 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Tuesday we get an excellent Ohashi show from Korakuen Hall, with a Featherweight title bout, a must win Featherweight clash between former world title challengers, and bouts featuring 4 unbeaten Ohashi gym prospects. The main event of the show will see Japanese Featherweight champion Keisuke Matsumoto (12-0, 8) defending his title against the unbeaten Yuya Oku (8-0-2, 5) as part of the Champion Carnival. For Matsumoto the bout will be his 5th defense, and it does feel like it could be his last, win or lose, given he is ranked highly by the regional bodies and is in the world rankings with 3 of the title bodies. The talented third generation fighter had promised a lot when he turned professional, and whilst his performances haven’t been sensational, there is no doubting his talent, and he is a work in progress who is still only 25 but clearly has the potential to mix at the top, in the future. Oku on the the other is an aggressive fighter who earned this shot, as a mandatory challenger due to his #1 ranking. In the ring he has shown himself to be heavy handed and dangerous and he carries his power late whilst also having great tenacity, however this is a massive step up for him, and we do wonder if he’s ready to face someone as solid as Matsumoto. In the chief support bout we’ll see Reiya Abe (26-4-1, 10) clash with Satoshi Shimizu (11-2, 10) in a bout neither man can afford to lose, and a bout that really is a brilliant mix of styles between two men who found themselves well short at world level, but also really among the top in the regional scene. Abe, who will be fighting for the second time since his loss to Luis Alberto Lopez, is a highly skilled fighter, who likes to counter, create space and pick smart counter shots. He's technically very good though lacks power, and some fighters have proven they can walk through his shots, as Lopez did. Whilst Abe is technically excellent but lacking power the opposite is true of Shimizu, who punches like a mule, but is technically awful, wide open, easy to hit and has a really wild and open style. For Shimizu the bout is his first since a July 2023 loss to Robeisy Ramirez, and a loss for the 39 year old really doesn’t leave him with any real options for another return. In another interesting supporting bout, we’ll see Taiga Imanaga (7-0, 5) take on Filipino visitor Romer Pinili (8-2-1, 7). Imanaga won the Asia's Strongest Lightweight Tournament last year and seems ready for a big breakout year in 2025, building on that success, but will need to face higher level opponents as he moves towards his first title. He is highly skilled, heavy handed, a well balanced fighter with good amateur experience though someone who obviously needs a good test before his first title bout. As for Pinili he’s a hard hitting hopeful, but someone who has lost the two times he’s fought away from home, losing to Chan Ho Song in Vietnam and Mikyo Watarai in Japan. Sadly those two bouts aren’t just the two he’s had away from home, but also the two against good fighters, and to date his 8 wins have come at a very low level. This is a big step up for Pinili, whilst Imanaga continues to tread water. The more interesting bouts on this show are the bouts featuring highly touted prospects. One of those bouts will see exciting Welterweight Sora Tanaka (2-0, 2) take on rugged Filipino Ador Torres (12-6-1, 8), with the aggressive Tanaka looking to continue his destructive run. An all Japanese bout between Shogo Tanaka (2-0, 1) and Keito Tanaka (2-0-1), which should be a compelling bout between two talented unbeaten men looking to make a statement. The third of the bouts will see the unbeaten, and very highly regarded, Yuta Sakai (2-0, 2) take on Thai foe Thanyapat Seehanan (11-2, 4), in what will be Seehanan's first bout outside of Thailand, and a major step up in class, given the amateur pedigree and clear skill level Chengdu, China Over in China fight fans will get a small card, headlined by GuiMing Li (6-7-1, 2) taking on Cheng Zeng (1-0-2). Li is a 24 year old who won 5 of his first 7, between 2017 and 2025, before going 1-5-1 in his subsequent 7. Whilst it would be easy to look at that recent form and suggest Li has nothing to offer he has put up really solid efforts in those losses, which have included defeats to the hard hitting Kakeru Mashimo, the talented Van Thao Tran, the experienced Tasana Salapat and the promising Vegas Larfield. His record might not look good, but he has been matched hard and has consistently given good tests to better fighters. Zeng on the other hand is a novice professional who debuted in 2024, and has drawn 2 of his first 3 bouts, both against Garang Nengzhou. It’s hard to know what he offers here, but he is certainly the underdog, despite his unbeaten record.
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 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Thursday we get a treat from the Ohashi Gym as they put on their next show under the Phoenix Battle banner, and it’s a really stacked card with a regional title unification, a tournament final, 2 Japanese title eliminators and a very compelling bout for a former Japanese champion. The main event of the card will see WBO Asia Pacific Lightweight champion Katsuya Yasuda (14-1, 9) battle against OPBF champion Shu Utsuki (14-1, 12) in what should be a really great bout, and is on paper an excellent match up. Yasuda, 32, is a very talented southpaw who showed a lot of defense skills early in his career, and has now shown more offensive ones, really showing his power since a 2022 loss to Shuma Nakazato. Since his sole loss he has gone 6-0 (4) with good wins against Apichet Petchmanee, Ruito Saeki and Presco Carcosia. He’s technically very good, but this bout promises to be a real chin check for him. As for Utsuki, the slightly younger man at 30, the bout will see him look to land his dynamite shots which have led him to being a former Japan champion as well as the current OPBF king. He can be hurt, with his sole loss also coming to Shuma Nakazato, but he is extremely dangerous with some of the heaviest hands in Japan. The main support bout will be the final of the Asia's Strongest Lightweight Tournament and see pre-tournament favourites Taiga Imanaga (6-0, 5) and Yoji Saito (8-3-2, 8) clash in a mouth watering shoot out. Imanaga has reached the final on quick wins over Qiang Ma (TKO1) and Marvin Esquierdo (KO2) and barely broken a sweat so far, with some thinking the tournament was set up to help put a rocket to his back and shoot him through the rankings to a regional or domestic title fight. Saito, who has long been known as a danger man with devastating power, has had to work a bit harder to reach the final stopping Shinnosuke Saito (KO2) and Hanyun Wu (KO4), though has made it clear he's been expecting to face Imanaga in the final. Both of these guys can punch, both have belief in their power, and both will know the other is just as damaging in what could be a very explosive bout. One of two Japanese Eliminators on this show will be at 154lbs as the unbeaten Yasuomi Soda (7-0-1, 4) faces former JBC, OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific Welterweight champion Ryota Toyoshima (19-3-1, 11), who now looks to make his mark in a second weight class. The 36 year old Yoba began his career in 2022, at an advanced age of 34, and has moved forward with every fight to get himself on the verge of a title fight. He's not the most proven, or the biggest hitter, but he controls the tempo well and has a solid combat sport background from his days as a kick boxer. As for Toyoshima he was one of the major domestic faces at Welterweight for the past 5 years or so, and will feel he’s outgrown the division and done everything he can there, and is now seeking new challenges. This really could be an excellent bout to set the winner up with a shot against veteran Yuichi Ideta in the new year during the Champion Carnival. The other eliminator is in Toyoshima’s former domain, as Kaiki Yuba (11-3-2, 7) and Seeser Minagawa (4-3, 1) battle for a shot at the Japanese Welterweight champion. Of the two men Yuba is the more well known, and is a flawed and thrilling power puncher, who is 4-3 in his last 7 with all of those losses coming inside the distance, but can't be written off thanks to his power, speed and heart. As for Minagawa the 32 year old southpaw is a skilled fighter, who has lost 3 of his last 4, but showed what he could do when he ran Shoki Sakai close in a Japanese title fight in 2023.. The winner off this will be lined up for a show at the champion though it’s unclear who they will face as defending champion David Ssemujju is scheduled to defend the title against Takeru Kobata in December. Having already mentioned his name several times, it’s worth noting that Shuma Nakazato (14-3-3, 8), who gave Yasuda and Utsuki their only losses, is also on this show as he looks to bounce back from losing the Japanese Lightweight title earlier this year to Hironori Mishiro. He will be up against the limited, but aggressive and always fun to watch Cristiano Aoqui (17-11-2, 11). Nakazato should have the tools to deal with Aoqui, who has the power and aggression to make life difficult if he lands. Sadly at the age of 35 Aoqui is winding down his career, he is 1-3 in hs last 4 and 3-4 in his last 7, dating back to late 2019. As for Nakazato, he’s a top domestic/regional level fighter and will almost certainly be back in the title mix in the new year, potentially against the winner of the main event.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Thursday we get a really notable show from Korakuen Hall as the Ohashi Gym put on a show that not only has 3 title bouts, but also 2 tournaments on what is one of the more notable domestic cards of the year. The main event is one of the 3 title fights, and is sadly the “least” interesting. That’s because it sees the hard hitting, unbeaten, Japanese Super Flyweight champion Suzumi Takayama (8-0, 7) defending his belt against the experienced but limited Isao Aoyama (14-12-1, 4). The 27 year old Takayama, who is world ranked by all 4 world title bodies, won the title last year and will be seeking his third defense of the belt, though there is a feeling he and his team should be pressing on with landing world ranked opponents and moving towards a world title fight, rather than treading water at the domestic level. Sadly Aoyama, despite being experienced, isn’t even close to being at the top of the domestic picture. The JBC rank the 35 year old Aoyama towards the bottom of their top 15 and he has just 2 wins in his last 7 bouts, dating back to late 2020. He is not expected to provide any real test for Takayama, though is rugged and should last a few rounds with Takayama. In some ways this is viewed as a shot for Aoyama less from achievement, and more for his services to the sport, as he has fought a who’s who of the domestic scene, but sadly that won’t be much help against someone as talented as Takayama. A much more interesting looking Japanese title bout will see Japanese Bantamweight champion Fumiya Fuse (14-3, 3) make his first defense, as he takes on the extremely dangerous Riku Masuda (4-1, 4), who is getting his second shot at the title, in what is a rematch between two men who fought last year. Fuse has been a professional since 2017 and first made a name for himself that year, as he won the All Japan Rookie of the Year. He would win his first 8 before losing a technical decision to highly regarded prospect Toshiya Ishii. Since that loss he has gone 6-2 with the other losses coming to Sam Goodman and Riku Masuda, the same Masuda he is facing here. Despite those losses he has actually scored two of his best wins in recent bouts, beating Ryosuke Nasu and Taichi Sugimoto, with the win over Sugimoto in April being his title winning performance. As for Masuda he debuted in 2022 and blew out his first two opponents, before stepping up and stopping Fuse last year, before losing a close and hotly contested 10 round decision to Seiya Tsutusmi in a Japanese title bout in August 2023. Following that bout we've only seen Masuda once, though it was a career best win as he blasted out former world title challenger Jonas Sultan in just 141 seconds, giving Sultan his first stoppage loss. Fuse will be hoping to have learned from his loss to Masuda, who will himself be looking for a repeat performance in an attempt to claim his first title, and move onwards and upwards towards regional and world title fights. The other title bout on this card is a Japanese Youth Bantamweight title bout, as 23 year olds Daichi Hirai (8-4, 1) and Shunpei Kaneshiro (2-0, 1) clash in a really solid looking match up. Hirai, from Osaka, will be fighting in Tokyo for just the second time in his career, with the other being a loss in an All Japan Rookie of the Year final. Since that loss Hirai has gone 3-2, which looks under-whelming, but includes a very close loss and a win on foreign soil, against Korean Seong Yeong Yang, which will serve him well coming into this bout. As for Kaneshiro, he was a former amateur standout who has been moved quickly into this opportunity and will see this as a great chance to win his first title and move onwards and upwards. As well as the three title bouts, we’re also set to get the semi-finals of the Asia Strongest Lightweight Tournament, as two Japanese fighters take on two visitors with the 4 fighters all looking to move onwards to winning the tournament, and landing a big international fight in 2025. One of the two bouts will see the flawed but heavy handed Yoji Saito (7-3-2, 7) battle against the once beaten Chinese fighter Hanyun Wu (4-1-0-1, 1). Saito is not the best boxer out there, but he is a rugged, heavy handed fighter, who has proven to be incredibly dangerous throughout his career and is riding a 4 fight winning streak since a 2022 loss to Yamato Hata. If a fighter can take his power, and that’s a big if, Saito can be in trouble, but given his power there’s not many tough enough, at this level, to win a shootout with him. Wu on the other hand is a 21 year old Chinese fighter who lost on debut and hasn't faced anyone of any note coming into this. On paper this looks interesting, but in reality it’s hard to see anything but a blow out for the powerful Saito. The other semi-final should be much more interesting, as the unbeaten Taiga Imanaga (5-0, 4) takes on experienced Filipino Marvin Esquierdo (17-3-1-1, 11). The talented Imanaga, who some have viewed as the favourite for the tournament, has shown impressive power, good boxing skills and was a former amateur standout before making his debut in 2022. He is a work in progress, and does need some rounds after having just 21 in his first 5 bouts, but there is no doubting his potential and his ability. As for Esquierdo, the Filipino is a highly experienced fighter who debuted in 2015, suffering a loss on debut. He has picked up international experience, fighting in Russia and Japan, and his only losses, outside his loss on debut, have come to Mark Urvanov and Kenichi Ogawa, and he actually went 10 rounds with Ogawa. This should be a genuine test for Imanaga against a sturdy, solid, opponent.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
The main action this coming Thursday comes from Tokyo, where we get a title double header, and the quarter finals of an intriguing tournament. The main event of the card will see hard hitting Japanese Super Flyweight champion Suzumi Takayama (7-0, 6) make his second defense, as he takes on mandatory challenger Akio Furutani (11-6, 4) in a Champion Carnival bout. Takayama has been a wrecking ball since debuting in 20119, with only the naturally bigger Kai Chiba managing to see the final bell with him. He won the title last June, when stopped Ryusei Kawaura and made his first defense 3 months later, stopping Tsubasa Murachi. He’s on the verges, or just in, the world rankings but it does seem like he’s going to need tougher tests before getting a world title bout. Furutani on the other hand is an under-rated fighter, who has suffered 6 defeats in 17 bouts, but has managed to prove himself. He started his career 4-4, but has since gone 7-2, with his only losses in that 9 fight run being close and competitive ones in regional title fights against Masayoshi Hashizume and Kenta Nakagawa. Furutani is tough, and should ask questions of Takayama, but it would be a real surprise to see the title change hands here. A second title bout will see Yuma Saeki (3-0, 3) and Rento Miyazawa (6-2-1, 2) battle for the JBC Youth Minimumweight title. Saeki turned professional following a solid amateur career which saw him going 22-7 (7), and since turning professional he has notched his first 3 wins in a combined 10 rounds, including a 5th round TKO win over Takatora Suzuki. For a guy at 105lbs he has looked hard hitting, and incredibly promising, but this bout will be a clear step up for him. As for Miyazawa he's had mixed results so far, and enters this on the back of a 3-fight unbeaten run, including a win over Masashi Ikeda and a draw against Sei Miyagawa. Whilst Miyazawa has fought through much of Japan, including Osaka, Sakai, Kariya and Uruma, this will be his first bout in Tokyo, and the first time he steps into the ring at Korakuen Hall. As well as the title bouts, this card will also feature the first round of a tournament, dubbed the Asia's strongest lightweight tournament, that’s expected to see the winner not only receive a notable cash prize, but also be left on the verge of a regional title fight. One of the tournament bouts is Saito Vs Saito, as the monstrously hard hitting Yoji Saito (6-3-2, 6) takes on Shinnosuke Saito (12-5, 3) in a really solid 6 rounder. Yoji Saito is a genuinely monstrous puncher, , who has scored all 6 of his wins in the first 5 rounds, and notably dropped Rentaro Kimura twice when they met in 2021. He is however a pretty crude, slow fighter, with limited defensive skills, and when fighters have been able to take his power he has struggled with coming up with a Plan B, as we saw in his thriller with Aso Ishiwaki. Shinnosuke Saito on the other hand is a much better technical boxer, who has impressive speed and movement, and good combinations. Notably coming into this both men are ranked in the top 15 by the JBC, with Shinnosuke Saito being ranked #2 domestically. The other tournament bout will see former amateur stand out Taiga Imanaga (4-0, 3) take on Chinese fighter Qiang Ma (6-3-2, 4). Imanaga made his professional debut in 2022 and looked great through his first 3 bouts, but was tested last year by Indonesian Hebi Marapu. In the ring Imanaga is a talented southpaw, and we dare say his bout with Marapu will help his development, rather than suggest he’s close to his peak, and a test like that early in his career is possibly the best thing for him. As for Ma, the Chinese fighter, he has made his name at Featherweight, and took part in a similar tournament in 2019, where he lost to Shingo Kusano in a thrilling war. Since that loss he has gone 1-1, and was stopped last time out, by Tae Sun Kim last April. Hard to see anything but a win for Imanaga here. Spaceplus Bangkok RCA, Bangkok, Thailand Over in Thailand we also get some title action, with several bouts taking place in Bangkok for titles. One of the title bouts on this card will be a bout for the WBC Asian Silver Heavyweight title, as 37 year old Azeri Taryel Jafarov (27-7, 25) takes on 23 year old Turkish fighter Gurkan Karadag (7-0, 7). Jafarov debuted in 2017 and has been busy ever since, with this actually being his 4th bout of 2024. For the most part his competition has been terrible, but he has managed to be a well travelled fighter, with fights in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Ghana United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Thailand, where he is now based. Karadag on the other hand is a 23 year old who debuted in 2023, and has already racked up 7 wins, in a combined 9 rounds, including a win over the highly experienced Ali Ismayilov, himself an Azeri based Ukrainian born fighter. Given the 32 KO wins in 34 wins we don’t expect this one to go long, and would expect something of a shoot out. A little bit lower down the weight classes, we’ll see Victor Nagbe (7-1, 2) take on the unbeaten Thai Rattawut Thongaram (5-0, 4) in a bout for the WBC Asian Continental Middleweight title. On paper Thongaram looks like he has a promising record, but so far his opponents have a combined record of 11-16-1 and he has only been beyond 3 rounds once in his career. Nagbe on the other hand is an Australian fighter who was born in Liberia, and fought in Thailand in March, and will be back there today. Notably Nagbe has scored wins over Sam Soliman and Adrian Rodriguez and despite being the away fighter, taking on an unbeaten man in their backyard, we suspect he should be seen as the favourite. There is also a female title bout on this show, as Kazakh fighter Angelina Lukas (8-1, 4) takes on Indian Mamta Singh (5-1, 2) in a bout for the lightly regarded WIBF Super Flyweight title. Lukas is a huge hit on social media, with over 2 million followers on Instagram, and is a popular figure on the Kazakh sports news websites, and whilst unknown in the West she certainly generates a buzz. If she can claim the WIBF title here, she is expected to begin chasing bigger and better titles in the future, at least according to her. As for Singh this will be her first bout outside of India. Angono, Rizal, Philippines We also get low level action in the Philippines, where we get a low level domestic card. The most notable name on this show is the experienced Eduardo Mancito (20-15-2, 10), who has shared the ring with the likes of Rey Vargas, Tomas Rojas, Satoshi Shimizu and Charly Suarez. Although Mancit has lost his biggest bouts, he has proven to be something of a domestic stalwart since his debut, more than a decade ago. He’ll be expected to pick up his 21st win, notable all 20 have come at home so far, as he takes on the limited Jason Dogelio (10-9, 3), who has lost his last 3 and is without a win since beating Kim Lindog in December 2021. Another notable bout on this card will see Roslan Eco (10-3, 7) look to end a 3 fight losing streak, as he takes on fellow Filipino Jaybie De Pablo Ignacio (3-1, 1). Eco began his career 10-0 but suffered a 4th round TKO loss in a regional title fight to Goki Kobayashi last May and has been stopped in his two following bouts. He’ll know he can’t afford another loss if he wishes to get his career back on track. Ignacio on the other hand is the naturally bigger fighter, but has fought at an extremely low level, and was stopped in 4 rounds by James Pacamalan last August, though has picked up a single win since then. We don’t expect this to be a great fight, with neither man having much confidence, but it is an important one for Eco’s career.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Saturday attention will be on Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, for a really interesting Ohashi Gym card, headlined by a regional title bout and featuring several notable prospects on the under-card, along with a battle of veterans. The main event of the card will see the highly skilled Pete Apolinar (16-2, 10) look to make his first defense of the OPBF Super Bantamweight title, as he takes on hard hitting Japanese hopeful Yoshiki Takei (4-0, 4). The talented champion, from the Philippines, won the title in April, with an excellent KO win over Jhunriel Ramonal, but he will be up against someone who is looking to prove a point and has already shown scary power since making his professional debut in March 2021. Of the two men the more technically schooled if Apolinar, who has a slippery style and 109 rounds to his name, however he has been stopped twice and Takei is building a reputation as a brutish puncher, taking just 5 rounds to win his first 4 bouts. If Takei can't finish this one early it will a very, very interesting contest. Our preview of this out can be read here OPBF champion Apolinar faces hard hitting hopeful Takei The aforementioned battle of veterans will see 43 year old Ribo Takahata (17-10-1, 7) take on 40 year old former Japanese Super Featherweight champion Seiichi Okada (22-7-2, 13), in a bout where the loser will almost certainly retire, and the winner may well make the same decision. Takahata enters the bout on the back of 2 stoppage losses in his last 3 bouts, but is a tough, awkward fighter with a relaxed style, sadly however his style does depend on him still having good reactions and they have stated to face. As for Okada, he's 1-1-1 in his last 3, but those bouts date 4 years years now, and he's a long way from being the fighter he once was. The really does have the feeling of two men battling to end their careers. One of the notable prospects on the under-card is the very highly regarded Taiga Imanaga (1-0, 1), who returns to the ring just 2 months after his professional debut. The highly touted Imanaga, who is tipped for major success in the professional ranks, will be facing off with Filipino visitor John Lawrence Ordonio (7-3-1, 4), who will be making his Japanese debut. Imanaga was a stand out amateur, who has been viewed as part of the next generation of stars from the Ohashi Gym, and this is a credible step up for him, against a man who could easily be 10-1, with his only decisive loss coming to the hard hitting Antonio Siesmundo in April. Another highly regarded young hopeful is Kaiyu Toyoshima (1-0), who debuted last October, with a good win over Shohei Horii, and will now be looking to over-come fellow novice Akkhaphon Ngamkaeo (1-0, 1), from Thailand. Toyoshima was a solid amateur and is tipped for notable success in the professional ranks, despite the relative slow start to his career, and he an his team will feel he'll be the comfortable winner here, against the teenage Thai traveller. New Delhi, India As well as the show in Japan there is also a smaller card in India, taking place in New Delhi. The most noteworthy bout on this card will see Gaurav (7-1, 4) take on Saurabh Kumar (6-0, 3), in a rematch of a bout the two men had back in January. In their first bout Kumar took a split decision over Gaurav, to give him his sole loss, and it's fair to say that history between the two men could well fuel this bout. Guarav has fought once since then, picking up a rather pointless win in July, whilst Kumar has notched two wins, and has managed to pick up some meaningful ring time. In a 6 rounder we'll see Honey (2-1) take on Keisham Luckyson Singh (4-0, 4), with the 21 year old Singh being favoured here. Honey's loss came in 2019, when he was stopped, and whilst Singh might not be a star in the making he can certainly punch, as we suspect we'll see here.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Wednesday we get the next notable card from Ohashi Gym, who have a mouth watering card with two title bouts and a host of young, emerging, prospects. The main event will see unbeaten fighter Masayoshi Hashizume (19-0-2, 11) look to make his first defense of the WBO Asia Pacific Super Flyweight title, as he takes on former 3 weight world champion Kosei Tanaka (16-1, 9), in what is an incredibly important bout for both men. Hashizume scored his most notable win last time out, when he took a decision over Akio Furutani to claim the WBO Asia Pacific and OPBF titles, and despite long being touted as one to watch he still lacks that B+ type win. A win he however would change that massively, and would really help him establish himself as a legitimate contender on the world stage. As for Tanaka this will be his second bout since losing to Kazuto Ioka at the end of 2020, and will see him looking to build on his 2021 win over Sho Ishida. Notably this will only be Tanaka's second bout at Korakuen Hall, and will see him return to the venue where he claimed his first professional title, way back in October 2014. He'll go in to this knowing he needs a win if he's to get a second shot at a Super Flyweight world title, and the pressure is all on Tanaka, despite the fact he's the challenger. Our preview of this bout can be read here Tanaka challenges regional champion Hashizume! The other title bout on this card will see Yoshiki Minato (10-5, 5) and Yasuhiro Kanzaki (7-2-1, 2) battle for the Japanese Youth Super Flyweight title. Coming in to this we have seen Minato really struggling, losing 4 of his last 6 including one to Masayoshi Hashizume last year, though he is a talent and aged just 23 we wouldn't write him off at all. Sadly though he does need time to build so momentum and his 2020 win over Kohei Oba is easily forgotten now. As for Kanzaki he's 21 years old and reached the All Japan Rookie of the Year final in 2020, losing in the final to Akira Hoshuyama. Despite that loss he showed the level he can compete at and he should come into this bout thinking this is his time to shine. Going in to this we expect to see both men putting on a great show in what should be a very good technical bout between two talented youngster looking to make their mark on the sport. Our preview of this bout can be read here Minato and Kanzaki battle for Japanese Youth title The leading support bout from the under-card will see the touted Keisuke Matsumoto (4-0, 4) look to extend his perfect record as he faces his first international opponent, Thailand's Nakharin Hangyu (4-1, 2). The promising Matsumoto looks like a kid with natural power, and very good size, but we're still yet to see anything close to he can really deliver and he is clearly a work in progress, albeit a very advanced work in progress and more well developed than most 4-0 fighters. The Thai visitor is someone who's untested, and is taking a big step up here, and we don't expect him to offer much competition to someone with the promise of Matsumoto. In another notable under-card bout Japanese ranked 154lb hopeful Rikuto Adachi (16-3, 12) taking on Hisashi Kato (10-10-2, 6). Aged 24 Adachi has time on his hands, and even with 3 losses to his name there is no reason to write him off, though he is very much a work in progress and really needs to develop defensively given his last 2 losses have both come by stoppage. He is someone with a lot of potential, but his team do need to let him develop slowly, and he needs to be given time to fill out his frame. As for Kato the 36 year old southpaw is no world beater but should have the tools to ask some questions of Adachi, especially with his lefty stance. The card also feature the much anticipated debut of former Japanese amateur standout Taiga Imanaga (0-0), who kicks off his professional career with a bout against Takahiro Hamazaki (3-8-3, 1). The 22 year old Imanaga is tipped for big things, and whilst his debut isn't a tough one, at least on paper, the bout will give him a chance to show what he can do and hopefully help settle him into the pro-style of boxing before bigger and better bouts later in the year. As for Hamazaki, the 36 year old is 1-5-3 in his last 9 and isn't expected to do much more than survive a few rounds with the talented former amateur. |
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