 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Attention turns to Korakuen Hall this coming Saturday for the next Teiken show, and it's a really interesting one packed with prospects all looking to secure their next wins, along with a Japanese title eliminator. The main event of the card will see the hard hitting Yamato Hata (12-1, 11) take on Yuna Hara (11-2-1, 6), in a bout to secure a place at the Champion Carnival next year, as the mandatory challenger for the Japanese title at 130lbs. Of the two men Hata will be regarded as the favourite, and he's not just the bigger puncher but also the man in form, having won his last 9 including notable wins over Shingo Kusano, Konshin Takeshima and Yoji Saito, who he stopped in March in a brilliant performance. As for Hara he had won his last 5, 4 of which he has won by stoppage, but this will be his first bout in Tokyo, and his most notable bout since a 2018 loss in the Rookie of the Year. Hara is talented, but this is very much a big step up for him, in enemy territory. The most notable of the prospects on the card is JBC and OPBF ranked hopeful Mikito Nakano (6-0, 5), who has looked sensational since his debut and is expected to secure his first title fighter sooner rather than later. The talented Nakano will be seeking his second win of the year as he takes on Filipino visitor Lorenz Ladrada (11-3-1, 3) , who has lost 2 of his last 3 including a 4th round KO loss to Dana Coolwell in July. That bout will Coolwell will likely be seen as the target for Nakano who will be wanting to take Ladrada out quicker than the popular Australian fighter. This is scheduled for 8, but if it goes the distance we'd be very, very surprised. The under-card on this show is packed with the next wave of emerging Teiken prospects. We won't go into details on the bouts individually, as every under-card bout features a notable prospect, but the card really does show the depth of talent at the Teiken gym. These under-card bouts are Kenji Fujita (2-0, 1) facing Ronnie Campos (9-4-3, 6), in a scheduled 8 rounder, and Subaru Murata (2-0, 2) against Marvilo Aballe (8-2-2, 3), Kota Kaneko (1-0, 1) battling Sugary Montales (3-1, 1), Reo Saito (1-0, 1) clashing with Jufel Salina (5-4-1, 4), Kyosuke Takami (1-0, 1) up against In Cheol Hwang (3-0-1, 1) and a battle of debutants as Keito Tanaka (0-0) and Hyuga Oki (0-0) face off, all over the 6 round distance. Spaceplus Bangkok RCA, Bangkok Whilst the card in Japan is about the next generation of Japanese stars, there is also a card in Thailand, which features both a touted prospects and a veteran, who is certainly moving into the end years of his career. The main bout here will see the unbeaten men collide, as touted Thai hopeful Yuttapong Tongdee (8-0, 4) faces Filipino visitor Herlan Gomez (5-0, 2) , in a bout for Yuttapong's WBA Asia Bantamweight title. The 29 year old Yuttapong is touted as one of Thailand's hottest prospects, and his win over Ryan Rey Pontmeras earlier this year for the WBA title is a big step towards him getting a notable international bout. Sadly he's in one of the toughest divisions in the sport, but if he's patient he will likely land a major fight Naoya Inoue eventually moves up to Super Bantamweight. As for Gomez this will be his third bout in Thailand, and comes on the back of two wins, over previously unbeaten Thai's earlier this year. He will, rightfully, be seen as the under-dog, but he will certainly have plenty of self belief thanks to his recent results. The veteran on the card is former world title contender Tewa Kiram (47-1, 33), who famously fought Lucas Matthysse back in 2018. Since losing to Matthysse he has gone unbeaten, racking up 9 wins, but has fought as high as 175lb and his most notable bout during this stretch was against former Bantamweight and Super Featherweight world champion Sirimongkol Singwancha. His career certainly feels like it's petering out, and at the time of writing his opponent for this bout is un-named, suggesting he won't be facing someone able to put up any kind of a test. Saigon Sports Club, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam As well as the notable action in Japan and Thailand we also get a mall card in Vietnam, featuring some of Vietnam's top prospects taking on international opposition. One of the more notable prospects on this card is Super Middleweight hopeful Dinh Hoang Truong (2-0, 2), who looked set for big things in early 2020, after dominating Yuttana Wongda in the Philippines, but has now been out of the ring for close to 32 months and will be looking to shake some ring rust here. In the opposite corner to Truong will be Indonesian veteran Robert Kopa (14-11-3, 4), who is not expected to put up much, if anything, of a test for Truong. Now aged 38 Kopa has lost his last 5, with 3 losses coming by stoppage and is without a win in 5 years. He i also the naturally much, much, much smaller man. Another prospect with some hope on their shoulders is 29 year old Huu Toan Le (4-0, 2), who takes on the highly experienced Silem Serang (18-23-3, 2). Le has managed to fit in a fight earlier this year, taking a competitive decision over Kitidech Hirunsuk in March to claim the WBA Asia title, and he'll be looking to build on that win, whilst also getting some valuable experience here. Whilst Serang does have a terrible looking record, he has shown some desire to change things in recent years, and has won 3 of his last 4, though was beaten last time out by Frengky Rohi, albeit in a well contested and competitive bout.
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 This coming Saturday is set to be a hectic day, with two notable Japanese shows, a world title eliminator in South Africa and a show in the Philippines featuring several noteworthy fighters.
EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan The most notable card comes from Osaka and is a lovely mix of everything Japanese boxing has to offer. It has a world title bout in the main event, a brilliant domestic bout in the co-feature role and several talented prospects in tough bouts through the card. The main event will see WBC Light Flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji (17-0, 10) look to record his latest defense as he faces Japanese veteran Tetsuya Hisada (34-10-2, 20), in a bout that has a surprising amount of history behind it. The two men were originally scheduled to fight in 2017, before Kenshiro vacated the Japanese title and went on to fight for the WBC belt. They were also scheduled to fight in 2020, before legal issues scuppered the bout. Of the two men Kenshiro is the more well known and the more proven, with this being his 8th defense, but the highly experienced Hisada is a very capable fighter, who gave Hiroto Kyoguchi a tough test in 2019 and will know that this is his last chance at a world title. We expect this one to be a brilliant bout between a strong, aggressive, veteran and a talented and intelligent champion. A genuinely fantastic match up. Our in depth preview of this can be read here 4 years in the making - Kenshiro Teraji Vs Tetsuya Hisada The co-feature for this show will see talented teenage hopeful Ayumu Hanada (5-0, 4) take on the huge punching Mammoth Kazunori (6-3-1, 6) in a 6 round bout between the Flyweight and Super Flyweight limits. Hanada began his career in Mexico before moving back to Japan last year and he made his JBC debut late last year in a very impressive performance. He's very young, but lives up to the "Flaco" nickname, with an aggressive, exciting and explosive style. Talking about explosive however Kazunori is one of the heaviest handed fighters in Japan, and if he catches an opponent clean he can wipe some one out. This is a very dangerous bout for Hanada, but a win here will likely lead him to a potential bout with a Japanese ranked opponent next time out. Another prospect on this card is Kantaro Juri (2-0, 1), who looks to score his third win as he takes on the light punching Toma Kondo (8-6-1, 1). The 24 year old Juri is a talented southpaw, who has a lot of promise and showed a lot of ability as an amateur, but is yet to show what he can really do as a professional. Fingers crossed we see him put together a better performance here than we've seen from him so far. Kondo is no world beater, but he is much better than his record suggests and 4 of his 6 losses have been by split decision. He's coming in to this on the back of a minor high, as he he surprisingly held Yuki Nakajima to a draw in December, and will feel like he can build on that result here. One other bout that deserves a bit of attention is a match up between Daiki Asai (0-1) and Yu Konomura (10-9-2, 4). Asai lost his debut, last year, to Kyonosuke Kameda, but showed a lot as an amateur and clearly has some tools in his arsenal that could see him in some interesting bouts over the next few years. Konomura is a win some-lose some, type of fighter, but has began to find his self belief and power, scoring his last 3 wins by stoppage, and we suspect he'll come in to this confident that he can get another KO. Both of these guys are better than their records suggest, and they could end up giving a genuine treat deep on the under-card of this show. Convention Center, Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan A second Japanese card, which will be aired live in Okinawa and be shown on tape delay in Tokyo, will be a card that has a very easy to over-look main event, and a solid prospect on the under-card. It's not as interesting, or as big as the Osaka card, but is a show worthy of attention. The main event here will see former WBC Flyweight champion Daigo Higa (17-1-1, 17) look to score his first defense of the WBO Asia Pacific Bantamweight title, as he takes on the unbeaten Ryosuke Nishida (3-0, 1). Higa won the title in impressive fashion last December, when he stopped Yuki Strong Kobayashi, but hasn't looked the most convincing since his forced move to Bantamweight. He is certainly heavy handed and very exciting, but we do wonder whether he has the natural size to compete against the better fighters in the division. For Nishida this is a massive step up, but he has impressed since turning professional, and he looked a real talent last time out, when he beat Shohei Omori. He has the style and size to neutralise Higa, and if he can put a complete performance together here he could upset the local hero. Our in depth preview of this one can be read here Higa returns to Okinawa to take on unheralded Nishida! Higa's once beaten stablemate Ryuto Owan (6-1, 4) will also be on this show, as he takes on the tough and rugged Takafumi Iwaya (4-4). Owan won his first 5 bouts before losing in 2018, in a Japanese Youth title bout. Following that loss he disappeared for a couple of years before returning last year with a win over Tomoya Kishine and he looked really good in that win. Iwaya isn't a particularly well known fighter, but he is insanely tough and last year we saw him take a battering at the hands of the brilliant Rentaro Kimura, before finally being stopped in round 5. He's very limited but there is no doubting his toughness and he will be a potential nightmare for Owan here. Owan should have the tools to win, but he will have to work hard against one of the toughest men in the sport. Suamlum Night Bazaar, Ratchadaphisek, Bangkok Over in Thailand we get the next show from TL Promotions and it's one with a very peculiar main event. That main event will see former Welterweight contender Teerachai Sithmorseng (44-1, 31) clash with former Bantamweight and Super Featherweight champion Sirimongkhon Iamthuam (97-5, 62), with the bout taking place all the way up at Light Heavyweight. The bout will be for Teerachai's WBA Asia title and it's fair to say that neither man will look in their best physical shape and condition. The show will also feature the third professional boxing contest of Nonthasith Petchnamthong (2-0) who will be defending his WBA Asia Bantamweight title , as he takes on Suradech Ruhasiri (6-2, 5). Nonthasith is a top Muay Thai fighter who has been solid since turning to professional, and should be far, far too good for his Thai foe here. Though sadly Nonthasith has shown little power in professional boxing gloves, and it's going to be interesting to see whether or not he can stop his limited foe here. 2nd Floor, Mega Mart Burgos Poblacion Norte, Paniqui, Tarlac, Philippines In the Philippines we're set to get a show that is rather disappointing overall, but one that does feature several fighters of note. Sadly however as with many Filipino shows it has the look of "mismatch city". One of the notable fighters on this card is former amateur standout Charly Suarez (5-0, 4), who had been tipped as a future force for Filipino boxing when he turned professional. The now 32 year old Suarez turned professional disappointingly late and now, in his 6th bout, is taking on regional journeyman Lorence Rosas (9-5-2, 3). We know that Filipino fighters, like Japanese fighters, are limited right now due to travel issues brought on by covid19 but in reality Rosas is a poor choice of opponent, and he shouldn't really force Suarez to break a sweat. Rosas has lost his last 4, last fought in 2019, as a Super Bantamweight, and offers very little to test Suarez with. In a potentially better match up the under-rated Richard Pumicpic (21-11-2, 6), who is much, much better than his record suggests, will take on Landy Cris Leon (13-21-5, 6). Although Pumicpic's record is underwhelming he's a real nightmare to fight and has given the likes of Ryosuke Iwasa, Cesar Juarez and Musashi Mori fits. He record might not show it, but he is a legitimate handful at the Oriental title level and shouldn't be over-looked, even with 11 losses to his name. Leon on the other hand has gone from once being a decent regional journeyman to a man who has started to collect losses bout after bout after bout. This should be an easy win for Pumicpic, but given he's lost his last 3 we won't complain too much. He deserves an easy one if we're being honest. Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa Outside of Japan the most significant bout of the day comes from South Africa, where once beaten Filipino Christian Araneta (19-1, 15) takes on hard hitting South African prospect Sivenathi Nontshinga (9-0, 9), in what is an IBF world title eliminator at 108lbs. The talented Araneta suffered his only loss in 2019, when an arm injury forced him to retire against Daniel Valladares, in what was a fantastic though disappointingly short bout. Since that loss he has notched 2 domestic wins and appears hungry to make a statement. Nontshinga on the other hand is somewhat unknown outside of South Africa but has got notable wins over Siyabonga Siyo and Ivan Soriano. Interestingly he did go 7 rounds before stopping Muhsin Kizota in 2018, the same Kizota who looked clueless recently against Hasanboy Dusmatov, and there maybe is some doubt about how good he really is. The winner of this will be right in the mix and may well end up getting a shot at Felix Alvarado later in the year. This is easy to over-look but could be the bout that steals the weekend. Universum Gym, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany Over in Germany we'll see unbeaten German based Thai Phannarai Netisri (7-0, 4) fight for a WBC Youth title. Sadly her opponent, at the time of writing, is yet to be announced as her original opponent appears to have been pulled out of the contest due to some nasty injuries suffered in their last bout. "Fai" is a really exciting young fighter at just 20 years old, and it's going to be very interesting to see how she develops from here GK Ekaterininskiy, Krasnodar, Russia As well as everything we've already mentioned there is also set to be an appearance from rising Uzbek hopeful Ulugbek Qayumboev (4-0, 4), who will be looking for his 5th straight early win as he takes on a yet to be named opponent. The 20 year old Qayumboev, who fights around the Lightweight division, debuted last year and has been blowing out very low level competition so far. Fingers crossed we see him stepping up later this year, though sadly this bout doesn't seem like to be much of an upgrade given no opponent was named 7 days out.  This coming Saturday is one that has seen a whole host of changes to what we were supposed to get, but still managed to deliver a decent day of boxing, even if two of the fights that we most wanted to see were cancelled. It's still a day that promises plenty of action and fingers crossed gives us a great great final weekend before Christmas.
Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA The show that the most changes was PBC's show in Uncasville, which was supposed to see two bouts featuring Filipino's in major bouts. Originally we had expected to see Nonito Donaire (40-6, 26) battle Nordine Oubaali (17-0, 12), though Oubaali tested positive for Covid19 in November and then Donaire got a positive test in December, though it does seem like his was a false positive. As a result both of those men are off the show. As a result of the positive tests we will now see unbeaten Filipino Reymart Gaballo (23-0, 20) take on Emmanuel Rodriguez (19-1, 12) for the interim WBC Bantamweight title, in a genuinely mouth watering match up, put on on short notice. Gaballo is looking to announce himself as the next big star of the Philippines and has the power, speed and style to genuinely make a name for himself at the top level. Rodriguez on the other hand is a former IBF champion who was last seen in the ring being stopped in 2 rounds by Naoya Inoue. Since that loss Rodriguez has genuinely had no luck at all, and we do wonder what his mental state his coming into this bout. Although Gaballo took this bout on short notice he had been set to fight on the show anyway, with the Filipino scheduled to face Jose Velasquez (28-6-2, 19) for the WBA "interim" Bantamweight title before replacing Donaire in the main event, so he should be in great shape for this bout. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan Over in Osaka we again see a card that had one main event planned for it, before changes had to be made, and end up getting a different bout that had already been postponed twice. Originally we were set to get a WBC Light Flyweight title fight here, with Kenshiro Teraji (17-0, 10) defending his title against Tetsuya Hisada (34-10-2, 20). That bout was cancelled when Kenshiro was contacted about a drunken incident in the summer, scrapping the bout at relatively short notice. Sadly instead of the world title bout headlining the show we will instead see 4-time world title challenger Hiroyuki Kudaka (26-18-4, 11) headline the event in a bout against the once beaten Tetsuro Ohashi (7-1-1, 2). the 35 year old Kudaka, also known as Hiroyuki Hisataka, is a true veteran of the sport having debuted back in 2002, and has been in with a who's who of the sport, including Tomonobu Shimizu, Takafumi Sakata, Denkaosan Kaovichit, Hugo Fidel Cazares, Omar Andres Narvaez and Takuma Inoue. Sadly in recent years Kudaka's career has been catching up with him and he's scored just 1 win in his last 6. Ohashi on the other hand is a 22 year old looking to bounce back from an 8th round KO loss to Suzumi Takayama last year. Although he lost there he is still very well regarded as a prospect and did win the 2018 All Japan Rookie of the Year at Super Flyweight. In a supporting bout we'll see recent OPBF title challenger Kyohei Tonomoto (9-3-1, 4) take on Kimihiro Nakagawa (7-4-2, 3), in what should be a really good, 50-50 type bout between two men each looking to pick up a win to end the year with. Tonomoto showed good ability in his July loss to Satoshi Shimizu, but lacked the power needed to get Shimizu's respect, despite the loss we are looking forward to seeing him in action. Nakagawa on the other hand is riding pretty following an upset loss against Yosuke Kawano in April 2019 and will be looking to build some momentum after 20 months away from the ring. The real one to make a note of on this show is the rescheduled match up between Ryosuke Nishida (2-0, 1) and Shohei Omori (21-3, 16), which is now on it's third date. The bout is a massive step up for the talented, and touted Nishida, who looks like he is potentially the future of the Mutoh Gym and someone that MTK's Japanese arm will be very hopeful of. Omori on the other hand is former world title challenger who will be looking to salvage his faltering career. For Nishida the bout is massive risk-reward, and he will likely enter as the under-dog, but a win would put him right in the domestic and regional title mix. For Omori a loss is unthinkable, and he needs a win. A really big match up, despite the issues surrounding it. For those wanting to watch this card, it appears it will be shown live on Boxing Real. Suamlum Night Bazaar, Ratchadaphisek, Bangkok We also get action in Thailand, as TL Promotions put on their last show of 2020. The main event here is a weird one as Chaloemporn Sawatsuk (21-6, 14) takes on former Welterweight contender Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (43-1, 31), aka Tewa Kiram, for the vacant WBA Asia Light Heavyweight title. Teerachai, best known for his bout with Lucas Matthysse, has no right fighting at 175lbs, though he should look in much better physical shape than the 32 year old Chaloemporn, who is only 5'6" and has looked very chubby when competing as a Middleweight. On paper not a bad bout, though we do, genuinely, wonder how the men will look at Light Heavyweight. For those wanting to watch this it will be aired on Thairath. This coming Friday is certainly not a massive day for Asian boxing, but there some bouts worthy of our attention.
Thailand In Thailand we'll see former world title contender Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (43-1, 31) defending his WBA Asia Light Middleweight title against Congolese challenger Eric Kapia (22-3-2-1, 4). For the once beaten Thai this will be a chance to score a 6th straight win since his 2018 loss to Lucas Matthysse in a WBA Welterweight title bout, and see him look to continue his regional title reign. As for Kapia this will be his second bout out of Africa, and see him looking to rebuild after a loss in Russia last March. Saint Petersburg, Russia As well as the action in Thailand we also have several fights of interest in Russia. The most noteworthy, as we write this, will see 28 year old Azeri Middleweight Ismat Guliyev (5-0, 5) take on Gergo Vari (22-26-1, 8). The heavy handed Guliyev will be making his Russian debut and and so far has blasted out every opponent in the first 2 rounds and will be expected to pick up another early win here. Hungarian fighter Vari is 36 and has been stopped in 12 of his 26 defeats. Another unbeaten Azeri fighter on this card will be Rufat Hajiyev (4-0, 2), who will also be making his Russian debut, after wins in Georgia, Turkey and Germany. The unbeaten 26 year old Cruiserweight has been matched softly so far and that continues here as he takes on Serbian teenager Mateja Skapik (0-1) in a 6 rounder. Uzbek Super Bantamweight hopeful Javlonbek Kurbanov (6-0, 4) will also be on the show. This will be his third bout in Russia, where he has taken two quick wins already. At the time of writing Kurbanov's opponent hasn't been named, but he is scheduled for a 10 rounder.  Nevada, USA
This coming Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada, fans will get Mayweather promoted card which will be aired on Showtime. It's not a huge card, but it is a show with a trio of Filipino fighters involved, against unbeaten American prospects. One of the bouts will see the unbeaten, and highly regarded, Xavier Martinez (14-0, 10) take on Jessie Cris Rosales (22-3-1, 10). The 21 year old Martinez has been on a tear in recent years, stopping his last 6 including Filipino fighter John Vincent Moralde, and looks like he will be fighting at a very high level in a year or two. The 27 year old Rosales has lost twice this year, losing to Shakur Stevenson in 4 rounds in January and then losing a very close decision to Tyler McCreary back in July Another bout will see the very talented Dylan Price (9-0, 6) take on Jeronil Borres (10-4-1, 5). The 21 year old Price is one of the top young Americans and was a former standout amateur, winning multiple national titles and claiming a bronze medal at the 2016 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships. Borres on the other hand is pretty much a regional journeyman, who was blown out inside a round by Junto Nakatani last year. This should be an easy win for the talented Price. A third bout promises to be explosive as American 20 year old puncher Cris Reyes (8-0, 7) takes on Reymond Yanong (10-4-1, 9). Between them the two men have 16T/KO's from a combined 17 wins, and have only heard the final bell in a combined 5 fights. Expect this one to finish early! Bangkok, Thailand As well as the US show there will also be a note worthy card in Thailand. The main event here will see Teerachai Kratingdaenggm (42-1, 31) defending his WBA Asia Welterweight title against Salehe Mkalekwa (14-7, 4) from Tanzania. This should be an easy win for Teerachai who is moving, slowly, towards a second world title fight. The Thai, best known for losing to Lucas Matthysse, is a good boxer, and hopefully he gets a chance to show that again, but competition like this won't prepare him for a world title fight. A second former world title challenger on this show will be Dennapa Kiatniwat (20-2, 15), who will be up against Indonesian veteran Samuel Tehuayo (21-45-2, 16) in a bout for the WBA Asia Super Flyweight title. This will be Dennapa's first bout since he was stopped by Artem Dalakian back in June.  Metro Manila, Philippines
The biggest show this coming Saturday is in the Philippines, where we get a world title fight and a world title eliminator. The world title fight is a rare all-Filipino title bout, as the unbeaten Samuel Salva (17-0, 10) takes on Pedro Taduran (13-2, 10) for the IBF Minimumweight title. Salva was originally expected to face Deejay Kriel for the title, before Kriel chose to vacate setting up this all Filipino title bout which looks like it could be a very interesting match up. The unbeaten is a 22 year old who is getting his first shot at the big time, and has lived up to his name of being the "Silent Assassin" pretty well whilst climbing up the rankings without making too much noise. Taduran on the other hand will be getting his second world title fight, after running Wanheng Menayothin close in a WBC world title fight last year. This isn't going to get a lot of attention, but should be a lot more interesting than some of the other all-Filipino world title bouts we've had recently. A full preview of this bout is available here Salva and Taduran face off for IBF title In another notable bout on this card the once beaten Giemel Magramo (23-1, 19) will take on Thailand's Eaktwan BTU Ruaviking (25-5,16) in an IBF Flyweight world title eliminator. For both men this is a huge opportunity to set up a big fight down the line, and a shot at Moruti Mthalane, whilst from a fans point of view this could be some truly fantastic. The 24 year old Magramo has reeled off 6 straight wins since a close loss to Muhammad Waseem in 2016 and looks to be on an excellent run of form with notable wins against the likes of Petchchorhae Kokietgym and Wenfeng Ge. The Thai on the other hand is looking to notch his 4th straight win, and secure his second world title bout, though he failed to shine in bouts away from Thailand, with just a single win on the road. Style wise this should be a war, and it could easily end up being an instant classic. A preview of this bout can be read here Magramo and Nantapech set for Flyweight eliminator thriller! Davao del Sur, Philippines A second Filipino card this Saturday will be a much lower profile one in Davao del Sur, and will feature a number of unbeaten fighters, mostly in bouts that look stacked in their favour. The main event of the card will see the unbeaten Jenel Lausa (9-0-1, 5) take on Indonesian foe Carlos Lopez (28-9, 9) in a fight for a minor title. On paper this looks like a big step up for the 31 year old Lausa, however Lopez has been out of the ring since March 2013. Interestingly Lopez was pencilled in to fight Billy Dib a few months ago, before Dib fought Amir Khan, so he should be in good condition, but will likely be an under-dog here. In an interesting supporting bout the unbeaten Richard Bulacan (6-0, 4) will battle against Vergel Deguma (9-5, 4), in a battle of young southpaws. Bulacan has shown some real promise at this early stage but this should still be a solid test for the 20 year old. Tokyo, Japan The second Teiken card of the month is a much higher profile one than their first, and features not only a Japanese title fight but also a former 3 weight world champion and some notable prospects, in what looks like a very solid card. The main event of the show will see Japanese Welterweight champion Yuki Nagano (16-2, 12) make his first defense as he battle against Makoto Kawasaki (11-7-1, 2). Nagano won the title back in April, when he stopped Ryota Yada and recorded a 14th straight win. The 30 year old, who went 2-2 in his first 4 has been in great form and beaten really good domestic fighters in recent years. At 35 years old Kawasaki is likely to be getting his last chance to win a title, but he will enter as a very clear under-dog, and will need a career best performance to over-come Nagano. Our preview of this bout is here Nagano to defend Japanese title against Kawasaki Former multi-weight world champion Jorge Linares (45-5, 28) fights in the chief support bout of the card. The former 3 weight world champion has lost 2 of his last 3, by stoppage, but is still incredibly popular, especially in Japan, where he hasn't fought in over 4 years. Linares will be up against Filipino foe Al Toyogon (10-4-1, 6), who has lost his last 2, but will be looking to bounce back from those losses, and show what he can do in the biggest profile bout of his career. Another notable name on this card is Welterweight hopeful Ryota Toyoshima (11-2-1, 8), who will be be seeking a 5th straight win as he takes on Masafumi Ando (6-8-2, 3). The in form Toyoshima will be the favourite, and will be looking to build on wins over the likes of Moon Hyon Yun and Woo Min Won, however Ando did score a big win last time out against former Japanese national champion Toshio Arikawa. This could be a lot more interesting than it looks on paper. The lower end of the card here is pretty interesting as well. In a really interesting look bout the 2018 Rookie of the Year runner up Hikari Mineta (6-1, 3) takes on Yuji Oba (6-4, 4), in what looks like a good test for Mineta, Rookie of the year winner Kenta Endo (4-0-1, 3) battles Korean foe Gi Won Shin (3-2-3) and the debuting Katsuya Fukui (0-0) faces off with Sang Hoon Kim (4-1-2, 3). Jeju, South Korea Talking about Korean fighters it's worth noting there will be a Korean card as well, albeit at a very low level, with an international theme as locals take on a mix of Japanese and Chinese opponents. The most notable bout on this card will see unbeaten Korean teenager Min Jang (8-0-2, 2) take on Japanese visitor Wataru Ikegami (7-4-1, 4). The talent Jang should be took good for Ikegami, who's lost to Fumiya Fuse and Tsubasa Murachi in recent bouts, but it is still a step up in class for the Korean youngster. Another Korean Vs Japan bout on this card will see 21 year old Korean local Yong In Jo (7-3-2, 2) take on Japanese veteran Yuichi Ideta (13-14-1, 7). This will be Jo's first bout since a November 2017 loss to Daishi Nagata whilst IDeta will be looking to end a 10 fight losing streak. Paju, South Korea A second Korean card will take place in Paju and, on paper at least, it is a more notable card. One of the most notable bout on this card will see In Duck Seo (12-1-2, 7) attempt to build on his KO win against Tysinn Best, as he faces off with Uzbek foe Khusniddin Pulatov (7-3, 5) in a contest for the WBA Asia Welterweight title. This could be a very explosive and action packed fight between two relatively limited, but fun to watch fighters, who will both believe in their toughness and power. In a female bout we'll see Bo Mi Re Shin (7-0-3, 3) take on Jinyan Gao (2-0) in a battle of unbeaten fighters. According to the KBA this will actually be the show's main event, though in reality this bout is less significant, and less interesting, than the co-feature bout. Bangkok, Thailand In Thailand we have a small, yet very notable, card featuring two bouts worthy of some attention. The more significant of the two bouts will be a Light Middleweight bout between former world title contender Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (41-1, 30) taking on Filipino southpaw Junjesie Ibgos (13-4, 11), in a bout for the WBA Asia title at 154lbs. Teerachai is riding a 3 fight winning run since losing to Lucas Matthysse in 2018 and will be strongly favoured here against Ibgos, who fought as a Featherweight earlier in his career. The other bout is less significant, but arguably more intriguing. This bout will see novice professional Theeraphan Polsongkarm (1-0) take on former world title challenger Inthanon Sithchamuang (31-12-1, 19), in a 10 round bout. We often see Thai's being fast tracked but this is a huge step up for Theeraphan, and a win here would be a huge statement, even if Inthanon is a long, long, way from being the fighter who went 12 rounds with Kohei Kono back in 2016. Singapore, Singapore We get yet another Asian show, with one taking place in Singapore. The main event here is a really, really good looking one, with Ongen Saknosiwi (6-0, 6) taking on Nanthawat Maolichat (6-0, 6) for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Featherweight title. Saknosiwi is the IBPC champion and is regarded as a real hopeful for Indonesian boxing, though this will be his first bout outside of Indonesia and should be seen as a credible test. Nanthawat is a Thai teenager who debuted in November, and will be taking a big step up in class himself, in what will be his first title fight. This looks like it could be very, very explosive. As well as the good looking main event this card will also feature local hopefuls Hamzah Farouk (8-0, 5) and Abdelelah Karroum (5-0, 4), who will both be taking on limited Indonesian visitors. Ekaterinburg, Russia In Russia we get a small card, though a card with an excellent all-Asian main event. The match up will see unbeaten Uzbek fighter Ravshanbek Umurzakov (9-0, 7) take on the upset minded Roldan Aldea (14-7-1, 8), from the Philippines. Umurzakov has shown touches of real promise, and is clearly a prospect to make a note of, but there is a lot of questions for him to still answer. On the other hand Aldea will be looking to build on July's upset win over Mikhail Alexeev, a win that came thanks to a huge KO over the previously unbeaten Russian. Our attention turns to New York this coming Friday where we get the chance to see several Asian fighters in action.
New York, USA The biggest of the bouts in New York will see little known Japanese fighter Ryohei Takahashi (15-3-1, 6) challenge IBF Super Bantamweight champion TJ Doheny (20-0, 14). This is a huge step up class for Takahashi and an opportunity that few would have expected to see Takahashi get. This is Doheny's first title defense, and he really be the major favourite as he takes on the little known challenger. Takahashi had to wait until January 11th to get his visa for the fight but had been training for a potential clash with Doheny since early December. We've previewed this bout bout here Preview: Doheny Vs Takahashi New York, USA A separate card in New York will feature a trio of Asian fighters in bouts. One of those Asian fighters in action is Filipino fighter Jessie Cris Rosales (22-1-1, 10), who will take on the very highly regarded American Shakur Stevenson (9-0, 5) in a very attractive looking contest. Stevenson, a 2016 Olympic silver medal winner, is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in American boxing and looked fantastic last time out, when he blitzed Romanian veteran Viorel Simion. Rosales on the other hand has a good record and his only loss is to the monstrously hard hitting Jhonny Gonzalez. A win for Rosales isn't expected, but he should be the best test for Stevenson so far. Former Indian amateur stand out Vikas Krishan (0-0) will be making his debut on this show as he faces off with Steven Andrade (3-3, 2). The gifted Krishan is a 2-time Olympian who announced his intention to turn professional last year and signed with Top Rank, who will look to guide his career to the top. There are huge hopes for Krishan who will begin his career in a 6 round bout here and will be looking to show what he can do. Sadly Adrade has lost his last 3, his last 2 by stoppage, and it's hard to see Krishan being tested at all here in what is likely to be an easy showcase for his debut. A third Asian on this show is Uzbek fighter Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (6-0, 3), a 2016 Olympic gold medal winner and a 27 year old who is starting to understand the professional boxing scene. The unbeaten Uzbek will be up against Dominican fighter Ricardo Garcia (14-4-1, 9), in what is a very credible step up in class for Gaibnazarov. The Olympic champion has had his struggles, and was dropped on his debut, but does look to be improving and this is a real test. We would expect Gaibnazarov to win, but it'll be very interesting to see how he looks en route to that win. Thailand We also get some action from Thailand. In one of the major bouts Flyweight contender Dennapa Kiatniwat (20-1, 15), aka Sarawut Thawornkham, will be up against Filipino foe Mateo Handig (15-17, 9), in what looks likely to be a straight forward win for the Thai, who is currently ranked #1 by the WBA at Flyweight. In recent years Handig has been picking up a lot of losses, and we expect to see another one here against the hard hitting Thai. On the same card we'll see Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (39-1, 29) make his first defense of the WBA Asia Light Middleweight title he won last year, as he takes on Tanzania's Meshack Mwankemwa (17-5-2, 10), in what we're expecting to be a total mismatch in favour of the Thai fighter. Bangkok, Thailand
This coming Friday we see the ring return of recent world title challenger Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (38-1, 28), who will fight for the first time since he as stopped by Lucas Matthysse. The Thai will be battling against little known Tanzanian foe Manyi Issa (11-1-2, 8), in what should be a very easy return for the Thai. Whilst Teerachai will always be known in the West for the weird way he lost to Matthysse it should be noted that he had, for the most part, made the Argentinian look very poor and actually looked pretty goo in front of the world stage, with good movement and skills. Issa on the other hand is blown up Lightweight who has never fought outside of Tanzania and has never fought at Welterweight, a worry given that this bout is supposed to be at Light Middleweight. Teerachai should be far too big, too strong and too powerful for the visitor.  California, USA
The biggest show this coming Saturday is in California where we get a world title double header, and interestingly both of those world title fights have a link to Asian boxing with both bouts having an Asian born fighter, and one of the non-Asian's being promoted by Teiken promotions. One of those bouts will see unbeaten Thai hopeful Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (38-0, 28) take on exciting Argentinian Lucas Martin Matthysse (38-4-0-1, 35) for the WBA Welterweight title. For Matthysse the bout is a huge opportunity to become relevant again at the world stage, more than 2 years removed from his loss to Viktor Postol back in October 2015. Matthysse has been a very popular fighter with an aggressive style and heavy hands, but it's hard to really know what he has left in the tank. The Thai is stepping up massively, but given the huge wins by Srisaket Sor Rungvisai last year he'll feel he too can make a name for himself with a big win in the US. Teerachai has been in more than 30 title fights on the regional scene and whilst he hasn't beaten many fighters of note he has beaten fighters like Vladimir Baez, Larry Siwu and Kaizer Mabuza, who have all posed different questions for the Thai. The other bout will see Teiken promoted Venezuelan Jorge Linares (43-3, 27) battle Filipino Mercito Gesta (31-1-2, 17), in Linares's latest WBA Lightweight title defense. The talented "El Niño de Oro" has been in great form recently, and is unbeaten in more than 5 years whilst picking up wins against the likes of Nihito Arakawa, Kevin Mitchell, Anthony Crolla and Luke Campbell, but questions over his durability will remain with the 3 surprise stoppage losses linger over his head. For Gesta this is a second shot at a world title, following a bizarre performance against the then IBF champion Vazquez back in 2010, which saw Gesta spending a lot of time looking at the big screen rather than actually fighting. Since the loss to Vazquez we've sene Gesta go 5-0-1 (3) but the reality is that few are giving him a chance here against someone with the skills and experience of Linares. Neither man can really afford a loss, but it's hard to imagine Gesta havign what's needed to give Linares his 4th professional defeat. Another Filipino on this card is the heavy handed Romero Duno (15-1, 13), who takes on Mexican based Yardley Armenta Cruz (22-9-0-1, 12). The Filipino is an explosive puncher and someone everyone should make an effort to watch. Given that the Mexican has been stopped 6 times already we're expecting another stoppage loss here. Florida, USA On a second American show fans will be able to see unbeaten Uzbek hopeful Botirali Mamajonov (5-0, 3) seek a 6th straight win. The Uzbek is looking likely to be in another 4 rounder here, and will hopefully begin fighting in longer bouts later in 2018. Nevada, USA Another US show will feature a couple of Asian fighters. One of these is Japanese Southpaw Gaku Takahashi (15-7-1, 7), who will be up against Cameron Krael (12-12-3, 3). The Japanese fighter has had mixed success in recent fights, but did score a career best victory in 2016, when he stopped Kim Poulsen, and will be looking to get a win here, and rebuild following a less to Jamontay Clark last time out. American based Uzbek Sanjarbek Rakhmanov (9-0-1, 4) will be on the card seeking his 6th straight win, and looking to continue his rise towards a notable bout. Sadly at the time of writing his opponent for this show hasn't yet been announced. Shenzhen, China Back in Asia we will have a card in China, though at the time of writing the only a couple of bouts from the show are known about. The more notable of the two bouts will see former 2-weight world champion Sirimongkol Singwancha (92-4, 57) continue his long career, as he looks to move one win closer to becoming the latest boxing centurion. The 40year old Thai will be up against China's Fei Hu Wang (5-1, 3), who is less than half the age of Sirimongkol at just 19! The Thai has slowed significantly in recent times, and has lost 2 of his last 3, but will feel like he has a chance here. As for Wang he was beaten last January by a debuting Aleksei Podkolzin, but has since scored back to back wins and will have youth and size, around 7" in height, over the veteran. The other bout will see 18 year old Qiang Jiang (1-0, 1) take on Ukrainian Oleksii Kostenko (0-1). The Chinese youngster made his debut in July, with a stoppage of another debutant, whilst Kostenko, who debuted in June, was stopped by a Chinese debutant. Hard to know too much about these two, but a bout between them should be decent enough given that both are real novices. Baja California, Mexico In Mexico we'll see Filipino veteran Drian Francisco (29-4-1, 22) take on rising Mexican hopeful Edivaldo Ortega (25-1-1, 12). The once touted Francisco is now 35 and is almost certainly coming to the end of his career, which began way back in 2005. A win here would keep him relevant as a fighter, but he'll be the under-dog against Ortega, who is quickly climbing the ranks towards a potential world title fight. Pocheon, South Korea It's also worth noting that there is a small, low key card courtesy of BoxingM. The card features a total of 8 bouts, and will include a 14 debuts, showing the level of this card. For those wondering all of the bouts will be 4 rounders. Bangkok, Thailand
For fans of the Asian scene the most notable show of the day comes from Thailand where we see an unbeaten Local continue to slowly chase a world title fight,and a battle of veterans. That unbeaten Thai is Welterweight contender Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (37-0, 28), who appears to have drifted from a world title fight, and will be facing Ramadhani Shauri (22-11-1, 11), of Tanzania. The bout, for the WBA Asia Welterweight title, will be Teerachai's second this year and shows his inactivity during 2017, following 4 bouts last year and the same in 2015. Although he's been out for 5 months he should be far too good for Shauri here. In a battle of veterans we'll see Les Sherrington (35-10, 19) take on Plaisakda Boonmalert (39-26, 33). Aged 45 and with 21 stoppages against him it's hard to see what the Thai has to offer, but he can bang and Sherrington has been stopped in 9 of his 10 losses. With a combined age of 80 we're not expecting anything fun here, but it looks interesting on paper. Victoria, Australia In Australia we'll see talented Filipino Czar Amonsot (34-3-3, 22) defending his interim WBA Oceania Light Welterweight title. At the time of writing his opponent hasn't been announced, so we suspect it could well be a very poor foe for Amonsot, who is slowly grinding his way to a potential world title fight. Western Australia, Australia In Western Australia we'll see a number of Asian fighters used to be the “opponent”, with none of them really being given a shot. One of those is Thai fighter Komkit Chanawong (1-3), who takes on novice Francis Chua (1-0) in a 4 rounder. Another Thai in action here is the debuting Dechsak Sangmorakot (0-0), who takes on fellow novice Francisco Da Silva (1-0). The third bout featuring an Asian will see Jacob McBride (7-5, 3) take on Indonesia Boido Simanjuntak (23-46-2, 9) in what looks likely to be yet another loss for the Indonesian veteran. California, USA In California we'll see talented Kazakh prospect Meiirim Nursultanov (2-0, 1) take on Lannay Dardar (5-7-2, 3) in a 6 rounder. On paper the bout is a step up for the Kazakh, and it should be known that other top prospects, like Jason Quigley and Esquiva Falcao both stopped Dardar. This is a good chance for the Kazakh to get some rounds with a decent but limited foe. |
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