareon (1-15-2, 1) in two less than great match ups. Metro Manila, Philippines
The only Asian show this Wednesday comes from the Philippines and features a trio of title fighters, as well as a man looking to get back to winning ways. The best looking of the title fights, at least on paper, will see Jeffrey Arienza (14-4-1, 8) battle against Indonesian Wellem Reyk (18-13-4, 5) in a bout for the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Light Welterweight title. Although more experiended Reyk isn't the best fighter out there and has been stopped in 7 of his 13 losses, and it would be no surprise to see another stoppage loss here for the travelling fighter. In another title bout fans will see former world title challenger Silvester Lopez (26-11-2, 18) take on fellow Filipino Danilo Pena (27-24-4, 11) in a contest for the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Featherweight title. Silvester made his name originally at Super Flyweight but has out grown the division. This will however be his 6th bout as a Featherweight, where he is currently 4-1 and should advance his record here over a domestic journeyman. Talking about “journeymen” records shouldn't be what we judge fighters on, and few have proven that was much as Donny Mabao (22-15-3, 4), who will be making the first defense of the GAB Flyweight title as he takes on Felipe Cagubcob Jr (5-2-5, 1).in what could, potentially, be a very interesting match up. Last year we were impressed by Rolly Sumalpong (9-2-1, 4), who dropped Ken Shiro en route to a decision loss. Since then he has suffered another loss, to Toto Landero. Here we see him in search of a confidence building win as he takes on Ruben Traza (4-9-4, 1) in what should be a straight forward win for the 22 year old. Metro Manila, Philippines The action in May is pretty hectic after a slow start. The action doesn't actually kick off until May 4th when Filipino fans get a title double double. In one of the two title bouts fans will see the once beaten Jeffrey Francisco (13-1-1, 1) battle against Yusuke Suzuki (6-2, 4) for the EPBC Bantamweight title. On paper this might not look like anything special however it's a really good match up with Francisco's only loss coming to the very decent Jestoni Autida whilst Suzuki's only losses are to Ryoichi Tamura and Yusaku Kuga, two more very good fighters. The bout is likely to be a boxer vs puncher affair but a very good one to watch. The other title bout on this card will see the unbeaten Joe Noynay (10-0-1, 3) battle former OPBF title challenger Richard Pumicpic (17-7-2, 6) in what looks like a very tough assignment for the WBC International Super Bantamweight title. Noynay comes into this on the back of a draw against the under-rated, and under-sized, Alie Laurel in what was a coming of age fight for Noynay. For Pumicpic this is a chance to claim a notable title. As for the under-card on this card it features a host of notable fighters. Including the unbeaten Dave Penalosa (10-0, 7), former world title challenger Silvester Lopez (25-11-2, 18), the once touted Renan Trongco (17-6, 10) and the exciting Allan Vallespin (5-0, 5) The ridiculousness of Japanese boxing is on full show this coming Sunday with a staggering 5 shows, 3 of which are in Osaka alone, with two of those actually sharing a venue! Osaka, Japan The busy venue is the EDION Arena which is doubling up this Sunday. The first of the two shows is set to begin at 12:30 local time and is a relatively low profile Kazama promoted card. The main event of the Kazama show sees Japanese 154lb champion Yuki Nonaka (28-8-3, 9) defending his title against the under-rated Yuto Shimizu (11-2-2, 4) in a mandatory defense. On paper it's easy to favour the champion, who is very experienced at title level and is a genuine joy to watch. Shimizu however is the much younger man and is on an 8-0 run with wins against the likes of Hikaru Nishida, the current JBC/OPBF Middleweight champion, Takehiro Shimokawara and Yosuke Kirima. This could be a very good bout. In a notable under-card bout fans will see Japanese based Colombian Pablo Carrillo (18-4-1, 11) face off against Filipino veteran Donny Mabao (22-24-3, 4) in what looks like a mismatch, but could prove to be a good test for Carrillo, who is now managed by Hiroki Ioka. Whilst Mabao's record is “sketchy” at best he does come in to this one on a 3-fight unbeaten run, including a victory over Michael Enriquez and will be pretty confident coming into this bout. Osaka, Japan The second show at the EDION Arena in Osaka is a much more notable card with several bouts of interest, even if they are likely to be pretty uncompetitive. The nominal main event of the card will see the unbeaten OPBF Lightweight champion Masayoshi Nakatani (11-0, 6) defending his title against the limited, but very heavy handed, Tosho Makoto Aoki (20-13-2, 17). On paper this is a mismatch, there is no way of denying it, however Aoki has got a puncher's chance and will know that with his power his only chance is to take the fight to Nakatani. If the champion can take the power of the challenger then this will be a drama-less win for Nakatani, however Aoki's power may be enough to unsettle Nakatani's, or at least ask questions of the champion. A second title bout on this card will see Japanese Super Flyweight champion Sho Ishida (21-0, 11) take on mandatory challenger Ryuichi Funai (24-6, 16). This will be Ishida's 5th defense of the title and if he's successful his team will almost certainly do what they can to get him a world title fight later in the year. For Funai the bout will be his second shot at a title, and he'll be hoping for a better outcome than his last title fight, a 9th round TKO loss to Rolly Lunas. Notably the challenger is 7-0 (6) since that loss and will be riding a high coming into this one. A third bout of note here sees Kei Takenaka (10-0, 3) battle against Daoruang Saknarong (0-0) in a world title “prelude”. If Takenaka gets through this, she should, she will be matched with IBF female Light Flyweight champion Naoko Shibata in late Summer. Another bout on this card, and one which will infact split the title contests, will see OPBF ranked Flyweight contender Shun Kosaka (11-2, 2) face off against Kenta Yamada (8-5-1, 1). This is a relatively rare, at least for Japan, 10 round non-title bout and should help prepare Kosaka for a potential title fight in the coming years. Osaka, Japan The third Osaka card comes from the Sumiyoshi Ward Center and is a Muto promoted card that features some of the best matchmaking for the day, yet another title fight, and some potentially action. The main event is a rematch as the heavy handed Koki Tyson (9-2-1, 9), previously known as Koki Tyson Maebara, battles Petchsuriya Singwancha (15-11, 8) for the WBC Youth Middleweight title. Tyson made light work of the Thai in 2014, stopping him in 4 rounds, though was last seen suffering a 7th round TKO loss to Akio Shibata, in a bout that saw him being outboxed before being stopped. Since the first bout Petchsuriya has gone 2-1 though was notably beaten last time out by Kerry Hope, with the bout being given to Hope after the fight was reviewed by the WBC judges. The best bout on the card is another rematch as former multi-time title challenger Hiroyuki Hisataka (24-14-1, 10) faces off against under-rated Filipino Mark John Yap (23-12, 10). These two men met last year with Yap winning an 8 round decision, this rematch however will be over 10 rounds and could well see the winner getting a Japanese or OPBF title fight later in the year. Although the records may not show it, this really could be something very special. The main event isn't the only probably blow out, with the chief support bout being a contest between the explosive Masao Nakamura (21-3, 20) and the tough but limited San Saknarong (3-5, 1). The last time we saw the Thai he was stopped in 6 by Hidenori Otake, and it's hard to see him living with Nakamura, who will see a win a chance to move towards a well deserved title shot, potentially with Kenichi Ogawa in what would be a very fun shoot out. In a 4th bout of note Japanese ranked fighters collide as Masahiro Sakamoto (6-0, 4) faces off against Atsushi Aburada (10-9, 6) in a bout that could potentially decide a future Japanese title challenger. On paper Sakamoto is the favourite but Aburada is the more proven fighter and this could be a very tough bout for both, who know there is a lot to lose coming in to this one. Kobe, Japan One of the small Japanese shows comes from Kobe where fans will see a former world title contender and a former OPBF title challenger in action. The former world title contender is Teiru Kinoshita (23-1-1, 6) who will be looking to continue to rebuild his career following his loss to the excellent Zolani Tete in an IBF Super Flyweight title bout back in 2014. The Japanese fighter should be very heavily favoured here as he takes on little known Korean fighter Min Wook Lee (2-3), who is best known for losing to the then debuting Muhammad Waseem late last year. The former OPBF title challenger is Kazuya Murata (11-5, 5) who faces Tatsuya Yoneo (8-5, 1) in what will be Murata's first bout following a 5th round loss to Masayoshi Nakatani last August. Murata should win here, but it could be interesting to see if the loss to Nakatani did take something out of him. Fukuoka, Japan The smallest of the Japanese shows comes from Fukuoka where fans get a very small card with novices. All the bouts here are 4 rounders with the most notable being a Lightweight contender between Tsuyoshi Matsuda (4-0, 2) and teenager Seiya Matsunaga (2-1, 1), which shows the level of this card. Metro Manila, Philippines As well as the action in Japan there is also a show in the Philippines. The most notable bout here features former world title challenger Silvester Lopez (25-11-2, 18), who faces the limited and light hitting Prell Tupaz (8-30-5, 1) in what should be a walk in the park for Lopez. Sadly however Lopez has been inconsistent in recent years going 6-8-1 in his last 15 bouts. In a notable under-card contest 21 year old puncher Allan Vallespin (5-0, 5) will risk his perfect record against Jomar Borbon (4-23-2, 2). Vallespin has looked devastating so far and will be looking to continue that run against the experienced Borbon. Sao Paulo, Brazil In wonderful Brazil fight fans will be able to see India's Neeraj Goyat (7-2-2, 2) battle against Brazilian local Guilherme Castagnazzi Ribeiro (3-1, 3). Ribeiro has won his last 3 bouts in a combined 4 rounds, but this is a step up in class for the local and Goyat, although the naturally smaller man, comes into this one on a 7-0 run. This coming Saturday is a very busy day in Asian boxing, despite not having a real top tier fight. Metro Manila, Philippines Much of the action for the day is in the Philippines where fans get two shows. One of those is set to take place in Metro Manila and show case a former world title challenger who is really struggling for form. The former challenger is the heavy handed Silvester Lopez (24-11-2, 18) who takes part in a confidence building bout against Eranio Semillano (10-7, 3). The bout is technically a contest for the WBC Eurasia Pacific Boxing Council Bantamweight title, but the reality is that no one really cares about the belt and instead the key is to get Lopez a much needed win. The key under-card bout, for us at least, will see the unbeaten Joe Noynay (9-0, 2) risk his unbeaten record against Marvin Abila (4-10-1). This should be a straight forward win for Noynay however we haven't yet seen him step up and hopefully that will happen in the near future. Cotabato del Sur, Philippines The other Filipino card is from General Santos City and features several bouts of note. The main event will see recent OPBF title contender Mark Anthony Geraldo (31-6-3, 14) attempt to end a 2-fight losing streak as he takes on Ryan Rey Ponteras (13-11-1, 6). On paper this is a huge mismatch but, Ponteras has been over-looked in the past and has proven to be a banana skin, so could possible test Geraldo's resolve here. As for the key under-card bout, that will be a contest featuring the promising, but once-beaten, Jhaleel Payao (11-1, 6) who hopes to bounce back from a loss to Michael Dasmarinas, as he takes on Jeson Umbal (8-3, 6). This really is a great supporting bout and could well be the show stealer. Michigan, USA Staying with Filipino's fans in the US will get the chance to see the much touted Dodie Boy Penalosa Jr (14-0, 12) take part in his second bout in the space of 5 weeks. Penalosa Jr has been matched very easily here and will be up against “no hoper” Greg Coverson Jr (3-13-3, 2) in what should be a simple win for the 24 year old Filipino. California, USA Also in the US fans will get the chance to see Kyrgyzstan's Urmat Ryskeldiev (11-3, 7) take on promising puncher Nathaniel Gallimore (9-0, 8) in what could be a very explosive match up in Burbank, California. Shanghai, China In China there will be a rookie show, consisting of 10 bouts, all scheduled for 4 rounders. This is the next set of bouts in the recent Top Rank/SECA co-promoted deal from the Mercedes-Benz Arena and is hoping to, eventually, develop the next crop of Chinese talent. This coming Monday is a busy day in Asian boxing with a number of notable and important bouts. Osaka, Japan The biggest show of the day comes form Osaka where we get numerous bouts of note, each being significant for the fighters involved with neither man, in some cases, being able to afford a loss. The main event is a 10 round bout which will put highly regarded Japanese prospect Sho Nakazawa (6-0, 4) up against former world title challenger Silvester Lopez (24-10-2, 18). For Nakawazawa this is a massive step up in class and a really significant test against a big puncher who is considered to be on the slide. For Lopez however it's a chance to move towards another major fight, possibly and OPBF title fight, later in the year. Both men have a lot to gain with a win and we suspect we'll learn a lot about both fighters and where they are heading with their careers. Another notable bout will see the tough Myung Ho Lee (18-4-1, 6) battle against the promising Akiyoshi Kanazawa (12-3-4, 6). On paper it's hard to go against the 32 year old Lee, who is ranked by both the JBC and the OPBF, however at just 23 years old Kanazawa has youth on his side and is genuinely a fighter who has flown under the radar whilst improving markedly. It's a tough ask for the youngster but it's also a huge opportunity. A high profile 4-rounder will see Juiki Tatsuyoshi (1-0, 1), the son of the great Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, battle against the limited Naoki Okamura (1-3). This should be a straight forward win for the 18 year old Tatsuyoshi, though he'll have a lot of pressure on his shoulders, just for being his father's son, and will know that Okamura will be gunning for him here. The remaining bout of note, and one with direct implications on the Japanese title scene, will see JBC ranked Light Flyweight Kenichi Horikawa (28-13-1, 5) battle Il Che (7-8-5, 1). On paper this is a mismatch and Horikawa knows that. He also knows that if he loses here he will lose a shot at the vacant Japanese Light Flyweight title against Shin Ono. Che doesn't have the opportunity up for grabs if he wins but he will be given a notable ranking if he can upset his experienced foe. As well as the 4 bouts mentioned, this card will feature a further 5 bouts, Fukuoka, Japan The “secondary” card in Japan comes from Fukuoka where fans get an 8 bout card. Although there's 8 bouts in total most of them come at a low level with only 2 really standing out for us. The most notable of those is the main event of the show, which will see Yoshihiko Matsuo (18-5-6, 3) battle against Satoshi Ozawa (9-6-1, 2). On paper this should be an easy win for Matsuo, especially considering the fact Ozawa has been stopped in 3 of his last 5. Matsuo however will be risking his #9 JBC ranking and that may draw the best from Ozawa who knows that a win will kick start his fledgling career. The other bout of note will see Koki Ono (7-3, 4) battle Aiki Koto (8-2-1, 4) in a really mouth watering match up between fighters looking to to bounce back from losses. Ono's loss actually came last November, via majority decision, to Koto and he'll be looking for revenger here. As for Koto his loss was a stoppage in March, and he'll be looking to return with a win. Very good match up. Ulsan, South Korea There isn't much action today but what there is is a really interesting bout from Ulsan on South Korea for the IBF Youth Super Bantamweight title. The bout will see Ye Joon Kim (10-1, 4), one of the very few Korean fighters worth making a note of, take on Japan's Yoshihiro Utsumi (12-6, 7) in a well matched test. On paper it's perhaps viewed as a straight forward win for Kim, though he was pushed all the way last time out by Vergil Puton in what was a surprisingly tough bout. Utsumi did lose last time out, though was up against Yasutaka Ishimoto, and did run Ishimoto very close. Another bout on this card will see Sa-Myung Noh (7-2, 1) battle Filipino fighter Jaymart Toyco (15-7, 11) in the co-feature bout. Sadly with this being a KBF show the rest of the details from the card are scarce to find and are unlikely to ever be put on boxrec.com. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) We'll not pretend that this coming Friday is the best looking day in boxing this year but there is plenty of action, including an intriguing all Filipino bout and a Japanese fighter traveling to Mexico for a make-or-break bout. Metro Manila, Philippines In the Philippines there is an interesting card at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. The card isn't littered with huge match ups but there is a great bout and a few other notables in action. The stand out, for us anyway, will see Cris Paulino (14-2, 4) battle against Lolito Sonsona (18-1-4, 8) in a bout for the lightly regarded WBC Eurasia Pacific Boxing Council Super Flyweight title. Paulino impressed us last year with his smart boxing, prior to being stopped by Koki Eto in an OPBF Flyweight title bout. As for Sonsona he'll be hoping to extend a 5-fight unbeaten streak dating back more than 3 years. Genuinely an excellent domestic scrap. In a Flyweight title bout Renan Trongco (16-4, 9) will be defending his WBC International title against late replacement Rolio Golez (15-13-1, 6). Trongco enters this bout with a WBC world ranking and although he's a long way from being world class he does appear to be an attractive “target” to others who may view him as an easy step to a top rating. Golez, who has mixed in good company, shouldn't have anything to really trouble Tronco with. At Super Bantamweight the unbeaten Joe Noynay (8-0, 2) will be up against journeyman Edison Berwela (13-29-8, 3). On paper this is a mismatch but Berwela does come to win and may well managed to shock the youngster in a bout that is better than it “looks”. This is another of the WBC Eurasia Pacific Boxing Council title bouts. Another bout for a WBC Eurasia Pacific Boxing Council title comes at Minimumweight where the unbeaten Rolly Sumalpong (7-0-1, 4) takes on the unpredictable JC Francisco (6-9-4, 2). On paper it should be a mismatch, especially considering that Francisco is 0-3-2 in his last 5 but he is much better than those results suggest. This is by far the toughest bout, so far, for Sumalpong. Also on this card is former world title challenger Silvester Lopez (23-10-2, 17) who takes on Pablito Canada (4-5-2, 1) in a stay busy fight before facing Sho Nakazawa in Japan in July. The idea seems to be for Lopez to shake some ring rust and get a confidence building win before taking on the touted Japanese youngster. Mexico In Mexico we'll see Masayuki Kuroda (23-5-3, 14) will return to the ring on June 5th as he fights outside of Japan for the first time in his career. The 28 year old, best known for facing Juan Carlos Reveco back in 2013, will be up against Mexico's Mario Andrade (6-5-5, 1) in what really is a must win bout for the Japanese fighter. Victoria, Australia In Australia fans will get the chance to see limit Thai Morakote Patanakan Gym (9-5, 5) take on former OPBF title contender Omari Kimweri (13-3, 5). Morakote is limited and has been stopped in 2 of his last 3, including a 2 round blow out to Young Kil Bae, and will likely be stopped again here by the under-rated Kimweri, who gave Shin Ono a very close bout in 2013. Also on this card will be Filipino Alvin Bais (14-5, 3) who will be up against unbeaten puncher Ibrahim Balla (6-0, 4) in what looks to be a very tough bout for the Filipino. Thailand Although we're unsure who we have been informed that Channel 7 will be showing some fights. Sadly no details have been made available as of yet. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) This coming Saturday isn't a "big" day in terms of a big fight, but it is a packed day with a lot of fights involving Asian fighters, notably Filipino's. Haikou, China Possibly the most notable all-Asian bout of the day comes from Haikou in China where the heavy handed Froilan Saludar (21-1-1, 13) battles Indonesian tough guy Faris Nenggo (10-7-3, 3) in a bout for the WBO Inter-continental Flyweight title. The talented Saludar was being lined up for a world title fight though was said to need more preparation time and has instead taken this bout, which looks to be a mismatch. Although limited Nenggo has gone the distance with some world class fighters and is actually coming into this bout on the back of a career defining victory over former world champion Merlito Sabillo, who Nenggo stopped on cuts last November. We suspect Saludar wins here but he may find it difficult to stop the tough Indonesian fighter. Kunming, China A second Chinese card will come from Kunming where Zovi appear to be putting on a show of novices. In total there is 11 bouts scheduled for the card and the most experienced fighters on the card only have 2 career bouts coming into the show. Rather than going through the card we'll just mention that 10 of the bouts are 4 rounders with the only non-4 rounder being a bout scheduled for 6. That bout will see Jian Hai Fei (0-1) take on debutant Zhu Yuan Cai (0-0) in a bout at Featherweight. Metro Manila, Philippines For Filipino fans at home the day is a busy one with stacked card, though unfortunately much of the card is less than exciting. The main event of the show will see the hammer fisted Michael Farenas (39-5-4, 31) battle against Thai visitor Chaiyong Sithsaithong (36-13-4, 26) in what should amount to being little more a tune up for Farenas. The former world title challenger was disappointing last time out, when he was clearly beaten by Jose Pedraza, but is several levels about the tough but limited Chaiyong, who has only been stopped once. In the chief support bout we'll see the promising Rommel Oliveros (3-0-1, 1) take on veteran Ricky Oyan (4-23-2, 2). On paper this is a huge step up for the unbeaten 19 year old who has faced poor novices so far however Oyan has lost his last 14 bouts dating back more than 3 years, with 10 stoppage losses coming during that run. Another apparent mismatch will see former world title challenger Silvester Lopez (23-10-2, 17) battle against Danny Tampipi (5-4-2, 3). On paper this is a mismatch but Lopez's career really has fallen apart in recent years with 3 losses in his last 4 and a record of 5-7-1 in his last 13 bouts! Also on this card is the once touted Gabriel Altarejos (12-3-1, 4), who battles the very limited Diover Mangayaay (1-6-1). A few years ago Altarejos was 12-0 and a really promising youngster though he has gone 0-3-1 in his last 4 and hasn't been in the ring in more than 18 months. As well as the 4 bouts mentioned here there is a further 8 expected to take place on the card. Distrito Federal, Mexico In Mexico we see another Filipino in action as Jeffrey Arienza (12-3-1, 7) battles against Mexican slugger Dante Jardon (25-5, 20). Jardon, best known for his loss to Takashi Miura in a WBC Super Featherweight title bout, has gone 1-2 in his last 3 bouts and knows that he'll need to start stringing together wins if he's to be moved towards another world title bout. Unfortunately for Arienza he is 0-2 in bouts held outside of the Philippines and it's unlikely he'll be able to overcome “Crazy” Jardon. Tijuana, Mexico Staying in Mexico fans will get the chance to see former world title challenger John Mark Apolinario (18-5-3, 5), another Filipino, take on the unbeaten Edibaldo Ortega (20-0-1, 11). This looks just as tough at Arienza's bout, at least on paper, though we need to admit we know very little about Ortega coming in to this one. Queensland, Australia In Australia fans will have the chance to see the win-less Arnon Yuchareon (0-8) continue his career as he takes on Ben Kite (1-2). Kite isn't anything special and although Arnon hasn't won a bout so far he is better than his 0-8 record suggests and we'd not be that shocked if he managed to pull out the upset here. (Image courtesy of notifight,com) |
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