Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand
The day after Christmas is called “boxing day” in some parts of the world, and this year we certainly have a boxing day fight to be excited about in Bangkok, as we’re set to see a new world champion being crowned. The match up in question will see former WBC Minimumweight champion Panya Pradabsri (43-2, 27) look to become a 2-weight world champion as he takes on the criminally under-rated Carlos Canizales (27-2-1, 19) for the vacant WBC Light Flyweight title, with Canizales looking to end the year on a higher. The 33 year old Pradabsri is best known for his short but notable reign as the WBC Minimumweight champion. That reign began when he dethroned the then 54-0 Wanheng Menayothin, saw him record 4 defenses, including one over Wanheng and two over Norihito Tanaka, before losing the belt in Japan to Yudai Shigeoka. He has long been one of the best fighters at 105lbs, but also someone who seemed big at the weight and as if he was boiling down hard to mark 105lbs, as opposed to letting his body fight at a more natural weight of Light Flyweight or even Flyweight. As for Canizales, he is perhaps the best active fighter to have never won outright recognition as a "world" champion, having only held the WBA "regular" title when Hiroto Kyoguchi was the "Super" champion. He is legitimate world class, with the only marks on his record being a draw against Ryoichi Taguchi, and losses to Esteban Bermudez, in a 2021 Upset of the Year contender, and Kenshiro Teraji, in a razor thin bout in January of this year. Canizales is tough, heavy handed, highly skilled, has a great engine, applies constant pressure, and is a complete nightmare to fight. Unlike many fighters from Venezuela, who pad their record but come undone against fighters on their travels, Canizales has proven his skills on the road, not just with the bouts against Taguchi and Kenshiro, but also wins against Reiya Konishi, Lu Bin, Sho Kimura, Ganigan Lopez and Daniel Matellon. Given the styles of the two men, who are both, strong, come to fight and like to enforce their wills, we are expecting a very, very special bout here, to give us a late Christmas treat. Spaceplus Bangkok RCA, Bangkok, Thailand We have a second show in Bangkok, albeit a much smaller one, at the Spaceplus Bangkok RCA. One of the best match ups on the card will see unbeaten Filipino Arvin Jhon Paciones (9-0, 5) take on under-rated Chinese fighter Xiang Li (9-2-2, 4) in a scheduled 12 rounder. The 19 year old Paciones has had a pretty notable 18 months come into this, stopping Jonatan Refugio, taking a good 12 round win over Kitidech Hirunsuk and beating former world champion Rene Mark Cuarto. He is a real prospect, with skill, power, speed and a willingness to take tests, both at home and on the road. The 26 year old Li is no push over, with his losses coming to Miel Fajardo and Jonathan Almacen, with that one coming in the Philippines, and notable results against Raymond Poon KaiChing, who he beat in Hong Kong, and a Ryu Horikawa, who he fought to a 10 round draw This is a genuinely good match up, and the winner should be in the mix for a recognised regional title sooner rather than later. Having just mentioned Raymond Poon KaiChing (10-3, 6) it’s worth noting he is on this card, as he takes on former world title challenger Komgrich Nantapech (37-13, 27). Nantapech was once a very solid fighter, who gave Donnie Nietes a competitive bout in 2017, and also gave a good account of himself, albeit in a wide loss, against Juan Carlos Reveco. Since however he has gone a very mixed 15-8. Whilst some of those losses are at a good level some aren’t and he has been stopped 5 times in his last 11, going 6-5 over those bouts, suggesting a fighter who has either taken too much punishment, or is happy to go down softly nowadays. As for KaiChing the 28 year old from Hong Kong is 3-2 in his last 5 and whilst he hasn’t scored a notable win, he will likely come into this seeing it as a huge chance to get a career best win. Unbeaten American Jermaine Hardison (4-0, 3) looks to score his latest win, and claim a minor regional title, as he takes on Thai local Thuwanan Tumninlakan (4-2-1, 4). Hardison has required 14 rounds for his first 4 wins, and whilst the opposition hasn't been tough the 21 year old is getting on with things and, for the most part, seeing off his opponents the way he and his team would have been hoping. The 19 year old Tumninlakan however has been matched very softly, and failed to win other of his last 2 bouts, fighting to a draw with Supakorn Boonmak and a loss to Nattawut Kaewkhanchum. In fact he is 1-2-1 in his last 4, and it would be a real surprise to see him beat Hardison Another unbeaten hopeful on this card is Matvei Lagerev (6-0, 5), a Thai based Russian, who will be expecting to pick up another win as he takes on Phatiphan Krungklang (20-9-1-1, 12). In just 15 rounds Lagerev has discord 6 wins, including one over forms world title challenger Pigmy Kokietgym, albeit a faded and undersized Pigmy. On paper Krungklang is a step up for the Russian, but in reality it's not a notably step up, especially when you realise Krungklang has been stopped in 8 of his 9 losses and his wins have come at a very poor level.
0 Comments
There isn't a lot of action this coming Sunday but we do see Chinese fighters looking to tick over in Thailand and a couple of Filipino's in action in South Africa.
Bangkok, Thailand The show in Thailand is an interesting one from Bangkok featuring a number of notable Chinese fighters in what are essentially stay busy fights. One of the Chinese fighters on this card is Baishanbo Nasiyiwula (16-3-1, 6), who is looking to build on his 2019 win in the US against Saul Corral. From what we understand the enigmatic Baishanbo will be up against Filipino foe Welbeth Loberanis (12-2, 3), who is returning to the ring almost 7 years after his last bout, and around 30lbs heavier. It's hard to imagine anything but a win for the Chinese fighter here. Someone looking to begin the rebuilding process here is recent world title challenger Wulan Tuolehazi (13-4-1, 6), who will be fighting for the first time since he was stopped by Kosei Tanaka at the end of 2019. The awkward Tuolehazi will be up against experienced Filipino Jomar Fajardo (17-15-2, 9), in what should be a very winnable return to the ring for the Chinese fighter. Fajardo was a capable fighter a few years ago, twice giving Francisco Rodriguez Jr a good test, but has been racking up losses and would need a really big performance to test the Chinese fighter. An unbeaten Chinese hopeful looking to pick up a win here is Yeerlan Nuerlanbieke (4-0, 1), who takes on teenage hopeful Channarong Injampa (3-2, 2). The unbeaten local is looking to build on his November win over Yangcheng Jin and shouldn't have any issues here. Injampa has been stopped in both of his losses, and we'd expect him to be stopped again here, despite the fact he is not a big puncher. One other Chinese fighter worthy of attention on this card is youngster Xiang Li (7-2-2, 2), who is looking to build on an interesting 2019 which saw him beat Raymond Poon KaiChing and fight to a draw with excellent Japanese hopeful Ryu Horikawa. We really can't see any way in which Li struggles to get past local novice Wachira Malai (1-1) on this card, and this really should be a formality. Eastern Cape, South Africa Sadly in South Africa we expect to see a pair of Filipino fighters coming up shot. In one bout local hopeful Yanga Sigqibo (13-1-1, 3) will take on experienced Pinoy Cris Paulino (21-4, 8). Although Sigqibo hasn't got much fanfare yet he's a real talent and is looking to score his 11th straight victory, after a 3-1-1 start to his professional career. The 27 year old Paulino was once a decent regional level fighter, but he's now years away from a win of note and with 4 stoppage loss to his name it's hard to imagine him picking up a victory here on the road. Another local looking to pick up a win against a Filipino fighter is the hard hitting Sivenathi Nontshinga (8-0, 8), who takes on Ivan Soriano (20-3-1, 10). The unbeaten 21 year old, dubbed the "Special One", will be defending his IBF International Light Flyweight title for the second and will be taking on his toughest so far.The 31 year old Soriano has lost 2 of his last 4, but the Pinoy is tough, and should be a legitimate test for Nontshinga. ![]() Tokyo, Japan From where we're sat the main show this coming Saturday is in Tokyo, where we get 4 Japanese title eliminators on what is a mouth watering card. The winners will all get Japanese title shots at the 2020 Champion Carnival meaning these 4 bouts are very significant. The lowest weight covered by these eliminators is Bantamweight, where the once touted Kazuki Tanaka (11-2, 8) takes on the often under-rated Kyosuke Sawada (13-2-1, 6), in what could turn out to be a masterful lesson of boxing by Sawada or an all out brawl. This really does depend on just how desperate the two men get, and whether Tanaka's power will be too much for Sawada to handle with his skills. This could be a very, very good fight. A full preview of this bout can be found here Sawada and Tanaka look to book a place at the Champion Carnival At Featherweight we'll see the very highly regarded Hinata Maruta (9-1-1, 7) take on former Japanese Featherweight champion Takenori Ohashi (17-5-2, 11). We suspect that Murata will have the speed, size and skills to deal with Ohashi, but the experienced man can genuinely bang and his KO earlier this year over Shun Wakabayashi showed just how heavy his hands are. This should be a win for Murata, but he really cannot get sloppy given the lights out power of his opponent. A full preview of this bout can be read here Maruta and Ohashi clash in Japanese eliminator On paper we could end up with a bit of a boxing classic as Kazuki Saito (7-1, 5) and Izuki Tomioka (6-2-1, 2) meet in Japanese Lightweight title eliminator. Saito is a fantastic offensive boxer, but has real issues taking a shot, and that does actually make his fights even more fun to watch, and he is quite honest a bit of a glass cannon. Tomioka on the other hand is a very light punching boxer-mover and he managed to give Masayoshi Nakatani fits in an OPBF title fight. We expect skills to be on here. Our preview of this bout can be read here Saito and Tomioka clash in Lightweight eliminator! The heaviest weight covered on this show is the Welterweight division, where former world title challenger Keita Obara (21-4-1, 19) will take on Toshiro Tarumi (12-3-3, 6). On paper this doesn't look a great bout, with Obara having the edges in experience, power, and level of competition. It is worth noting however that Tarumi has momentum coming in to this, thanks to wins over Noriaki Sato and Shusaku Fujinaka during a 7 fight winning run. Our preview of this bout can be read here Hard hitting Obara takes on little known Tarumi in Japanese eliminator Almaty, Kazakhstan As well as the fantastic action in Japan we're actually being treat to a huge amount of fights spread across Asia, including a card from Kazakhstan. The headline bout of this show will see the unbeaten Kanat Islam (26-0, 21) take on recent world title challenger Walter Kautondokwa (18-1,17), in what looks likely to be a very, very explosive bout. The unbeaten Kazakh will be fighting for the second time since returning from an injury that kept him out of the ring for close to 2 years. We say fighting for the but it's hard to call his 14 second demolition of Julio De Jesus a fight, more an assault. The 34 year old Kautondokwa, from Namibia, has only been beaten once and that in a WBO Middleweight world title fight against Demetrius Andrade, so he is tough, but it's a big ask for him to get a result in Kazakhstan. Novice Kazakh prospect Nursultan Amanzholov (1-0) will look to build on his first professional win as he takes on 38 year old Polish foe Michal Banbula (13-31-4). At his very best Banbula was a criminally under-rated fighter who scored a win over Tony Oakey and a draw with Tony Jeffries. Sadly though Banbula has lost 5 of his last 6 and should pose little threat to someone like Amanzholov, who is a fully blown Heavyweight. Chongqing, China The pick of the bouts outside of Japan looks to be an excellent contest in China where we see two older fighters in action to keep their careers alive. The bout in questions sees the once beaten local Wenfeng Ge (11-1, 6) take on former world champion Kompayak Porpramook (60-7, 41) for the WBO Global Flyweight title. The tough Ge is looking to bounce back from a TKO loss to Giemel Magramo earlier in the year, and that was a painful beating so we'll see what effect it has on his psyche and will to win. As for the Thai he has lost 2 of his last 3, but the former WBC Light Flyweight champion is still a nightmare for fighters willing to have a war with hi, and he should be viewed as a legitimate live under-dog here. The chief support bout is a contest for the WBC Asian Boxing Silver Super Bantamweight title China's Chunlei Lin (9-3, 2) will battle against Indonesian Galih Susanto (17-9-1, 4). The 25 year old local, dubbed the "Black Dragon", has not proven a great deal yet and has lost to his 2 most notable opponents thus far, including a loss at home to Japan's Shun Wakabayashi. On the other hand Susanto is no world beater but is a bit better than his record suggests and may well expose Lin a little bit, before losing, likely on the cards. Lishui, China A second Chinese card will see the unbeaten Xiang Li (5-0, 4) take on Japan's Takuya Ota (8-2-1, 6). The technically limited but hard hitting Li scored a solid win in January, or Arvin Young, and scored another in August over Do Jin Lee. So it's good to see him being active after a very slow start to his professional career, sadly though his competition doesn't appear to be improving through the year. Ota is nothing of a step up from the last couple of bouts for Li, but is still a capable fighter and he reached the Rookie of the Year final last year. We suspect this will be another win for Li, but another one where his flaws are made evident by the successes of his opponent. Shenzhen, China A third show in China will be headlined by Mongolian Tsendbaatar Erdenebat (1-0), though sadly his opponent hasn't yet been announced for a bout in Shenzhen. Whilst no opponent is known at the time of writing for the Mongolian this is set to be a 10 rounder, which is very ambitious for the 2016 Olympian. Qingdao, China Yet another Chinese card will take place, with this one being headlined by unbeaten local Zhong Liu (14-0, 5) taking on Filipino John Kenan Villaflor (8-5-4, 2) in what looks like an interesting 8 rounder. The unbeaten local comes into this on the back of a big win over Jess Rhey Waminal and Villaflor will be in the ring looking to get revenge for his countryman. A second bout of interest will see Chinese youngster Wuzhati Nuerlang (12-3, 10) look score his second win of 2019 as he takes on veteran Said Mbelwa (47-29-5, 31). This could be a good chance for the 23 year old Chinese fighter to shine against a very shop worn foe who has got over 80 career bouts and 12 career stoppage losses. La Union, Philippines On a lesser level we have a Filipino show in La Union, this show certainly doesn't have much in terms of names, but does have a couple of bouts that could end up being much better than they look on paper. The heavy hitting 25 year old Arnel Baconaje (11-3, 9) will be up against fellow Filipino Jestoni Autida (12-11, 6). On paper this looks like a mismatch, especially given that Baconaje has gone 5-1 in his last 6, however Autida is a tough and capable fighter who has give Ryoichi Tamua, Ernesto Saulong and Jason Canoy very tough bouts in recent years. Baconaje is the favourite, but Autida a clear live under-dog. Another potentially interesting match up will see Jules Victoriano (9-2, 6) take on Virgil Puton (17-13-2, 8), though this could also be a stinker. The 22 year old Victoriano was on a 9 fight winning before losing in Japan to Yoshimitsu Kimura in June, and we suspect he'll be confident of getting back to winning ways here. The 30 year old Puton was once a very, very capable opponent, but he is now 0-5-2 in his last 7 and has been stopped in 4 of those 7 bouts, and seems very much like he's a "shot" fighter. If Puton has anything left in the tank he could make this competitive, but the worry is that he's only a shell of the fighter he once was. One other bout on this card will see IBF Bantamweight mandatory challenger Michael Dasmarinas (29-2-1, 19) fight in a stay busy bout against Artid Bamrungauea (25-27, 23). The talented Filipino is the mandatory for the winner of the upcoming WBSS winner Bantamweight finish and this really is just a tick over against a heavy handed but very limited Thai foe. It's worth noting that in recent weeks Dasmarinas has been sparring with Takuma Inoue, and although this is only a low key fight he'll likely be wanting to impress. Bangkok, Thailand In Bangkok fans are set for some low quality action. In the most notable bout the UK's 48 year old Denise Castle (2-2, 2) will go up against Thailand's Sutthinee Bamrungpao (4-6) in a bout for the vacant WIBA Minmumweight title. The Thai fighter is the younger of the two but has suffered 6 stoppage losses in her 10 bout career and has never beaten a fighter with a winning record. Castle is well beyond her best years, which were spent outside of boxing, but we wouldn't be surprised if she did enough to take the win here. It's worth noting that both of Castles' losses have come in world title bouts, with the first coming to Momo Koseki, but she's done very little to derseve this fight with her last win being more than 5 years ago. Also on this card we'll see rather odd WBC interim Asian Boxing Council silver Featherweight title bout between the limited Thai based Filipino Joel Kwong (4-9, 4) and the limited Waldo Sabu (13-14, 3), from Indonesia. We assumed the idea of the Silver titles was to get rid of the need for an interim belt, but an interim silver regional title fight between two guys with losing records is very, very hard to defend. Singapore, Singapore Staying in Asia we also have a small card in Singapore. One of the main bouts will see unbeaten Malaysian fighter Adli Hafidz (7-0, 3) take on 40 year old Indonesian fighter Ramadhan Weriuw (18-11-1, 16) in a bout for the WBA Asia South Super Middleweight title. This really should be a very straight forward win for Hafidz, who is no world title challenger in the making but still a very capable fighter. It's worth noting that in 2016 Weriuw fought as a Welterweight and has no reason to be fighting as an out of shape, old Cruiserweight. Local favourite Muhamad Ridhwan (13-2, 9) will also be on this show as he takes on Thai visitor Taweechai Juntarasuk (10-13, 6), who is 0-8 in fights outside of Thailand. This looks a mismatch on paper, and we suspect it will also be a mismatch in the ring, with Ridhwan looking to score a third straight win since back to back losses. Nevada, USA In the US we get a very even looking match up as 28 year old American Andy Vences (22-1-1, 12) takes on 25 year old Filipino Mark Bernaldez (19-2, 13). Vences began his career 20-0 but has struggled in recent bouts, going 2-1-1 in his last 4, and now needs to get his career back on track following his first professional loss, back in June to Albert Bell. Bernaldez on the other hand has lost 2 of his last 6, but is unbeaten the US, where his last 2 bouts have been held and does have a little big of momentum. We suspect the naturally bigger Vences will take the win, but this it the perfect time for Bernaldez to face him. ![]() Shanghai, China The main action this coming Thursday comes from Shanghai in card that is essentially a China Vs Japan card. It's not a huge show, but it's certainly one worthy of some attention with a world ranked contender and a highly touted prospect involved. The world ranked contender is China's awkward and tough Wulan Tuolehazi (12-3-1, 5), who will be defending his WBA International Flyweight title against Japanese challenger Satoshi Tanaka (7-5, 1). On paper this doesn't look like it'll be competitive, but the idea seems on be for Tuolehazi to just tick over whilst awaiting for a major title fight, following recent wins over Filipino Jayr Raquinel and Japan's Ryota Yamauchi. From what we can see the 28 year old Tanaka is simply there to make up the numbers. In an excellent match up we'll see the WBO Youth Light Flyweight Xiang Li (7-2-1, 2) take on the very promising Ryu Horikawa (2-0, 1) from Japan. Li won the title on the road, beating the popular Raymond Poon Kaiching for the belt in Hong Kong, when he put up a great and energetic performance to over-come Poon and the crowd. Horikawa is a professional novice, but the 19 year old is regarded very highly in Japan and his win over Yuki Nakajima last time out showed just how skilled he was. For us this is the best fight on the card, and one that deserves the attention of fight fans. Another bout worthy of note will see local fighter Ayati Sailike (7-8-2-1, 2) take on Japan's unbeaten Hiroki Hanabusa (6-0-2, 2). The 23 year old local isn't anyone special, but is experience, has taken on a number of unbeaten opponents and comes to win, though is technically quite limited. Hanabusa, who just 20, is looking to build on a good 2018, and a win here, in first 8 rounder, will likely see his team push him for a Youth title in 2020. Hanabusa is talented, but this is set to be a genuine test, even if Sailike's record suggests something else. Bukidnon, Philippines As well as the Chinese action there is also going to be a small card in the Philippines, featuring a former world title challenger up against a domestic journeyman. The former world title challenger is Jerry Tomogdan (28-10-4, 15), who in a WBC Minimumweight title bout in 2015 to Wanheng Menayothin. Since that loss Tomogdan has had mixed success, going 12-4-1 (6) including a win over Riku Kano in Japan. His opponent will be Mike Kinaadman (7-11-2, 5), who really shouldn't give Tomogdan any issues here. ![]() Shenzhen, China For us the most interesting card of the day takes place in China, where we see a a really talented local look to continue his impressive winning run, a once beaten local looking to add to his record and an unbeaten prospect look to build on his good start. The main event will see the world ranked Jing Xiang (16-4-2, 3) take on Filipino visitor Jomar Caindog (10-1-1, 4) in a very interesting looking match up on paper. The talented Xiang, who is world ranked at 108lbs, will be dropping to Minimumweight for this match up as he attempts to claim the WBO International title. On paper Caindog is a good opponent, but this will be a big step up for the Filipino, who fights outside of the Philippines for the first time. The winner of this will be in the mix for WBO Minimumweight title so this is a very significant fight for both men and should be a bout that has a lot of skills on show. A full preview of this bout is available to read here Xiang moves down to take on Caindog in International title fight In a good support bout local fighter Xiao Tao Su (10-1, 5) will take on Shota Yukawa (11-5-3, 4) for the WBO Oriental Super Featherweight title. Coming into this the local is on a 6 fight winning run, including a KO win over the once touted Konthara KKP and another over Riki Hamada. Su is certainly not a big name prospect but has got momentum coming into this bout. Yukawa on the other hand is a 31 year old who has been facing very poor opposition since being stopped in May 2018 by Takura Uehara and will come into this bout as a clear under-dog. A third bout of interest will see the flawed but hard hitting Chinese Xiang Li (4-0, 3) take on Korean teenager Do Jin Lee (6-2-3) for a pair of minor titles. For Li this will be his second second bout of the year, following January's win over Arvin Yurong. In that win over Young we saw plenty to like about the 24 year old Li, who really does look a powerful young kid, but he really needs a lot of polishing before being moved through the rankings. Lee on the other hand comes into this bout on the back of a very wide loss to Mirai Naito back in June, and that loss showed his level. Leyte, Philippines ALA have been really quiet this year, though they do have a show this coming Saturday in Leyte, featuring two of their biggest hopes, both in matches that look like mismatches. The most clear of those mismatches will see the heavy handed Jeo Santisima (17-2, 14) take on Indonesian foe Alvius Maufani (6-3-2, 3). Santisima hasn't fought since last November, when he scored a solid win over tough Mexican Victor Uriel Lopez, and has lost much of his momentum as a result of the lay off. On the other hand Maufani has failed to win any of his last 3, and was stopped last time out, by Yamato Hata. The other stand out fighter on this card is Albert Pagara (31-1, 22), who takes on Thai puncher Lucky Tor Buamas (12-3, 12). Pagara has promised a lot, but like Santisima has been inactive since last November, and has only fought 5 times since his loss to Cesar Jaurez in July 2016. Given that Lucky has been stopped in his 3 defeats we suspect another early defeat for him here. Other notable Filipino fighters on this card include Esneth Domingo (11-1, 6) and former world title challengers Melvin Jerusalem (14-2, 8) and Jonas Sultan (15-5, 9). All 3 will be expected to pick up straight forward wins here. Bang Phun, Thailand Sticking with pretty notable action we also get a WP Boxing card from Bang Phun, which we expect to see being aired on DAZN in the US. The main event of this show will see Apichet Petchmanee (4-0, 2) and Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (61-4, 41) battle in a rematch. The two fought earlier this year and the unbeaten Apichet was given a really tough test by the much more experienced fighter, who was though to be past it but proved to still a lot left in the tank. The 65 fight veteran is a former multi-time world title challenger, and whilst he's proven to be no threat to world champions he is a solid regional fighter and will be looking to avenge the loss he suffered in his first bout with Apichet. This could end up being one of the most interesting bouts of the day. Also on this card is unbeaten youngster Chainoi Worawut (5-0-1, 5), who looks like he could be in a bit of a shoot out as he battles Filipino Matthew Arcillas (6-2, 6). Between the two men they have had 14 bouts, but only seen the final bell once, Chainoi's draw with Rakniran Muadransarakam. Both can punch, and with Arcillas having a suspect chin we're not expecting this to go long. This could be explosive and very exciting. From what we understand there was supposed to be two Super Flyweight tournaments bouts, with Danai Ngiabphukhiaw (2-1, 1) taking on Yodtanong Chaepet (2-0, 1) and Samartlek Kokietgym (34-10-1,12) going up against Phongsaphon Panyakum (4-1, 1). We have however been told that at least one of these bouts, if not both, have been rescheduled due to an injury. Singapore, Singapore Staying in Asia there is also a show set to take place in Singapore, albeit a very low level card with little in terms of interesting action. The main event will see Indonesian journeyman Stevie Ongen Ferdinandus (29-17-1, 16) take on Thailand's Theerawat Yoohanngoh (21-10, 15) in a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Light Middleweight title. The 38 year old Ferdinandus was once a respectable regional fighter at Lightweight, but his 2018 clash with Tim Tszyu is hard to forget, and it's clear that his career is ambling to an end. Theerawat on the other hand is a 31 year old who showed promise a decade ago, but has certainly not shown that level of promise in recent years. This could be interesting, but it's one where neither guy is likely to go much further. In a supporting bout 35 year old local Darryl Edmund Kho (4-1-1, 1) battles Rahman Ambodalle (6-12-2, 3). Given how Ferdinandus career is winding down we really do worry for Ambodalle who was stopped in 2 by Ferdinandus in May. That was Ambodalle 9th stoppage loss and he's almost certainly there to just pad Kho's record. In what looks like another record padding bout the unbeaten Adli Hafidz (6-0, 3), from Malaysia, will be up against 35 year old Rocky Alap Alap (5-18-2). Alap Alap actually fought Theerawat back in 2010, losing in 4 rounds and has only win once since June 2008, suffering 15 losses in that time. California, USA Over in the US Top Rank promoted Kazakh prospect Janibek Alimkhanuly (6-0, 2) looks to continue his unbeaten run as he takes a big step up in class and faces off with Stuart McLellan (27-3-3-1, 11). The talented and unbeaten Alimkhanuly has, at times, flattered to deceive and although clearly an excellent fighter hasn't totally adapted to the professional ranks...yet. McLellan on the other hand is a 32 year old Canadian who is no world beater, but is a solid enough fighter to match Alimkhanuly with at this stage of his career. McLellan has mostly fought on the Canadian scene with his most notable result being a TKO3 loss to Steve Clagget back in 2015. Since the loss to Clagget he has gone 15-1-0-1 and should ask some questions of the Kazakh hopeful. ![]() Hong Kong S.A.R., China For once it's Hong Kong that gets our attention for a notable show, one of the first notable ones there since Rex Tso decided that he would be aiming not for a world title but for Olympic success in 2020. That card isn't hugely stacked, but has the biggest current hopes from Hong Kong, Macau and Nepal as well as a mouth watering clash between unbeaten fighters from Japan and China. The Hong Kong hopeful is the once beaten Raymond Poon KaiChing (7-1, 4), who looks to inherit the hopes that one hung on the shoulders of Rex Tso. Although not as talented or as exciting as Tso the 23 year old KaiChing is talented and will be looking to defend his WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Light Flyweight title, and claim the WBO Youth title. The man in the opposite corner to the local favourite will be China's Xiang Li (6-2-1, 2), who has lost 2 of his last 4 but will come into this bout as a live under-dog, an a man with a point to prove. Macao's big hope on this card is the very talented and exciting 22 year old Lap Cheong Cheong (5-0, 4), who is a Flyweight with a lot of upside. Cheong Cheong has impressed when we've managed to see him and he's stopped his last 4, in fact he's now got 3 straight pening round wins. In the opposite corner to the Macau prospect is Indonesian visitor Muhammad Wahid (4-1, 1). This looks like it will be Cheong Cheong's toughest bout to date, and Wahid showed he was a pretty decent lower level fighter last time out, when he gave Bin Zhou a pretty competitive bout in China. Hong Kong based Nepalese fighter Nibesh Ghale (4-1, 3) seeks his 5th straight win, when he takes on Shogo Yamamoto (4-3, 1). The once beaten Ghale lost on debut, to Kuok Kun Ng back in 2013, and since then has reeled off some wins at a low level. Interestingly Yamamoto saw his own 4 fight winning run come to an end last November, when Yamamoto was stopped in 5 rounds by George Tachibana. This could be a lot more interesting than the records of the fighters suggest. The best match up on the card will see unbeaten Japanese hopeful Ren Sasaki (8-0, 5), who won the 2017 All Japan Rookie of the Year at Featherweight, take on China's Ge An Ma (6-0-0-1, 1). The Japanese fighter, 24, has impressed and has won not only the Rookie of the Year but also a B class tournament, doing that in 2018. The Chinese fighter on the other hand comes into this bout on the back of a career best win over Diarh Gabutan. This looks like a fantastic match up on paper and something we're really looking forward to. Okayama, Japan As well as the card in Hong Kong there will also be a Rookie card in Okayama. This card is scheduled to feature 8 bouts, all 4 rounders, and we're not expecting anything too notable to happen. On paper the show is a pretty forgettable one, though we wouldn't be surprised by some fun action across the card, albeit at a very low level. ![]() Suzhou, China The first major show of the new year takes place in China this coming Saturday, and it really is a great show with several bouts of note, in what will see 4 different title bouts taking place. The main event is a fantastic match up between unbeaten Chinese Flyweight Wenfeng Ge (11-0, 6) and once beaten Filipino Giemel Magramo (22-1, 18), who will be fighting for the WBO International Flyweight title, with Ge making his first defense of the tite. So far Ge has scored notable wins over Amnat Ruenroeng and Ivan Soriano, and looked solid, but at the age of 31 will know he can't afford a loss. Magramo on the other hand looks like a star in the making, and his sole defeat was a razor thin one in Korea to Muhammad Waseem. Since his loss Magramo has reeled off 5 stoppage wins and looks to be a fighter intent on making a statement. This really could be a brilliant way to break in the new year. A preview of this fantastic clash can be read here -Ge and Magramo look to begin year with mouth watering match up! Another fantastic match up will see Chinese Light Flyweight Jing Xiang (15-4-2, 3) take on Thai veteran Kompayak Porpramook (59-6, 40) for the WBC silver Light Flyweight. The 28 year old Chinese fighter will be making his first defense of the title, which he last September when he defeated Merlito Sabillo, and he'll be looking to record an 8th straight win. Porpramook, best known for his wars with Adrian Hernandez and Koki Eto, is now 36, but showed he was still a capable fighter last year, when he defeated Pongsaklek Sithdabnij in the first of two bouts. The winner of this will be in the world title mix, but it's hard to see where the loser goes. A preview of this bout can be read here - Chinese novice Jing Xiang takes on Thai veteran Satorn China's Jian Wang (7-1, 2) will be looking for his 6th straight win as he takes on Korean visitor Sung Young Yang (6-2-4, 3) in a bout for the WBO Oriental Youth Super Bantamweight title. The Chinese fighter looks to be in good form on paper, but his competition during his winning run has been poor, and his only real win of note came back in November 2015, when he beat the then debuting Wulan Tuolehazi. Yang is a 22 year old Korean fighter who has won his last 4, and is unbeaten in his last 6, though like Wang he's untested and a win here would be the biggest of his career, The other title bout on this card pits unbeaten men against each other, as local hopeful Xiang Li (3-0, 2) faces off with Filipino Ryan James Racaza (10-0, 6) in a contest for the WBO Oriental Youth Lightweight title. The local novice debuted back in November 2016 but hasn't been particularly active in a pro ring, avoiding the ring through 2017 and only fighting once on 2018. Despite the inactivity Li is regarded highly as a prospect and a win here would be huge proof of his ability. Racaza isn't one of the more well known prospects in the Philippines but the 22 year old southpaw has scarcely lost a round since his debut and has already stopped both Jayar Estremos and Junar Adante. Racaza looks like one to watch, and a win here, on his international debut, would be a potential statement of intent. Although neither man in this bout is well known, this is a very interesting match up. Ifugao, Philippines In the Philippines we'll see the unbeaten Roy Nagulman (6-0-1, 4) battle against experienced journeyman Albert Alcoy (15-27-8, 5), in what should serve as little more than a record padding win for Nagulman, who is just 17 and really shouldn't be rushed. The 35 year old Alcoy has been stopped 16 times, and has just 1 win since the start of 2013, despite that he is actually a step up for Nagulman. |
Categories
All
Archives
January 2025
|