Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Saturday we get the next Dynamic Glove show. Sadly it's not the best looking, with only really two bouts of note. One of those is a Japanese title bout, between two men who fought last year, and the other has the potential to be a thrilling firefight. The main even will see Japanese Light Flyweight champion Shokichi Iwata (7-0, 5) face off with Toshimasa Ouchi (22-11-3, 8), in what will be Iwata's first defense of the title and comes just 9 months after he easily defeated Ouchi in an 8 rounder. It's fair to say that Iwata is getting better with every fight, and the first one with Ouchi was a good test, at that time, for him and allowed him to get some rounds with a capable fighter. Sadly though this feels like going over old ground for a man who has just won the national title in a division where Japan has a number of elite fighters, such as Hiroto Kyoguchi and Masamichi Yabuki. A bout will someone like Riku Kano could have made for an excellent world title eliminator,. As for Ouchi the 36 year old has come up short at title level before and given his age is certainly on the slide, especially for a fighter in the lower weights. It should be a good test of Iwata's stamina over 10 rounds, but not a huge test of his ability, sadly. Our full, in depth preview, of this bout can be read here Iwata hunts first defense as he takes on veteran Ouchi Thankfully we are set for a something special in the chief support bout, as Yamato Hata (11-1, 10) takes on Yoji Saito (3-2-2, 3). Both of these men are flawed, neither is going to make a mark on the global stage and neither is really expected to get beyond Japanese level. However, both guys can bang, both are exciting, aggressive and should be looking to prove their power and toughness in what should be a show stealing war...for as long as it lasts. Vladimir, Russia As well as the action in Japan there is also a show in Russia featuring several fighters from Central Asia. The most notable of two Uzbekistani fighters is Eldor Abdukodirov (8-1, 6), who seeks his 7th straight win as he takes on the limited Pavel Mamontov (12-14-3, 1). Coming in to this Abdukodirov has gone on a good looking run since a 2019 loss to Ivan Nikonov, but his competition during that run has been absolutely awful, with a number of win-less fighters. Amazingly this is actually a step up for Abdukodirov, but should be regarded as a very easy one, with Mamontov having gone 0-10-1 in his last 11 bouts. Another Uzbekistani fighter on this show is Shodilbek Sharobiddinov (3-3, 2), who will be expected to be pick up his first win of the year, as he takes on Russian veteran Aleksandr Saltykov (12-68-3, 7). On paper Sharobiddinov is clearly not a fighter going places, however Saltykov has gone 0-20 in his last 20 bouts dating back to 2018 and we suspect this will be his 21st straight loss for the now 42 year old.
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This coming Satudays promised a lot, but sadly due to Covid19 and the extended state of emergency in Osaka two shows set for the date have been postponed, whilst a Thai show, seemingly, vanished with out a trace. As a result we went from having a good day to look forward to, to having a rather small, limited and quiet day with just a single show. Albeit a fair interesting one from Tokyo.
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan The show in question will come from Korakuen Hall, with G+ airing the show live across Japan. It's not a massive show, but it's certainly a notable one, with a solid main event, a very good chief support bout and one other bout worthy of some attention. The main event will see former 2-time world title challenger Ryo Akaho (36-2-2, 24) take on boxing policeman Daisuke Sugita (6-1, 3). On paper this looks like a mismatch in favour of the much more experienced Akaho, but in reality it will likely be a lot, lot more competitive than it looks. Whilst Akaho is more proven as a professional Sugita was a good amateur, and is the naturally bigger man. Akaho is a former Super Flyweight who has grown into a Super Bantamweight, Sugita on the other hand is a Featherweight-come-Super Bantamweight. Akaho will, rightly, be favoured, but Sugita is certainly no push over and his sole loss has come to the excellent, if sometimes frustrating, Reiya Abe. We expect this one to be a very compelling contest. Talking about compelling contests the chief support bout will see unbeaten prospect Shokichi Iwata (5-0, 4) take on tough veteran Toshimasa Ouchi (22-10-3, 8), in a major step up for Iwata. Iwata made his debut in December 2018, in the US, surrounding by a lot of excitement, but has yet to kick on. He's a real talent, but now needs to prove it. Ouchi on the other hand is a true grizzled veteran who has been a pro since 2003, and has take the likes of Shin Ono, Kenichi Horikawa, Kenshiro Teraji and Masamichi Yabuki the distance. This should be the first, real, test we see for Iwata, and a win should open see him finally securing his first title bout. A third bout of note here will see JBC #1 ranked Lightweight Seiryu Toshikawa (13-5, 8) take on the #15 ranked Masaki Saito (15-15-6, 5). On paper Toshikawa's record is underwhelming, with the 5 losses, but he was very competitive in a number of those and is 7-1 in his last 8, having turned a 6-4 start to his career around really well. Saito on the other hand is very much a win some, lost some, type of fighter, but sadly he is picking a lot more losses than wins in recent years, going 2-5-1 in his last 8. Despite poor recent form Saito always comes to win, and this should be a very entertaining bout, even if the winner does seem pretty obvious. For those who want a late Christmas present, we have one of those for you this coming Saturday as Japan put on two shows and China also put on a show. One of those Japanese shows is a mouth watering card from Tokyo, which is set to be streamed live on the A-Sign YouTube channel whilst the second, from Aichi, will be shown on delay on Boxing Raise.
Christmas might be over, but the gifts keep coming! Sumida City Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan The more significant of the two shows is the Tokyo one, and it's a genuinely stacked domestic card that should give us a big of everything. The main event should be a fairly technical contest, the opening bouts should be competitive under-card bouts, and we get at least one, if not two, shoot outs on a genuinely fantastic show. The main event will see former WBO Super Featherweight champion Masayuki Ito (26-2-1, 14) take on current OPBF Super Featherweight champion Hironori Mishiro (9-0-1, 3). Mishiro won't be risking his title here, in a 10 round bout at Lightweight, but the winner will certainly see their standing improve, and we could end up seeing the winner being just a fight or two away from a potential world title fight. Ito is, of course, the more well known fighter and the more established but he has only fought once since losing the WBO title to Jamel Herring in May 2019, and since then he has had a bout cancelled and has had surgery. Mishiro on the other hand is bit of advanced novice, who has been fast tracked to an OPBF title and already has several wins of note to his name, and other here would really boost his standing in the sport. We expect this to be a tactical early on, but will, sooner or later, descend into more of an exciting back and forth war. Talking about wars we are really exciting about the Japanese Youth Light Welterweight title bout on this show, between Jin Sasaki (9-0, 8) and Aso Ishiwaki (8-2-1, 6), and this really should be a war. The hard hitting Sasaki has been creating a buzz with quick knockout and early wins, including a trio of success opening rounds wins, but Ishiwaki is the more proven man and a tough warrior. The 19 year old Sasaki really is a brutal boxer-puncher, and he's been swiping opponents aside with ease but has faced little in terms of competitive opposition. Ishiwaki has faced the much better competition, and has done so without much fuss, whilst creating a bit of an international following with his heart, energy, toughness and physical strength. This could be incredibly brutal war, and we do not expect it to go the scheduled 8 rounds. Our full preview of this one can be read here Sasaki and Ishiwaki clash for Youth Honours in potential Christmas Cracker! On the subject of bouts not going the distance we don't imagine the 8 rounder between Kai Chiba (12-1, 8) and Haruki Ishikawa (8-2, 6) will see the final bell either. The hard hitting Kai Chiba was one looked at as a future regional champion, but a 2018 loss to Brian Lobetania, in a major upset, slowed his rise and he has only really began to rediscover his form in recent bouts, have now scored 5 straight wins. Ishikawa on the other hand is an explosive, heavy handed and wild fighter who comes into the ring with a war monger attitude and may well be too aggressive for Chiba to cope with. Interestingly this bout was delayed from earlier in the year following a positive Covid19 test for Ishikawa. Former 2-time world title challenger Ryo Akaho (35-2-2, 23) looks to extend his current winning streak as he takes on youngster Yuto Nakamura (11-5-1, 8). The 34 year old Akaho has won his last 9 in a row though it does seem unlikely that he will land a third shot at a world title, following losses to Yota Sato and Pungluang Sor Singyu. At just 23 years old this is a great chance to Nakamura to show what he can do at a higher level following a short reign as the JBC Youth Super Flyweight champion. Sadly however it's hard to Imagine Nakamura coping with the power and strength of Akaho at Super Bantamweight. One other bout worthy of attention is the second bout in Japan of "reimported boxer" Shoki Sakai (24-11-2, 13), who made his name in Mexico and the US. The exciting and rugged Sakai will be up against Takeru Kobata (8-4-1, 3). This really should serve as little more than a showcase for Sakai who should be too good, too strong and too powerful. Despite being the under-dog Kobata has some momentum coming into this, on the back of a solid win over Change Hamashima back in February. Even with that in mind it would still be a huge ask for him to be competitive with Sakai here. Aioi Hall, Kariya, Aichi, Japan The other show, the one from Aichi, is easier to over-look but does promise a very exciting main event between one of the biggest punchers at 108lbs and, strangely, just a single supporting bout. The main event will see Japanese Light Flyweight champion Masamichi Yabuki (11-3, 11) making his first defense of the belt as he takes on veteran Toshimasa Ouchi (22-9-3, 8). The hard hitting Yabuki moved down to Light Flyweight last year, stopping Rikito Shiba in 4 rounds and then blasting out Tsuyoshi Sato inside a round this past July to claim the title. Originally he had made his mark at Flyweight, losing in the 2016 Rookie of the Year final to Junto Nakatani, but looks much more suited to the 108lb limit and could find himself fighting for a world title in 2021. Ouchi on the other hand is a 35 year old, potentially getting his last notable fight. Although no world beater Ouchi has shared the ring with some notable names, including going 12 rounds with Kenshiro Teraji in 2016, and facing Kenichi Horikawa, shin Ono and Ryoichi Taguchi earlier in his career. Ouchi is tough, but we do wonder what his 35 year old body will do when it's caught by the power of Yabuki. Our full preview of this bout can be read here Japanese champion Yabuki faces first challenger as he takes on Ouchi The only under-card bout scheduled for this show will see Teru Nobita (5-3-1, 2) face John Yano (5-6, 2). Nobita went through a run where he won 1 in 5, going 1-3-1, but did win last time out and will look to build on the momentum that December 2019 win over Kenshin Megumi. Yano on the other hand is a Japanese based Filipino who has stopped 2 of his last 3 and will be looking to show that power against Nobita. Potentially a much better bout than it looks on paper. TSSG Center, Qingdao, China As well as the action in Japan we also get a show from China, which is set to be one of their best of 2020. In a bout at 154lbs we'll see Tonghui Li (12-2, 6) take on Dacong Wang (7-1-1, 1) in a bout for the interim WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental title. This will be Li's third bout since a loss to Jung Kyoung Lee, and at 30 years old it really is now or never for him to move his career forward. For Wang this is a massive step up in weight, but he has momentum on his side and is riding an 8 fight unbeaten run, and a 6 fight winning run. On paper this looks interesting, though we suspect Li's power and higher level experience will prove to be the difference. The second bout of note will be an IBO International Lightweight title bout, pitting the unbeaten Ju Wu (9-0-2) against Xiao Tao Su (11-1, 6), with Wu looking to defend his minor IBO title for the first time. The talented Wu is the more skilled man and the naturally bigger fighter, but we do wonder how he will cope with Su's power, which has seen him score stoppages in his last 3. ![]() This coming Sunday is a busy day for fight fans, specifically those in Osaka who get 3 shows. Osaka, Japan The most notable of those shows comes from the EDION Arena where the Boxingraise cameras will in attendance to stream live content, featuring some of the brightest young prospects in Japan. The most notable of those prospects is Japanese Light Flyweight champion Ken Shiro (7-0, 4), who faces the much more experienced Toshimasa Ouchi (20-8-3, 6) in a bout for both the Japanese and the vacant OPBF Light Flyweight titles. Ouch is a man looking to secure his biggest win to date and will go into the bout knowing that pressure is on Ken Shiro, however the veteran may not get another title fight if he loses here. For Ken Shiro this is a brilliant chance to put himself into the window for a world title fight in December. Whilst the attention is on the main event it's not the only really good bout on this card with another exciting match up seeing the very promising Hiroto Kyoguchi (2-0, 2) going up against Kenichi Miyazaki (10-2-1, 3) in a mouth watering clash. Miyazaki does come in to this on the back of a loss but isn't a push over whilst Kyoguchi is leaping up in class. A really good match up and a really good test for the unbeaten 22 year old. In another bout of note we'll see 22 year old Light Flyweight hopeful Masataka Taniguchi (3-0, 3) look to extend his great start as he takes on a Thai opponent. Taniguchi is fighting for the 4th time in a little over 4 months, though that's scarcely an issue given he has wiped out his first 3 opponents in a combined 4 rounds. We're unsure who the Thai will be for this bout, but there is little to suggest that he should be favoured over Taniguchi. Osaka, Japan There will also be another show at the EDION Osaka and this one was originally set to features some notable bouts, though sadly has seen some adjustments. Originally the main event was supposed to see Kazuki Tanaka (5-0, 4) battle, in what would have been a huge step up in class, against Hideo Sakamoto (16-2-3, 5) with the key supporting bout being set as a contest between Seizo Kono (16-8-1, 11) and Filipino Jhon Gemino (13-7-1, 5). Sadly however Tanaka has been forced out of the bout leading to a contest between Sakamoto and Kono. It's an alright bout, especially given the short notice, but the reality is that it's not the main event that had had us excited for several weeks. As a result of the shake up at the top of the card the new main event will see Takayuki Okumoto (16-7-12, 6) face off against the once beaten Sonin Nihei (8-1-2, 1) in what is a really nice match up and a good step up for Nihei who's only loss came to Kenya Yamashita almost 2 years ago. Another notable bout here will see young female fighter Fuka Komura (0-0) make her debut, as she takes on Kaori Nagai (0-1). Although a debutant, and one without a host of amateur titles, Komura has received a lot of press and there is serious talk about her being fast tracked to a title following a very impressive pro-test bout earlier this year. Osaka, Japan A third show in Osaka comes form the L-Theatre. The main event here sees OPBF and Japanese ranked Featherweight Ryota Kajiki (28-9, 19) take on Japanese ranked Super Bantamweight Taiki Minamoto (11-5, 10). Kajiki is looking to move towards a second title bout, following a 2012 loss to the then Japanese Super Featherweight champion Daiki Kaneko and is currently riding a 6 fight winning streak, dating back more than 2 years, with notable wins over Shota Yamaguchi and Kota Fukuoka. As for Minamoto he's looking for a second win following last year's loss to Yukinori Oguni, in a Japanese Super Bantamweight title bout. In the chief support bout for this show fans will see former Japanese Light Flyweight champion Kenichi Horikawa (30-14-1, 7) end his retirement to take on Akiyoshi Kanazawa (13-5-4, 7). For Horikawa the bout will be his first since losing the Japanese title, back in December, to Ken Shiro. Interestingly Kanazawa is returning following a less this year to Toshimasa Ouchi, with Ken Shiro and Ouchi facing off across the city in the first show mentioned in this article! Aichi, Japan The only other show in Japan, and the only one taking place outside of Osaka is a small one in Aichi, which is being used to as a Rookie of the Year qualifying show. The best bout on this card is a 5 rounder between Jinya Ito (4-0-1) and the hard hitting Yuto Nakamura (4-2, 4). The card is a huge step down from the Osaka shows but should provide some thrills in well matched novice type bouts. Penglai, China As well as all the action in Japan there will also be a show in China where Heavyweight puncher Zhang Junlong (13-0, 13) headlines. The Chinese puncher will be risking his perfect KO record against Brazilian puncher Julio Cesar Dos Santos (30-6, 27), who has been in with a who's who of the Cruiserweight division. It's hard to back against Junlong here, but the hope is that a big bout is only around the corner. ![]() This coming Sunday is a busy day in Japanese boxing with a trio of shows. Osaka, Japan Arguably the most talented fighter in action for the day is the 18 year old Hinata Maruta (1-0) who looks to score his second win in the professional ranks. The talented Morioka Gym fighter defeated the world ranked Jason Canoy on his debut and now looks to score an easy win as he takes on unknown Thai Krunsing Kaolamlekgym (0-0). A win here is expected for Maruta who is targeting a WBC Youth title fight for the summer. Given so little is known about Krunsing there is little doubt that Maruta will be looking to start cautiously before hunting a stoppage in the later rounds of the bout. The under-card here isn't that notable however there are a couple of bouts worth noting. One of those will see former world title challenger Hirofumi Mukai (11-4-2, 1) face off against Toshikuni Wake (8-15-3,2) in what should be an easy win for Mukai. Once touted as a potential champion Mukai's career has failed to really kick on after an early career win over Sonny Boy Jaro and he's now looking to avoid successive defeats. Wake has been stopped in his last two, and has only 2 wins in the last 5 years. Another under-card bout sees Japanese based American Brandon Lockhart Shane (6-4, 5) in action against Songthaya Kaolamlekgym (0-0). Although not the best of fighters the American has an infectious personality and we really do wish him all the best against his Thai opponent. Miyazaki, Japan Another of the Japanese cards comes from Miyazaki where fans are set to get a trio of 8 rounders. The most notable of those bouts takes place at Featherweight and will see former Japanese Bantamweight title challenger Kinshiro Usui (24-4, 10) take on Yosuke Kawano (10-4-2, 4). Aged 36 Usui is fighting for his career and knows that he's only a few wins from a potential Japanese title fight, on the other hand Kawano, who is unbeaten in 4, will know he's just hitting his stride at 27 and will be looking to record the biggest win of his career. In the co-feature recent Japanese Light Flyweight title challenger Hayato Yamaguchi (13-6-1, 2) will fight Yamato Uchinono (6-4-5, 4). On paper this should be a straight forward win for the JBC ranked Yamaguchi however he has gone 1-2 in his last 3, including a stoppage loss to Yu Kimura, and Uchinono, for all his limitations, is a puncher. On the other hand Uchinono has been stopped in 2 of his last 3 bouts, and has been stopped in all 4 of his defeats. Another bout of note sees JBC ranked 154lb fighter Hironobu Matsunaga (8-1, 4) face off against Hiroshi Ohashi (7-8, 3). This looks likely to be a clear win for Matsunaga, who will be looking to work his way towards a title fight in the coming months. Interestingly Ohashi has won just once in the last 9 years, however he has spent much of that time out of the ring. Hyogo, Japan Arguably the least interesting of the Japanese cards is in Hyogo where there's only really one bout of note. That one notable bout sees Japanese and OPBF ranked Light Flyweight Toshimasa Ouchi (19-8-3, 5) face off against Akiyoshi Kanazawa (13-4-4, 7), in what is a really well matched 8 round bout. The winner of this one will be looking to secure a title fight later in the year however both are a long way from being the best in either Japan or the Orient at 108lbs. ![]() So there we go, Christmas has been and whilst we wish you all had a great one boxing does continue and continues in style with December 27th being the first really notable day post Christmas. Kyoto, Japan Attention turns back to Kyoto for one of a multitude of Japanese sjhows. The main match up here is possibly the fight of the day and sees a youngster look to establish himself a genuine star in the making. That youngster is Ken Shiro (5-0, 2) who will be taking a huge step up in class to face Japanese Light Flyweight champion Kenichi Horikawa (30-13-1, 7). The bout is Ken Shiro's first bout against the best in Japan but he has looked brilliant so far into his career whilst Horikawa will be defending his title for the first time since his emphatic win over Shin Ono back in September. This really could be something very special. The only supporting bout worth noting here will see Atsushi Aburada (10-8, 6) battle against Takahiro Murai (11-6-2, 4) in what looks like a really good match up. Aburada has gone 3-3 in his last 6, but those losses have included a defeat in a Japanese title fight and a loss to the solid Tetsuya Hisada. Murai has never been stepped and will see this as a great opportunity to claim a Japanese ranking, though will know that Aburada is a tough test. A really good bit of match making has gone in to this one. Osaka, Japan The first of two Osaka shows is the more notable with a title fight and a bout featuring a former world title challenger. In the main event of this one fans will get the chance to see Japanese Light Middleweight champion Yuki Nonaka (27-8-3, 9) defending his title against multi-time challenger Koshinmaru Saito (22-7-1, 12). On paper this is genuinely a great bout, though one that Nonaka should win given his more intelligent boxing. Given that both fighters are well in to their 30's this is a must win to keep their careers alive and we expect a very good bout, even if it's not likely to lead either man to a bigger and better fight down the line. The only supporting bout worth mentioning here will see former 4-time world title challenger Hiroyuki Hisataka (24-13-1, 10) battle against Japanese based Filipino Mark John Yap (22-12, 10). Whilst both men have got double figure losses both are talented fighters and both tend to be in entertaining bouts suggesting that this really could be the bout of the day. Both have lost to their best opponents but they are about the same level and could potentially put on a barn burner Osaka, Japan The second of the Osaka shows comes after the first, in the same venue and it put on by Hiroki Ioka Promotions The main event here will see world ranked Featherweight contender Hiroshige Osawa (28-3-4, 17) in a 10 round bout. Osawa, a former OPBF champion, will be hoping to record his 7th straight stoppage win and continue an unbeaten run that began back in 2009. Talented but yet frustrating Osawa seems to be a man who has wasted the last few years, with suspension and mismatches, but hopefully we'll see him kick on in 2016. The co-feature bout will see former world title challenger Pablo Carrillo (17-4-1, 10) take on Thai visitor Jaipetch Chaiyonggym (5-4, 1). Carrillo, who fought Kazuto Ioka in 2014, is now based in Japan and will be making his debut as a Japanese based fighter with the hope of moving towards a world title shot in the future. This however is just stay busy for the Colombia, who has fought just once this year. A final bout from this card worth noting sees the Japanese ranked Kosuke Saka (11-3, 8) in action. This bout was put together on late notice after Saka had a bout with Andres Gutierrez fall through earlier in the year. Hyogo, Japan Another Japanese card comes from Hyogo where Taisei hope to show case some of their most notable fighters. The most notable of those Taisei gym fighters is Riku Kano (7-1-1, 4) who takes on former world title challenger Pigmy Kokietgym (58-8-2, 23). Pigmy is currently world ranked and it's cleat that Kano's team are looking at this bout as a chance to get their man into the world rankings as quickly as possible, with their task being to get him a world title fight before the year is out. The match up is however a risky one and Pigmy cannot be written off, despite a recent defeat to Jaysever Abcede. Another notable bout featuring a Taisei fighter will see Hiroki Taniguchi (6-7-1, 2) battle against the Japanese ranked Toshimasa Ouchi (18-8-3, 5) . This is a really harsh match up for Taniguchi, who has won just 1 of his last 6, but it's the sort of match up that sums up the Taisei gym, where they don't protect their fighters just for the sake of it. Ouchi will be the big favourite here, but has lost 2 of his last 4 and will likely be seeing this as a confidence builder. Tokyo, Japan Tokyo also gets some action with a small show courtesy of Hanagata. The main event of this card sees Japanese ranked Bantamweight Yuta Saito (8-7-2, 6) battle against Yoshiyuki Takabayashi (8-6, 3) in a strangely well matched bout. Although ranked by the JBC Saito has gone 1-4-1 in his last 6, though did beat Keita Nakana in that win and has generally been competitive despite piling up the losses. Takabayashi however is 3-3 in his last 6, though has been fighting at a higher weight and could well bee too physical for Saito. This isn't a top tier bout, but it is an intriguing one. A second bout of note here is a female bout that sees former world title challenger Saemi Hanagata (10-6-2, 4) battle against Chie Higano (4-3, 1). In all honesty this looks like a stay busy fight for Hanagata who will likely be hoping to have another world title fight in 2016. Higano should prove no threat for Hanagata but could go the distance. Seoul, South Korea The day also features a KBF show in the Korean capital The main event here sees former WBO world champion Su Yun Hong (12-1-1, 6) battle against Chinese visitor Jian Li Liu (6-0-1, 3)*. The bout is a WIBF Light Flyweight title defense for Hong, who claimed the title last year and will be hoping to record the third defense of the belt. Although talented Hong's run of recent opposition has been poor and we hope in 2016 she will step it up, significantly. Cebu, Philippines The most interesting of the match ups sees former OPBF Super Bantamweight challenger Jimmy Paypa (16-3-1, 6) battle against Jason Egera (21-15, 10). For Paypa this is his first bout since he was stopped, way back in February, by Shingo Wake. He'll be looking for a win though does appear set to move up in weight to Featherweight for this match up. Whilst Paypa was beaten last time out it does need to be said that Egera has lost his last 7 with 4 of those coming by stoppage. The other 10 rounder will see 19 year old hopeful Elmo Traya (9-1, 7) battle against the out of form Gabriel Royo (10-13-2, 8). Traya comes in to this on an 8 fight winning run whilst Royo is 1-6 in his last 7 bouts, dating back just over 2 years. *Record reported by the KBF Aichi, Japan
In Aichi we get a another of the Rookie or the Year shows as the Western and Central Japanese Rookies compete in their final and move forward as they attempt to become the All Japan champion. Although the card is a Rookie one, the top bout on the card isn't a rookie bout. Instead it will see world ranked Yushi Tanaka (14-0-3, 9) take on Japanese ranked Yuta Saito (8-6-2, 6) in a bout made at a contracted 54KG's. Both men do hold Japanese rankings at Bantamweights and this bout could well act as an eliminator but both are well down the queue to face Shohei Omori. Rather than going through the 11 Rookie bouts we've decided to make a note of just a few of them. One of those is the Lightweight bout between Daiki Ichikawa (5-0, 3) and Satoshi Yamamichi (4-3, 4). Ichikawa is a 19 year old prospect who claimed the “Central Japan Skill Award” whilst Yamamichi is a genuine puncher who could chin-check the youngster. At Featherweight we get unbeaten fighters colliding as Shuma Nakazato (3-0, 2), the teenage son of Nakazato gym chairman Shigeru Nakazato, takes on Japanese based Peruvian Kevin Mendoza (2-0, 1). This all-teen bust up really seems to have the ingredients of being an exciting clash and we're really hoping that footage of this one gets posted online. Another all unbeaten clash will see Takuya Mizuno (6-0-1, 6) take on Kazuya Okubo (3-0, 1) in a Bantamweight bout. The 20 year old Mizuno has stopped his last 4 opponents, in a combined 11 rounds, and looks like a real danger man however 18 year old Okubo is unlikely to be worried and could well beat the more experienced man here. Hyogo, Japan A second show in Japan is set to take place in Hyogo and is a significantly less important show than the other one. The main event here sees once beaten Ioka prospect Takeru Kamikubo (8-1, 5) take on the much more experienced Toshimasa Ouchi (17-8-3, 4) in what looks like a real must win for both men. Last year Kamikubo was incredibly busy racking up 8 wins, this year however he has fought just 121 seconds with Atsushi Aburada quickly taking him out back in April. That loss was a hard one for the 19 year old who needs to bounce back in style here. As for Ouchi he's a 29 year old former Japanese title challenger, though he has gone 1-2 in the last 2 years and desperately needs a win to resurrect his career. The loser won't be looking down the barrel of a gun but will likely see themselves fighting for survival in every subsequent bout. As well as the main event this card is set to feature 5 other bouts. Hessen, Germany In Germany fans will get the chance to see Azeri fighter Bakhtiyar Iskenderzade (9-5, 2) take on the unbeaten German Ali Guencavdi (6-0, 5). This looks a tough ask for the fighter from Baku but he is a step up for Guencavdi who has faced very poor opposition so far. |
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