 December 13th becomes the latest date for a promoter to hold two events at the same venue in Japan, and although neither of the shows are amazing, both look relatively interesting with title action and a couple of decent bouts. Interestingly it appears the first will be made available on YouTube, as part of the Boxing Real channel whilst the second will be available, on demand, on Boxing Raise.
EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan The first of the cards features a solid, if somewhat easy to over-look, main event, a Japanese female title bout and an anticipated debut. The main event on the first show will see Yuki Yonaha (7-3-1, 5) take on the JBC ranked Motoki Osanai (4-2, 1) in an interesting 8 rounder. The 29 year old Yonaha is without a win in well over 4 years, but did show plenty of desire and hunger in his most recent bout, a draw with Naota Iwai, and it's clear he is a talent, though we do question his hunger and desire in the sport. Osanai on the other hand turned professional to fanfare, taking part in his pro-test bout on the same day as Hiroto Kyoguchi and Masataka Taniguchi, but was sadly left in their shadows and lost 2 of his first 3. Coming into this he has scored 3 wins and appears to be building some career momentum, and a win here would continue the ball rolling. One of those ones where the abilities of both men are a lot better than their records suggest. The title bout on this card will see Japanese female Minimumweight champion Yumi Narita (4-4-3, 1) defending her title against Mont Blanc Miki (4-3-1, 1), in what will be Narita's first defense of the title. On paper this is another where the records of the two fighters suggests a poor bout, but the styles and mentalities of the two women should actually make for a war. Neither of the two are technically fantastic but both are warriors who let their hands go and we expect this to be a genuine tear up. Our full preview of this bout can be read here Narita takes on Miki in first Japanese title defense As for the debutant that is switch hitter Takahiro Tai (0-0), who fights out of the gym by his father. Tai was a solid amateur on the Japanese amateur scene and is looking to make an impact on his professional debut as he takes on Ryosei Hamaguchi (6-6, 2) in a 6 rounder. We don't think Tai will be fast tracked, but there was a lot to like from his amateur performances and he's very much a fan friendly, stylish fighter with a lot of flare. We see that winning over fans quickly here. Hamaguchi isn't a bum, but he has lost 4 of his last 5, and has scored just 1 win in the last 3 years, so would need something a bit special to test the talented Tai here. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan The second part of the card will again feature a title bout, an intriguing 8 rounder and a debut...well a debut of sorts. The title bout here, which is also the main event, will see WBO female Super Flyweight champion Miyo Yoshida (14-1) making her second defense of her title as she takes on Tomoko Okuda (6-2-2, 1). The talented Yoshida will be strongly favoured here, though it is worth noting that this will be her first bout since transferring over to the Misako Gym and the change in her team and set up could end up leaving some questions for her to answer. Okuda has been fortunate at times with some results, but at 37 we really do wonder if she has the tools to hang with a top class fighter like Yoshida. Our full preview of this world title bout can be read here Yoshida takes on Okuda in second WBO world title defense In an excellent 8 round match up we'll see the once beaten Yuga Inoue (10-1-1, 1) take on Daiki Tomita (14-2, 5), in a bout between two top 10 JBC ranked Light Flyweights. The light punching Inoue has scored 3 wins since his 2018 loss to Kai Ishizawa for the Japanese Youth title, and has rebuilt in a hard way, going up against solid fighters and testing the water at Flyweight. He's had a loss, and gone straight back in with tough competition rather than rebuilding his confidence with easy wins. In fairness that's actually what Tomita is looking to do here in his first bout since a 10th round TKO loss to Kenichi Horikawa in July. Although both men are in their early 20's this is strangely a cross roads bout and the winner will find themselves on the verge of a Japanese title fight, whilst the loser will begin a long climb back up the rankings. A genuinely excellent match up. Also on this card is the debut of Ayumu Hanada (4-0, 3), or rather the Japanese debut of Hanada. Or more precisely the JBC debut of Hanada, who began his career in Mexico and fought in an unrecognised bout in Japan in 2019. Despite the weird start to his career Hanada is expected to be a star and he has impressed, bot just in his Mexican bout but also his "unofficial", for lack of a better word, bout in Japan. In the opposite corner to Hanada is the heavy handed Ryuku Nagamine (5-1, 5), who began his career with 5 early wins before losing to Keisuke Iwasaki in the Rookie of the Year last year. Given his power he's a real dangerman for Hanada and, if we're being honest, this could end up being the bout of the day. Both men are explosive punchers and both will be looking to make a statement. If you're going to watch this one, don't blink! Quzhou, China As well as the action in Japan we also get a small Chinese card from Quzhou. Sadly this is a very low level card. The most interestingly match up on the show will see 20 year old hopeful Yeerjialahasi Laayibieke (4-2, 3) take on the once beaten Jiaming Li (4-1, 2). Whilst this isn't expected to be a great fight we do love the fact it looks like a pretty 50-50 match up. Notably Laayibieke has won his last 4, with his last 3 coming by T/KO, but he's not the only one with momentum, and Li has also won his last 4. A genuinely interestingly match up. The only other 8 rounder on this card will see Jiajia Li (6-2, 2) battle Ayati Sailike (10-8-3-1, 4) in a decent looking match up. We don't think this will be as good as the other one, but it is a lot more even than it looks on paper. The 32 year old Li was beaten last year, and since then has picked up two very low key wins. Sailike on the other hand is unbeaten in more than 2 years and looks like he's coming into his prime. This could end up being a lot better than it appears on paper. Note - Hanada's Japanese debut was a WBF title bout in Osaka in June 2019. The bout isn't recognised by the JBC, his "actual" record is 5-0 (3)
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 Tokiwa Arena, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
Action returns to Hyogo this coming Friday for a show promoted by Senrima Kobe. It's not a big card, by any stretch, but there are 4 bouts worthy of note from a show with 7 scheduled contests. The first of the interesting bouts worthy of note will see Hiroyuki Takahara (7-3, 5) take on the once beaten Tom Mizokoshi (7-1-1, 4) in a 6 round Featherweight bout. The 28 year old Takahara is a win some, lose some type of fighter, who has reeled off 3 straight wins after back to back losses in 2017. It should be noted he's not fought since April 2019. On the other hand Mizokoshi is a highly regarded 21 year old who had won his last 5, including a win in South Korea against Ha Nok Shim last year. Interestingly Mizokoshi fought 4 times in 2019 and it'll be interesting to see what a lay off, since December, will do for him. This may only be a 6 rounder but it should serve as a good test to see what improvements and development Mizokoshi is making. The first of three Japanese ranked fighters on this show is Japanese ranked Featherweight Chiharu Takasuka (7-6-1, 4), who takes on Yuna Hara (8-2-1, 4) in an 8 rounder. Despite being ranked Takasuka is certainly nothing incredible and he has lost 4 of his last 6. Hara on the other hand has won 4 of his last 5, and his only loss in that stretch was in the West Japan Rookie of the Year in November 2018. The momentum is all behind Hara who will be looking to gate crash the Japanese rankings here. Another ranked fighter on this show is the once beaten Light Flyweight hopeful Yuga Inoue (9-1-1, 1), who enters ranked #8 by the JBC. Inoue will be in against Tetsuya Mimura (8-2, 1) in an 8 round Flyweight bout that really does look brilliant. Although very light punching the 21 year old Inoue is a real talent, and he won the 2017 Rookie of the Year at Minimumweight, before losing in a Japanese Youth title fight to Kai Ishizawa. Since that loss he has been trying to make a point and been facing solid domestic opponents. Mimura is a touch older, turning 24 just days before the fight, and is himself a former Rookie of the Year runner up, losing in the 2018 final. Despite that loss he has bounced back well, and was unlucky in his second loss, losing a razor thin majority decision to Riku Kano in Sanda last November. Expect this one to be high level boxing between two very skilled young boxers. The final ranked fighter is Ryosuke Nasu (11-5-3, 2), who takes on Hiroki Tokuyama (9-2-1, 2) in the main event. The 24 year old Nasu has lost 3 of his last 6, but has been mixing in good company and wins over Tatsuya Terada and Toma Kondo in his last 3 bouts. He's not looking likely to get a Japanese title fight any time soon, but we suspect he will get one before his career is over. Although not ranked himself Tokuyama is banging on the door of a ranking having won 4 of his last 5. His most notable result was a loss to Fumiya Fuse in the 2017 Rookie of the Year final, and he bounced back with 4 straight wins, before a razor thin loss last December against Chikato Sumida. We expect this one will be close and competitive and it's a hard to pick a winner in. Again this isn't a big card, but is a very competitive looking one, and we can't complain about getting several 50/50 type bouts on a single show! This coming Sunday is a pretty quiet day for fight fans in Asia, despite a decent show in Thailand.
Thailand The show in Thailand comes to us thanks to TL Boxing Promotions. It's certainly not a big card, but will feature a pair of WBA Asia title bouts. One of the bouts will see former world title challenger Dennapa Kiatniwat (21-2, 16) taking on Jeny Boy Buca (13-6, 11), in a bout for the WBA Asia Flyweight title. Dennapa, also known as Sarawut Thawornkham, will be defending the title he won last November, when he stopped Samuel Tehuayo in 8 rounds. The heavy handed Buca had shown some promise earlier in his career, but with 3 losses in his last 4 bouts and only a single win in the last 3 years, it's hard to see him as any sort of a test for the Thai fighter. Interestingly the show also has a WBA Asia Super Flyweight title fight being advertised for it, with Jomvo Korsaklamphun (?-?), who doesn't appear to be listed on boxrec, taking on Filipino Adrian Lerasan (8-4, 1). Given we know nothing about the local we're either expecting a very special talent, or a terrible fighter, but we were impressed by Lerasan last year when he gave Dave Apolinario a good test, and wouldn't be surprised by another good showing, even in a loss, here.  Aichi, Japan
The biggest of the two Japanese cards this coming Sunday takes place in Aichi and features a couple of interesting looking bouts. One of those will see Japanese ranked Minimumweight Yuga Inoue (8-1-1, 1) take on Japanese ranked Flyweight Katsuya Murakami (8-1-1, 2) in a bout that looks really good on paper. The very skilled Inoue, who was stopped just over a year ago by Kai Ishizawa, is looking to build on his August win over Daiki Kameyama and will enter this bout as the slight favourite, despite being the naturally smaller man. Murakami is a lot less well known, and although he's on a 4 fight winning run since a 2016 loss to Kota Fujimoto, a win here would be the most notable of his career so far. We don't see this being a war, but it should be an excellent, competitive and technical match up. The chief support bout will see Japanese based Filipino Jayar Estremos (11-16-1, 4) take on Shin Tomita (10-7-2), who has actually twice lost to Katsuya Murakami. Although Estremos has won only 1 bout since 2015 he is better than his record suggests, and he has regularly been matched very hard against much bigger men. The light punching Tomita has had some decent form in recent years, going 4-2 over the last 3 years, but this is a genuine step up in class, and we suspect Estremos's experience will be too much for Tomita. Fukuoka, Japan As well as the event in Aichi there will also be a very low key card in Fukuoka, where we get a full show of 4 rounders, with 8 bouts scheduled for the card all of which will feature novices. The main event on this card will be at Middleweight where Shuhei Hisatomi (2-1-1, 2) will take on Kanta Tokuzawa (0-0-1). The 23 year old Hisatomi debuted back in 2017 but has had a stop start career and this is his first bout in well over a year, whilst Tokuzawa will be returning to the ring after a technical draw on debut this past September. Although obvious a low level bout between novices, we do like seeing Japanese Middleweights, as their limitations tend to make for fun fights. In a rather peculiar contest Majisuka Kosaka (3-2-1, 2) will face the win-less Keisuke Imabuchi (0-8-2). Kosaka debuted back in 2017 and has had mixed success whilst the 33 year old Imabuchi has failed to pick up a single victory since his April 2015 debut. This isn't a big bout, but it is certainly an interesting one and a chance for Imabuchi to finally get off the mark. Gurgaon, India As well as the Japanese shows there will also be an Indian show. This card is mostly made up of novices, though it does also feature Sanjay Thapa (5-0, 2), who faces Pankaj Malik (0-1) in a clash of 21 year olds, and Akashdeep Singh (4-0), who takes on the debuting Hemant Gothwal (0-0).  Hyogo, Japan
In Hyogo this coming Saturday we'll get a small but notable card from Morioka, which strangely doesn't feature a single Morioka promoted fighter. Although not a big card it does feature a really good main event and a solid supporting bout, along with a number of 4 rounders. The stellar main event will see the talented, though light punching, Yuga Inoue (7-1-1, 1) take on Daiki Kameyama (7-3-1, 2) with both men looking to bounce back from recent losses. The highly skilled Inoue was beaten last time out by Kai Ishizawa, in what was an excellent bout for the Japanese Youth Minimumweight title that saw the hard hitting Ishizawa finally break down Inoue in the 6th round. Inoue will be moving up for this bout and we suspect he'll settle well at Light Flyweight, and potentially make it his weight in the coming years. Kameyama on the other hand was schooled by Shokichi Iwata earlier this year and will be looking to re-establish himself following that loss, in what was Iwata's Japanese debut. Really interestingly both of the men in the main event have won Rookie of the Year. For Inoue it was the Minimumweight crown in 2017 with Kameyama taking the Light Flyweight title the following year, showing just how good both young men are. We have also preview that main event, with the preview available to read here Youngster Yuga Inoue and Daiki Kameyama clash! The chief supporting bout will see Kaito Takeshima (5-3) take on Ryosei Hamaguchi (6-5, 2) in a 6 round bout at a contracted 54.8KG's, or 120.8lbs. The 20 year old Takeshima will be hoping to rebuild from a razor thin loss to Takuya Fujioka in March. On the other hand Hamaguchi will be looking to end a 2 fight slide, which has left him with just 1 win in his last 4 fights.  Tokyo, Japan
Attention turns to the Korakuen Hall once again this coming Saturday for a stacked Dangan card, with 4 very good bouts on it. The main event of the show will see former Japanese Super Flyweight champion Ryuichi Funai (30-7, 21) take on Mexican youngster Victor Emanuel Olivo (15-2-1, 7) in an IBF Super Flyweight world title eliminator, with the winner moving towards a world tittle fight against Jerwin Ancajas. Funai has been on a good run since losing in a Japanese title fight to Sho Ishida way back in 2016. He claimed the Japanese title last year and the WBO Asia Pacific belt earlier this year, and he's actually 6-0 (5) since the loss to Ishida. When it comes to assessing Olivo's career things aren't that impressive, with his most notable result being a narrow loss to Milan Melindo back in 2015. Aged 22 Olivo is a fighter who is developing but he was beaten just 2 fights back by Jose Briegel Quirino, in what looks to have been a home town decision. Olivo is probably better than his record indicates, but this is still a big step up in class for the Mexican. We've a full preview of this bout here Funai and Olivo battle in world title eliminator! The chief supporting bout will match once beaten fighters, as Shuya Masaki (10-1, 5) takes on recent OPBF title challenger Izuki Tomioka (5-1-1, 1). The talented Masaki was tipped for big things, but his rise through the ranks was slowed this past January, when he was out pointed by Hironori Mishiro. Masaki has bounced back since his loss, with a decision win over Korean Hyun Je Shin, but this is a big step back up since that loss. On the other hand the 21 year old Tomioka surprised the Japanese scene this year when he pushed OPBF Lightweight champion Masayoshi Nakatani very close in July, losing an 11th round TKO in a very competitive bout. Tomioka's biggest issue is his lack of power, but we wouldn't be surprised by him relying on his skills and picking up a career best win here. Another mouth watering support bout will see Seiryu Toshikawa (10-4, 6) face off with the unbeaten Shawn Oda (9-0, 8) for the Japanese Youth Lightweight title. The more experienced man is 22 years old and debuted back in August 2014. He suffered a few early career set backs, losing 3 of his first 6, but has since gone 7-1 with a very notable win last time out against Ryuji Ikeda. On the hand Oda is a 20 year old with insane upside, as he showed when taking the 2016 Rookie of the Year crown at the age of 18. Oda hasn't been the busiest since his Rookie win, but has impressed, with 3 solid wins this year including a stoppage against Masashi Wakita in August. Oda is the more naturally gifted man, but this is likely to be his stiffest test to date. A preview of this bout is here Oda and Toshikawa battle for Lightweight youth crown! A fourth major bout on this card will see 2017 Rookie of the Year Yuga Inoue (7-0-1, 1) take on the hard hitting Kai Ishizawa (4-0, 4) for the vacant Japanese youth Minimumweight title fight. The 19 year old Inoue, no relation to Naoya Inoue, really impressed last year before taking the Rookie crown in December against Retsu Akabane. Since that Rookie win Inoue has scored his only stoppage win, taking out Daisuke Sudo in 5 rounds this past May. As for the 21 year old Ishizawa he made his debut in June 2017 and has impressed ever since, scoring a huge win over Tatsuro Nakashima back in April. It should be noted that Ishizawa was supposed to fight for this title earlier in the year, against Daiki Tomita, but the bout was cancelled when Ishizawa suffered an injury, which he has now recovered from. Our in depth preview of this bout is here Ishizawa and Inoue battle for Japanese youth title! Cebu, Philippines As well as the stacked show in Japan there's also a notable card in the Philippines, headlined by former world title challengers facing off, and featuring several prospects in supporting bouts. The main event will see Melvin Jerusalem (13-2, 8) battle against Toto Landero (10-3-2, 2). Both of these men have fought for world titles in recent years, with Jerusalem giving Wanehng Menayothin arguably the toughest bout of his career, in 2017, and Landero recently losing to Knockout CP Freshmart. The loser will have some serious rebuilding to do, but given that both men are still young that won't be a huge issue with the right mind set. The winner however will have taken a huge step towards getting a second shot at a world title. Our preview of this bout is here Jerusalem and Landero battle in brilliant all Filipino clash! In one of the supporting bouts fans will see unbeaten 20 year old Esneth Domingo (10-0, 6) risk his unbeaten record against Reymark Taday (9-6-1, 4), in what could be a good test for the 20 year old Domingo. Another of the supporting bouts will see will see the unbeaten Christian Bacolod (9-0, 7) taking on fellow unbeaten Christoval Furog (5-0, 2) in what should be a compelling bout, though we do feel that Bacolod's power and extra experience will be the difference. Lancashire, United Kingdom The Funai bout isn't the only world title eliminator taking place as the UK plays host to a Lightweight world title eliminator between Indonesian warrior Daud Yordan (38-3-0-1, 26) and popular Englishman Anthony Crolla (33-6-3, 13), who will be hoping to take a step towards a WBA title shot. Yordan has been one of the few Indonesian fighters in recent years to make a mark internationally and his win earlier this year against Pavel Malikov was one of the best bouts of 2018. He is however up against here, with Crolla being a former WBA world champion and one of the best contenders in the division, with great stamina and under-rated skills. With a big reward for the winner we're expecting this to be a very exciting and action packed contest, with a lot of leather being thrown. We've previewed that bout here Yordan and Crolla set for a thriller... New South Wales, Australia In Australia we're set for a bit of a mismatch, with the all action Joel Brunker (33-3, 19) battling Indonesian journeyman Rivo Rengkung (37-27-6, 14). The 32 year old Brunker isn't going to reach the heights many had hopes for, but Rengkung shouldn't pose any sort of a threat at all, and will instead be expected to pick up his 28th career defeat. Ekaterinburg, Russia In Russia we'll see former Uzbek amateur stand out Makhmud Gaipov (0-0) make his professional debut. Sadly at the time of writing no opponent has been named for Gaipov, but we're expecting him to be moved quickly and in 2019 we'll expect to see him fighting in 6 or even 8 rounders. Hyogo, Japan
This coming Thursday Futur will be putting on a card in Hyogo. The card isn't a big one but does feature a couple of pretty interesting looking fights, with a Rookie of the Year fighting in one of those contests. That Rookie of the year winner is 2017 Minimumweight Rookie of the Year Yuga Inoue (6-0-1), who takes on fellow non-puncher Daisuke Sudo (4-5-3). Inoue really impressed us last year ad the 18 year old old has a really bright future ahead of him. He really impressed in the All Japan final in December, and despite struggling at times he does look like a youngster who will be worth following. In Sudo we have a a man who should pose as an ideal foil for Inoue to look good against, but also be tested. Sudo is a solid low level domestic talent and whilst he should beat Inou he should get the youngster to grit his teeth and fight hard for the win. The key supporting bout for this card is a really well matched bout between Yu Yan (6-5-3, 4) and Takuya Sugiyama (6-4-1, 1). The two men aren't going to be getting title fights any time soon, but they should make for a really compelling match up together. Yan has shown good power at this level, but lacks the ability to make the most of that power whilst Sugiyama lacks power but does have good skills. This should make for an interesting dynamic with Yan looking land his bombs and Sugiyama looking to control the bout with his boxing skills. |
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