 Mielparque Hall, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
This coming Friday the Mielparque Hall will host the latest show from Koki Kameda's 3150 Kameda Fight Club. The card isn't the best matched, though that's not much of a surprise given the fact the 3150 Fight Club is still finding it's feet. Although the card isn't the deepest it does feature to very well notable bouts. The first of those will see former WBA Minimumweight champion Ryo Miyazaki (25-2-3, 16) take on Takumi Sakae (22-4-1, 16) in a genuinely well matched and interesting bout at Flyweight. The 33 year old Miyazaki began a comeback last year, after more than 5 years away from the ring, and this will be his second of that comeback, and it's a big step up from his 2021 ring return against Takayuki Teraji. This should be a genuine chance to see what he has in the tank. As for Sakae, the 28 year old was once tipped for big things, but has fallen short in a number of notable bouts, including a loss to Riku Kano last year, and he'll know he needs a win to keep alive any hope of getting a shot at a world title. Given the styles of the two men this should be a very entertaining bout, with fireworks expected from both men. The other bout, and an arguably more interesting bout, will see the long awaited, and much over-due, debut of Japanese-Brazilian Heavyweight hopeful Brandon Mitsuro Tajima (0-0), who passed hi pro-test bout in 2020 but bouts fall through at short notice delaying his debut. The former amateur stand out, who went 42-9 (20) in the unpaid ranks, will be up against Korean fighter Sang Ho Kim (8-3-1, 2). Kim has been stopped in all 3 of his losses, and isn't an incredible fighter by any stretch, but he should make for a good test for Tajima, in what is a scheduled 8 rounder, something we see very very rarely in Japan. We suspect that if Tajima shines here he and his team will race towards titles, and he might even end up in a national title fight in just his second professional bout, which would be a new Japanese record. Kim will be there to win, and is an exciting fighter, but we suspect there will be a huge gulf in skills here. Sangyo Shinko Center, Sakai, Osaka, Japan As well as the Kameda promoted show we'll also be getting a small, low key, card in Sakai City. This is a very, very low quality card, with the main event being a 4 round female bout between Riyuna Yoshikawa (2-1-1, 1) and Moemi Inukai (2-1, 1). Coming in to this Yoshikawa is ranked #7 by the JBC, and will be risking that ranking, whilst Inukai will be looking to bounce back from a November loss to Ayana Miyasaka, in what was a very well contested 4 rounder in Tokyo.
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 EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
The Edion Arena plays host to two different shows this coming Friday, one from Taisei Promotions and one from Harada Promotion, both of which were originally scheduled to take place in June. The bigger of the two is the Taisei promoted event, which serves as a regional title double header. The main event will see former world title challenger Riku Kano (17-4-1, 8) defending his WBO Asia Pacific Light Flyweight title against the once touted Takumi Sakae (22-3-1, 16), in what could be a genuinely competitive match up. Kano was once regarded as the next super kid of Japanese boxing, but those hopes have faltered, repeatedly, in recent years and his ceiling, for now, appears to be this regional title level. Despite that comment he is a solid boxer, with good speed and he fights to his strengths. He is however too lightweight, at least at the moment, to make it to the top. Sakae was tipped incredibly highly at one point, but he has fallen short when he's stepped up and it seems clear that he doesn't have what it takes to reach the top. He's an exciting and fun guy to watch, but he's certainly lacking the tools to reach the world level. This bout could be a bit of a messy one, but should be competitive. Our full preview of this one can be read here Kano takes on Sakae in first defense of WBO Asia Pacific title In the co-feature veteran fighter Yuki Nonaka (34-10-3, 10) will defend his WBO Asia Pacific Middleweight title against Koki Koshikawa (9-2, 6). The talented Nonaka has had a remarkable career, and at 43 is among the oldest fighters in Japan. He signed a contract with an American promoted before the pandemic, and it was hoped that he would land a big US bout, but the pandemic put those plans to bed and he's now been out of the ring since September 2019. He desperately needs to get back in the ring, before father time beats him. In the opposite corner is a man who was tipped to be a star when he turned professional, following a strong run as an amateur, but has, so far, fallen short. Sadly for Koshikawa a TKO loss last time out, to Hironobu Matsunaga in 2019, has left his career dangling by a thread, and he needs a win here. It's rare for a bout to be a legitimate must win, but that's exactly what we have here. Our in depth preview of this one can be read here Veteran Nonaka takes on flawed Koshikawa! On the under-card we'll see WBO and JBC ranked Flyweight Arata Matsuoka (10-6, 4) take on Tetsuya Mimura (8-3, 1) in a 10 round bout. Matsuoka will be looking to fight for a domestic or regional title shortly, and this match up should help him prepare for something like that. As for Mimura he shouldn't be over-looked, but he's the big under-dog and probably lacks the power he'd need to defeat Matsuoka. One other domestic bout on this card worthy of some note will see Ryo Suwa (11-4, 2) take on Tomoya Kishine (6-4-1, 2), in a scheduled 6 rounder at Super Bantamweight. Suwa was once regarded as a domestic contender, but he has now lost 3 in a row and is more than 2 years removed from his last win. Kishine on the other hand is no world beater, but will feel he's getting to Suwa at the right time and a win here would still be a sizable boost to his career. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan The other show is a much smaller event headlined by a Japanese Youth title fight, and a really interesting one at that. That Youth title bout will see the unbeaten Tsubasa Narai (7-0, 6), look to build on his Rookie of the Year win, back in February, as he takes on Kyonosuke Kameda (6-2-1, 5) in a mouth watering match up. Both of these men can punch, both are young, and both are coming to fight. For Kameda, the cousin of the fighting brothers, the key will be to use his height and reach to keep Narai at range and box behind his long straight shots. As for Narai we expect to see him relying on his power, and his aggression and for him to try and take Kameda out with single heavy shots, and well placed counters. Our preview of this one can be read here Narai and Kameda battle for Youth honours!  Osaka, Japan
On paper the most notable Asian show this coming Monday takes place in Osaka, where we get a pair of female Featherweight title bouts. Sadly though neither bout really screams that it deserves masses of attention, despite both featuring a world title challenger. On paper the more significant of the two bouts will see OPBF female Featherweight champion Wakako Fujiwara (8-3-2, 3) defending her title against Yoshie Wakasa (6-1, 2), in what looks like a pretty decent match up on paper. Fujiwara won the belt last year and defended it once before challenging WBA female Super Featherweight champion Hyun Mi Choi earlier this year, and lost a clear decision to the Korean. Fujiwara is a decent fighter, and a solid OPBF level competitor, but at 38 we do need to wonder what she has left in the tank. At 31 Wakasa is the much younger challenger, but is also the naturally smaller fighter, and her last bout was a loss in a Japanese female Bantamweight title fight, so we need to wonder how she operates 8lbs heavier than she's been fighting at recently. Our preview of this bout can be read here Fujiwara to defend OPBF title against once beaten Wakasa The other title bout is much less interesting, as the limited but solid punching Miki Mitsuda (5-5, 4) takes on veteran Kimika Miyoshi (13-12-1, 5) for the Japanese female Featherweight title. Of the two it's Miyoshi who is the more well known, a 3-weight OPBF champion and a former world title challenger, but she has lost her last 4 and is more than 3 years removed from a win. Mitsuda on the other hand is the defending champion, having won the belt last time out, and she's turned her career right around with a 4-1 (3) record in her last 5 bouts. This is very much momentum Vs experience, and should be entertaining, but shows the clear lack of depth in some divisions of female boxing, still. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read here Mitsuda takes on experienced veteran Miyoshi for vacant title! Fukuoka, Japan A second Japanese show will be held in Fukuoka and see several notable hopefuls in action as they look to move towards bigger and better fights. One of the notable hopefuls is Welterweight puncher Yuki Beppu (19-1-1, 18), who has had a frustrating 12 months thanks to a loss last October to Yuki Nagno and scored his first decision win this past April. The big punching Beppu is expected to score his 10th win, and his 19 stoppage, as he takes on under-sized Indonesian visitor Roy Mukhlis (31-10-4, 23). At his best Mukhlis was a world title challenger, at Super Featherweight, but that was almost a decade ago, and even that he was blasted out by Takashi Uchiyama. This should be nothing more than a showcase win for Beppu. Another fighter expecting to win a show case against an Indonesian foe is Takumi Sakae (21-3-1, 15), who takes on the very limited Stevanus Nana Bau (9-11-2, 2). Sakae was once tipped for big things, in the world rankings and a Rookie of the Year winner. In recent years his career has faltered, but he is a skilled fighter with an aggressive mentality and he should go through Bau with ease. The visitor has been stopped in 3 of his last 4, and 8 of his 11 career losses, and we can't see anything but another stoppage loss here for the visitor. A third bout of note on this show will see the unbeaten Kazuki Kyohara (4-0-1, 3) step up for his first 6 rounder. The unbeaten youngster will be up against the much more experienced Toshihiro Kai (6-11-2, 2) who has been stopped in 4 of his last 5. On paper this is a step up for Kiyohara, but it should be a very manageable step up up for the youngster.  This coming Sunday we won't see much action but there is a Korean show, with a title fight, and a Japanese show.
Cheorwon, South Korea The Korean card is a BoxingM show, headlined by a Korean Heavyweight title fight and supported by some international bouts with Korean fighters taking on visitors from China and Japan. The title fight will see Sung Min Lee (6-1, 2) battling against Hoo Won Lee (4-5) in a bout for vacant Korean Heavyweight belt. It's hard to get too excited about this bout, especially given the differences between the two fighters records. We suspect the 28 year old Sung Min Lee will record a 6th straight win here, though his competition to date has been pretty limited so far. Despite the limitations of Sung Min's competition Hoo Won Lee has not really score any winss better than that of his name sake, and has actually lost his last 3, including a decision loss in 2017 to Japan's Kotatsu Takehara. The undercard will see a pair of Korea Vs China bouts and 4 Korea Vs Japan bouts. On paper the most competitive of those looks like a 4 round bout between Kyung Min Hwang (5-0, 3) and Yutaka Asakura (4-1-1, 3), though and we wouldn't be surprised to see the Korean fighters win most of their bouts, if not all of them. Fukuoka, Japan In Japan we get a show from Fukuoka, but sadly it's a very low level one, with most of the card being 4 round bouts between novices, including a rookie bout. Whilst almost all of this card is low level fighters each looking to get an early career win there is an interesting main event, as the once highly tipped Takumi Sakae (20-3-1, 14) takes on Indonesian journeyman Ellias Nggenggo (13-12-3, 5) in what should be a pretty decent 8 round headliner. Sakae showed some real promise early on, winning the 2013 Rookie of the Year and his first 13 bouts in a row, though has sadly gone 7-3-1 since and not managed to fulfil his early promise. The 30 year old Nggenggo was one a very serviceable fighter, going the distance with the likes of Tibo Monabesa, Ryuji Hara and Paipharob Kokietgym. Sadly however Nggenggo has bee stopped in 5 of his last 8 and we'd expect him to be taken out again here.  This coming Sunday isn't a big day in Asian boxing but there are a number of bouts of note, with two Japanese eliminators in Fukuoka and a pretty interesting card in South Korea with Koreans, and Korean based fighters, taking on Japanese visitors.
Fukuoka, Japan The card in Fukuoka really is lacking in terms of depth, with just 6 total bouts on the card, but the top two bouts are mouth watering Japanese title eliminators, featuring local fighters taking on opponents from Tokyo for the right to compete at the 2019 Champion Carnival. One of those two eliminators takes place down at 105lbs and will see the once touted Takumi Sakae (19-2-1, 13) take on recent OPBF title challenger Norihito Tanaka (16-7, 9). The 25 year old Tanaka debuted in 2011 and looked on the route to success when he claimed the Rookie of the Year crown in 2013. Sadly since that early success he has faltered, losing in a Japanese title fight in 2016 to Tatsuya Fukuhara, drawing with Lito Dante and losing to Ryoki Hirai. Sakae has won his last 5, but those wins have come against some very limited foes. The 33 year old Tanaka ran up a 14-5 (7) record before walking away from the sport in 2011. He returned to the ring in 2017 and has had mixed success, with a loss last time out to OPBF champion Tsubasa Koura. Given the need for both men to win, and look good, this could be very entertaining. A preview of this bout is available here Sakae and Tanaka face off in Japanese eliminator! The other title eliminator bout bout will see heavy handed Yuki Beppu (18-0-1, 18) clash with Teiken hopeful Yuki Nagano (14-2, 11) in a Welterweight eliminator. Beppu, like Sakae, is a Rookie of the Year winner but at 27 years old it certainly feels like time for his to step up his competition, following 4 wins over terrible foes. The one time he really stepped, since his Rookie triumph, saw him fight to a draw with Charles Bellamy, and he seemed to bide his time whilst waiting for an opportunity like this. At 29 years old Nagano is slight older but also more tested. He comes into this bout on a 12 fight winning run, including a Rookie of the Year triumph in 2015 and a recent win over Riku Nagahama. Notably this will be Nagano's first bout outside of the Korakuen Hall, and that may be a problem with the crowd behind Beppu, but he'll be confident of continuing his good form. This has the potential to be very explosive. Our preview of this bout can be read here - Heavy handed Beppu and Nagano clash in eliminator! Kochi, Japan There will be a second Japanese card, albeit a significantly less significant one. The main event here will see Ryosei Hamaguchi (6-3, 2) taking on Chiharu Takasuka (5-4-1, 3), in what is a pretty low key bout if we're being honest, especially given the action in Fukuoka. Daejeon, South Korea In South Korea fans get a very interesting card, featuring several good looking international bouts and two BoxingM title bouts. One of those Korean title bouts will see Doo Hyup Kim (10-6-1, 5) take on Gun Woo Gang (4-2-2, 1) for the Korean Light Middleweight title. This will be Kim's first defense of the title, and despite having been stopped in 2 of his previous 3 he will be the man with the champions mentality. On the other hand the 21 year old Gang will be having his third title fight, having come up short in two previous Korean title bouts. The second title fight will be at 140lbs and will see Jin Soo Kim (3-1, 1) face off with Min Ho Jung (7-1-1, 1) for the vacant title. At 22 years old Kim is the younger, less experienced man but is a promising southpaw, who made an impact on his 2015 debut by scoring a brilliant KO of Andrew Silva. Jung will enter the bout as the older man, but will be the naturally smaller fighter. This could be an entertaining match up, but this will be the first title bout for either man. On paper the most evenly matched of the international bouts will see unbeaten fighters collide as local Min Jang (6-0-2, 2) takes on Japan's Fumiya Fuse (6-0, 1). The 18 year old Jang debuted last year and has already racked up 8 fights, but this is a big step up for him. At 20 years old Fuse is tipped as one to watch on the Japanese scene, and was the 2017 Rookie of the Year, but this will be his first bout outside of Japan. With neither man being a puncher we are expecting a distance bout, but a very interesting one. A potentially more explosive match up will see 26 year old Korean Dong Kwan Lee (8-2-2, 4) take on heavy handed Japanese fighter Arashi Iimi (6-1, 6). Coming into this Lee's record doesn't look too interesting, but his short term for has seen him going 4-1 (4) and he hasn't seen the final bell in any of his last 5 bouts. Iimi, the runner up for the 2017 Japanese Rookie of the Year has never seen the final bell, and has scored two wins already this year. Given their recent shows we're expecting to see both men go for the KO and to go for it early! One other bout of interest will see Korean based Mongolian Batzorig Batjargal (3-0, 2) take on Japan's Hironori Shigeta (5-1, 3). We've been impressed by Batjargal since his debut and he's looked really exciting so far, but this is a notable step up in class for him. Shigeta hasn't fought since December, but was crowned the Japanese Rookie of the Year last year at Welterweight, and he has a very good win over Rikuto Adachi. We can't help but think this could be the best bout on the card.  Fukuoka, Japan
This coming Sunday fans in Fukuoka will get a relative low key card, featuring a once touted Japanese fighter in the main event. That main event will see the Takumi Sakae (18-2-1, 13), who was once tipped for really big things, taking on Akihiro Toya (8-3, 1) in a bout between two Japanese ranked fighters each looking to score a big win and move towards a potential title fight. Sakae would win his first 13 bouts, including the 2013 Rookie of the Year, but has since gone 5-2-1 and has struggled to score a win of any real note since his Rookie win. Notably Toya struggled early in his career, winning just 1 of his first 3, before going 7-1 and has avenged his only recent loss. Toya has momentum coming into this one, whilst Sakae has the more notable accomplishments. On the under-card there will be a number of 4 rounders, the most interesting of which will see Ryota Kosaka (2-0-1, 1) take on Ryusuke Ushihara (3-1-1, 1). Despite that being a good looking 4 rounder the really interesting looking support bout is an 8 rounder, slap bang in the middle of the show, and will see Yusuke Yamanouchi (9-3-1, 5) take on Fumisuke Kimura (6-3, 4). Yamanouchi has a misleading record, with his losses coming to 3 very solid domestic level fighters, whilst Kimura has lost to even better fighters, including Ryosuke Maruki and Andy Hiraoka. Given the quality of the fighters who have beaten Yamanouchi and Kimura we're happy to see them face off, and we're expecting that to be a very solid contest for fans who get to the event early on. Bangkok, Thailand
In Bangkok fight fans will get the chance to see a number of fights involving visiting Japanese fighters. Sadly their opponents, all of which are locals, are un-named at the present moment, but the show is worthy of note due to the quality of the Japanese fighters. The main event will see the hotly tipped Hinata Maruta (5-1, 4) fight for the first time since he lost in an OPBF title fight against Hidenori Otake. The bout is expected to be a simple confidence builder for Maruta who will likely be seeking a rematch with Otake in 2018. Despite the loss last time out he's still one of the most naturally talented young fighters on the planet and it would be a huge shock to see anything but a win here from Maruta. Maruta's stablemate Naoto Iwai (3-2, 1) will be on the show, and will be trying to end a 2-fight skid. The talented Iwai once looked like a prospect on his way through the ranks but losses to Ryosuke Nasu and Kenya Yamashita have slowed the 20 year old down. He'll be hoping for a win here and then a step up back in Japan in 2018 as he looks to rebuild his career as quickly as possible. One other fighter of note on this card is former Japanese title challenger Takumi Sakae (17-2-1, 12). The talented Sakae has won his last 3 by stoppage but did have a frustrating 2016, in which he went 1-2-1, and will clearly be trying to string together another win before the start of 2018, as he continues to chase a second title fight.  This coming Sunday is a relatively quiet day, despite a show in Japan and one in the Philippines.
Hiroshima, Japan In Japan the action comes from Hiroshima where we see two bouts of some note. The more notable of those bouts sees two men fighting for the opportunity to challenge for the Japanese Light Flyweight title in 2018. The bout will see the talented Koki Ono (12-3, 5) take on Koji Itagaki (17-11-3, 7) in what looks likely to be a really solid fight, despite the men having very differing records. Coming in to this Ono has won his last 5, though his best wins have been over the likes of Ryoya Ikema and Aiki Koto. On the other hand Itagaki has been suffered losses in 5 of his last 11, though he has been fighting at a much higher level and come up short against the likes of Rey Loreto and Kenichi Horikawa. This could be a very good bout between a rising contender, and a true grizzled veteran. The other bout of note on this show will see the once touted Takumi Sakae (16-2-1,11) continue his career rebuild as he takes on domestic foe Kenta Yokoe (6-12-2, 2). Sakae was once 13-0 and tipped as one to watch, but a 3-2-1 run has left his career in a bit of a mess and he is desperately seeking to right the ship. A win here would push him in the right direction, though much more will need to be done for him to really resurrect his career and get on with earning a second title fight. Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines In the Philippines the show is a small one, though the main event has the potential to be a really enticing contest as Jestoni Autida (9-7, 4) takes on Donny Mabao (22-32-3, 4). On paper that might not look even worthy of consideration but both are far better than their records indicate with Autida beating the likes of a then unbeaten Jeffrey Francisco, Xinghua Wang and Ratchasak Kokietgym and Mabao holding wins over Michael Enriquez, Mateo Handig and Florante Condes. We're not expecting a fight of the year contender, but a very competitive bout should be seen between two men seeking a win, and each believing they could get it here.  Tokyo, Japan
The Ohashi gym is one of the hottest in Japan right now and this coming Sunday they are hosting probably the most notable Asian card of the weekend, even if it's top matches are unlikely to be even slightly competitive. The main event will see Ohashi fighter Koki Inoue (7-0, 6) take on a Thai foe in what is supposed to be a Japanese title prelude for Inoue. It's thought that Koki, the cousin of world champion Naoya Inoue and world level contender Takuma Inoue, will face Koichi Aso before the end of for the Japanese Light Welterweight title fight but will have to make sure he doesn't over-look his foe here in what is expected to be a mismatch. In the chief supporting bout former Japanese Flyweight title challenger Yusuke Sakashita (14-8-2, 9) will be facing a Thai foe, in what should be a straight forward win for Sakashita, who has lost his last 2 and 4 of his last 6. Sakashita was once 12-4-2 but with losses piling up his career really cannot afford another setback. Although Inoue and Sakashita are both well know the most interesting fight on this card may well be the debut of Kazuki Nakajima (0-0), a former amateur standout who will look to make an impact against a Thai opponent. The plans for Nakajima do seem to be about putting him on the fast track, and he is pencilled in to fight again in August, and he may well be fighting for a title in his first 5 or 6 fights. Little is known about his Thai foe, but the reality is that this is about Nakajima introducing himself to professional boxing. Fukuoka, Japan In Fukuoka we'll see former Japanese Minimumweight title challenger Takumi Sakae (15-2-1, 10) continue to try to rebuild his career. The talented Japanese fighter looked like a man on his way to the top until he ran into Tatsuya Fukuhara, and since then he has gone 2-2-1. Sakae needs a win here and is likely to get it, as he takes on a limited Thai foe. It'd be a shock to see Sakae lose, but he really can't afford any more easy bouts after this one, given his last two wins have also been against limited Thai's. Hokkaido, Japan A third Japanese card comes from Hokkaido, and features a very international card with the top three bouts all featuring a visitor against a local. The main event of the card sees Japanese ranked Featherweight Junki Sasaki (17-3, 6) take on Korean visitor Sang Hoo Gil (6-5-2, 3). On paper this should be an easy win for Sasaki, who has won 6 of his last 7, but it's fair to say all Korean fighters will be travelling to Japan with their minds set on an upset following the recent shock win for Sa Myung Noh. Also on this card will be Masaya Tamayama (8-1, 4), who will also be taking on a Korean foe, and Kyosuke Sawada (6-2-1, 3), who will battle a Thai visitor. Sadly the names of these two visitors haven't been as easy to get as Gil in the main event. Lanao del Norte, Philippines The biggest name in action is actually in the Philippines, and that's 2-weight world champion Johnriel Casimero (23-3, 15), who takes on former world title challenger Richie Mepranum (31-6-1, 8). The talented Casimero will be moving up to Super Flyweight, as he hunts a third divisional world title, and will be looking to do so against a notable yet safe foe. Casimero has lacked activity in recent years, with just 4 fights in 3 years and non since last September. Saying that however Mepranum has lost his last two bouts, and hasn't scored a win since November 2015.  Osaka, Japan
The most important of 4 Japanese shows comes from Osaka this coming Sunday and features an OPBF title bout. The OPBF title contest will see OPBF Middleweight champion Koki Tyson (11-2-2, 10) defending his title, for the first time, as he takes on Sung-Jae Ahn (6-3, 1). The heavy handed champion shocked the Oriental scene last year as he comfortably out boxed Dwight Ritchie for the title and will be expecting an easier assignment here against a Korean fighter who really is fortunate to be getting this type of opportunity. Although Ahn is a former Korean champion it's almost 2 years since he last fought and it's hard to favour him given the inactivity, and it's worth noting he debuted more than 8 years ago. If Ahn is tough he can make life tricky for Tyson, but this should be a pretty clear win for the champion. Another Japan Vs Korea bout sees Shachihoko Dragons Keita (6-5-2, 1) take on the unbeaten Ga-ram Kim (2-0, 1). The Japanese local has a very mixed record, and is 2-3-2 in his last 7, showing the struggle he has for consistency. As for the Korean he debuted in 2009, fought against in 2011 and has really not stayed active enough to build on any promise he had. This is a bout in which both men will fight to win, but it's not one that the winner will really build their reputation on. Okayama, Japan There will also be a notable card in Okayama. The headline fight on this card sees local prospect Seigo Yuri Akui (9-0-1, 5) take on limited Thai visitor Nattawut Siritoem (0-2). The 21 year old Japanese youngster made a mark in 2015, when he won the Light Flyweight Rookie of the Year, and had a sensational 2016 to build on his record with a huge stoppage win over Kenji Ono in December. Tipped as a real one to watch Akui will have extra pressure on his shoulders here, as the main event, and will be expected to put in a great performance. The Thai is 0-2 having been stopped in both bouts, and it's likely he'll suffer another early loss here. In the chief support bout we'll see Kota Fujimoto (6-1, 2) take on Takahiro Murai (14-7-2, 5) in a really good looking domestic bout. Fujimoto suffered his only loss in December last year, in the All Japan Rookie of the Year final against Ryuji Fukunaga, and will be looking get his career back on track here, and record his biggest win to date. Murai is much more experienced, and has got some good results on his record, but was himself beaten in December, by Takeru Kamikubo, and will also be coming into this bout in search of a win. Fukuoka, Japan In Fukuoka fans will see the once touted Takumi Sakae (14-2-1, 9) fight in a real must win against Thai visitor Nayoklek Sithsaithong (1-0, 1). Just over a year ago Sakae was touted as one to watch, he was world ranked and looked on the way to big things. The he lost to Tatsuya Fukuhara and has since gone 1-1-1 with his career now really on the rocks, following a big upset loss to Ryoki Hirai last December. The quality of the Thai is really a mystery, and this will be his first bout since September 2014, if boxrec have a complete record. The Thai could be there to fall over, or his could be a horrible surprise for a man who will be very low on confidence. Mie, Japan There will also be a very low key card in Tsu, Mie, and this card really is a very low quality one. The main event will see the heavy handed Yuto Nakamura (6-3, 5) battle against the once beaten Kenta Nomura (4-1, 1). Aged 20 Nakamura looks like an exciting puncher who could make a name a name for himself in the local area, but the reality is that he will need to improve a lot to make a mark further afield. Nomura, also 20, is far from a puncher but is a nice boxer and could well make for a very interesting dance partner for Nakamura. Although a nice bout on paper, it's a bout that probably wouldn't main event in any major Japanese boxing region. A similarly interesting looking bout will see Daiki Yamamoto (3-0, 1) take on Seiya Kaga (4-1, 1) in a 4 rounder. Again the bout looks interesting and well matched, but really won't make any mark at all outside of the local area. Another prospect on this card will be Junto Nakatani (10-0, 8), who will be battling against Filipino Joel Taduran (8-5-1, 2). |
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