 Osaka, Japan
The biggest show this week, at least for Asian fans, takes place on Sunday and features a title triple header as Shinsei gym give us fight fans a real treat. The main event of the card will see WBA “regular” Super Bantamweight champion Nehomar Cermeno (26-5-1-1, 15) take on unbeaten Japanese challenger Shun Kubo (11-0, 8), with Kubo getting his first world title bout. Coming in to this Cermeno is enjoying an Indian summer in regards to his career and and reeled off 4 wins last year, including 2 against Qiu Xiao Jun and one against Nop Kratingdaenggym, to claim and defend the title. Although good last year the champion is 37 and has had a long career. Aged 26 Shinsei gym view Kubo as the next Hozumi Hasegawa and know that a win here would see Hyogo based gym have their next star. For Kubo the bout is a huge step up in class, but he and his team wouldn't have taken this bout if they weren't confident of coming out on top in what should be a bout that answers a lot of questions about both men. In a supporting bout we'll see OPBF title action as OPBF Lightweight champion Masayoshi Nakatani (13-0, 8) takes on once beaten Thai challenger Kaewfah Tor Buamas (23-1, 16). For the champion this will be his 7th defense of the title, a title that he won more than 3 years ago, and it's arguably one of the more interesting defenses on paper. As for the Thai this is a must win bout given that he was dominated by Czar Amonsot last year, before being stopped in round 7. If Nakatani, as we suspect, wins here there will be serious talk of him getting a world title fight, and it could well be that he gets such a shot later this year, or early next year. For the Thai a win would be a shock, and it would take a career defining performance for him to walk away as the Oriental champion. In another title bout from this card we see unbeaten youngsters clash in a bout for the vacant Japanese Minimumweight title. The bout will see Reiya Konishi (12-0, 5) battle with Watanabe's exciting Masataka Taniguchi (6-0, 4). Aged 23 Konishi has been a professional since 2013 and made his first real mark in 2014, when he claimed the Rookie of the Year crown. Despite being the Rookie of the Year in 2014 he's not really progressed and hasn't really moved forward in his career in 2015 or 2016. Taniguchi is also 23 but has been a professional for just over a year, debuting last April, and has already impressed with a very notable win last October against Dexter Alimento being a stand out win. Although flawed, and inexperienced, Taniguchi has been seen as a fighter on the fast track and a win here would put him on to the fringes of a world title fight. Also on this card will be the once beaten Sho Nakazawa (9-1, 4), who will be up against Filipino visitor John Ray Logatiman (5-4-2, 1). Osaka, Japan A second card in Osaka will be put on by Muto gym, and unfortunately whilst it does boast some notable names, the card looks to be a very one sided one. In fact it looks to be little more than a bunch of mismatches. The main event of the card will see OPBF Bantamweight champion Mark John Yap (25-12, 11) fight in a stay busy contest against a Thai foe. In a leading support bout former OPBF, Japanese and IBF Asia Light Middleweight champion Takayuki Hosokawa (28-11-5, 9) will fight in his retirement, also against a Thai foe, and Masahiro Sakamoto (8-1, 4) is also set to take on a Thai visitor. Sadly none of the Thai's are known quantities suggesting very limited visitors. In an all-Japan bout we'll see Kazuyasu Okamoto (13-4, 3) battle with Ryo Okayama (8-3-1, 5), who returns to a Japanese ring for the first time since 2014. Osaka, Japan There will be a third show in Osaka, though with much less attention than the other two. The main event here will see Yuta Uetani (19-5-1, 9) facing off with a no-name Thai foe. Although Uetani's bout is the main event there will also be a domestic match up between Ken Osato (10-1-1, 3) and Keita Ito (8-20-2, 4), in what looks like a clear mismatch. Fukuoka, Japan The only non-Osakan show on Saturday comes from Fukuoka and is again a low key show. The main event here will be a really well matched 6 rounder as Yuki Hirashima (5-1-1, 1) battles against Shinji Uramoto (5-1, 4) in what should be a really good match up. Sadly the rest of the card is merely full of novices.
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 Osaka, Japan
The best show of the week, and one of the best of the month, comes on Wednesday when Morioka and Mutoh co-promote a great show with 5 title bouts in Osaka. The “main event” of the show will see OPBF Light Middleweight champion Takayuki Hosokawa (28-10-5, 9) look for his second defense of the title as he takes on fellow Japanese fighter Yutaka Oishi (13-5, 7). The bout will see Hosokawa looking for a much better performance than his last one, a hard fought struggle for a draw with Koshinmaru Saito, however there are some suggesting he is at the very end of his career with injuries and accumulated damage adding up. For Oishi this is a great opportunity to claim a major title, but he will be the big under-dog here. The most exciting fighter on the card is 19 year old hopeful Hinata Maruta (3-0, 2), who looks to make his first defense of the WBC Youth Bantamweight. The talented Japanese youngster will be up against Filipino southpaw Joe Tejones (6-1, 2) in what should be a chance to Maruta to get rounds against a southpaw. From what we under-stand a win here will see Maruta progress towards either a Japanese, an OPBF or a WBO Asia Pacific title fight in 2017 with his team actively chasing tougher assignments. For Tejones the bout is a big step up and it's hard to see what he'll have to test Maruta. The other OPBF title fight will see Middleweight champion Dwight Ritchie (14-0-0-4, 1) make the first defense of his title as he takes on the limited but heavy handed Japanese slugger Koki Tyson (10-2-2, 10). Ritchie won the title earlier this year in Japan, where he defeated Hikaru Nishida, and will be hoping for more success here. He is however up against a very different type of fighter here with Nishida being a basic pressure fighter whilst Tyson is a boxer-puncher, sadly for Tyson he is rather limited and comes into this on the back of a very poor performance against Joon Yong Lee. In a WBO Super Flyweight Asia Pacific title bout we'll see former world title challengers face off as Japan's Hirofumi Mukai (12-4-3, 2) battles Thailand's Inthanon Sithchamuang (30-8-1, 18). Mukai has twice fought for world titles in Thailand, having a technical draw with Pongsaklek Wonjongkam and suffering a stoppage loss to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, and has struggled against other notable opponents like Shohei Omori and Mark Anthony Geraldo. Inthanon on the other hand is best known for losing to Kohei Kono earlier this year, and has suffered other losses in Japan, where he is yet to score a win. At Flyweight we'll see the unbeaten, and genuinely promising, Masahiro Sakamoto (8-0, 4) take on the once beaten Sho Kimura (12-1-2, 6) for the WBO Asia Pacific title. Sakamoto has been unbeaten since his debut back in December 2014, and has won the 2015 Rookie of the Year and holds wins over Atsushi Aburada and Il Che. As for Kimura he was beaten in his debut but has gone 14 fights unbeaten since fighting 3 of those bouts in Thailand. This is the first title bout for both men and should tell us a lot about both fighters. In a notable non-title bout on the card we'll see exciting prospect Naoto Iwai (2-0, 1) take on Filipino veteran Donny Mabao (22-27-3, 4) in a 6 rounder. The bout is a good step up for Iwai, who was last seen beating Juan Purisima in the Philippines, and a win here is likely to see Iwai move into 8 rounders in 2017, with the teenager already showing glimpses of real talent like stablemate Maruta  Osaka, Japan
This coming Sunday sees Japanese attention turn to Osaka with the Sumiyoshi Ward Center playing host to two different shows, one after the other. The first is a Morioka card whilst the second is a Mutoh card. To us the most interesting bout from the first show will see fast rising Japanese teenager Hinata Maruta (2-0, 1) go for his first professional title, as he faces unbeaten Filipino Wilbert Berondo (10-0, 4) for the WBC Youth Bantamweight title. The bout is, on paper, a huge step up for Berondo but the pressure will be on Maruta, who is tipped by many to be one of the next stars of Japanese boxing. Unfortunately very little is known about Berondo with even our Filipino friends admitting they know very little about him and the footage available shows a raw slugger. Another interesting bout on this card will see Japanese based Korean fighter Teiru Atsumi (10-1, 4) battle Filipino visitor Dennis Tubieron (19-7-2, 8). Tubieron has been picking up losses recently, including a loss earlier this year to Ryosuke Iwasa. Atsumi is relatively unknown but impressed last time out when he stopped the touted Sho Nakazawa and some are suggesting he is one of the top two Korean prospects still in Asia, along with Ye Joon Kim. If he can add Tubieron to his record Atsumi really will be riding a high into the end of the year, and may well see his team try secure him a title fight in the near future. Osaka, Japan On the second card we have another title bout, but one that perhaps doesn't quite have the same excitement as the Maruta/Berondo bout. This time it's the case of OPBF Light Middleweight champion Takayuki Hosokawa (28-10-4, 9) facing off against multi-time title challenger Koshinmaru Saito (23-8-1, 13). For Hosokawa this will be his first defense, following his career defining victory late last year against Dennis Laurente to claim the Oriental title. For Hosokawa a good performance here may help open the door to a world title fight, with the Japanese fighter very highly ranked by the IBF, however Saito enters this bout knowing this will be his last chance at winning a world title. In a supporting bout fans will see former world title challenger Hirofumi Mukai (12-4-2, 2) battle against Ryotaro Kawabata (11-2-1, 5) in what is a really good, well matched contest. The bout sees two well matched men facing off in a bout that neither can really afford to lose. For Mukai the bout is his second since losing to Shohei Omori in a Japanese title fight whilst Kawabata looks to extend a 4 fight unbeaten run. In a small step up the unbeaten Masahiro Sakamoto (7-0, 4) will be up against Il Che (7-11-5, 1). Che has lost his last 3, and only, has a single win in his last 8 but has proven to be a good test for prospects and gave Genki Hania Hanai a good run out back in March, we suspect the same will be the case here. One fight we're not expecting to go the distance will see Japanese Middleweight puncher Koki Tyson (10-2-1, 10) face Korean Joon Yong Lee (5-4-3, 3). This will be Lee's second bout in Japan, following a loss in May to Ryosuke Maruki and although he went the distance, in a competitive bout with Maruki, we don't see him being able to take Tyson's power here.  Osaka, Japan
The best of 5 Japanese shows this Sunday is from Osaka where we get arguably the toughest debut in recent years as well as an OPBF title fight and a bout that looks to be a tune up bout for a title fight in 2016. That debut bout is the long awaited debut of teenager Hinata Maruta (0-0). The very highly touted youngster goes up against the world ranked Jason Canoy (24-5-2, 18), who is heavy handed and has never been stopped. Maruta is dubbed “The #1 Hope” and has received a lot of attention in Japan but there is a good chance that he has bit off more than he can chew here against Canoy, who is best known for stopping Drian Francisco in just 132 seconds. This is a baptism of fire but if Maruta wins then he'll have immediately made a statement of the highest order. Whilst the Maruta/Canoy bout is the most exciting it's not actually the main event. That's an OPBF Light Middleweight title fight between the tough Dennis Laurente (49-6-5, 30), the defending champion, and former Japanese champion Takayuki Hosokawa (27-10-4, 9). This is a really intriguing bout even though the champion is 38 and best known for suffering a shut out loss to John Jackson on a PBC show. Laurente will be hoping to record the first defense of his title whilst Hosokoawa will likely be looking to close his career on a high, with rumours swirling that he'll retire win or lose here, due to issues with his eye. The tune up bout sees former OPBF Super Featherweight champion Masao Nakamura (20-3, 19) battle against Thailand's Daorung Sithsoei (0-6), who's record is believed to be very incomplete. Nakamura has made it known that he wants a Japanese title fight and could well be looking at the winner of the upcoming Rikkie Naito/Kenichi Ogawa fight as his target for 2016. Coming into this one Nakamura is looking to build on his sensational win against Daiki Kaneko, in what is still a front runner for the Japanese FOTY. Also on this card will be Korean hopeful Tae Il Kim (5-0, 1). Kim, who will be fighting under the name Teiru Atsumi, will be making his Japanese debut against Songkramchai Ektinakorn (0-1) and be fighting for the first time in 21 months, despite the lay off he is expected to shine in what is hoped to be a very promising career. Kumamoto, Japan The second most notable show in Japan comes from Kumamoto where we get a weak card with a notable main event. That main event is a Japanese Minimumweight title fight between Tatsuya Fukuhara (15-4-5, 6) and Hiroya Yamamoto (9-3, 3). The two men are fighting for a title that was recently vacated by Go Odaira and although neither are big names both men have faced solid fighters, with Fukuhara having mixed with Takuma Inoue and Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr whilst Yamamoto has faced Odaira and Xiong Zhao Zhong. It's fair to say neither man is expected to move on to being a true world champion but we suspect the winner will compete in a world title fight somewhere down the line. Tokyo, Japan The first of two shows at the Shinjuku FACE is a small card put on reason and will be headlined by a couple of 8 round bouts. One of those 8 rounders will see Japanese and OPBF ranked Featherweight hopeful Ryuto Araya (8-3-1, 1) battle Takuya Yamaguchi (9-9, 7). Although not the best fighter Araya is ranked due to his most recent bout, a win over Kazunori Takayama, and he has shown issues in other bouts, including a 2nd round TKO loss to Daisuke Watanabe. Yamaguchi on the other hand is fighting for the second after a long lay off, which began when he went 1-4 including a loss to Shingo Wake. On paper this is a mismatch though we suspect it could actually be very competitive. The other will see Japanese ranked Keita Nakano (13-10, 4) put his Bantamweight ranking on the line against Keigo Soma (7-11-1, 4). On paper this looks a more competitive match up than the other bout and could well be the show stealing bout, despite the less than stellar records of the men involved. Tokyo, Japan The second show at the Shinjuku FACE features just one a single 8 rounder as Minoru Matsuo (6-4, 3) battles Chikashi Hayashizaki (6-5-1, 2) in what looks like a competitive lower level bout. Whilst the main event is an 8 rounder we're more interested in a 6 rounder which will see veteran Keita Manabe (26-6-1, 22) battle against novice Yuya Shimakura (5-1-1, 2). Manabe, a former Japanese title challenger, will be fighting for the first time in more than 6 years and although on paper he should be favoured he has scored a win since 2007! Shimakura on the other hand has shown potential and the 20 year old could become someone to keep an eye on. Aichi, Japan Another minor show comes from Aichi and features a pair of headlining 8 rounders. The most notable of those sees Japanese ranked 140lb'der Shinichi Tsukahara (10-7-3, 5) battling against Yuta Maruoka (9-3, 4). Coming into this one Tsukahara has won his last two bouts but has been stopped in 4 of his losses and at 31 it's a time where any loss could cost him a potential title shot. Maruoka however should be a safe opponent, and he's winless in almost 4 years. The other 8 rounder will see Minimumweight hopeful Jun Takigawa (7-1, 4) take on Takeshi Sone (5-3-3, 1). Takigawa should be heavily favoured here and he did have an excellent 2014, which saw him narrowly lose in the All Rookie final to Reiya Konishi. Sone's recent form has seen him go 0-1-2 though he has faced decent competition. August 2nd-OPBF title action, Ishida's retirement, Title hopeful's and Laurente in the US!7/31/2015  This coming Sunday is a busy day for Japanese fight fans who have 3 separate cards, all with something of note on them. As well as the Japanese action we also see a veteran for the Philippines fighting in the US.
Osaka, Japan The most significant bout of the day will see Yu Kawaguchi (23-6, 10) defending the OPBF Bantamweight title against the heavy handed Takahiro Yamamoto (15-4, 12). These two men met earlier this year, with Kawaguchi winning a split decision against Yamamoto it one of the closest bouts of the year so far. For Yamamoto this is a chance at redemption whilst Kawaguchi is looking to prove he is better than his foe. On the same card we'll see the very promising Kazuki Tanaka (2-0, 2) battle against win-less Thai visitor Kamraiyok Orwandavee (0-2). This is a clear mismatch but it could be one that tells us something about Tanaka, given that it took Takahiro Yamamoto 3 rounds to stop Kamraiyok last December, a 1uicker win really could back up the idea that Tanaka is a potential champion. One other bout of note will see Japanese ranked fighter Takayuki Okumoto (14-6-2, 6) risk his ranking against the limited Yasuhiro Sakurai (7-19). This shouldn't be a tough ask for the 23 year old Okumoto but he'll know that another loss at this stage of his career really will but a hit on his hopes to climb through the ranks Notable this show will also feature an exhibition between Nobuhiro Ishida and Crazy Kim. This exhibition will be part of Ishida's retirement ceremony. The two men fought twice as pros and have become really good friends since those bouts with Ishida having trained with Kim prior to Ishida's retirement earlier this year. Osaka, Japan A second show in Osaka looks to be almost as interesting with several notable names in action. Arguably the most significantly bout on the card features world ranked Light Middleweight Takayuki Hosokawa (26-10-4, 9) who puts his IBF ranking on the line against South Korean fighter Jung Hoon Yang (9-6, 2), who 1-4 on the road. Hang was last seen in Japan in 2014 being stopped in 4 rounds by Yoshihiro Kamegai and it would be little shock to see him suffer a very clear loss to Hosokawa, who is expected to move towards a rematch with Yuki Nonaka either at the end of 2015 or very early in 2016. Another notable bout will see Japanese Middleweight hopeful Koki Tyson Maebara (8-1-1, 8) battle against Thailand's Kungsuk Sor Sompong (0-1). The bout is a mismatch but the general view is that this could be Maebara's last fight before he gets a title fight of some kind. The talented puncher is thought to be eyeing up the winner of the up coming bout between Akio Shibata and Yasuyuki Akiyama. Another bout where the favourite is looking towards a future bout will be a contest between Jonathan Baat (29-6-3, 14) and Dado Cabin Toy (15-4-2, 8). It was announced last week that Baat has been lined up as the next opponent for the touted Hikaru Marugame however he'll need a win here or that bout will likely be off. This however shouldn't be a tough ask for the Japanese based Filipino veteran. Aichi, Japan A third Japanese show is from Aichi and it's easily the “weakest” with only the main event really capturing our attention. That headline bout will see Kazuya Maruki (18-3, 12) take on Indonesian visitor Heri Andriyanto (21-18-2, 10) in what looks to be a straight forward win for Maruki. The Indonesian veteran is 0-3 in Japan and 0-10 on his travels and it's unlikely that run will change here against a fighter who is well ranked by the JBC. Although much of this card is set to be fought at a low level we must admit we have some interest in teenage hopeful Kevin Mendoza (1-0) who will be facing Naoki Masukawa (3-2). Mendoza is an 18 year old Japanese based Peruvian who debuted back in May and this could well be a great test for the southpaw. Florida, USA We also get some a action in the US as Filipino veteran Dennis Laurente (49-5, 30) takes on the heavy handed John Jackson (19-2, 15) as part of a 4 man WBC Light Middleweight tournament. Laurente is seen as a huge outsider coming into this bout but will know that this is a huge opportunity. Laurente enters as the OPBF champion at 154lbs though his title won't be on the line. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) April 19th-Nonaka and Hosokawa face showdown on a card that also sees Mukai and Tomiyama facing off!4/16/2015  Japanese action gets back underway on Sunday with a pair of shows, one of which really is worth making a note of.
Osaka, Japan The more notable of the two Japanese cards comes from Osaka where fans get several very interesting match ups. The most notable of the bouts on the show is the main event which will see Japanese Light Middleweight champion Yuki Nonaka (27-8-2, 9) defending his title against former champion Takayuki Hosokawa (26-10-3, 9). The title, which was given up by Hosokawa last year following a bout of illness, ended up in Nonaka's hands when he easily out pointed Kengo Nagashima, and this will now by the second defense by Nonaka who over-came the dangerous Charlie Ota at the end of last year. For Hosokawa, the current IBF Asian champion at the weight, this is a chance to reclaim the title and to score a second notable win in 3 fights, having out pointed Tadashi Yuba just over a year ago. Notably the winner of this bout is expected to take a huge step up he IBF rankings and may well find themselves in the mix for a world title fight later in the year. An intriguing chief support bout will see former world title challengers collide as Hirofumi Mukai (10-3-2, 1) battle against Konosuke Tomiyama (24-7-1, 8). Mukai has come up short in two world title fights, suffering a technical draw with the great Pongsaklek Wonjongkam in a bout for the WBC Flyweight title and a stoppage defeat to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in a WBC Super Flyweight title bout, whilst Tomiyama gave tough guy Nobuo Nashiro a real scare in 2009. Sadly the loser here is likely to be pushed well down the domestic pecking order whilst the winner may be able to pick up the pieces of their career later in the year. A third bout that has caught our eye here is a notable step up bout for Jumbo Oda Nobunaga Shoten Petagine (9-2, 7) who will be fighting against former Japanese and OPBF title challenger Valentine Hosokawa (18-4-3, 9). Petagine will have youth and size advantage over his opponent though was less than convincing in his last 2 bouts, a win and a loss to Shohei Kanemoto. On the other hand Hosokawa has been stopped in 2 of his last 4, including an 11th round TKO to Korean warrior Min Wook Kim back in August 2013. As well as the 3 bouts mentioned there will be 2 others on this show. Mie, Japan The other show of the day takes place in Mie and certainly doesn't have anything too notable to mention. The main event will be an 8 rounder and see the Japanese ranked Yusuke Nakagawa (7-3-1, 4) battle against journeyman foe Hajima Kawase (5-7-2). It's hard to get too excited about this bout though if Nakagawa wins he may find himself in Japanese Super Featherweight title fight in the near future. Another Japanese ranked fighter on this card is Tetsuya Morisada (4-3, 4) who risks his low ranking at Light Welterweight against Kazuyhso Toguri (4-6). On paper this looks like a poor bout but Morisada has looked destructive recently with a trio of quick wins and will be hoping to continue that run against the tough Toguri. As well as the 2 bouts that have been mentioned there will be another 8 contests. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp)  This weekend is an interesting one though before we get to the weekend we have Friday to get through and it's fair to say that Friday is, it's self, an interesting day with several interesting bouts. Bangkok, Thailand In Thailand we see a show that is headlined by two visiting fighters as Japan's Takayuki Hosokawa (25-10-3, 8), a former Japanese national champion, battles Indonesian journeyman Moses Seran (24-18, 11) in a bout for the IBF Asia Light Middleweight title. The bout seems to be set up for Hosokawa to boost his IBF ranking and help him shoot up the top 15 and although it should work we really can't see him beating a world class Light Middleweight. Including the clumsy looking Cornelius Bundrage who currently holds the IBF world title. Bangkok, Thailand Also in Thailand fans will see Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr (25-3-1, 15), best known for beating Ryo Miyazaki a year ago, battle against Filipino Armando dela Cruz (24-13-3, 10) in a bout for the IBF Asia Light Flyweight title. For Fahlan this could see him putting a forgettable 2014 behind him and starting a new year with a title and possible IBF ranking. For the Filipino fighter this will be his first bout in Thailand since he stopped Samransak Singmanasak back in December 2008 and it's worth noting he's actually 2-3 in Thailand, a great record for a Filipino visitor. This could actually be a really good bout. New South Wales, Australia In Australia we're expecting to see Padjai Yongyuthgym (18-1-2, 12) battle against Chad Bennett (34-4-3, 25) for the IBO Inter Continental and WBC Eurasia Pacific Boxing Council Light Welterweight titles. From what we understand this is the third date set aside for this bout which seems to keep slipping backward though we're unsure why. We suspect Bennett will be favoured but this isn't a foregone conclusion, unlike many bouts featuring Asian's in Australia. East London, South Africa Filipino fighter Raymond Tabugon (14-3-1, 6) will be battling against Luzuko Siyo (13-2, 10) in South Africa. This will give Tabugon a chance to avenge a loss for fellow Filipino Macrea Gandionco, who was stopped in 5 by Siyo. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp, video courtesy of Kiatkreerin)  Courtesy of Boxmob and Dangan boxing One of the great things about the Asian boxing scene is that no days seem to be off limits for big fighters. In the US and through much of Europe the big fights only take place on a Saturday night with some "B grade" world title fights being fought on a Friday. In Asia however it seems every day has the potential to be a boxing day. This is made obvious this week as we get three major title fights on a Tuesday!
Thailand, Nakhon Ratchasima The first title fight of the day is also the most important bout of the day and takes place in Thailand. What makes this one the most important is that it's for the WBA "interim" Flyweight title. Sure it may not be the full version of the title but with the bouts we've had for it in recent years it's hard to deny that the fighters view it as just an interim belt. Last year we saw Koki Eto rip this very belt from the hands of Kompayak Porpramook in a thriller, then we saw Eto get beaten up and grind down as he lost it in his first defense. The man who beat Eto for the title is Thailand's unheralded Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep (33-2, 20) who may not be a big name but is a big talent. He'll be hoping to prove that once again as he attempts to defend his belt for the first time and battles former Japanese national champion Takuya Kogawa (22-3, 13) in what is potentially another war for the belt. Kogawa is skilled and experienced though he is 0-1 in fights in Thailand and in world title fights and Japanese fighters have had notoriously bad luck in world title fights in Thailand. We honestly think Kogawa winning would be an upset though we can't see him going down with out putting up a real fight in what promises to be a memorable affair. In regards to rest of the card, we really don't know what to expect. We're expecting it to be televised on Thai TV though just what will be televised is a whole different question. Japan, Tokyo Whilst we get the interim world title fight in Thailand we also get a Japanese title double header in Japan, under the guise of Dangan 95". The first of the title fights will see the unbeaten stoppage machine Hiroki Okada (7-0, 7) attempt to claim his first title, the vacant Japanese Light Welterweight title. In Okada's way is the tough, though limited Masayoshi Kotake (9-7-1, 5). Kotake, who is a tricky southpaw, is expected to cause Okada some problems, though we still expect Okada's power and strength to over-come Kotake. Following the Japanese Light Welterweight title bout we get the second Japanese title bout as the legendary Tadashi Yuba (45-8-2, 32) attempts to make the second defense of his Japanese Light Middleweight title. Unfortunately for Yuba things aren't that easy and he'll have take on Takayuki Hosokawa (24-10-3, 8) who has already run Yuba incredibly close in a fight a few years back. Although Hosokawa doesn't have the greatest of records he is a decent fighter and is much younger than the champion and has already given him fits. Although it's Yuba's bout to lose there is plenty of risk in the contest. As well as the two title fights we're expecting 4 other contests, the most notable of which will feature Dai Iwai (13-3-1, 5) fighting in a testing contest with Shogo Ishikawa (10-5, 3). This may not b a great contest on paper but it's a well. |
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