 Fashion Center Event Hall, Seoul, South Korea
Rather notably this coming Saturday the main show for us is in South Korea, something we’ve said a few times in recent weeks, for what is a mouth watering card, with 3 title bouts on it, including a really interesting regional title unification bout and the first professional title bout for one of Japan’s top prospects. The main event of the show will see the hard hitting Deok No Yun (9-2, 7) put his WBO AP Super Middleweight title on the line against OPBF champion Yuki Nonaka (38-12-3, 11) in a bout that really is an incredibly interesting match up between fighters with very different styles. Yun is an explosive, aggressive boxer-puncher with brutal power, some real defensive lapses and a style built around destruction, even if he does run the risk of eating a bomb as we saw in his first bout with Tyson Koki last year. He seemed to learn from that loss, and dominated Tyson in a rematch, but there will always be question marks about his defense. As for Nonaka, the 47 year old Southpaw is a pure technician in the ring, with an excellent jab and ring craft, but aged 47 and with 53 bouts, and over 400 rounds, it’s hard to know what he has left. In his prime he was very good at this level, but he’s on the slide and will likely be in trouble due to his age and lack of power. In terms of power, one man on this card who doesn’t lack in that area is unbeaten Super Flyweight hopeful Ryang Ho Han (3-0, 2), who looks to claim the IBF International title as he takes on once beaten Filipino foe Ramil Roda (7-1-2, 4), Han is one of the best prospects in Japan, with the 27 year old widely tipped as a future world champion at 115lbs. He’s a tall, rangy southpaw, with a good amateur background, who has adapted to the pros really well, and already holds a good win over Thai veteran Kongfah CP Freshmart. This will be his first 10 rounder but those in the know are expecting him to impress here before moving on to more recognised titles, such as the OPBF, WBO AP and Japanese, before moving into world class bouts in the a few years time. As for Roda the Filipino went 2-1-1 in his first 4, with both setbacks coming against Dariel Diamante, before reeling off 6 wins on the Filipino domestic scene. To date he has never faced someone with real ambition, and that will likely prove to be a major issue against someone with then hunger and tools of Han. In a domestic title bout fans will see Korean Featherweight champion Ha Nok Shim (11-2, 5) make his first defense, as he takes on Tae Won Jung (6-1, 1). Shim won the belt in November, when he took a wide decision over Khusniddin Maraimov, to record his third straight win following a loss, 10 months earlier, against Mongolian puncher Enkhamar Kharkhuu. His record doesn’t suggest he’s much of a power puncher, but he has 2 of his last 3, and dropped Maraimov twice, and it’s notable he has often fought at Super Featherweight, though seems to be more of a puncher at 126lbs, which looks likely to be his weight going forward. As for Jung he has been up and down the weights, with early bouts at 120lbs, his loss in 2018 against Moo Hyun Kim coming at Lightweight, and fighting as low as Super Bantamweight last year. He really hasn't found his weight yet, and sadly also doesn't seem to have found his power, with his only stoppage win coming way back in 2017. Rodriguez Montalban Gymnasium, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines As well as the action in Korea, we also have a show in the Philippines, albeit a rather easy to overlook one. The most notable bout here will see the heavy handed All Rivera (22-5, 18) take on the experienced Boyce Sultan (10-16-1, 5), in what is reportedly a 6 rounder at 168lbs. At this best Rivera was a solid regional level fighter, albeit way down at 140lbs where he won the OPBF title back in 2016 with a dominant win over Shinya Iwabuchi. Sadly however his best years are well past him, and he's not had a fight in almost 4 years, and failed to build on a major upset win over Omar Juarez, a win that should have opened some pretty notable doors for him. As for Sultan he 31 year old "Astro boy" has scored just 1 win since 2016, going 1-10 since then. At his best he was a Featherweight, though his last bout was above the Middleweight limit, and he is very much winding down his career and taking some punishment on his way out the door. In an 8 rounder the once beaten Mark Sabang (4-1-1, 2) will look for his 4th straight win, as he takes on Argelo Samson (6-3-1, 4), who will be hoping to build on a September win over Fernan Agencia for the PBF Youth Bantamweight title. Aged 22 Sambang is the younger man and has the momentum, however Samson is no push over, has fought at a higher level and the 24 year old will not be there to just make up the numbers, in what should be a very good domestic level bout.
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 There is action across Asia this coming Saturday, though the two most noteworthy shows for the day both take place in Japan, and both feature title bouts.
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan The more notable of the two shows comes from Tokyo, where we get two title bouts, and the next bout in the career of an exciting and hard hitting young Japanese prospect. The main event will see Japanese Flyweight champion Jukiya Iimura (5-1, 1) make his second defense, as he takes on mandatory challenger Yuga Inoue (15-3-1, 3), in what is almost certainly going to be a high speed technical chess match. Iimura is a brilliant technical boxer, but he has shown some durability issues, as seen in his 2022 loss to Esneth Domingo, and if he gets tagged he could be in trouble. Matched against a fellow light puncher, such as Inoue, he won't need to worry much about his chin. Saying that however Inoue is known to drag fights into wars, and although he lacks power he doesn't mind fights being up close, as he loves to set a high tempo up close. If Inoue can cut the ring off he could be a really tough test for Iimura, however that’s a big if. The chief support bout here will see WBO Asia Pacific Super Flyweight champion Kenta Nakagawa (24-4-1, 12) defending his title against Tetsuro Ohashi (11-3-1, 2), who has stated that he is dedicating the bout to the recently deceased Kazuki Anaguchi who he described as his best friend. The 38 year old Nakagawa will be looking for his second defense of the title, and whilst no world beater he is a solid, and experienced all rounder, who has good skills, decent pop and good speed. He is however a man who has, in recent fights, started to look his age a little and father time will catch up with him shortly. As for Ohashi he is a skilled fighter, but he lacks pop and will struggle to get Nakagawa's respect here. Despite that he has a good work rate and good speed, and could be looking to rely on his youth against the much, much, older champion. The other bout of note on this card will see hard hitting youngster Kakeru Mashimo (7-0, 6), regarded by some as a future long term fixture of the Dynamic Glove series, taking on Indian visitor Dharmender (10-3, 6). Mashimo is aggressive, heavy handed, really exciting and one to keep an eye on with his aggressive mentality and style. Sadly Dharmender isn’t likely to ask any real questions of Mashimo, especially when you consider the only previous time he has fought outside of India, Dharmender was stopped in 6 rounds by Sathaporn Saart. Dhamender has fought at Featherweight, and might show some resistance, but it would be a huge surprise to see him last the 8 round distance here. Sangyo Shinko Center, Sakai, Osaka, Japan The other Japanese card is in Osaka and sees veterans colliding in the main event, a potentially explosive support bout, and a notable prospect in action. The main event of the card will see 46 year old Japanese veteran Yuki Nonaka (37-12-3, 11) take on 50 year old Australian Sam Soliman (49-18-1-2, 19) in a bout for the vacant OPBF Super Middleweight title. Soliman is a late replacement, after Rohan Murdock had to pull out, and on paper added a bit of extra star power for the bout, though Soliman is much faded from the man who once held the IBF Middleweight title. Nonaka has rebuilt well following back to back losses to Hiroya Nojima and Tyson Koki, and has won his last 2 bouts whilst settling at Super Middleweight, but given his lack of power, and his age, he will find it very, very hard to progress beyond the regional scene. As for Soliman, the wild and unorthodox Aussie has always kept himself in great shape, and will see this as a great chance to end his career with another title around his waist. At a combined age of 96 it’s hard to know what either man will do after this bout, but from a stylistic view, this should be really interesting, with Nonaka being a crisp, clean puncher, who sets himself and throws lovely technical shots, and Soliman really having a wild, crazy style, that lacks in terms of technical foundations and makes for some messy and wild fights. In a major supporting bout we’ll see Kyonosuke Kameda (11-3-2, 8) take on Ryukyu Oho (9-6-1, 5) in what should be a very fun, and potentially explosive clash. Kameda is always fun to watch, and win or lose he does make for good fights with his technical limitations masked by his size and power. Oho is better than his record suggests sadly for him however he has gone 2-2-1 in his last 5, and only has a single TKO win since 2021. If Oho can't make Kameda respect him, he could be in for a painful night here. A third bout worthy of attention here will see 19 year old Japanese prospect Shuri Oka (2-0, 1) look for his third win, as he takes on 17 year old Thai visitor Chanathip Khotchai (3-2, 2) in a scheduled 8 rounder. Despite only being 19 Suri is certainly one to keep an eye on, though we do hope he isn’t rushed too much as there is still a lot of work to do with him and given his age, and the fact he’s still maturing, there really is no need to race him into domestic or regional title fights. As for the visitor he has lost his last two, and actually had his unbeaten record ended last time he fought in Japan, when he was stopped in 2 rounds by Tomonori Nagao. Batangas City Coliseum, Batangas City, Batangas, Philippines Over in the Philippines we’re set for some low profile cards, one of which is in Batangas. The show really is a low profile one, and the best looking matchup set for the show will see the once beaten Leboy Atencio (3-1) take on Reynald Condes (3-3-1, 1). On paper this doesn’t look like a great bout, and with neither man having much power, it’s fair to suggest this may not end up being particularly exciting, or dramatic. Toledo City, Cebu, Philippines A second low level Filipino card is set for Toledo City. The only bout on the boxrec schedule at the time of writing is a matchup between the once beaten Jusue Bastillada (6-1, 3) and glass cannon Jayar Aliasot (6-6, 5). On paper this doesn’t look great, but it looks even worse when you realise that Aliasot has lost his last 5, with 4 of those losses being by TKO. Interestingly Bastillada’s sole loss was by stoppage, and given that Aliasot has power he could spring the upset here, but he will clearly be the under-dog. Hannam Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea Staying with low level cards, we’re also expecting one in Seoul, in what is very much a novice show. Almost all the bouts feature a debutant, with the only exception to that being a clash between Sang Myung Lee (1-0) and Dae Yub Jang (2-0, 2), who face off a Super Featherweight. Lee is 23 and debuted in January, with a 4 round win, whilst Jang is 24 and made his debut just over a year ago, with both of his wins so far being TKO3. against win-less fighters.  This coming Sunday fight fans in Sakai City will be getting a double header at the Sangyo Shinko Center. One of the cards will be a West Japan Rookie of the Year show, whilst the other will feature a few notable fighters, including a well known veteran who is still looking to land a career defining fight.
Sangyo Shinko Center, Sakai, Osaka, Japan The first of the two shows is the more notable one in many ways and will be promoted by Mitsuki promotions. The main event of the card will see veteran Japanese Middleweight Yuki Nonaka (35-10-3, 10) face off with the much younger Hiroya Nojima (9-1, 4) in a 10 round bout for Nonaka's WBO Asia Pacific Middleweight title. Nonaka, who won the title in 2019, will be looking for his third defense of the title and will also be looking to move towards a long awaited world title fight, something that now seems really unlikely to happen given he's 44 and lacks any sort of profile outside of Asia. The talented and technically well schooled Nonaka, has had a great career on the domestic and regional scene since his 1999 debut, but that career has seen him make no impact outside of the local region. As for Nojima the 26 year old has gone unbeaten since 2019, winning his last 6 bouts, and is best known for winning the All Japan Rookie of the Year in February 2021. He'll see this as a huge chance to make a name for himself and claim a major regional title. Our in depth preview of this bout can be read WBO Asia Pacific champion Nonaka takes on Nojima In a supporting bout former WBO Asia Pacific Light Flyweight champion Daiki Tomita (17-2, 5) will be in the ring with Thai visitor Adisak Ketpiam (8-3, 7). The talented and fun to watch Tomita doesn't look like a world champion in the making, but is a real talent and someone who seems likely to become a fixture on and around the domestic and regional title scenes. As for Adisak, the Thai teenager has proven to have decent power against vey limited domestic foes, but this is very much a step up in class for him. Sangyo Shinko Center, Sakai, Osaka, Japan Following the Mitsuki show, there will then be the West Japan Rookie of the Year semi-final bouts. Sadly with it being Rookie of the Year action none of the men involved on the show are well known, but there should be some pretty interesting match ups on the show. One of those is a Middleweight bout, which will see Ruku Sasaki (1-0-1) take on the wonderfully named Hammer Gorilla (3-2, 1). The 19 year old Sasaki debuted last year and is very much untested, with this being something of a step up for him. As for Gorilla, the 34 year old southpaw will know that he now needs to shine given that time is ticking on his career. One other fight of note here will see Super Bantamweights collide as Kirei Yasumura (2-0, 2) takes on Shugo Hisataka (1-0, 1). Aged 22 Yasumura is the older, taller man, standing at around 5'8", and has looked dangerous since making his debut last November. Hisataka on the other hand debuted in April, and blasted out the then 3-0 Towa Tsuji in a very good debut performance. We expect this one to be short lived and very explosive.  EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
The Edion Arena plays host to two different shows this coming Friday, one from Taisei Promotions and one from Harada Promotion, both of which were originally scheduled to take place in June. The bigger of the two is the Taisei promoted event, which serves as a regional title double header. The main event will see former world title challenger Riku Kano (17-4-1, 8) defending his WBO Asia Pacific Light Flyweight title against the once touted Takumi Sakae (22-3-1, 16), in what could be a genuinely competitive match up. Kano was once regarded as the next super kid of Japanese boxing, but those hopes have faltered, repeatedly, in recent years and his ceiling, for now, appears to be this regional title level. Despite that comment he is a solid boxer, with good speed and he fights to his strengths. He is however too lightweight, at least at the moment, to make it to the top. Sakae was tipped incredibly highly at one point, but he has fallen short when he's stepped up and it seems clear that he doesn't have what it takes to reach the top. He's an exciting and fun guy to watch, but he's certainly lacking the tools to reach the world level. This bout could be a bit of a messy one, but should be competitive. Our full preview of this one can be read here Kano takes on Sakae in first defense of WBO Asia Pacific title In the co-feature veteran fighter Yuki Nonaka (34-10-3, 10) will defend his WBO Asia Pacific Middleweight title against Koki Koshikawa (9-2, 6). The talented Nonaka has had a remarkable career, and at 43 is among the oldest fighters in Japan. He signed a contract with an American promoted before the pandemic, and it was hoped that he would land a big US bout, but the pandemic put those plans to bed and he's now been out of the ring since September 2019. He desperately needs to get back in the ring, before father time beats him. In the opposite corner is a man who was tipped to be a star when he turned professional, following a strong run as an amateur, but has, so far, fallen short. Sadly for Koshikawa a TKO loss last time out, to Hironobu Matsunaga in 2019, has left his career dangling by a thread, and he needs a win here. It's rare for a bout to be a legitimate must win, but that's exactly what we have here. Our in depth preview of this one can be read here Veteran Nonaka takes on flawed Koshikawa! On the under-card we'll see WBO and JBC ranked Flyweight Arata Matsuoka (10-6, 4) take on Tetsuya Mimura (8-3, 1) in a 10 round bout. Matsuoka will be looking to fight for a domestic or regional title shortly, and this match up should help him prepare for something like that. As for Mimura he shouldn't be over-looked, but he's the big under-dog and probably lacks the power he'd need to defeat Matsuoka. One other domestic bout on this card worthy of some note will see Ryo Suwa (11-4, 2) take on Tomoya Kishine (6-4-1, 2), in a scheduled 6 rounder at Super Bantamweight. Suwa was once regarded as a domestic contender, but he has now lost 3 in a row and is more than 2 years removed from his last win. Kishine on the other hand is no world beater, but will feel he's getting to Suwa at the right time and a win here would still be a sizable boost to his career. EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Osaka, Japan The other show is a much smaller event headlined by a Japanese Youth title fight, and a really interesting one at that. That Youth title bout will see the unbeaten Tsubasa Narai (7-0, 6), look to build on his Rookie of the Year win, back in February, as he takes on Kyonosuke Kameda (6-2-1, 5) in a mouth watering match up. Both of these men can punch, both are young, and both are coming to fight. For Kameda, the cousin of the fighting brothers, the key will be to use his height and reach to keep Narai at range and box behind his long straight shots. As for Narai we expect to see him relying on his power, and his aggression and for him to try and take Kameda out with single heavy shots, and well placed counters. Our preview of this one can be read here Narai and Kameda battle for Youth honours!  Osaka, Japan
This coming Monday isn't a huge day for boxing, but there is still a lot of action in Osaka prefecture, with 2 cards taking place in the region, with a combined 4 title bouts! The most significant bout from those two cards takes place in Osaka city and will see WBO Asia Pacific Middleweight champion Yuki Nonaka (33-10-3, 10) making his first defense of the title he won earlier this year. The Japanese veteran, who vacated the OPBF title in the hope of moving towards a world title fight, will be defending the WBO regional title as he takes on South Korean Korean puncher Yang Hyun Min (8-2, 7) in what is expected to be little more than a work out for Nonaka. The highly skilled Nonaka is a very smart fighter who, even in his 40's, is a very talented and driven boxer who has made it clear he's still chasing goals in hi career. Min on the other hand is a bit of an unknown outside of Korea, and he's not expected to have much to test Nonaka, though has shown pretty heavy hands on the Korean domestic scene. For those interested in more information about this bout a preview can be read here Preview - Yuki Nonaka Vs Yang Hyun Min The other title bout on this card will see youngsters collide, with Joe Shiraishi (8-0-1, 4) and Yoshiki Minato (8-2, 3) facing off for the Japanese Youth Flyweight title. Shiraishi came to our attention in 2017 when he won the All Japan Rookie of the Year, beating Minato along the way in fact, and has since added two stoppage wins since then. Sadly inactivity has been an issue for him but he is a really youngster. Of course he's not the only talented youngster here and Minato will be seeking revenge for his 2017 loss, however he comes into this on the back of an opening round blow out loss to Seigo Yuri Akui back in April. Incidentally Minato won the All Japan Rookie of the Year himself in 2018, meaning this is a clash of Rookie champions. A full preview of this bout can be read here Shiraishi and Minato rematch for Youth title! Another interesting supporting bout on this card will see Rikuto Adachi (12-2, 9) and Change Hamashima (10-4-1, 4) battle at Welterweight. Both men really need a win here, following recent losses, and interestingly both have also lost recently to Kudura Kaneko. Adachi was stopped in 5 rounds by Kaneko, who simply over-powered him, whilst Hamashima has lost 2 decisions to Kaneko and was also stopped in 7 rounds last time out by Masaharu Kaito. It's really hard to see where the loser goes next, but the winner will likely find themselves working towards a Japanese Youth title bout. Osaka, Japan Staying in Osaka Prefecture, though going from Osaka City to Sakai City, we get another notable card with double title action on it, albeit on a less interesting card than the other card. Like the other card the main event is a WBO Asia Pacific title fight, though this time it's down at Light Flyweight where the once beaten Daiki Tomita (13-1, 5) takes on Hayato Yamaguchi (15-7-1, 2) for the vacant title. Tomita, who turns 22 in November, impressed us last year when he put up a brave effort against Tsuaba Koura in an OPBF title fight. Tomita impressed again last time out, blowing away Jeffrey Galero and we do suspect his move to 108lbs will be a good decision for his career. For Yamaguchi this is just his second bout since being stopped in October 2016 by Tetsuya Hisada, and we do wonder he has left in the tank at the moment in time. Our in depth preview of this bout is available here Tomita and Yamaguchi face off for WBO Asia Pacific title! In a notable supporting bout former OPBF title challenger Shingo Kawamura (16-5-2, 8) taking on the light hitting Jin Miura (10-3-2, 1). Coming in to this Kawamura is well over a year removed from his last win, which came back on April 28th 2018, and another set back here really will leave the 29 year old Southpaw in an terrible position if he's wanting to get another shot at gold any time soon. Although no world beater Miura is unbeaten in his last 3, including a notable draw against Mugicha Nakagawa and an upset win over Tatsuya Matsumoto, and a win here will move him towards a title fight of his own. A really interesting one, even if it's not likely to be the most explosive. A second title bout on this show will see Tomoko Okuda (5-2-1, 1) take on the fast rising Kanako Taniyama (2-0, 1) in a bout for the JBC female Bantamweight title. This will probably be the only chance that the 36 year old Okuda has to win a notably bout whilst Taniyama will be looking to prove her move over from kick boxing to boxing has been a success. At 2 years old Taniyama is no spring chicken but her combat sport experience is expected to be a launch pad to help her move into world title action sooner rather than later. If Taniyama is what the Watanabe gym are hoping for she needs to win, and win big here. A preview of this bout can be read here Taniyama and Okuda battle for female Bantamweight title!  Osaka, Japan
Attention turns to Osaka this coming Sunday for a card promoted by Hiroki Ioka. The main event of this card is a mouth watering clash between unified OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific Middleweight champion Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa (11-3, 10) and veteran challenger Yuki Nonaka (32-10-3, 10). The champion is a marauding, puncher, who doesn't know how to take a step backwards, and instead marches forward looking to impose his will on opponents. It was that desire that helped him win the titles last year, as he broke down Yasuyuki Akiyama in the 11th round of a very hard and gruelling fight. Nonaka on the other hand is a technically sound 41 year old southpaw, who gave Takeshi Inoue real problems last year. Nonaka lacks power but is a very smart fighter and will be looking to use his boxing brain here in what could be one last hurrah for the Hiroki Ioka promoted fighter. A full preview of this bout is available to read here Regional champion Hosokawa takes on veteran Nonaka! Sadly the under-card is a bit lacking, with the best of the under-card bouts being a contest between Japanese ranked Super Flyweight Tatsuya Terada (7-3-2, 1) and recent Japanese youth title challenger Ryosuke Nasu (9-4-3, 2). The 29 year old Terada is 4-1-1 in his last 6 and is in good form, but certainly needs a big win this year if he's wanting to move into title contention. Nasu on the other hand lost in a razor thin bout to Yuto Nakamura in a Youth title fight, and has had really mixed form in recent years, including a KO loss to Masamichi Yabuki and an upset win over Naoto Iwai. Neither of these look like future champions but they should make for an interesting match up against each other.  Osaka, Japan
They key show this coming Friday comes from Osaka, where we get a Japanese title fight, and several under-card bouts featuring notable fighters. The main event will see Japanese Super Flyweight champion Hiroyuki Kudaka (26-17-2, 11) make his first defense, as he takes on Takayuki Okumoto (20-8-3, 10), a man fighting in his first world title challenge. Kudaka, a 4-time world title challenger, won the Japanese title this past April, when he out pointed Go Onaga for the vacant title. At 33 years old Kudaka will know that he can't really afford another set back, but will feel like he can pick up a straight forward defense. So far Okumoto is 0-2 in title fights, including a Japanese title fight last year against Ryuichi Funai, but he's a capable fighter who has gone 4-1-1 in his last 6 and will be riding some momentum here. We favour the champion, but suspect he will have to work hard for the victory. The chief support bout will see 2017 Welterweight Rookie of the Year runner up Rikuto Adachi (9-1, 6) face off with limited Indonesian fighter Maxi Nahak (7-15-3, 3). Adachi lost to Hironori Shigeta in the Rookie final, but has bounced back with a 6th round KO of a Thai foe which he's looking to build on here. As for Nahak, he's 0-4 in Japan and has been stopped in 3 of his last 4, suggesting that Adachi should be able to pick up a win here with out too many problems here Also on this card will be former OPBF Super Featherweight champion Masao Nakamura (23-3, 22), who will be fighting for the second time since ending his retirement earlier this year, and former Japanese and OPBF Light Middleweight champion Yuki Nonaka (31-10-3, 10), who looks to bounce back from his recent loss to Takeshi Inoue. We've been informed that Nonaka will be facing a Thai whilst Nakamura will be up against Marbon Bodiongan (14-7-2, 11). Tokyo, Japan As well as the action in Osaka there will also be a show in Tokyo, though this card is lacking in the name value that the Osakan card has. The main event will see Masanori Rikiishi (2-1, 1) look to bounce back from his recent loss to Kosuke Saka as he takes on limited Indonesian foe Egy Rozten (5-18-2, 3). Despite the loss to Saka it seems clear that Rikiishi's team have big hopes for him and despite this being a straight forward bout, at least on paper, the fact he is main eventing shows the belief that the Green gym have in him. Rozten comes into this on the back of 6 straight stoppages, and has gone 0-6-1 in his last 7 bouts, showing just how much of an easy opponent he should be for Rikiishi. In the chief support bout fans will be able to see Japanese ranked Featherweight Yosuke Kawano (12-7-2, 6) take on Masajiro Honda (6-9, 4). The 29 year old Kawano has gone 2-3-1 in his last 6, but is better than that form suggests with his draw coming to Takenori Ohashi, who went on to claim the Japanese Featherweight title last year, and ran the likes of Dai Iwai and Ryuto Araya very close. Honda has been stopped in his last 5 bouts, and is without a win since November 2014. It's clear that Kawano has been matched softly here and should pick up a pretty simple win. Another Japanese ranked fighter on this card is Takahiro Araki (11-7, 4), who will be facing off with Yoshiyuki Takabayashi (9-9, 4). Araki is nothing great, going 3-3 in his last 6, but should have more than enough to deal with Takabayashi, who has gone 1-6 in his last 7 bouts. Jakarta, Indonesia Staying in Asia there will also be a double title show in Jakarta. One of the bouts will see the very experienced James Mokoginta (37-18-3, 23) take on hard hitting Filipino Jon Jon Estrada (11-4-1, 10), in what will be Mokoginta's first defense of the WBA Asia Featherweight title. Although Mokiginta has 58 career bouts he's only 27 years old and has the potential to be in some good fights. It is worth noting however that Estrada is a genuine banger, and has stopped usually durable fighters like Pablito Canada and Brian Lobetania in recent years. Given the power of Estrada we can The other title bout will see the limited Ruben Manakane (24-17-1, 13) face off with the unbeaten Muhammad Ashiq (4-0, 3) for the vacant WBA Asia Super Bantamweight title. The 25 year old Manakane is limited but is currently riding a 5 fight winning streaking, having claimed several titles during that run. Ashiq is a bit of an unknown, only debuting last September, but looks like he could be a prospect worth following and a win here would put him on the map, at least domestically. California, USA In California fight fans will be able to see unbeaten American Genaro Gamez (8-0, 5) take on Filipino foe Recky Dulay (10-3-0-1, 7) in a bout for the NABF Super Featherweight title. Gamez started his career slowly but has stepped up this year, beating Shoki Sakai in April to notch his best win to date. Dulay is coming into his prime has lost 2 of his 3 bouts in the US, including a stoppage to Gervonta Davies. We would be surprised by a win for Dulay, but he has surprised us in the past.  Tokyo, Japan
This coming Thursday fight fans in Tokyo will get an interesting card with a world title eliminator headlining the show, and two undercard bout featuring Japanese ranked fighters. The main event will be a Light Middleweight bout featuring former unified Japanese, OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific champion Takeshi Inoue (12-0-1, 7) battling against former Japanese OPBF champion Yuki Nonaka (31-9-3,10), with the winner of this getting a #2 ranking with the IBF and taking a huge step towards getting a world title. The 28 year old Inoue, no relation to the likes of Naoya Inoue, has been incredible impressive turning professional in 2014 and has really began to shine in the last 18 months or so, with 2017 being a sensational year for the Tokyo fight. Last year Inoue defeated Akinori Watanabe, Koshinmaru Saito, Riku Nagahama and Ratchasi Sithsaithong and really put himself on the map. At 40 years old this really will be Nonaka's last chance, and unfortunately his only bout in the last 12 months was a clear 10 round loss to Dennis Hogan, which doesn't bode well for him here. Nonaka is a very skilled fighter, but with ring rust and age catching up to him this will be a big ask for the Osakan veteran. The chief support bout will see Naoyuki Tsukada (8-3-5, 3) risk his Japanese ranking as he takes on Satoru Todaka (7-2-4, 3) in a Light Flyweight bout. On paper this is a really competitive looking bout, and it features two men with very similar records, but records which have come in very different ways. Tsukada began his career with 3 wins before falling to 3-3-1 after 7 bouts. Now Tsuakada is riding a 9 fight unbeaten run, including a win over Yuto Takahashi and a draw with Kenji Ono. Todaka on the other hand lost on his debut before running up a 9 fight unbeaten that ended last year against Hikaru Ota. This should be really competitive, and both men will see this as a chance to take a huge step towards getting a Japanese title fight. Another supporting bout will see Japanese ranked fighters Yuta Matsuo (13-3-1, 7) and Ryoji Fukunaga (10-2, 10) face off in what looks like a really interesting match up. Last year Matsuo challenged Masayuki Kuroda for the Japanese interim Flyweight title and put up a good effort, though has since moved up to Super Flyweight where it seems he may well have more success. As for Fukunaga he's a very dangerous fighter, he's not beaten anyone of real note, even on the domestic level, but he's a heavy handed fighter who has scored his 10 wins in just 28 rounds. Fukunaga will have his power tested here but if it's as good as it looks on paper Matsuo will be in for real problems here.  Managua, Nicaragua
This coming Saturday is a relatively quiet day for Asian boxing, but there is two notables bout of interest for us, with the most interesting set to take place in Nicaragua. This bout will see former world title challengers collide as Thai warrior Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr (32-5-1, 17) takes on the aggressive and teak tough Felix Alvarado (29-2, 25) in what looks like a really mouth watering clash between two highly capable fighters. In Asia we've seen Fahlan play the role of under-dog with mixed success. He is best known for scoring a career best win over Ryo Miyazaki in 2013 and ran both Katsunari Takayama and Milan Melindo close in bouts on the road. As for Alvarado he's best known for competitive losses to Kazuto Ioka and Juan Carlos Reveco, and has never lose below world class, with notable wins over a number of Latin-American fighters like Jose Antonio Jimenez and Luis de la Rosa. Although the bout won't get much “English language” attention it does have the potential to be very exciting. Queensland, Australia The other bout will be taking place in Australia and will see former OPBF and Japanese Light Middleweight champion Yuki Nonaka (31-8-3, 10) take on Australian based Irishman Dennis Hogan (25-1-1, 7) in a bout for the WBO Oriental Light Middleweight title. Coming in to the bout both men are world ranked, with Nonaka holding top 15 rankings with all 4 world title bodies and Hogan having a #4 place with the WBO, and the bout is essentially a world title eliminator for the WBO title, with the winner likely to get a shot in 2018. Hogan, a former WBA “interim” title challenger has won 3 in a row since losing to Jack Culcay in December 2015, and although he lost to Culcay he did actually come out of that bout with a much improved reputation. As for Nonaka he is unbeaten since November 2009, but has been out of the ring for almost a year coming into this contest, and will know that their may be some ring rust that needs shaking if he's to over-come the talented Hogan. Osaka, Japan
With so much title action to end the year there is a lot of attention on the December 30th and 31th cards. Before then there is also a small but notable card on December 29th with a Japanese title bout headling the card. In the main event we'll see Japanese Light Middleweight champion Yuki Nonaka (30-8-3, 9) face off with veteran Yosuke Kirima (26-3-2, 16), in what will be Nonaka's 6th defense of the title. The talented champion was relatively fortunate last time out, when he struggled past Ryosuke Maruki. For Kirima this will be a third shot at the title and a win could see him move into the world rankings. In the chief support bout we see Japanese based Colombian Pablo Carrillo (19-4-1, 11) battle against Thai KO artist Jakaphan Tor Buamas (5-1, 5). The Thai has racked up 5 quick wins in his homeland but lost last time out, in Japan, to Masayoshi Hashizume back in July and we would suspect Carrillo will also be too good and too strong for the visitor. Another bout that sees a Japanese fighter take on a Thai will see the unbeaten Hayate Ikuta (6-0, 2) face off with the win-less Jakarachlek Sor Wankaew (0-6). It's hard to see anything but a win for Ikuta, especially given that the the Thai has been stopped in 3 of his last 4 and is 0-4 in Japan, but this could give us a chance to compare Ikuta to some of his fellow Japanese hopefuls. |
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