The Flash Grand Ballroom of the Elorde Sports Complex, Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines
The most notable of three Asian shows this coming Saturday takes place in the Philippines, where we see a battle between two former world title contenders, along with two notable prospects. The former world title challengers are actually facing off as former WBO Flyweight title challenger Giemel Magramo (25-2, 20) takes on former WBC Minimumweight title challenger Jerry Tomogdan (29-12-4, 15). The talented Magramo was unfortunate in his world title fight to come up against the sensational Junto Nakatani, who really was levels above him and schooled him before securing an 8th round TKO. That loss was a one sided one, but Magramo is still a legitimate contender at 112lbs and we wouldn't be surprised to see him mixing it at world level again. As for Tomogdan it feels much like his career is coming to an end, and he's been stopped in his last 2 bouts, very early in both bouts, and hasn't scored a win in well over 2 years. This should be a show case for Magramo and little else. Another Magramo on this show is the once beaten Arvin Magramo (13-1-1, 9), who will be seeking a 5th straight early win as he takes on Ronald Alapormina (5-3-3, 2), who is 2-2-2 in his last 6 dating back 2017. Magramo has been scoring decent domestic wins, beating the likes of Jake Amparo, Francis Jay Diaz and Jerry Francisco, and should be strongly favoured to pick up a victory here. Another promising fighting on this show is the unbeaten Albert Francisco (5-0, 3), who is returning to the ring after more than 2 years out. Given his long lay off we can't really complain that he's being matched softly here, and will be up against Justine Polido (4-4-1, 3), who has lost his last 2 and is without a win since 2017, when he beat the then 0-3 Emil Ferran. Max Muaythai Stadium, Pattaya, Thailand In Thailand we're set for a pretty interesting card, with a mix of notable names and low level title bouts. One of the notable names on this show is once beaten Indonesian fighter Hebi Marapu (16-1, 12), who takes on Thai veteran Pipat Chaiporn (47-13-2, 30), aka Mike Tawatchai. The heavy handed Marapu was upset in 2021 when he last to Hero Tito, but has bounced back since then with a recent win in Switzerland, and will be looking to build on that here. As for Tawatchai the bout will be his first since a 2019 win over Keerati Rueangdet, and it's fair to question just what the 36 year old has to offer here. For winner of this the WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Lightweight will be the reward, and it is, admittedly, a very lowly regarded title. In a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental title we'll see Thai based Kiwi Nort Beauchamp (19-5, 3) face off with the limited Chaiwat Buatkrathok (37-6, 25), in a bout that really shouldn't be as competitive as it looks on paper. Chaiwat, also known as Kongfah Nakornluang,has an incredibly padded record and he loses when he faces fighters of any note, including limited Indonesian Jefrey Kakuhe who beat him in May. Whilst Beauchamp is no world beater he should be far, far too good for his man here, and should take a very comfortable victory, likely by decision. Also involved in title action will be Thai based French puncher Emmeric Dewaele (5-0, 5), who takes on Thailand's Thoedsak Sinam (16-8, 13) in a bout for the WBA Asia Super Middleweight title. So far Dewaele has taken out all 5 of his foes in a combined 21 rounds, whilst picking up two minor title, in fact he won those minor titles last time out with a come from behind TKO win over Apisit Sangmuang. Sinam on the other hand is something of a win some lose some fighter, who has moved through the weights and had very mixed success. Among the more notable names he's faced as Phoobadin Yoohanngoh and Nihito Arakawa, and to consider him a natural Super Middleweight would be very, very wrong. We suspect Sinam wil be too small and too under-powered here. Another battle between Indonesian fighters and Thai's will see hard hitting Indonesian fighter Jon Jon Jet (10-1, 8) take on unbeaten Thai 15 year old Surat Eaim ong (5-0-1, 2). Jet is will be fighting for the first time since a brutal TKO1 loss to Luke Boyd, back in November 2019, and prior to that he had been reeling off early wins back home in Indonesia. As for Surat debuted last November and this will be his 7th boxing bout in a little under 8 months! Despite being active this is very notable a big step up for him, but a win will push him towards a regional title fight of some kind. Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan We also get a somewhat low key show in Tokyo, as we get the next card under the A Sign Bee banner. The card is certainly not a huge one, but it does have 3 bouts worthy of note on it. The main event is an interesting looking 8 rounder as the light punching, but aggressive, Ryuya Nihei (7-2-1, 1) takes Mugicha Nakagawa (24-8-2, 14), who is looking to bounce back from a loss to Ryo Akaho earlier this year. This has the potential to be a genuinely thrilling action bout, and a fun back and forth brawl if Nihei can drag Nakagawa into his type of fight. Sadly though there is also a real risk it ends up being an ugly stinker, like Nakagawa's bout with Akaho. Aged 24 Nihei does have the potential to mix it up on the domestic title scent in the coming years, and showed his potential last time out, when he beat the well liked Tom Mizokoshi, bit this is very much a step up in class for him. Arguably the most notable name on this card is model-boxer Tomomi Takano (12-5, 8) , who created a lot of buzz early in her career for her looks and did manage to twice fight for world titles. The tall, rangy and charismatic Takano has come up short in her most notable bouts so far, and at the age of 35 it's hard to know what desire she still has to make a name for herself as an actual boxer, rather than as a bit of a gimmick. Sadly her bout on this show is unlikely to tell us anything new about her, as she takes on limited 37 year old Ai Sugimoto (3-3, 2), who was stopped for the third time in her career this past March Makoto Kikuchi. The other bout on this card worthy of note is the debut of Kento Uchigamae (0-0), who went 39-22 in the amateurs. He debuts in a good looking 6 rounder as he takes on the fun to watch Ren Anzai (6-4-1, 2), in what could well be a very, very entertaining 6 round round war. Last time out Anzai scored a really solid win over Fuya Tomita, and will be looking to build on that win here, whilst Uchigamae will be looking to showcase what he learned in the amateurs Airport Hilton, Miami, Florida, USA As well as the action in Asia, we'll also get an Asian fighter in action in Florida, as the unbeaten Mekhrubon Sanginov (12-0-1, 9), a US based Tajik fighter, takes on Colombian puncher Janer Gonzalez (20-4-1, 16). The 26 year old Sanginov has won his last 5, following a draw in 2019 with Fred Wilson Jr, and has stopped 4 of those 5. Whilst that sounds good, it's worth noting that he has been facing decent competition and has been quietly making a name for himself. As for Gonzalez, he has actually lost 4 of his last 5, though they have come against some very good fighters, and sadly he only has a single win to his name since 2018. At his best Gonzalez would be a live under-dog, but now aged 35 with inactivity and poor form, it's very hard to see him posing a real test for Sanginov.
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December 15th-Japanese Heavyweight title action, Light Flyweight eliminator and so much more!12/10/2019 ![]() This coming Sunday is certainly not a huge day, but it's a bizarrely packed one, with a lot going on, even if not much of it will make much of an impact on the winder boxing scene. We have a Japanese Heavyweight title fight, a Japanese title eliminator, a return to the ring for a popular female fighter, a regional title fight, a clash between former world title challengers and the KBF Rookie of the Year final, on a crazy, yet low key, Sunday. Kariya, Japan For us the most noteworthy card comes from Kariya where we see a trio of notable bouts. The most notable of the bouts on the card will be a rematch between Kotatsu Takehara (15-12-3, 8) and Ryu Ueda (8-1-1, 5), who battle for the Japanese Heavyweight title and the chance to become only the third ever Japanese Heavyweight champion. Coming in to this bout it's worth knowing that Takehara gave Ueda his sole defeat, but at the age of 41 and with a 30 fight career behind him we do wonder what Takehara has left in the tank. Technically Ueda looks the part, until he throws a punch and then he looks...well terrible, but he may have the youth and energy this time to see off the veteran. Our preview of this bout can be read here Takehara and Ueda rematch for Japanese Heavyweight title! In an even better bout than the main event we'll see a Japanese Light Flyweight eliminator as the sensationally talented Rikito Shiba (4-0, 2) takes on the heavy handed Masamichi Yabuki (9-3, 9), with the winner securing a shot at the title in the 2020 Champion Carnival against Yuto Takahashi. Both of these fighters have big plans, and whilst we have been more impressed by Shiba's rise than Yabuki's recent bouts both of these are very talented and will likely end up as fixtures in the title scene in the coming years. This promises a lot and is going to be a very interesting bout between two very talented fighters. Our preview of this bout can be read here Light Flyweight eliminator sees Shiba and Yabuki clash! Former female world title challenger Tomomi Takano (11-5, 8) will fight in Japan for the first time in over 2 years as she takes on Sachiko Kondo (2-4-2). At one point Takano looked like a star in the making, with the look that turned heads, but losses in big fights and a very public falling out with her then promoter saw her head into the boxing wilderness, fighting in Mexico. She's now back in Japan with a new team and a new hunger, and that should be in show here. Ishikawa, Japan Another notable Japanese card comes from Ishikawa, as Kashimi promote their next show, headlined by a clash between a former world champion and a former world title challenger, and supported by several interesting bouts featuring Chinese fighters. The main event will see Japanese based Filipino Genesis Servania (33-2, 16) take on former 2-time WBO Bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu (53-7, 35). Although both men are past their primes, this still makes for a really good match up. Servania is best known for his fantastic 2017 bout with Oscar Valdez. Despite losing that bout Servania put himself on the international map, though sadly a loss to Carlos Castro earlier this year has back into more obscure bouts, like this one. Pungluang on the other hand was a very talented Thai back in his prime, but losses in 4 of his last 5 have shown him to have slipped significantly. Despite on the downslide the Thai is tough and likes a fight. Stylistically these are similar fighters, with both enjoying a fight up close, and lacking speed, and as a result this could end up being a bit of a classic for fans at the Sangyo Hall. In a supporting bout we'll see 2018 Rookie of the Year winner Hiroki Hanabusa (6-0-3, 2) take on China's Baolin Kang (6-2, 1). Hanabusa won the Rookie of the Year on the majority point rule last December and has gone 1-0-1 since then, drawing in China against Ayati Sailike, in a bout that should have gone his way. Kang on the other hand is best known for being stopped by Ari Agustian in 2018, but has won both of his bouts this year. Although not an amazing bout this should be entertaining. Another interesting looking bout will see Japanese based Venezuelan Omrri Bolivar (8-2, 3) fight against China's A Fu Bai (8-3, 5). Both men were beaten last time out, with Bolivar being stopped bu Shu Utsuki and Bai being beaten by Da Xu, and with both seeking a win we expect this to be a bout where both men look to find another gear in very competitive contest. Osaka, Japan A third Japanese card, from Osaka, is much lower profile and only really has one bout of not. That bout will see 2-time Japanese Super Featherweight title challenger Ken Osato (16-3-1, 4) battle against the in form Kanehiro Nakagawa (8-6, 5). On paper this looks like a mismatch, and whilst Osato should be favoured it's worth noting that Nakagawa has won his last 3, including upsets against Seiichi Okada and Ryuto Araya, and will be full of confidence coming in here. Sadly the rest of this card is very much nondescript. Seoul, South Korea Another fairly notable card will take place in the South Korean capital of Seoul, with a regional title bout and some rookie action The main event will see former OPBF Light Middleweight champion Jung Kyoung Lee (7-3-1, 3) take on the once touted Thai Saddam Kietyongyuth (28-6, 22) in a bout for the WBO Oriental Light Middleweight title. Lee has had a roller coaster year, scoring a career best win in January, when he stopped Samuel Colomban for the OPBF title, and the losing the title less than 7 months later, to Akinori Watanabe. Throw in an injury to those extremes and it's fair to say things could have gone a lot better the Korean. As for Saddam he is a long way removed from the point where he was seen as a genuine hopeful. He's now 2-4 in his last 6 and 5-6 in his last 11, dating back more than 8 years. If we're being honest we suspect Saddam is somewhat less fussed about winning and losing than he once was. As well the bout mentioned above the bulk of this card will actually be the KBF Rookie of the Year Finals. Unlike the Japanese Rookie of the Year finals, which take place next week, it's been hard to follow these and it's hard to say too much about the finalists, who in some cases have only a fight or two so far in their career. Certainly rookies, but it would have been nice to have had some more depth to the tournament, and make them show a bit more to get to the finals. Pattaya, Thailand We also have a show in Thailand, from Evolution Fight Series. This isn't card isn't a big one, but does feature a world world title challenger and a promising Uzbek, among others. The main event will see Armenian born Thai based Russian Musheg Adoian (3-1, 3) take on former world title challenger Roy Mukhlis (29-11-4, 22) from Indonesia. The 24 year old Adoian has fought his entire professional career in Thai, and has scored 3 successive stoppage wins coming into this bout. Although a professional novice Adoian will be the favourite against Mukhlis, who is a long, long way removed from the fighter who challenged Takashi Uchiyama way back in September 2010. Since the loss to Uchiyama Mukhlis has gone 6-8-2 and is 0-5-1 in his last 6. A second bout of note here will see unbeaten Thai based Uzbek Murodjon Yokubov (6-0, 4) battle against Indian foe Amandeep Singh (4-0, 1). For Yokubov this bout will be his 6th of the year and whilst his opposition has been limited it's hard not to like a guy who is active, developing his skills and getting ring time under his belt. As for Singh this will be only his second bout since the the start of 2018, and it's hard to know whether he'll manage to be put up any sort of competition for Yokubov. Jakarta, Indonesia The Indonesian capital of Jakarta also plays host to a small profile card, headlined by a 6 round contest between Waldo Sabu (13-14, 3) and Alvius Maufani (7-4-2, 4). On paper this is a really hard card to care about, and whilst we suspect their fun action from the Metro TV Studio the bouts are very much novices against each other and fighters with losing records rather than anything worth getting too excited by. Cotabato del Sur, Philippines
The first Filipino show of 2018 takes place this coming Sunday in General Santos City, and features a pair of title fights. In the main event we'll see the unbeaten Jayson Mama (8-0, 4) take on Michael Camelion (10-6-1, 8) for the WBO Asia Youth Flyweight title. The unbeaten Mama made is debut in late 2016 and has looked promising, whilst fighting at the lower levels of the Filipino domestic scene, and beating the usual combination of novices and flawed veteran. The 23 year old Camelion once looked like he could make a mark on the domestic but has lost 4 of his last 5, including an opening round loss to Hiroto Kyoguchi in late 2016 and two more subsequent stoppage defeats. The other title fight will see former world title challenger Tomomi Takano (10-3, 7) face off with Joan Ambalong (6-7-1, 3) in a bout for the interim OPBF female Bantamweight title. Takano did hold the full version of this title not too long ago, but has lost 2 of her last 4 and appears to be on the slide. In saying that however the Filipino is very limited, naturally smaller and has lost 3 of her last 4, with this likely to be another loss for the Tampilisan fighter. It should be noted that Takano has retired according to the JBC and there is some suspicion that this fight will not take place, and if it does it would be seen as an unsanctioned bout by the JBC. Another fighter of interest on this card is Ben Mananquil (15-1-2, 3), who is involved in a huge mismatch as he takes on Alvin Bais (15-10-1, 4). We think Mananquil is a genuine talent with a lot of upside, but bouts like this won't do his development any favours, especially given that Bais has been stopped in his last 4 and is more than 2 years removed from his last win. This coming Friday is a relatively low key day of fights,but there is some interesting action in Japan, Australia and the Philippines.
Tokyo, Japan In Japan we will see history being made this coming Friday as Tomomi Takano (10-2, 7) and Miyo Yoshida (7-1) trade blows in the Inaugural JBC Female title fight, with the two fighting for the newly recognised Japanese Female Bantamweight title. Takano is a former world title challenger, and will be favoured by many given her experience and natural size advantages, but Yoshida know this will be a huge opportunity and the bout could be a really thrilling fight, and the perfect way to kick off the new title. Victoria, Australia In Victoria we'll see Filipino Czar Amonsot (34-3-3-1, 22) defending his “Interim” WBA Oceania Light Welterweight title against unbeaten Paraguayan Carlos Manuel Portillo (18-0, 14). Amonsot will be fighting for the first time since a No Contest with Martin Enrique Escobar back in July, when a headclash left Amonsot unable to continue in the second round. As for Portillo this will be his first bout outside of Paraguay. Western Australia, Australia Staying in Australia, there will be a number of Thai journeymen involved on a card in Western Australia. The show isn't a big one, but it's clear the Thai's, of which there are 4 of them, have been brought in to lose, and only to lose. Metro Manila, Philippines In the Philippines fans will get a card that appears to have been delayed from late September. The card has an interesting main event between two fighters who are known better for putting up great efforts in losses, rather than their ability to win, but should put on a really good bout against each other. That main event will see the criminally over-looked Vergil Puton (16-8, 8) battle against Eduardo Mancito (15-6-2, 9). Of the two men Puton is the better known, and has given problems to the likes of JR Magboo, Ye Joon Kim, Shuya Masaki and Ibrahim Balla, proving his ability as an “opponent”, who comes to win but just falls short. As for Mancito he has suffered losses to Thong Sithluangphophun, Jelbirt Gomera, Alberto Guevara, Tomas Rojas and Rey Vargas. This should be a really fun, competitive and exciting fight, but we suspect Puton will take home the win. In a supporting bout on this card fans will see Malaysian prospect Aiman Abubakar (5-0, 2) face off with Nestor Junio (1-9-2), in what should be a straight forward win for the unbeaten man. ![]() Tokyo, Japan We get the next of the A-Sign shows this coming Friday and it's another really solid card, littered with really solid Japanese domestic match ups. It won't get a lot of headlines but it will provide some really good action for the fans in attendance. The main event will see Akihiro Kondo (28-6-1, 15) take on Yuya Okazaki (12-9-2, 4) in what should be an entertaining bout, but a one-sided one. Of the two men Kondo is the one who will be strongly favoured, and in fact he's on the verge of a potential world title fight and is essentially risking that shot here. Okazaki is a former OPBF title challenger and is generally a tough guy, but shouldn't really be able to hold his own here against a resurgent Kondo who has won his last 7. Arguably the best on the card will see touted youngster Kazuki Tanaka (7-0, 5) take on the twice beaten Ryohei Takahashi (10-2-1, 2). Touted as a star from his debut Tanaka has looked great at times, but less than great at others and does appear to be falling short of expectation so far. Although he has two losses to his name Takahashi is better than his record suggests, having lost on debut back in 2012 and also losing to the talented Andrew Moloney in Australia. Takahashi comes into this following a brilliant win over Wataru Takeda last October. Also on this card is an interesting rematch as former world title challenger Tomomi Takano (9-2, 6) takes on Kai Johnson (5-10-3, 2), who actually inflicted Takano's first loss. The taller, younger, rangier Tankano will be looking for revenge but was worn down by the hungrier Johnson when the two clashed in June 2014. Johnson has lost 5 in a row since beating Takano, but will fancy her chances again here. Rizal, Philippines In the Philippines fans will see Boy Dondee Pumar (10-7-3, 4) battle for the PBF Super Bantamweight title. ![]() Tokyo, Japan Action returns to the Korakuen this coming Thursday with a show from Kyoei. In the main event fans will see former world title challenger Hisashi Amagasa (30-6-2, 20) take on Filipino visitor Carlo Demecillo (6-2, 1) in a 10 rounder. Amagasa, best known for his 2014 bout with Guillermo Rigondeaux, will be returning to the ring for the first time since he lost a decision in England to Josh Warrington, in a bout that was much more competitive than the score-cards suggested. Although coming in on a loss Amagasa will be strongly favoured as he faces the PBF Bantamweight champion, who should look dwarfed by the freakishly big Amagasa. In a notable under-card bout former world title challenger Tomomi Takano (8-2, 5) will face off against Wondergirl Sithsaithong (0-2). This will be Takano's first “bout” since her loss to Daniela Romina Bermudez in a WBO female Super Flyweight title bout. This should be a straight forward win for Takano but she'll need to do more than just win here if she's to get her career back in track, especially given her public fall out with her promoter earlier this year. Although the rest of the card isn't particularly strong there are two interesting domestic clashes on the card. One of those will see Tomoya Yamada (13-7-1, 4) take on Takaki Sakurai (7-6-1, 3) in a Lightweight bout. Coming in to this Yamada is top 10 ranked by the JBC and will be risking his ranking. The other will see JBC ranked Light Welterweight Kazuki Matsuyama (13-7, 7) take on the heavy handed Kentaro Endo (6-7, 5). On paper this looks like a mismatch but Matsuyama has been stopped in 2 of his last 3 and Endo is better than his record suggests. ![]() Tokyo, Japan Japanese fans get more title action on November 11th as they get a double female world title show. The most notable of those titles fights comes at 115lbs where model-boxer Tomomi Takano (8-1, 5) goes up against Argentina's Daniela Romina Bermudez (17-3-2, 5). The bout sees Takano stepping up massively against the WBO female Super Flyweight champion who has proven her ability on the tough South American scene, where she has faced the likes of Yesica Yolanda Bopp and Mayerlin Rivas. Although it's a step up for the challenger she has been preparing with the best and has been sparring with Naoko Fujioka who she will hope to replicate in becoming a world champion. The other title bout is an all Japanese affair as Kumiko Seeser Ikehara (7-1-2, 3) defends her WBO female Minimumweight title against Momoko Kanda (9-7-2, 3). On paper this looks like a massive mismatch with Kanda going in as the major under-dog however she is better than her record suggests and has rebuilt well after a 1-6-1 run in the middle of her career. For Ikehara this will be the third defence of the title she won in September 2014 and whilst she will be hoping to retain her title she will also be hoping to avoid headclashes, which have plagued her last two bouts. As well as the two world title bouts there is another notable name on the card with former world title challenger Hisashi Amagasa (29-5-2, 19) battling against Filipino fighter Nathan Bolcio (12-9-2, 5). Amagasa is expected to win here and will then continue his chase towards another world title fight, with the fighter himself said to be eyeing up a shot at Lee Selby. Whilst there will be two men in the ring, Bolcio has lost 5 of his last 6 and has only scored 2 wins in his last 10 bouts. Also on this card will be the promising Kenta Onjo (5-1, 3), who will be facing Tomoya Yamada (12-6, 3) whilst seeking his second win since being shocked by Jonathan Baat earlier this year, and Ryoichi Tamura (4-2-1, 1) who takes on Yuki Matsudo (10-2, 6) in a very good looking Super Bantamweight clash. ![]() Tokyo, Japan Action returns to the Korakuen Hall for the second time in the space of just 3 days for what is set to be another very interesting card. This one doesn't have as many good match ups as the June 8th show but it does have 3 bouts that are worthy of some real attention. The most significant of those bouts is an IBF Super Bantamweight world title eliminator between Japanese slickster Shingo Wake (18-4-2, 11) and experienced Thai visitor Mike Tawatchai (35-7-1, 21). Wake comes into this bout on an impressive run of 8 straight wins, with 6 by way of T/KO, and should rightfully be favoured however the Thai is himself unbeaten in 9 and is very highly ranked by the IBF following a reign as the IBF Asia champion. Notably Tawatchai is 1-7 in Japan and will be hoping to score his first win in the country in more than 5 years, a tough ask against someone as good as Wake. In the chief support bout we'll see the return to the ring of former world title challenger Hisashi Amagasa (28-5-2, 19), who fought Guillermo Rigondeaux at the end of 2014. Amagasa has been matched with visiting Thai Patomsith Pathompothong (12-3, 5). Patomsith is facing his most notable foe to date though it is possible that Amagasa will still be suffering the effects of his loss to Rigondeaux, which finished with the Japanese fighter looking like a swollen mess. The only title fight on this show is a bout for the OPBF female Super Bantamweight title and will see the once beaten Tomomi Takano (7-1, 5) take on Thailand's Nongbua Lookpraiaree (9-12-1, 1), who is a replacement for Filipino Carleans Rivas. We suspect that Takano will be the more skilled of the fighters in the ring here but she has shown questionable stamina and Nonbua has only been stopped once in her 12 losses. Interestingly we did manage to find footage of Nongbua fighting South Korea against Hee Jung Yuh and from the footage it does seem like she could test Takano. Khon Kaen, Thailand It's not just Japanese fans getting action but also Thai fans who will be getting a show from Khon Kaen which will be televised on Channel 7. The main event here will see the very good Suriyan Sor Rungvisai (40-6-1, 20) battle against the upset minded Filipino slugger Jomar Fajardo (14-7-2, 7). Whilst Fajardo did impress us in both of his fights against Francisco Rodriguez Jr this does seem much too much for the “Wallopman” who has no right fighting at Bantamweight. In a supporting bout the unbeaten Kongfah Nakornluang (21-0, 13) will take on Filipino visitor Wilber Andogan (10-19-4, 4). The weight difference between the two men here should again take any real drama from the bout and Andogan's key aim will be to make things fun to watch rather than try to win. Whilst Kongfah is flawed he should be far too good for the Filipino journeyman. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) ![]() After having seen the excellent "Super Boxeo" show on December 30th, including Naoya Inoue's historic win over Omar Andres Narvaez, we now get to look forward to New Year's Eve which features 2 massive shows with 5 world title fights between them! Osaka, Japan Of the two New Year's Eve shows in Japan the best is in Osaka in an Ioka-Kyoei joint promotion card. This show is notable pretty much from top to bottom with major almost every bout featuring either a title level fighters, a prospect or a notable name. One of the interesting under-card bouts will see unbeaten female hopeful Terumi Nuki (5-0, 2) battle battle against debuting Thai Petchluksor Sor Praithong (0-0). It's thought that if Nuki wins here her next bout will be an OPBF title bout as she moves towards a world title bout sometime in the next 2 years. Another notable Japanese female fighter on this show is Tomomi Takano (6-1, 5) who also finds herself up against a debuting Thai in the form of Rannada Sor Vorapin (0-0). The two female fights are both scheduled for 6 rounds as are two of the male bouts. One of those will see the busy Takeru Kamikubo (7-0, 4) fighting for the 8th time this year. Sadly the talented Kamikubo has been matched very softly here as he fights against the win-less Phetsaifar Lukmaelamperigym (0-5). For Phetsaifar this is likely to be his 6th straight stoppage loss and his 5th in Japan having previously lost to Kamikubo's stable mate Masayoshi Hashizume and the very interesting Kohei Kashino. The other will see Ryuto Maekawa (9-0, 5) fighting against Chanachai Sor Siamchai (0-1). In an 8 rounder the heavy handed Takahiro Yamamoto (14-3, 11) will find himself up against Thailand's Kamraiyok Or Wandavee (0-0). Yamamoto comes into this bout on the back of 8 successive victories and has shown real promise with all 3 of his losses being very close decision losses. Another 8 rounder on this show will see former world champion Ryo Miyazaki (21-1-3, 12) fighting against Kajonsak Nattapolgym (0-0). For Miyazaki this bout falls exactly a year after his sole loss to, another Thai Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr., and he'll be hoping to avoid the same fate here. The first title fight on this show will see the promising Sho Ishida (17-0, 9) making the first defence of the Japanese Super Flyweight title as he battles against Masato Morisaki (9-3-1, 5) in what looks to be a relatively straight forward defense for the talented Ishida. From what we understand if Ishida is successful here their will be moves to make a bout between Ishida and Teiru Kinoshita in 2015. The second title fight on this show will be a strange unification bout as the IBF and WBO vacant belts will be unified. The belt situation of the bout is an odd one but the fight it's self looks to be a great one as former multi-time world champion Katsunari Takayama (27-7-0-1, 10) battles against Japanese champion Go Odaira (11-3-3, 1). This bout is expected to be very high paced and all action though it's not expected to have the “drama” that some may expect in a FOTY contender. Splitting up world titles fights fans we will see former 2-division champion Kazuto Ioka (15-1, 9) battle against former "interim" world champion Jean Piero Perez (20-7-1, 14). This bout does look like a disappointing one considering the quality of Ioka and the fact Perez has been struggling in recent years, though it does seem like Ioka will be fighting in a WBA world title fight early next year against Juan Carlos Reveco, who recently defended his title with a stoppage victory against Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep. In the main event fans will see Cuban sensation Guillermo Rigondeaux (14-0, 9) defending his WBO and WBA "super" Super Bantamweight titles against OPBF Featherweight champion Hisashi Amagasa (28-4-2, 19). The talented Cuban is a clear betting favourite going into this bout but the contest does look like an interesting one given that Amagasa will have a massive size advantage and also an advantage in activity with Rigondeaux having only fought one round in the last 12 months. Tokyo, Japan In Tokyo we have the “other” show promoted by Watanabe. Although there are 3 world titles on this show the card it's self is actually the weaker of the two cards with 2 of the 3 world title fights looking like mismatches. The main event will be one of those mismatch world title fights as WBA Super Featherweight champion Takashi Uchiyama (21-0-1, 17) looks to make the 9th defence of his belt. The heavy handed Japanese fighter, known as “KO Dynamite”, will be defending his belt against 35 year old Argentinian challenger Israel Hector Enrique Perez (27-2-1, 16), a man who really doesn't look fit to step in the ring against Uchiyama. In another world title fight fans will see the popular Kohei Kono (30-8, 13) defending his WBA Super Flyweight world title for the first time since he re-won it earlier this year with a KO of Denkaosan Kaovichit. The "Tough Boy" will be defending his title against Dominican challenger Norberto Jimenez (20-8-3, 10). Sadly like the other bout the challenger looks completely out of his depth and is unlikely to pose much of a threat. The most interesting of the title fights is at Light Flyweight where Ryoichi Taguchi (20-2-1, 8) attempts to become a world champion. Taguchi is involved in the most interesting of the world title bouts as he takes on Peru's WBA Light Flyweight world champion Alberto Rossel (32-8-0-1, 13). For Taguchi this is the most significant fight of his career and is clearly his toughest since he fought the then fat rising Naoya Inoue. As well as the 3 world title fights there are a further 6 other bouts on the same card though none of them feature anyone of note. For those wanting to watch the main bouts from his show they will be televised on TV Tokyo. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) ![]() Just 2 days we get a Japanese title fight at 130lbs we get an OPBF title bout down at 126lbs as the pace gets going towards an excellent last half of the month. Tokyo, Japan Often domestic shows are poor and fail to get the attention of fans at large. This coming Wednesday however we get a great show courtesy of Kyoei who are putting on a packed domestic card with several bouts of note ranging from an OPBF title fight at the top of the card to a female comeback bout as one fighter looks to get her career back on track after a major setback. The aforementioned OPBF title bout will see OPBF Featherweight champion Hisashi Amagasa (27-4-2, 18) returning to the ring for his 3rd defense of the title. Amagasa, a very fun to watch and rangy fighter, will be backed strongly to over-come challenger Ryo Takenaka (11-2-1, 6) who has yet to prove himself anywhere near this sort of level. We like Amagasa though it's clear he's a clear level below the true world class guys, despite that here is several levels above Takenaka. The chief support bout looks to be a stunning match up which looks incredibly equal on paper. This will see Kazuma Sanpei (11-0, 4) battle against Japanese based Filipino Johnreil Maligro (11-0, 8). On paper Maligro has the edge in terms of though in all honesty there is little to split these two who aren't just unbeaten fighters but are also both southpaws and both are very young and very promising. A fantastic fight on paper and a second successive good test for both men who similarly matched tough last time out as well. The female bout will see the once beaten Tomomi Takano (5-1, 4) fighting against a Thai foe as she attempts to put a stoppage loss to Kai Johnson behind her. Takano, who is better known for her looks and various attire weigh in attire than her boxing skills, knows that she needs a win here to remain relevant and we suspect her Thai opponent won't be up to much. Another bout on this card will see former Japanese interim Super Bantamweight champion Mikihito Seto (34-11-3, 18) battle against novice Kenta Toi (3-4). Seto has won just 1 of his last 4 bouts and really needs a win, he should get it against Toi though it's far from a sure thing given Seto's current form. One of the other bouts on the show will see former OPBF and Japanese title challenger Toyoto Shiraishi (24-8-1, 11) battle against the fun to watch but limited and light hitting Mako Matsuyama (7-8-1, 3), a man best known for all-action war with Rex Tso. Matsuyama is a warrior and is tougher than his record indicates however Shiraishi will have to be favoured here. The final bout of note here will see Kazuaki Moriya (11-5, 1) battle against Ryo Narizuka (6-4) in a really important bout for both men. Moriya has lost his last 2 bouts and desperately needs a win here whilst Narizuka is 3-3 in his last 6 and may see his career vanishing if he cannot score a win here. It's a low level bout but a significant one all the same. Bangkok, Thailand The most significant bout of the day comes from Thailand where former 2-weight world champion Sirimongkol Singwancha (80-2, 52) battles against Filipino slugger Dan Nazareno Jr (20-11, 16) in a genuinely interesting looking bout for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Light Middleweight title. Singwancha, who is unbeaten in 11 years and 37 fights, is now 37 and it's been almost 17 years since his only stoppage loss. If Nazareno has trainer properly there is every chance he could stop Singwancha, who was only stopped by Joichiro Tatsuyoshi in a thriller. Nazareno however does seem to have problems with consistency and if he's not on form he'll suffer another decision loss as he did to Chalermpol Singwancha back in April. Talking about Chalermpol Singwancha (10-0, 8) it's worth noting that he's also in action as he takes on a French visitor that we believe is called Kevin Solimani, though we can't find his record on boxrec so he may be a debutant or a fighter from another combat sport. third bout on this card is second a rematch between Pakorn Mor Poowana (3-1-1, 3) and Jen Yu Jia (1-8-2). The two men fought to a 6 round draw back in September following an opening round win for the Thai back in December 2012. It's assumed that if the Thai comes out unscathed he will be fighting Adones Cabaquinto in the Philippines in November. This Thai card will be aired on Channel 11. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) |
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