 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Tuesday Masayuki Ito’s “Treasure Boxing” will be putting on a card that really beggars belief in some ways, with 3 former world champions on it, with a combined age of 109, all competing in really interesting bouts, with a good chance that all 3 could end up picking up losses. The main event will see one of those former world champions in action, as WBO Asia Pacific Super Bantamweight champion Subaru Murata (9-0, 9) takes on former IBF Super Bantamweight champion Yukinori Oguni (22-3-3, 9), in what is probably the most likely of the bouts to see a former world champion come up short. The hard hitting Murata is seen as part of the new wave of Japanese fighters at 122lbs and his 9 career bouts have consisted of just 36 rounds, as he's won and defended his regional title and taken the 0's of 3 fighters, including Kaito Yamasaki who he beat in a thriller last year. He looks to be a star in the making, and a win here would boost his profile and standing. As for Oguni, the 36 year old former champion retired in 2017, after losing to Ryosuke Iwasa, but since then has fought on and odd, ending his retirement and going a very mixed 3-1-2. On paper that looks good, especially when you consider he has draws against Keita Kurihara and Johnriel Casimero, but in all honesty the real result of note was an opening round blow out loss to Fillipus Nghitumbwa last year, a loss that doesn’t bode well ahead of a fight with Murata. At his best Oguni was a skilled fighter, with good ring craft, IQ and the ability to use his feet. In recent years he has looked a slower version of himself, and against someone like Murata this could be a very painful day for the popular former champion. A second former world champion in action here is Masataka Taniguchi (19-5, 13), a former WBO Minimumweight champion who has failed to have the same impact at 108lbs. For this bout the 31 year old will be up against Condor Inaba (9-6-2, 5), in what looks like a mismatch. Notably however Taniguchi will be moving up from Light Flyweight to a contracted 51.5KG (113.5lbs) to take on a fully fledged Flyweight, who has nothing to lose and everything to gain. At his best Taniguchi is a very good boxer-puncher, who can get dragged into wars Kai Ishizawa, Wilfredo Mendez, Kenichi Horikawa and Phai Pharob are the standout ones on his record. Notably however he has had losses through his career, and lost last time out, to Thanongsak Simsri in December. As for Inaba this is a massive step up for him, and the 30 year will be the clear under-dog, but given his size advantage he will look to make the most of a career defining opportunity. Notably Ianaba’s record does show him losing 6 of 17, however his is something a little bit different and he is 5-1-2 since 2018, after a 4-4-1 start to his career. The oldest, and most respected and accomplished, of the former world champions is 42 year old Filipino legend Donnie Nietes (44-2-6, 23), who returns to Japan to take on Jun Ikegawa (7-1-2, 2) at Super Bantamweight. Nietes, a genuine legend and a 4 weight world champion who claimed world titles at 105, 108, 112 and 115, has etched his legacy over the last 22 years but is looking to add one final successful chapter to his career. His only other bout in Japan was his 2022 loss to Kazuto Ioka, a bout that seemed like his final career bout until earlier this year, when he beat Miller Alapormina and began an unexpected comeback, with this being the second bout of that comeback. At his best Nietes was an elite technical boxer, but at 42 and with just 6 rounds in over 2 years, it’s hard to know what he has to offer. Ikegawa on the other hand is a 27 year old Southpaw who made his debut in 2021 and has really put his name in the mix at the top end of the domestic scene, with wins over Issei Ochiai, Ryo Hino, and Tomoya Kishine, and draw against Shigetoshi Kotari and Toshiya Ishii, along with a loss last year to Ishii in a second meeting between the two. Given his size, age and activity, Ikegawa has a genuine chance to score a genuinely career defining win, even if the bout in question is a 6 rounder against a 42 year old, who made his name way lower down the weights. In other bouts on this card former amateur standout Ryusei Baba (3-2-1, 1) will face off with Yuya Kumagai (6-3, 4) and the once beaten puncher Kenshin Hosokawa (8-1-1, 6) will battle against American Adrian Alvarado (12-2-1, 6), who takes part in his second US bout following a win over Adrian Lerasan last October, in two very good supporting bouts.
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 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Saturday in Tokyo we get a good looking double header from Korakuen Hall as we get the 29th WHO'S NEXT DYNAMIC GLOVE on U-NEXT. The main event will see WBO Asia Pacific Super Bantamweight Subaru Murata (8-0, 8) make his first defense, as he takes on Filipino challenger Joseph Ambo (14-4-1, 9). Murata, who has long been tipped as one to watch following a successful amateur career, won the title in October, winning a thriller with Kaito Yamasaki, will know that if he can continue to pick up notable wins and work his way up the world rankings he might be able to pick up a title in a post Naoya Inoue Super Bantamweight division in 2026. He will however need to tighten up from the Yamasaki fight, where he was dropped, and a fight with Ambo is the ideal first defense. Ambo is no world beater but the Filipino is tough, hits hard enough to hurt fighters at this level, and is upset minded, as we saw when he shocked Darren Cunningham. He can be out boxed, as Kenji Fujita did a year ago, but he can't be overlooked and will give Murata good rounds. Notably Murata has only had 34 pro rounds in 8 bouts, and could do with going deep in a bout and Ambo might well drag him into the later rounds. The other title fight will see the fast rising Ryusei Matsumoto (4-0, 2) make his first defense of the Japanese Minimumweight title, as he battles Masatora Okada (9-5-1, 3). Matsumoto looks to be the next Japanese star at 105lbs, and has followed up an excellent amateur career by really impressing in his first 4 professional bouts, beating opponents with a combined 36-10-2 record, and claiming the Japanese title. In the ring Matsumoto looks like one of those fighters who can really do it all, and it all looks so natural, smooth and easy for him. His win over Katsuki Mori, for the title, late last year was an eye opener for many, and we suspect he will look to build on that moment here, then move onwards and upwards towards potential world title fights in late 2025 or early 2026. The under-card is also packed with really interesting fights. One of those is at 135lbs where Reo Saito (5-1, 5) takes on Go Hosaka (7-3-1, 5). Saito seemed to be on the fast track until he was beaten by the criminally under-rated Ryo Nakai, and this will be his second bout since then, as he looks to rebuild his momentum. He's heavy handed, talented, and a former stand out amateur, who at 26 years old still has his best years ahead of him. As for Hosaka he was touted early in his career, but has gone 2-3-1 in his last 6, including an 8 round decision loss to Ryo Nakai, and is now pretty much fighting to give his career a second chance after his recent setbacks. Given the styles of the two men and the mentality of both, and their need for a big performance, this could be an excellent contest, with real drama for both men. On paper Junya Shimada (7-0-1, 2) clashing with Filipino Jing Aguan (6-1, 4) should be good, however it does feel like Shimada should pick up the win here. The local is a really talented fighter, but he lacks the power to make a major mark on the top of the domestic scene, especially given how strong the Japanese scene is at and around 126lbs, for the time being. Despite that he does have a win over Michael Casama that has aged well. Aguan is a 31 year old Filipino who's wins have come at a very low level, with only his debut coming against a fighter with a winning record. Notably he was stopped last time out, taken out in 7 rounds by Fernando Tagpuno Jr., and really has nothing on his record to suggest he could test Shimada, despite how good it looks on paper. Having briefly mentioned Michael Casama it's worth noting that his former victim Kota Kaneko (6-1, 5) will be seeking his second win since being blown out by Casama in July 2024, as he takes on Christian Jude Capuno (7-2, 3). Prior to his loss Kaneko was building plenty of momentum but was totally jumped on by Casama and had no response when Casama hurt him. That will be a serious learning experience and something he will have learned more from than many of his wins. The 23 year old Capuno, who like Aguan and Ambo is also a Filipino on this card, is taking a huge step up here, and has already been stopped twice. He was once fighting at Flyweight, and whilst he last made 112lbs back in 2019 we suspect he'll look small here against the hard hitting and strong Kaneko who will be looking to make a real statement to begin the new year. Prudential Center, New Jersey, USA Over in the US former 2-weight world champion Miyo Yoshida (17-5) will look to bounce back from her 2024 loss to Shurretta Metcalf, as she takes on Hungarian fighter Beata Dudek (5-5, 4). The bout has been put together at short notice and appears to be a case of the talented Yoshida getting some ring time, rather than having a long lay off. Her career has, sadly, been full of lengthy breaks, and it's been a case of Yoshida not really getting to build on her momentum of big wins. She only fought once in 2020, once in 2021, once in 2022 and once in 2024. Her last fight, her second loss to Metcalf, came in October and despite this being a stay busy fight, we are glad to see her being kept busy. As for Dudek, the Hungarian debuted in 2023, won her first 3 fights, and managed to fit in 7 fights last year. Whilst she did go 2-5 during the year, she was never stopped and will be on there to give Yoshida good rounds, the sort of thing the Japanese fighter needs ahead of a potential third bout with Metcalf later this year.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Saturday our attention turns to Korakuen Hall for a brilliant show under the WHO'S NEXT DYNAMIC GLOVE on U-NEXT banner. The show features a truly mouth watering domestic clash between unbeaten men for a regional title, a Japanese title eliminator and a bout for a former world champion who continues to rebuild after losing his title in 2022. The mouth watering main event will see the hard hitting Subaru Murata (7-0, 7) take on fellow unbeaten fighter Kaito Yamasaki (9-0, 5) in a bout for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Super Bantamweight title, which was vacated by TJ Doheny ahead of his recent bout with Naoya Inoue. Of the two men Murata is the more well known, with the Teiken man being tipped as a star from his days as an amateur. Unlike many Japanese fighters Murata debuted in the US, stopping Keven Monroy in Las Vegas and had 3 of his first 5 bouts Stateside, before taking the unbeaten records of Alex Santisima Jr and Bryan James Wild in his last two bouts, both in Tokyo. As for Yamasaki he’s a fighter based in West Japan, and as is typical with fighters from Osaka, he's not had the fan fare of top prospects from East Japan. Despite that he has carved out a solid career for himself so far, scoring solid wins over Koshin Takeshima, Carlo Demecillo and Toshiyuki Takahashi. It’s fair to say Murata will be the favourite here but Yamasaki is no push over, and is hungry to make a real statement in the biggest bout of his career, and a huge opportunity. Given the styles of the two men this will mix technical work, with aggressive work from both and should end up being a real treat for fans at Korakuen Hall. In a main supporting bout we’ll see Hiromasa Urakawa (10-2, 7) and Yudai Murakami (5-2) face off in a Japanese title eliminator. Of the two men Urakawa is the more dangerous, and in many ways the more proven. He won the All Japan Rookie of the Year in 2020, when the final was pushed to early 2021 due to Covid19, and has avenged one of his two losses, overcoming Shinnosuke Saito to avenge his first loss. His only other loss was a competitive decision loss to the brilliant Hironori Mishiro, around a year ago. Although his record isn't littered with top fighters, he did score a great win over Shigetoshi Kotari in April and is legitimately a nasty puncher, with really spiteful power. Murakami on the other hand is the more naturally skilled and technical fighter, who had a respectable amateur background. Murakami suffered a loss early in his career but bounced back with 3 wins, including notable ones of Junki Shirasaki and Narumi Yukawa, earning him a 2023 shot at the Japanese Lightweight title, which he lost to Shuma Nakazato. Since that loss he has bounced back with a single win, over Hiro Ichimichi. Thai really is likely to be a case of Murakami’s skill, defense and ring craft, against the power of Urakawa, which should make for a compelling contest. The other major bout on this card will see former IBF Super Featherweight champion Kenichi Ogawa (28-2-1-1, 19) take on Filipino visitor Alan Alberca (13-8, 8). This really is little more than a bout to shake some ring rust for Ogawa, who has been out of the ring for over a year. The heavy handed Ogawa is looking for his third win since losing the IBF title to Joe Cordina in June 2022, and he’ll be hoping for a much, much better performance than he had in his 10 round win over Marvin Esquierdo back in September 2023. At the age of 36 Ogawa Ogawa doesn't have any more time to waste and he'll be hoping to not just win here, but win impressively enough to secure one more world title shot before his career is over. As for Alberca this will be his second bout outside of his homeland and is the biggest bout of his career so far. He's proven himself a capable Filipino domestic level fighter, but really shouldn't be expected to do much more than ask a few questions of Ogawa, before ultimately being stopped by the hard hitting Japanese fighter.  This coming Saturday isn’t a huge one for boxing, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad one, and in fact it has one of the best looking Who’s Next Dynamic Glove cards of the year so far, with 4 excellent international match ups which should push the winners on to bigger and better bouts.
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan This coming Saturday isn’t a huge one for boxing, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad one, and in fact it has one of the best looking Who’s Next Dynamic Glove cards of the year so far, with 4 excellent international match ups which should push the winners on to bigger and better bouts. The main event of the show will see former world title challenger Shokichi Iwata (12-1, 9) take on unbeaten Filipino Jahzeel Trinidad (11-0, 6), with both men knowing a win here could help set them up for a world title fight towards the end of the year. Iwata, who perhaps should have won the WBO Light Flyweight title in 2022 when he was unfortunate against Jonathan Gonzalez, has won his last 3, all against Filipino fighters, by stoppage, with a very notable win against Rene Mark Cuarto in that run. He’s proven to be an excellent boxer-puncher and someone who seems to have “future world champion” written all over him. Trinidad began his career fighting between Flyweight and Super Flyweight, and was 9-0 (4), but now appears to have settled at Light Flyweight, where he has stopped both Roslan Eco and Eldin Guinahon, to claim and defend the PBF Flyweight title. Although his record doesn't suggest he's a big puncher he has stopped his last 4 in a combined 8 rounds and will know if he can upset Iwata he will be very much in the mix for a world title fight. The chief support bout is another Japan Vs Philippines bout, as the very highly regarded Subaru Murata (6-0, 6) risks his perfect KO streak to take on unbeaten Filipino Bryan James Wild (12-0-1, 6). Murata was an elite amateur who made his debut back in 2021, doing so in the US where he has fought 3 of his 6 bouts so far, and has been stepping up the level of competition with every fight so far, with a win over Alex Santisima Jr in March began his best so far. This is, on paper, the next step in that same direction while he also moves onwards towards a potential regional title fight. As for Wild the 23 year old Filipino hasn't been matched too softly, facing some of the more notable Filipino domestic level fighters in and around Super Bantamweight, including Carlo Demecillo, Jess Rhey Waminal and Ryan Rey Ponteras. Wild will be the first fellow southpaw that Murata will face, and it’ll be interesting to see how he copes with that, but Murata should have too much for the visitor. A third bout matching a Japanese hopeful with a Filipino will see the unbeaten Kota Kaneko (5-0, 4) take on the hard hitting Michael Casama (9-2-1, 9). The 26 year old Kaneko looks to be a great fighter with a lot of potential, but also a lot of questions still to answer, and he's stepping up nicely here after seeing off Jhunrille Castino in March. He's quick, sharp, has a lovely jab, good footwork and solid power, but we've not really seen him being chin checked or facing any adversity. That could change here. Casama is a 23 year old Pinoy, who has proven to be incredibly dangerous early on, with 7 wins in the first 2 rounds. He has however stumbled in recent bouts, going 1-2-1 in his last 4, and been stopped twice, including his only previous bout outside of the Philippines, when he was stopped by Junya Shimada in September. If Kaneko can see off the early danger he should be able to move to 6-0 here. Whilst 3 bouts are Japan Vs Philippines, there is a Japan Vs China bout, and this might be the pick of the bunch, as the fast rising Kyosuke Takami (6-0, 5) takes on former world title challenger Wulan Tuolehazi (15-6-2, 7). The talented 22 year old Takami, has looked a star in the making in recent bouts, with stellar wins over Lito Dante and Kenichi Horikawa in his last 2 bouts. He looks to be one of the genuine rising stars of Japanese boxing, with skills, power and speed, and we wouldn’t be surprised by him fighting for his first professional title later this year. As for Tuolehazi, the Chinese fighter, who is now 31, has lot his last 2, but has mixed as a high level, beating Jayr Raquinel and Ryota Yamauchi, earning a draw with Sho Kimura and coming up short against Kosei Tanaka, Taku Kuwahara and Olimjon Nazarov. Despite Tuolehazi’s experience he is seen as the under-dog here against someone who looks like a nailed on future world champion. Spaceplus Bangkok RCA, Bangkok, Thailand As well as the show in Japan there is also a show in Thailand, though a smaller, less interesting card than the one at Korakuen Hall. One of the main bouts here will see former world title challenger Komgrich Nantapech (35-11, 25) look for his third win of the year, and bounce back from a loss to Jayr Raquinel, as he takes on limited novice Natthaphong Nuchaiyaphum (3-3, 3), who has won his last 2, but has lost every time he’s faced someone with some ambition and fight in them, The other bout of note here will see unbeaten men clash, as Sangkaphong Chomyong (7-0) takes on Ammarit Yaodam (1-0). On paper this looks like a mismatch in favour of Chmyong, but in reality it’s one that neither man has done enough to really be favoured in and should be an interesting 6 rounder especially given the fact neither man has scored a stoppage in a combined 8 bouts. It’s a bout that looks like it could be interesting, but we don’t imagine it’ll be the most exciting.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Attention turns to Korakuen Hall this coming Saturday for the next Teiken show, and it's a really interesting one packed with prospects all looking to secure their next wins, along with a Japanese title eliminator. The main event of the card will see the hard hitting Yamato Hata (12-1, 11) take on Yuna Hara (11-2-1, 6), in a bout to secure a place at the Champion Carnival next year, as the mandatory challenger for the Japanese title at 130lbs. Of the two men Hata will be regarded as the favourite, and he's not just the bigger puncher but also the man in form, having won his last 9 including notable wins over Shingo Kusano, Konshin Takeshima and Yoji Saito, who he stopped in March in a brilliant performance. As for Hara he had won his last 5, 4 of which he has won by stoppage, but this will be his first bout in Tokyo, and his most notable bout since a 2018 loss in the Rookie of the Year. Hara is talented, but this is very much a big step up for him, in enemy territory. The most notable of the prospects on the card is JBC and OPBF ranked hopeful Mikito Nakano (6-0, 5), who has looked sensational since his debut and is expected to secure his first title fighter sooner rather than later. The talented Nakano will be seeking his second win of the year as he takes on Filipino visitor Lorenz Ladrada (11-3-1, 3) , who has lost 2 of his last 3 including a 4th round KO loss to Dana Coolwell in July. That bout will Coolwell will likely be seen as the target for Nakano who will be wanting to take Ladrada out quicker than the popular Australian fighter. This is scheduled for 8, but if it goes the distance we'd be very, very surprised. The under-card on this show is packed with the next wave of emerging Teiken prospects. We won't go into details on the bouts individually, as every under-card bout features a notable prospect, but the card really does show the depth of talent at the Teiken gym. These under-card bouts are Kenji Fujita (2-0, 1) facing Ronnie Campos (9-4-3, 6), in a scheduled 8 rounder, and Subaru Murata (2-0, 2) against Marvilo Aballe (8-2-2, 3), Kota Kaneko (1-0, 1) battling Sugary Montales (3-1, 1), Reo Saito (1-0, 1) clashing with Jufel Salina (5-4-1, 4), Kyosuke Takami (1-0, 1) up against In Cheol Hwang (3-0-1, 1) and a battle of debutants as Keito Tanaka (0-0) and Hyuga Oki (0-0) face off, all over the 6 round distance. Spaceplus Bangkok RCA, Bangkok Whilst the card in Japan is about the next generation of Japanese stars, there is also a card in Thailand, which features both a touted prospects and a veteran, who is certainly moving into the end years of his career. The main bout here will see the unbeaten men collide, as touted Thai hopeful Yuttapong Tongdee (8-0, 4) faces Filipino visitor Herlan Gomez (5-0, 2) , in a bout for Yuttapong's WBA Asia Bantamweight title. The 29 year old Yuttapong is touted as one of Thailand's hottest prospects, and his win over Ryan Rey Pontmeras earlier this year for the WBA title is a big step towards him getting a notable international bout. Sadly he's in one of the toughest divisions in the sport, but if he's patient he will likely land a major fight Naoya Inoue eventually moves up to Super Bantamweight. As for Gomez this will be his third bout in Thailand, and comes on the back of two wins, over previously unbeaten Thai's earlier this year. He will, rightfully, be seen as the under-dog, but he will certainly have plenty of self belief thanks to his recent results. The veteran on the card is former world title contender Tewa Kiram (47-1, 33), who famously fought Lucas Matthysse back in 2018. Since losing to Matthysse he has gone unbeaten, racking up 9 wins, but has fought as high as 175lb and his most notable bout during this stretch was against former Bantamweight and Super Featherweight world champion Sirimongkol Singwancha. His career certainly feels like it's petering out, and at the time of writing his opponent for this bout is un-named, suggesting he won't be facing someone able to put up any kind of a test. Saigon Sports Club, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam As well as the notable action in Japan and Thailand we also get a mall card in Vietnam, featuring some of Vietnam's top prospects taking on international opposition. One of the more notable prospects on this card is Super Middleweight hopeful Dinh Hoang Truong (2-0, 2), who looked set for big things in early 2020, after dominating Yuttana Wongda in the Philippines, but has now been out of the ring for close to 32 months and will be looking to shake some ring rust here. In the opposite corner to Truong will be Indonesian veteran Robert Kopa (14-11-3, 4), who is not expected to put up much, if anything, of a test for Truong. Now aged 38 Kopa has lost his last 5, with 3 losses coming by stoppage and is without a win in 5 years. He i also the naturally much, much, much smaller man. Another prospect with some hope on their shoulders is 29 year old Huu Toan Le (4-0, 2), who takes on the highly experienced Silem Serang (18-23-3, 2). Le has managed to fit in a fight earlier this year, taking a competitive decision over Kitidech Hirunsuk in March to claim the WBA Asia title, and he'll be looking to build on that win, whilst also getting some valuable experience here. Whilst Serang does have a terrible looking record, he has shown some desire to change things in recent years, and has won 3 of his last 4, though was beaten last time out by Frengky Rohi, albeit in a well contested and competitive bout.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Monday we get the next show under the Dynamic Glove banner, and it's a really notable one, with the Japanese ring return of a notable Lightweight, an interim Japanese title fight and a chance to see 5 notable unbeaten prospects in action. The main event will see Masayoshi Nakatani (19-2, 13) return to Japan for the first time in well over 3 years, as he takes on Harmonito Dela Torre (22-3, 14). The talented Nakatani hasn't fought in Japan since he beat Hurricane Futa back in 2018. Since then he has fought 3 times, fighting Teofimo Lopez, Felix Verdejo and Vasyl Lomachenko. Despite not fighting in Japan recently Nakatani's profile has risen massively with those 3 fights and he has gone from being a fighter only known in Asia to a fighter with something of an international profile. As for Dela Torre, he's a talented fighter, but someone who has come up short in his most notable bouts, with losses to Tugstsogt Nyambayar, Yongqiang Yang and Shuichiro Yoshino, with that loss to Yoshino happening in his only previous bout in Japan. Whilst we suspect that Nakatani could see off Dela Torre early on, we actually expect to see him take a few rounds, enjoy the the feel of a Japanese audience and then, finally, get to work on finishing Dela Torre in the middle rounds. In the co-feature bout we'll see former Japanese Welterweight champion Yuki Nagano (19-3, 15) take on Takeru Kobata (11-5-1, 4) for the interim Japanese Welterweight title, with the bout being organised following an injury to Japanese Welterweight champion Keita Obara. Notably Nagano was supposed to face Obara for the Japanese title earlier this year, with that bout being cancelled due to Obara's injury which appears to be series enough for an interim title to be created. Coming into this Nagano knows he has everything to lose, and a loss to Kobata would end any hope of that Obara bout being re-arranged. As for Kobata this is a massive chance for him to make a name for himself, and coming in to this he really isn't well known, even in Japan, so this opportunity is absolutely massive for his career. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Nagano and Kobata clash for Interim title! One of the many prospects on this card is the much touted Mikito Nakano (5-0, 4), one of the very best prospects in Japan, who takes on Filipino Juanito Paredes (9-7-1, 4). The talented Nakano didn't fight at all last year, and has fought just once since the start of the pandemic. Despite his career stalling during the pandemic there is no denying Nakano's ability, and he's incredibly smooth in the ring, with a solid amateur career and an impressive transition to the pro ranks, which should see him fighting for a title of some sort within 3 or 4 fights. As for Paredes he's unlikely to put up much of a test for Nakano, though we wouldn't be surprised to see him take Nakano into the later rounds of the bout. Notably Paredes has turned his career around well, after a 1-4-1 start to his career, but he has lost 2 of his last 3 and is facing arguably the most talented fighter he's faced so far. A second unbeaten hopeful taking on a Filipino visitor is Katsuya Fukui (3-0, 2), who will face off with Jason Buenaobra (8-6-3, 3). The talented Fukui began his career in 2019 but sadly was out of the ring for the entirety of 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. He return last year with a career best win, over Hiroki Hanabusa, and will be looking to build on that win here. As for Buenaobra, he is best known for his 2020 loss to Daigo Higa, in what was Higa's long awaited and since then has gone 1-1 suggesting. Sadly for Buenaobra he is 1-3 in his last 4 and it would take a career best performance for him to over-come the must touted Fukui. Another former amateur standout taking on a Filipino visitor is Subaru Murata (1-0, 1), who battles against John Mark Tihuk (6-1-2, 2). The talented Murata, who is one of the most notable Japanese amateur in recent memories, debuted last June in Las Vegas, when he stopped Keven Monroy on a Top Rank card, and he'll be expected to be moved very quickly now, especially given the time that he's wasted since hanging up the vest and turning professional way back in 2020. Notably the Japanese local isn't being matched easily here, and Tihuk is no push over, in fact the 23 year old Pinoy reached the semi final of the UBS tournament in 2020 and has reeled off 4 straight wins since then, taking 3 unbeaten records along the way, including that of Ranelio Quizo. This should serve as a genuine test for Murata. One other bout worthy of note will be the debut of 24 year old hopeful Kota Kaneko (0-0), who went 56-13 as an amateur. The promising 24 year old will be up against Thai visitor Pasith Visetso (6-2, 4), who is ranked #9 in Thailand. Kaneko really did look like a promising talent in the unpaid ranks and there are big hopes in the Teiken gym for him, and his future in the sport. As for the Thai, he's a 21 year old who will be fighting outside of Thailand for the first time. On paper Viseto doesn't look anything special, and his wins have come against fellow novices, though it's worth noting that he faced Kongfah CP Freshmart, though he was stopped in 3 rounds in that bout.  This coming Saturday is set to be an incredibly busy day for fighters from Asia, with a host of Asian fighters competing in the US and a handful also competing in Russia
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA The biggest card for us this weekend comes from Las Vegas and is a Top Rank card with 4 different Asian fighters involved, including a debutant from Japan, an Olympic gold medal winner from Uzbekistan, a world ranked Kazakh and a talented and tricky Japanese Lightweight. The debuting Japanese fighter is former amateur standout Subaru Murata (0-0), who looks to kick off his professional career with a 4 round bout against fellow professional novice Keven Monroy (1-1, 1). Murata is tipped incredibly highly after a strong amateur career, and some in Japan do view him as a future world champion in the making. Despite the hype and the expectations he will need to impress here, and is getting a chance to shine, in front of a global audience, on a major US show. The Uzbekistani Olympic gold medal winner is Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (9-1, 5), who also needs to shine as he takes on the unbeaten Quinton Randall (8-0, 2). Gaibnazarov won gold at the 2016 Olympics and was tipped for big things, but has struggled to acclimatise to the professional ranks and hasn't really bounced back from a 2019 loss to the awkward Mykal Fox. Randall on the other hand is 30 years old and fighting in his most notable bout to date. Coming in to this one neither man can really afford a loss and although we're not expecting a fight of the year contender this could be a very, very interesting contest between two men who will both be looking to prove a point On the subject of interesting contests the chief support bout on this card will see talented Kazakh Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (9-0, 5) take on former WBA "regular" Middleweight champion Rob Brant (26-2, 18), in a huge step up in class for Alimkhanuly. The Kazakh is already world ranked, after just 9 bouts, and has been calling out Demetrius Andrade over the last 12 or so months. A win against Brant here will really strengthen his call outs and could help him land a world title fight later in the year. As for Brant this will be his second bout since losing to Ryota Murata in 2019 and he'll know that a win over Alimkhanuly could, potentially, lead to him getting a chance to become a 2-time world champion. This is a true 50-50 style match up and one of the most interesting looking bouts on the schedule right now, with both men likely feeling they have what it takes to score a victory here. As for the main event we'll see once beaten Japanese Lightweight Masayoshi Nakatani (19-1, 13) taking on former Ukrainian amateur boxing god Vasyl Lomachenko (14-2, 10), in a really important bout for the Lightweight division. The tall, rangy, tough Nakatani has impressed in his last two bouts, losing a competitive bout with Teofimo Lopez and stopping Felix Verdejo, and he'll know that a win here would almost certainly secure him a world title bout, potentially even a rematch with Lopez. As for Lomachenko he looked rather poor last time out, losing a decision to Lopez, and there are question marks about whether he's a natural Lightweight, and at 33 what his long in ring career has taken from him. This is a great opportunity for Nakatani, though he will be the clear under-dog against the magical Lomachenko. State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, USA As well as the collection of Asian fighters competing on the Top Rank show in Nevada we also bet the chance to see once beaten Uzbekistan born fighter Batyr Akhmedov (8-1, 7) take on Dominican veteran Algenis Mendez (25-6-3, 12) in a very good looking match up. This is Akhmedov's second bout since his fantastic 2019 bout with Mario Barrios, in what was a legitimate Fight of the Year contender, and is a big step back up in class after a win last September against the limited Rey Perez. Mendez on the other hand is a faded for from the fighter he once was, but he's still a smart and capable fighter, and he'll know that a win here puts him in the mix for some big fights. Expect to see this being a really interesting clash of styles with Akhmedov's pressure and aggression matching up against Mendez's guile and boxing brain. 801 Event Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA On a third US card we'll see Uzbekistani veteran Ravshan Hudaynazarov (18-4, 14) battle against the unbeaten Sergio Sarabia (5-0, 4). The 37 year old Hudaynazarov won his first 17 bouts before disappearing from the sport in 2014. Sadly when he returned in 2018 he lost 4 in a row, before picking up a very low key win in April this year. The 29 year old Sarabia on the other hand hasn't fought since 2013, and although he's unbeaten we have to assume ring rust will be a major issue for him here. RCC Boxing Academy, Ekaterinburg, Russia As well as the action in the US there's also a show in Russia that features some Asian fighters. One of the Asian fighters on this card is Southpaw Erzhan Turgumbekov (8-2-1, 2), who looks to bounce back from back to back losses as he takes on Zhora Hamazaryan (10-3-2, 7) in a very good looking 10 round Super Featherweight bout. After going unbeaten in his first 9 bouts Turgumbekov will now have low confidence and be questioning his place in the sport, knowing another loss could be the end of his place in notable bouts on RCC shows. On paper Hamazaryan doesn't have the best of records, but the Armenian is a genuine handful and with his aggression, power, work rate and will to win, he should be regarded as the favourite here, in what could be the hidden gem of the weekend. Another Asian on this card is Turkmenistan's Bahodur Yakubov (1-0), who looks to build on his debut win over Viktor Vezhlivtsev. At the time of writing his opponent here hasn't been named, though he's expected to be competing in a 4 rounder on this show. |
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