April 5th-Alimkhanuly looks to defend, Yamanaka looks to unify against Rupprecht and a lot more!4/1/2025  This coming Saturday is a really hectic day of action across Asia, with numerous shows, and some very big fights featuring Asian fighters.
Barys Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan The biggest show, by some margin, is in Kazakhstan where we get a unified world champion defending his titles, and several strong supporting bouts as Kazakhstan put on their biggest show of the year, The main event will see IBF and WBO Middleweight champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11) defending his title against unbeaten challenger Anauel Ngamissengue (14-0, 9), a French based Congolese born fighter who has really got this shot by virtue of the division being hilariously weak. Coming into this the Middleweight division is a legitimate mess, with no one really standing out, and despite holding two world titles Alimkhanuly really hasn’t had a statement win, and in fairness there really isn’t many fighters at 160lbs who would allow him to change that. Sadly for the champion a win over Ngamissengue won’t change that, despite the unbeaten record. Ngamissengue has fought just 3 bouts scheduled for more than 6 rounds, his most notable win is an 8 round win over Fiodor Czerkaszyn in Poland, and he has done nothing to merit a world title fight. Despite the bout really being a mismatch, it does give Kazakh fans a world title bout, something they don’t get many of, and it allows Alimkhnauly his first bout at home in almost 8 years. In a much better bout, at least on paper, the unbeaten Sultan Zaurbek (19-0, 13) is set for a genuine test as he takes on former world title challenger Azinga Fuzile (18-2, 12) in a really good bout. Zaurbek, who is now 28, has long promised to be a star, but has had frustrating performance and lacks a clear standout win, beating lots of solid fighters but no one that pushed him towards a world title. A win here, however, would set him up for a world level bout, and legitimately be a breakout win for him. As for Fuzile, the talented, slippery and accurate South African is a real handful who has only been beaten by Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov and Kenichi Ogawa, in a world title eliminator and world title bout respectively. He is no push over, and has a lot of tricks in the locker, tricks that Zaurbek will need to answer if he’s to come out on top. Other bouts of note on this card include Batyrzhan Jukembayev (23-1-0-2, 17) facing off with Kane Gardner (17-4, 7) and Otabek Kholmatov (12-1, 11) taking on Jason Canoy Manigos (30-12-2, 20). Both Jukembayev and Kholmatov have only been beaten at world level, and both of them will be hoping to secure another world title bout in the near future. For Jukembayev he was broken down by Subriel Matias in 2021 and has reeled off 5 wins since then, and knows if he keeps that winning streak going he will land another title bout, and he will be expected to pick up an easy win here. As for Kholamtov, he’s in with a durable Filipino fighter, who will take him rounds, but should be looking to shake some ring rust before moving towards a second world title fight following his late TKO loss to Raymond Ford in early 2024. Canoy is the perfect foe for him here, and we’d expect Kholmatov to be right back in the title mix by the end of the year. MBS Arena, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany On the subject of world level bouts, it’s not just Alimkhanuly fighting at the highest level, but also Germany’s triple champion Tina Rupprecht (14-1-1, 3) and Japan’s Sumire Yamanaka (8-0, 3), who fight to crown and undisputed Atomweight champion. Coming into the the once beaten Rupprecht is the WBA, WBC and WBO champion having unified the 3 titles with a win last year over Eri Matsuda, whilst Yamanaka holds the IBF title, which she won over a year ago and has yet to defend. This is expected to be a high level, high tempo bout between two of the best in the division, in what will almost certainly be over-looked by those who don’t make an effort to follow female boxing, but really should. Sadly for Yamanaka this will be her first bout outside of Japan, her first bout in over a year, and a notable step up in class, which doesn’t bode well for her chances, especially not in Germany against someone as good as Rupprecht. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan We get more title action in Tokyo, as we get a brilliant OPBF title fight and several other bouts of note. The main event will see the heavy handed Yamato Hata (16-2, 15) defending his OPBF Super Featherweight title against rugged veteran Takuya Watanabe (41-13-2, 22), in a really good looking bout. Hata, who is looking for his first defense, enters this bout on the back of 4 straight wins, all inside the distance, and has stopped 5 of his last 6. He’s heavy handed, but naturally heavy handed, and his power works well behind his decent boxing, as opposed to him fighting like a crude slugger. Watanabe, despite 13 losses, is a true veteran, who belongs at this level, and has long been something of a regional level gatekeeper, with high toughness, desire and work rate always making him a fun fighter to watch, just as we saw last year when he lost to Mickey Roman in a real burner. This is Hata’s power against Watanabe’s toughness in what should make for a great fight. Other bouts on this card include a bout between former IBF Super Featherweight world champion Kenichi Ogawa (29-2-1-1, 20) take on Melchor Roda (9-4, 6), in what looks like little more than a stay busy fight for Ogawa, who should be facing better opponents than Roda, even in a stay busy or tune up contest. Ogawa, despite being stopped in his first world title defense, is a very solid boxer-puncher, and should be facing good regional level fighters, not someone as limited as Roda. Other bouts on this card include Kento Uchigamae (4-2, 1) taking on Korean Dong Hoon Jang (7-0, 3) and the unbeaten Junya Shimada (7-0-1, 2) clashing with Taison Mukaiyama (9-5, 5) in what should be very solid match ups, unlike the Ogawa bout. Showa Sports Center, Nagoya, Japan Over in Nagoya we get a card with a second generation fighter looking to get his career back on track after a recent loss, and that is Kento Hatanaka (15-1, 10) who looks to bounce back from his August 2024 loss to Thananchai Charunphak, who showed how good he was in a very close WBA world title bout against Seigo Yuri Akui. Hatanaka, the son of former world champion Kiyoshi Hatanaka, will be up against experienced Filipino traveller Wilbert Berondo (17-8-2, 6) in what should be a good bout for Hatanaka’s development. “Prince” Hatanaka has long been a notable prospect, but has shown lots of flaws that haven’t yet been ironed out. Berondo, although no world beater, has the tools to give a guy like Hatanaka tough rounds, ask questions and take the best he has to offer. This should be, a good 10 rounder with Hatanaka forced to dig to win. He should win, but we expect he’ll have to work hard for the win. Sangyo Shinko Center, Sakai, Osaka, Japan Another Japanese card with some solid looking action comes from Sakai City, where we get 4 bouts of some note, featuring some very promising young fighters. The main event of this show will see the hard hitting Ryuya Tsugawa (13-2, 9) take on Filipino visitor Carlo Demecillo (18-10-2, 10). This will be Tsugawa's first bout since losing in a very competitive Japanese title bout against Toshiki Shimomachi in September, and it’s hard to imagine anything other than a one sided bout here, given the way Tsugawa lost to Shimomachi and his power, aggression and skills. Demecillo is rugged, tough, and knows how to survive, but has typically been fighting at Super Flyweight and Bantamweight and is now up against a very dangerous Super Bantamweight. Demecillo will be required to show his toughness here, but it’s hard to see how he can make the bout competitive. The chief support bout on this card is another Japan Vs Philippines bout, as the unbeaten Kaishu Harada (6-0, 2) faces Alfred Deano (13-1-1, 10). The 24 year old Harada is ranked by both the JBC and OPBF and looks to be someone going places, despite a relative lack of power. He is skilled, accurate, has a very accurate straight left and throws some lovely combinations. Deano on the other hand is a power puncher, with real danger in his hands. Dubbed the "Destroyer" Deano has stopped 10 opponents in 13 fights, with 7 wins in the first 2 rounds. He did lose last time out, but it was a very close split decision in China to ZhiGang Zhang, and many felt he was unlucky to lose that. Thai really could be something very special, between two men with very different styles Another noteworthy bout on this card will see former WBO Asia Pacific Light Flyweight champion Daiki Tomita (18-2-1, 6) climbs all the way up to Bantamweight to take on Daichi Hirai (9-5, 1). Tomita, who won the WBO AP title title way back in 2019 before losing it in his first defense against Kenichi Horikawa, is unbeaten since 2020, though has been out of the ring since a draw in 2022 with Rikito Shiba, and it'll be interesting to see what he's like after a long break, and with the move up in weight. As for Hirai he has had really mixed results going 4-4 in his last 8, dating back to 2022, and whilst he can score upsets, as he did against Riku Yamashita and Seong Yeong Tang, he has also come up short against Ryosuke Nasu and Taichi Sugimoto, and for an opponent at Bantamweight he might well have the perfect style for Tomita to over-come in a high tempo, though technical, contest. One final bout of interest here will see the limited but very fun to watch Shunsuke Hamada (6-6-1, 3) face off with unbeaten South Korean Ro Jun Seo (7-0, 2). The 26 year old Hamada is aggressive, and comes to fight, though is limited, has defensive flaws, and has been stopped in 2 of his last 4 bouts. He's not a world beater, but he is fan friendly, and makes for good action bouts. Seo on the other hand is 27, and started hsi career more than 7 years ago, before taking a 6 year break. He returned to the ring last year, took a narrow win over Su Jin Bang, and is looking to build on that victory here. He’s lacking power, with his last stoppage coming way back in 2018 in his third bout, but that should lead to a very fun fight given Hamada’s aggressiveness. City Plaza Yayoinokaze Hall, Izumi, Osaka, Japan We also get another small show in Izumi, with Senboku Promotions putting on a show that has a few interesting lower level domestic bouts. The card doesn’t have a stand out bout, but does have some good domestic clashes. The most notable of those Super Featherweights bouts between Taketo Yamahara (4-2, 2) and Kenta Maki (6-4-1,4), and Shido Arai (8-5-1, 4) and Kazuki Iwasaki (2-2, 1). None of the 4 men are expected to go far, but both of these are well matched 8 rounders, likely to go the distance, and likely to be very well contested. Of the 4 Maki is probably the best, and the most dangerous, but his potential certainly seems to be a long, long away from a domestic title.
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 Olympiastuetzpunkt, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
The main card for us this coming Saturday is in Germany where we see the Atomweight take it’s next step towards having a true divisional queen, on a share that features all 4 major world titles, between the 3 champions over 2 fights. One of the two fights will see unbeaten IBF champion Sumire Yamanaka (8-0, 3) face off with once beaten challenger Fabiana Bytyqi (21-1-2, 5), from the Czech Republic, a former WBC champion herself. Yamanaka, the younger sister of former WBO Minimumweight champion Ryuya Yamanaka, is a 22 year old who raced to the top. She won regional honours in her 6th bout and the IBF title just 2 bouts later, defeating veteran Mika Iwakawa. Despite her success so far this is a major step up in class and her first bout outside of Asia, and her second outside of Japan. As for Bytyqi the 28 year old former world champion is highly experienced having made her debut back in 2015 and won the WBC Atom world title in 2018, when she beat Denise Castle. As the WBC champion at 102lbs Bytyqi made 4 defenses before losing the belt in German in January against Tina Rupprecht. Although experienced and with a number of world title bouts to her name, Bytyqi does lack a signature win and does have something of a bloated record, which may prove to be an issue here. The main event will see Germany’s Tina Rupprecht (13-1-1, 3) defending the WBC title she won from Fabiana Bytyqi as she takes on WBA and WBO unified champion Eri Matsuda (7-1-1, 1), from Japan, with the winner set to come away with 3 of the 4 titles. Fighting at home Rupprecht will have the crowd behind her and she has shown she belongs at this level, with wins against Joana Pastrana, Anne Sophie Da Costa, Yokasta Valle, Katia Gutierrez and of course Bytyqi, with her only loss coming to the sensational Seniesa Estrada in the US last year. She’s highly skilled, hungry to make a point and will have the crowd roaring her on. As for Matsuda the bout will see her not only fighting outside of Japan for the first time, but also facing off with her first non-Japanese opponent. Matsuda has been moved at an incredible pace, winning a regional title in her second bout, unifying it with a Japanese title in her 4th bout, fighting for world titles in her 5th and 6th bout before winning the WBA and WBO titles in January with a win over Yuko Kruoki. Despite this being her first defense it will be her 4th bout at world level, and in the ring she has shown she belongs at the level, with a close loss to Ayaka Miyao, a draw with Saemi Hanagata and a win over Kuroki. This really should be a great technical bout, fight at breakneck speed, and giving us a great mix of skills and action, though perhaps lacking in drama as neither has a great deal of power. Nova Boxing Gymnasium, Incheon, South Korea In South Korea we have a small 4 rounder show at the Nova Boxing Gym, with the show serving as the 8th edition of the Nova Boxing's "We Box" series. The series is a novice series, featuring novices and debutants and is used to develop raw fighters. This specific card will see 7 fighters make their debuts from the 9 bouts scheduled, and the most experienced fighter on the card is 4 fight "veteran" Hyung Kyoo Park (2-2, 1). Park will be up against 17 year old Joon Kyoo Choi (1-1), who will be fighting for the third time this year. As with all Korean shows the bouts are expected to provide a lot of great action, even if the quality of boxing is low, but trying to talk too much about the contests is tricky given the lack of experience the fighters involved have. Regardless, these Nova Boxing shows tend to be a lot of fun to tune into, where the fighters don’t have ego’s defense is limited, excitement is high and offense is intense. Mixfight Pattaya , Pattaya, Thailand We also have low level action in Thailand, though this show is more interesting than the Korean card with two interesting bouts on it. One of those bouts will see Thai based British fighter Michael Alan Flannery (11-0, 9) go for win #12 as he takes on the limited Thoedsak Sinam (24-16, 20). Flannery, who has had 10 of his 11 bouts in the Land of Smiles, really shouldn't struggle here, though it is worth noting that he is stepping up a level here after a string of bouts against novices and incredibly poor opponents. The 28 year old Sinam, fighting in his 41st pro bout, is dangerous, at least against low level fighters, but is also lacking durability with 9 stoppage losses in 16 defeats, 7 of which have come since the start of 2022. The question here isn’t who will win, but how quickly they will win. The other bout of interest on this card will see Cuban born Thai based fighter Daniel Rodriguez (1-0, 1) go for his second win, as he takes on hard hitting local Kritsana Srisang (10-2, 9). Rodriguez made his debut in late October and the 22 year old may well become one of the more interesting Thai based fighters, given he's a Light Middleweight, Cuban and already taking on a credible looking fighter. The 29 year old Srisang is no world beater, but is a former Thai champion at 154lbs and lasted into round 4 when he fought Jackson Griffiths last December.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
To kick off a new month we have one of, if not the, best all female of the year with a show at Korakuen Hall featuring 5 title bouts, all of which are female title bouts and all of which look interesting in their own way. One of those bouts will see the touted Sumire Yamanaka (5-0, 1) take on Honoka Kano (4-0-2, 2) in a bout for the vacant Japanese Atomweight title. Of the two the more well known is Yamanaka, the younger sister of former world champion Ryuya Yamanaka, who was ear marked as one to keep an eye on when she first turned professional. As for Kano she gone under-the radar, but will see this as her chance to make a mark and leap out of the shadows. For both women this is the most notable bout of their careers so far, and the first title bout for either woman. Our preview of this bout can be read here Yamanaka and Kano battle for Japanese title A second Japanese title fight will again see unbeaten fighters clash as former amateur standouts Mizuki Hiruta (2-0) and Hinami Yanai (2-0, 1) face off for the Japanese female Flyweight title. Of the two the more proven is Hiruta, who scored a big win last time out against Terumi Nuki, however she can't afford to over-look Hanai, who's style is likely to give Hiruta real problems. Hiruta is a wonderfully talented pure boxer, but Yanai is smart, aggressive and strong, and could well have the tools to grind down Hiruta in what is a very, very well matched bout and proof that novice do not need to be protected, especially not when they are solid amateurs wanting to be fast tracked to professional success. We've previewed this bout here Hiruta and Yanai battle for Japanese title The only regional title bout on this card will see OPBF Atomweight champion Eri Matsuda (4-1-1, 1), one of the most technically schooled female boxers in the lower weights, take on the fast but technically limited Kaori Nagai (6-4-3, 2). Given the abilities of the two fighters it's hard to see Nagai really testing Matsuda, however it is worth noting that Matsuda is without a win since 2019 and this could be the perfect time for Nagai to face her. A win for Matsuda will likely secure her a third world title fight in 2023, whilst a loss will be very, very, very hard for her to come back to. As for Nagai a win here could land her a potential world title fight, though it would be a massive upset for her to beat Matsuda. Our preview of this bout can be read here OPBF champion Matsuda takes on Nagai In one of two world title bouts on this card we'll see veterans collide as Ayaka Miyao (25-9-2, 6) makes her first defense of the IBF Atomweight title, which she won earlier this year with a close decision win over Eri Matsuda. The aggressive and high tempo Miyao will be up against the technically sound, but aging, Mika Iwakawa (10-6-1, 3), herself a former WBO world champion. This is stylistically a very interesting bout, and one that leaves the winner on the verge of a unification bout, and the loser potentially looking at retirement. We've previewed this world title bout here IBF queen Miyao battles Iwakawa The other title bout on this show will see WBO Atomweight champion Nanae Suzuki (11-4-1, 1), who dethroned Iwakawa, defending her title against former WBC female Minimumweight champion Yuko Kuroki (19-7-2, 9), who is essentially fighting for her career right now. The all action Suzuki isn't someone with much power, but is a very physical fighter, who sets a high work rate, applies intense pressure and forces her opponents into a gruelling, exhausting and draining bout. As for Kuroki she's a great all round, but we suspect she will be dragged into the wrong sort of fight here, which should make this a very, very fan friendly war. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here WBO champion Suzuki battles Kuroki  Nur-Sultan (Astana), Kazakhstan
The most notable card this coming Saturday for us is in Kazakhstan, where we see several promising Kazakh fighters in action. Sadly the bouts aren't the most attractive, but they do feature some noteworthy and promising fighters in action. In one of the most notable bouts on the show the unbeaten Daniyar Yeleussinov (10-0, 6) will take on Juan Hernan Leal (15-1, 4), who appears to have been a late replacement for former world title challenger Dante Jardon (34-7, 25), in a bout for the IBF Welterweight title. The talented Yeleussinov, who won a gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics, is a man who should have been pushed hard by Matchroom over the last few years, but was really let down by Eddie Hearn and co. who instead pushed Josh Kelly as their big Welterweight hopeful. Yeleussinov may not be a threat to the divisional elite, but he's a very talented fighter who has shown a lot of development in recent bouts and we suspect he's going to try and make an example of Leal. As for Leal this will be his 4th bout of 2021, but his first bout outside of the South America, and a win here would be among his best. Another fighter who was let down by his promoter, albeit not Matchroom this time, is Ivan Dychko (10-0, 10) who should have been well and and truly in the world title mix by now. Sadly Dychko's career has been among the most frustrating of any fighter in the sport, and it's been stop-start with more bouts being cancelled than actually going ahead. Here he's looking to shake some ring rust and score a win over a limited, but well known, name as he takes on the huge Aleksandr Ustinov (36-5-1, 27). This should be a straight forward win for Dychko who needs better fights in the new year. Thankfully this will be his second fight of 2021, and hopefully will be the final stay busy before taking on a contender level fighter in the new year. Another unbeaten Kazakh hopeful on this card is Zhankosh Turarov (24-0, 17), who fights for the first time since July 2019. The talented Turarov, who's sadly had major issues with activity since 2017, will be up against 40 year old Egyptian fighter Abdumonem Said (22-1-1, 11). On paper this looks like an interesting match up, but Said is stepping up massively, has little on his record to suggest he can test Turarov, and is unlikely to last the distance with the Kazakh. Bangkok, Thailand Over in Thailand we're expecting a small card, featuring a top teenager in one bout, and a 50 year old in another, as the wild west of boxing shows just how odd the sport can be at times. The talented teenager is 17 year old Thai Phenom Phoobadin Yoohanngoh (11-0, 6) who will be looking to defend his WBA Asia Light Welterweight title as he takes on Filipino challenger Joepher Montano (11-5-2, 10). The talented Phoobadin came into the year with a lot of momentum, but inactivity has slowed his rise and allowed him to physically mature without fighting, which may actually serve him well. As for Montano the Filipino is no push over, but he has been beaten in 3 of his last 5, including a loss to Atchariya Wirojanasunobol, who was stopped by Phoobadin last year. This should be a straight forward win for Phoobadin, but it's still nice to see him in the ring again before 2021 ends. The 50 year old on this card is Thai based British female fighter Denise Castle (3-2, 3) who will be up against Filipino Norj Guro (11-7-1, 4). Sadly Castle, who was a very good Muay Thai fighter, is well past her best and has hardly been active as a boxing since making her debut in 2014. Guro, although a long, long way from a major, is only 31 and will be hungry to continue a run of 4 straight wins. We don't expect this to be a great bout, but it's still very interesting to see a 50 year old in action. Bekasi, Indonesia We also get a small card in Indonesia, where fans will get a small domestic card with a couple of UBO title bouts. One of those title bouts will be at Light Flyweight, as Silem Serang (18-22-3, 2) faces off with Frengky Rohi (7-11-1, 3) for the vacant title. This is a rubber match between the two men, with Rohi taking the honours in their first bout, back in 2017, before Serang got revenge earlier this year. Coming in Serang has won his last 3, and is unbeaten in Indonesia since 2017! Rohi on the other hand typically lost on the road, but is 5-11 on his last 16 bouts and has no momentum at all coming into this one. The other title fight will see Stevie Ongen Ferdinandus (33-17-1, 19) take on a yet to be announced opponent for the UBO title at 154lbs. Despite his scratchy record Ferdinandus is enjoying a good run of form, winning his last 6 bouts, and he has rebuilt well since being blasted in a round by Tim Tszyu back in 2018. Sadly with no opponent named for this bout it's hard to imagine him facing anyone of any real quality. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan In Japan we get a show in Osaka, albeit a small show that is entirely focused on female boxing with 5 bouts in total. Sadly this isn't a big show, but it's still good to see the domestic Japanese female seen laying down it's foundations for the next generation. The main event of the card will see 29 year old Kaoru Iga (4-2-1) battle against 25 year old Sarasa Ichimura (4-8-1), in a bout between two JBC ranked fighters. Iga is ranked #5 at Atomweight, and is the smaller fighter, whilst Ichimura is ranked #4 at Minimumweight. The winner of this would likely be on the verge of a Japanese title fight next year, with the two women having this bout at 105lbs Another bout worthy of some attention on this card is the debut of Hinami Yanai (0-0), who went 20-6 (7) in the amateurs and is making her debut in a 6 rounder against JBC ranked #5 female Flyweight Michiko Abiru (3-5, 1). On paper Abiru doesn't look too testing, but it's clear that Yanai and her team, the Shinsei gym, are going to look to move her quickly, like they did with Kasumi Saeki, and a win here could be followed by a Japanese title fight next year, and potentially world title fights as early as 2023. Abiru should provide a test, but one that Yanai should pass with relative ease. A third bout worthy of some attention is the one 4 rounder on the card, which will feature Sumire Yamanaka (3-0), the younger sister of former world champion Ryuya Yamanaka. The talented 20 year old southpaw will be up against the experienced Natsuki Tarui (4-7-2) in what is an intelligent step up in class for Yamanaka. This is the first time she's taken on someone with some real experience and we should see this as a genuine developmental fight for her. Ayub Stadium, Quetta, Pakistan We also get a small card in Pakistan, where boxing is still in it's formative years. The one standout bout on this card is one of the most interesting Pakistani domestic bouts we'll see as the unbeaten pairing of Akmal Khan (3-0, 1) and Tariq Ahmadi (7-0, 4) face off. These two are both young, both are 21, promising, and are looking to make a name for themselves domestically. They are, clearly, not going to be racing away to world title fights or anything like that, but it's still great to see this generation of Pakistani fighters slowly helping create a boxing scene there, and given the age of these two it could end up being a great Featherweight rivalry for the country.  EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
This coming Wednesday we see attention turn to the the EDION Arena in Osaka for a show from Shinsei Gym, and it's a rare all female card with all 4 bouts on the card featuring fighters. They include a world champion in a non title bout, an OPBF title fight, an interesting debut and the third bout in the career of a very talented young fighter. The main event will see WBO female Minimumweight champion Etsuko Tada (20-3-3, 7) battle in what is essentially a stay busy bout, as she takes on Sana Hazuki (8-5-1, 2) in an 8 rounder fought above the Minimumweight limit. Tada won the title in thrilling fashion last year, knocking out Ayaka Miyao in the 9th round of a brilliant fight last December, and it's a shame she's not defending it here, especially given that Hazuki is world ranked, albeit by the IBF, at the weight. As for Hazuki, she was last seen losing a wide decision to Yokasta Valle back in January, in an IBF title fight and given how easily she lost that one, she isn't expected to be a real test for Tada here. In the title fight we see Yumi Narita (5-4-3, 1) clash with the once beaten Kaoru Iga (4-1-1) for the vacant OPBF Female Light Flyweight title. On paper this looks like a bout where Iga will be strongly favoured but in reality Narita is more tested, more proven and likely to be the fighter coming into the bout with more hunger, especially as most will be writing her off. Although we don't think either of these two are stars in the making their styles and hunger should gel to provide a bit of a treat at Oriental level. Our full preview of this one can be read here Narita and Iga battle for OPBF crown! Former Japanese amateur standout Makoto Kikuchi (0-0) will be making her debut as she takes on Aka Ringo (1-0, 1) in a scheduled 6 rounder. Interestingly Kikuchi holds a JBC ranking coming into this bout, despite having never fought as a professional before, and it seems clear her team are going to be looking to move her very aggressively with title fights likely to come in the next year or two. The 34 year old debutant will likely be looking to secure a title fight if she can get past Ringo here. As for Ringo she's looking to build on a debut win in April, but this is a huge step up in class for her. The only other bout on this card will see Sumire Yamanaka (2-0), the younger sister of former world champion Ryuya Yamanaka, take on Rin Murai (1-0-2) in an interesting looking 4 rounder. Yamanaka has shown herself to be a really talented boxer, but still a very young fighter and it could be a long, long time until we really see what she can do in the ring. Murai on the other hand is a 36 year old who's only win came more than 2 years ago, and it's going to be interesting if she can keep up with the much, much younger Yamanaka.  For a second successive day we get notable action featuring Asian fighters, including a world title fight, a Japanese female title fight and a card from Korea.
Sakai City Industrial Promotion Center, Sakai, Osaka, Japan Both of the Japanese cards come from the same venue in Sakai, with the first being a pretty notable one, as it will only feature female fighters, and will be streamed live on the Boxing Real YouTube channel. Sadly with it being a female only card it's not a particularly deep or stacked card, but is does have a couple of bouts of note on it. The first of those noteworthy bouts will see Sumire Yamanaka (1-0) take on the debuting Natsuki Yamada (0-0). Whilst neither of these fighters are big names, by any stretch, there is plenty of quiet expectation on the shoulders of the 19 year old Yamanaka. She is the younger sister of former world champion Ryuya Yamanaka and some suggest she could follow in her brother's footsteps and become a world champion in the future. We don't know much about Yamada but we do know she's a naturally taller and older fighter than Yamanaka, and should be able to at least ask some questions of the teenager. The main event of this card will see Japanese Atomweight champion Kaori Nagai (5-2-3, 2) defending her belt for the first time and taking on Natsuki Tarui (4-6-2). The 31 year old champion won the belt last July, when she defeated veteran Momoko Kanda for the second time, and is riding an impressive 8 bout unbeaten run, following back to back losses at the start of her career. She's not the most talented fighter out there, but she's got under rated skills, sets a good tempo and has got the tools to be successful at Japanese and OPBF level. Tarui on the other hand is 29 years old and seems to be coming in to her own after 4 straight losses to begin her career. She's not oozing world class potential, but she's worked hard, earned a shot at the Japanese title, and is a very live challenger. This could end up being a very, very good fight over 6 competitive rounds. Our preview of this one can be read here Nagai takes on Tarui in first Japanese title defense! Sakai City Industrial Promotion Center, Sakai, Osaka, Japan The second card from the Sakai City Industrial Promotion Center is also set to get a live stream courtesy of the Boxing Real YouTube channel and is a more interesting card, at least on paper, than the all female show. One of the interesting bouts here will see Aoba Mori (6-2-1) and Keisuke Iwasaki (5-2-1, 1) clash for the second time. These two fought last July, fighting to a 6 round draw, and proved to be incredibly well matched. Given their first bout this is one to look forward if you can make it to the venue. The two men are unlikely to mix it at domestic title level, but they will make for some entertaining bouts at the lower levels of the domestic scene, in fact their first was solid. Since their first bout Mori has been inactive whilst Iwasaki scored a notable win over the hard hitting Mammoth Kazunori, giving him a bit of momentum coming in to this one. Another noteworthy under-card bout on this show will see Daiki Tomita (15-2, 5) take on Shota Asami (8-7, 4). The talented 23 year old Tomita has promised a lot, but lost his two most notable bouts, losing to Tsubasa Koura in 2018 and Kenichi Horikawa last year. He has a lot of potential, but we suspect needs to be given time to mature physically. In Asami we have someone who has struggled for form, in fact Asamai has lost 2 of his last 3 and 5 of his last 9, but he's someone who can dig in and score upsets, as he did last year against Sho Omote. This looks like a mismatch on paper, but Asami is very much a live under-dog, and the naturally bigger guy. The main event of this show will see WBO female Light Flyweight champion Tenkai Tsunami (27-12-1, 16) looking to defend her title against fellow Japanese fighter Shione Ogata (11-6-1, 3). Tsunami won this title back in March 2018 and has defended it twice so far, whilst also dipping her toes into the Flyweight division. The 36 year old champion is a stalwart for Japanese boxing and has proven herself as a tough, hard working and criminally under-rated fighter, though sooner or later father time will catch up with her, especially given the tough bouts she's had over the years. Ogata on the other hand is an easy to over-look challenger who lost 5 of her first 6 before going 10-1-1 and winning the WBA Asia, WBO Asia Pacific and OPBF titles. She is a very, very live challenger and has developed so much in recent years under the guidance of Nobuhiro Ishida. The champion should be the favourite, but Ogata is a genuinely solid contender, despite her record. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Ogata challenges WBO queen Tsunami The Won Boxing Stadium, Seoul, South Korea Over in South Korea we'll be getting a low profile card from the Won Promotion. This show really isn't a big one at all, but the main event is a very evenly matched bout between Dong Ho Geum (5-3-2, 3) and In Soo Jang (5-3-1), who battle for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Super Bantamweight title. The 27 year old Geum is riding a 3 fight winning streak into this, and is actually 5-1 in his last 6 bouts, after a bizarre 0-2-2 start to his career. Jang on the other hand started his career will, going unbeaten in his first 3 bouts, but since then has gone 3-3, and lost his last 2 bouts. He needs a win, but has no momentum coming in to this and is more than 2 years removed from his last win. We're expecting a really fun fight here but one that, in the grand scheme of things, won't really matter despite the WBC regional title. |
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