 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Monday we get an interesting card from Korakuen Hall, which is certainly not on the same level as Sunday’s show from Tokyo, but is a very good domestic level show with several very interesting and competitive looking bouts, even if the show lacks in terms of name value. The main event will see former OPBF and Japanese champion Masahiro Suzuki (11-2-1, 8) take on Chinese fighter Yangyang Li (10-4-2) in a really matched and very interesting looking match up .Suzuki is a real talent, but has twice come up short against Shu Utsuki, and Utsuki’s brutal power which has stopped him in their two bouts. At his best, Suzuki is a talented boxer, with solid power and good skills, but his chin will be a question mark due to his losses, no matter how hard Utsuki can punch. Notably Suzuki is unbeaten at 140lbs, and that’s the weight for this bout, which seems to be the best weight for him and the more natural weight for him. As for Li he's not a puncher, so is not going to pose the same threat Utsuki did to Suzuki, however he is a talented fighter who has fought in Vietnam, Korea and Thailand, and has a notable win over Woo Min Lee. This should be a pretty good bout, with good skills on show from both, however the power edge in favour of Suzuki should be the difference maker here. The chief support bout will see veteran Cristiano Aoqui (17-12-2, 11) battle against Ryugo Yanagibori (10-4, 1), in what has the makings of a really thrilling contest. The 36 year old Aoqui, a popular Japanese-Brazilian fighter, has fought pretty much anyone, who is anyone, in Japan at 140lbs, and whilst he does now have 12 losses he has not ducked anyone, and instead gone into fights and given his all, every time. Win, or lose, he comes to fight, and does score the odd upset, including wins against Akihiro Kondo and Ryosuke Takami. As for Yanagibori the light punching 31 year old has proven to have a questionable chin, being stopped 3 times in his 4 losses, and has lost his last 2, including a loss to Shu Utsuki. Despite that he’s no push over at this level, and he will look to secure the biggest win of his career here. Of the two men, Aoqui is the more aggressive and exciting whilst Yanagibori is a technical fighter, using his jab to get things going, and despite the vastly different styles we expect this one will break out into a war. One other bout of note will see Yuki Hamashima (11-7-1, 4) make his Korakuen Hall debut, as he takes on former kickboxer turned boxer Tsukuru Midorikawa (2-0, 1), in a potential war at 154lbs. Hamashima is flawed but aggressive, and a fun fighter who has been around for years, but sadly has seen his career fall apart after a good start. He began his career 8-0-1, but has gone 3-7 since then, with losses to the likes of Kudura Kaneko, Rikuto Adachi and Ruku Sasaki. He is, generally, tough with only 2 losses coming inside the distance but he’s also someone who has struggled to pick up wins in recent years and it’s hard to know what his desire is like. As for Midorikawa he was a top level kickboxer who made his pro boxing debut last October, and is stepping up a level here. He has proven himself a good technical fighter, but is now 38 and knows he can’t afford a loss if he wants to land a Japanese title fight, and will also be wanting to make a major impression sooner rather than later. This bout, at 154lbs, has the potential to be the most fun bout on the card, with both men knowing this is a real opportunity to take a huge step towards a major domestic bout later in the year.
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 Ota-City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan
The main card this coming Sunday comes from Tokyo, and it’s a show that has a wonderful mix of a huge main event and solid under-card bouts with prospects being matched hard. The main event will be the much anticipated rematch between Argentinian warrior Fernando Daniel Martinez (17-0, 9) and Japanese legend Kazuto Ioka (31-3-1, 16), which was supposed to take place in December, on New Year’s Eve, before Martinez was pulled from the bout due to illness. When the two men first fought they did so to unify the WBA and IBF Super Flyweight titles, since then Martinez has been stripped of the WBA belt and will only be defending the IBF title here, as he looked to do the double over Ioka and set up unification bouts later in the year, potentially against pound-for-pound star Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. As for Ioka, he is looking to continue his great history in rematch, going 3-0 in the past and scoring wins over Juan Carlos Revecco, Donnie Nietes and Joshua Franco. Sadly for Ioka he is now 36 and whilst he has had success at Super Flyweight it does feel like he’s always been under-sized at the weight, against fully fledged Super Flyweights, and that’s not a surprise given he won his first world title at 105lbs. We can’t help but feel Ioka is close to retirement, at his best he could likely just squeak a win over Martinez, but at this stage in his career we would be very surprised to see him overcome the high output Argentinian. In a major supporting bout the world ranked Hayato Tsutsumi (6-0, 3) will look to stay busy and stay sharp as he takes on Panama’s Jaime Arboleda (20-3, 15). Tsutsumi is a former amateur standout who has raced to world title contention, and could well be eyeing a world title fight at the end of the year. In just 6 bouts he has already scored stoppage wins against Anselmo Moreno and Rene Alvarado, and appears to look like one of the sports best young fighters at 25 years old and in a weight class that he no longer has to boil down, as he did earlier in his career when he was fighting at 126lbs. As for Arboleda he has he has been mixing at a high level for the last few years, facing the likes of Jayson Velez, Chris Colbert, Jonathan Victor Barros and William Zepeda. Sadly he has lost his most notable bouts, being stopped by both Colbert and Segura,but has got plenty of good wins to his name and has proven he’s just below world class. A very good test for Tsutsumi, but the type he should pass, if he’s as good as we all think. A second highly touted prospect on this card is Daiya Kira (2-0, 2), who was a standout amateur who has already impressed as a professional, despite only really having cameo appearances so far, with neither of his bouts lasting more than 2 minutes. He will be expecting a much more serious test here as he battles the world ranked Jackson Zapata (11-2-2, 9). Aged just 21 Kira looks like the sort of fighter who has it all, with speed, timing, ring IQ, punch selection, power and really nasty body shots. Sadly though we can't say for sure what his stamina, heart, desire and chin are like, given his professional bouts so far really have just been showcases. Zapata is a 28 year old from Venezuela, who has lost his only bout away from home, when he was stopped in 4 rounds by Tobias Jeremias Ryes, and lost earlier this year, to Jesus Laya. Given those setbacks, we don’t expect Zapata to be a real test for Kira, but we do hope he puts up some genuine resistance, and gives us a chance to see more of Kira, who needs to have tougher opponents sooner rather than later. Also on this card are Yuya Tanaka (4-1, 3), who’s opponent hasn’t been named at the time of writing, 18 year old Haruya Ogo (1-0, 1), who also hasn't had his opponent named, and a bout between Masahiro Nakata (4-0, 4) and Zen Takeyama (4-3, 1) Aioi Hall, Kariya, Aichi, Japan A second Japanese show, which is easily overshadowed by the Tokyo card, will take place in Aichi. The card contains a host of 4 rounders, with only one bout being scheduled for a longer distance. That bout will be an 8 rounder, as Toma Kondo (8-10-3, 1) takes on Koji Tsurumi (7-7-2, 4), in a pretty interesting, though low level, domestic clash. Of the two men Kondo is the more well known, and despite his poor looking record, he has fought a who's who of domestic fighters, facing the likes of Joe Shiraishi, Tsuyoshi Sato, Kantaro Juri, Ryutaro Nakagaki, Ryo Miyazaki and Ryang Ho Han. Notably he is 0-5-3 in his last 8, but really has been matched hard and has still managed to get 3 solid draws out of those 8 bouts. Whilst Kondo has faced a host of tough fighters it would be wrong to pretend that Tsurumi hasn't also clashed with good domestic fighters losing to Josuke Nagata, Kai Chiba, Tetsuro Ohashi and Shori Umezu. Despite the poor records both of these guys can go, and are almost destined to have something of a closet classic here given both are high octane, tough, and refuse to back down from a fight.  This coming Saturday is an interesting day for Asian fight fans, with a former Filipino amateur standout getting a world title fight and a former world title challenger from Pakistani headlining a card back at home, in what could well be one of his final professional bouts.
Pechanga Arena, San Diego, California, USA The more notable of the two major bouts will see WBO Super Featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1, 32) look to defend his belt against unbeaten Filipino fighter Charly Suarez (18-0,10) in California, in what is a huge step up in class for Suarez. Navarrete, who has held world titles from 122lbs to 130lbs, is one of the sports most unique fighters, with a style that combines a lot of technical flaws with a high work rate and nasty power, making it a risk to try and exploit his flaws. He can be outboxed, as we saw Denys Berhinchyk do last year at Lightweight, but few will manage it for 12 rounds below 130lbs. We saw him being outboxed, and we’ve also seen him being hurt, as Liam Wilson did in 2023, however he recovers well and is a genuine nightmare with unorthodox angles and tenacity. As for Suarez the Filipino was an excellent amateur who showed some early promise when he turned professional but sadly he is now 36 and questions have to be asked as to whether or not he has aged out of his prime. He has also been in some really tough bouts recently, scoring a late TKO against Paul Fleming in 2023 and squeaking past Luis Coria last year. The Fleming bout, a come from behind 12th round TKO, showed his heart but also seemed to show both men were below world class, and since then Suarez has gotten older. At his best we feel he could take rounds from the champion, but can’t see him having the tools needed to dethrone “Vaquero”. Quetta Polo Club, Quetta, Pakistan All the way over in the boxing Wilderness of Pakistan we’ll see former 2-time IBF Flyweight title challenger Muhammad Waseem (13-2, 9) look to put on a show for fans in Quetta, as he takes on Wiston Orono (16-5, 14), from Venezuela. At his best Waseem was genuinely world class in a tough division, with his two losses coming to Moruti Mthalane, in a razor thin bout, and Sunny Edwards, in a competitive but clear loss. Despite those losses Waseem has had a credible career, and holds wins over Jether Oliva, Giemel Magramo, Ganigan Lopez and Rober Barrera. Sadly however he is now 37 and fighting well above his best fighting weight. His career promised a lot, but funds from the Pakistani government were withheld from him and his team, leaving him struggling to secure fights at one point, and father time has really caught up to him, despite so much promise. As for Orono, his record looks imposing, with 14 KO’s in 16 wins, however as with many from Venezuela, the quality of those wins is questionable with a host of very weak opponents. Interestingly the 5 losses on his record do standout, but rather notably he was once 3-4 before going 13-1 with the most recent loss coming last December, against Junior Leandro Zarate in Argentina, a pretty capable fighter, albeit a Light Flyweight. Waseem should have too much, but father time is certainly chasing at his heels. This card, which is co-promoted by MP Promotions, GloveBoxx and Falcon Sporting Promotions has some rather interesting match ups on it, especially given this show is in Pakistan. Among those is a fun looking clash between Alex Dilmaghani (20-3-1, 7) and Yermi Peralta Jimenez (12-1-2, 8), with British fighter Dilmaghani looking to bounce back from a 2024 loss in the US and Jimenez fighting away from the Dominican Republic for the first time. Another will see former world title challenger Jimmy 'Kilrain' Kelly (28-3, 10), also from the UK, being pencilled in to take on Patumpong Saengarun (13-8, 7). Yet another strange looking bout will see Moroccan born Tarik Zaina (14-2-1, 9) will be on the card against Filipino Marvin Esquierdo (18-4-1-1, 11), which is weird for a number of reasons, not least the weight of the bout, with Zaina’s career benign fought between 140lbs and 150lbs and Esquierdo having fought at Middleweight last time out, and as low as 122lbs and fighting as low as 130lbs less than 2 years ago.  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
This coming Thursday we get the next show from former world champion Hiroshi Kawashima, under the "Untouchable Fight" banner. The card is, on paper, a weak one, with all but one of the bouts being 4 rounders. Sadly even the main event, an 8 rounder, doesn’t look the most interesting, though we wouldn’t be surprised if it exceeded expectations. That main event will see JBC and WBO AP ranked Super Flyweight hopeful Soara Hirezaki (11-2, 1) take on experienced Filipino visitor Diomel Diocos (18-8-3, 4). The 28 year old Hirezaki is a good outside fighter, taking a style similar to the show's promoter, with a crisp jab, and good footwork. Sadly he does lack power, but has had success boxing smart, using his straight shots and movement. He lost twice early in his career, losing on debut and again in the 2021 All Japan Rookie of the Year final, but has since reeled off 6 wins, including wins over Wataru Ikegami and Shunpei Kubo, with a surprising stoppage over Kubo in December. Despite the stoppage win there Kawashima was critical of Hirezaki after the win and it’s clear that both fighter and trainer know he is better than he has shown so far in his career. Aged 31 Diocos is a Filipino who has been around a long time, debuting back in 2012 and faced a number of very notable fighters, with losses to Daigo Higa, Roman Gonzalez, and Moruti Mthalane, in what was Mthlane's final bout. He’s proven to be tough, and game, but also come up short against anyone of any real talent, with other defeats coming to Hayate Kaji and Mirco Martin among others. We suspect he’ll put in an honest effort here, but come up short on the cards.  Central Gym, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
This coming Tuesday we have two shows in Japan, though one of those is certainly more notable than the other, with the one from Kobe being a much bigger one and much more interesting, with 3 unbeaten and touted prospects in action and a very highly regarded debutant, than one in Tokyo. The Kobe show, from Shinsei Promotions, The main event will see the really promising and exciting Sento Ito (3-0, 2) take a major step up in class as he takes on Ranelio Quizo (11-6-1, 3), in what will be Ito’s first 10 rounder. Ito has impressed since debuting, just over a year ago, and looked like he has all the talent to go to the top back in May, when he took a wide decision over Alvin Camique, and it's clear his team are now preparing him for a regional title fight, which is no surprise given he has rankings with both the OPBF and WBO AP. He’s heavy handed, aggressive, smart, calculated, has shown good stamina and at just 19 years old seems to be a fantastic prospect and a future champion. As for Quizo, the Filipino is 26 years old, experienced but also someone struggling for form, with losses in 4 of his last 6, including losing to debutants Jong Hun Shin and Otgonbayar Enkhtuvshin, both in South Korea. Despite those losses he is no push over and showed against Sang Heon Oh last year that he does travel to win, and will not be looking to make up the numbers against Ito. This should be a good workout for Ito, but a win for the Japanese youngster. A second very highly touted prospect on this card is Hiroki Horiike (5-0, 3), who recently claimed the OPBF Silver title at 140lbs, who takes on Korean visitor Young Bin Song (8-1, 3). Horiike, has shown a lot to like already, has scored very good wins over LeQuan Wang and Yeerlan Nuerlanbieke and has international experience, with bouts in both the Philippines and Thailand. Although very much a work in progress the 140lb hopeful is only 23 and is already one to watch with some very well polished skills. As for Song the Korean 28 year old has a good looking record, but has been picking up most of his wins on the relatively weak Korean domestic scene scene, with his biggest win coming back in 2023 against George Tachibana, with that being a razor thin decision, and his most recent bout being a loss in Thailand to Avzalbek Kuranbaev. Notably he has fought at 154lbs and 147lbs and the thought process seems to be that he is physically a test for Horiike, rather than a test of Horiike's boxing skills, due to the fact he is the naturally heavier man. In a female bout, unbeaten 30 year old Ayumi Shuzui (3-0, 1) looks to move her career along as she takes on 22 year old Riho Yoshida (5-2-1, 1). At the age of 30 it is now time for Shuzui to kick on, even though she only debuted back in June 2024, so far her competition has been at a very low level, and this is a major step up for her. As for Yoshida, she is still a boxing baby, but in 8 fights she has proven that she has the potential to go places, losing only in bouts for regional titles, and both were close, one to Nao Ugawa and one to Honoka Kano. For Shuzui the bout really is a step up and a chance to fast track her approach to a title fight, whilst Yoshida knows a win here keeps her in the mix for another title fight, and we can’t help but think, sooner or later, she will indeed pick up some belts, she’s too good at such a young age not to. Talking about young female fighters who will win titles, we can’t help but be really excited for the debuting 18 year old Shiori Yotsumoto (0-0), who takes on Thai youngster Kullathida Kueasanor (8-4, 3). As an amateur Yostumoto she went 24-3 (14), won high tournaments for fun, an Asian Championship bronze medal and impressed at the Junior Olympic Cup. She might well be the most promising teenager in Japan right now, and there are huge expectations on her for the future, with her amateur pedigree and power being particularly notable. As for Kueasanor, who is also 18, she is well travelled, with bouts in Japan, Philippines and South Korea, as well as her homeland, but has notably lost in her 3 bouts away from home. Despite those setbacks, she hasn't been matched softly on her travels, with losses to ye Kyeng Seo, Wenie Cline Verano and Nanano Suzuki. Sadly for the Thai this is likely to be another road loss as she takes on someone who really does have the potential to be a huge deal over the coming decade or so. Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, Japan event Over in Tokyo we have a card which is mostly 4 rounders, however there is one exception, as Junya Nagashima (5-3, 1) clashes with Kazuki Sato (4-1, 1) in a 6 rounder. The 32 year old Nagashima is fighting for the first time since a narrow win in November 2023 against Toshiki Unno, in what was his second bout since 2020, showing that over recent years he has had a very stop start career. In fact 6 of his 9 bouts came in his first 20 months. At his best he had mixed results against low level competition, and we can’t see him progressing much above this level. As for Sato, he is someone who has shown some form and some ambition. He debuted in 2023 and scored his biggest win to date last time out, stopping Taro Mochizuki. Sadly he was stopped just a fight earlier, but he is looking to rebuild from his loss, and will be looking to build some momentum with this bout. The event will also feature a sparring tournament involving future world title challenger Jin Sasaki (19-1-1, 17), ahead of his WBO world title fight in June against world champion Brian Norman Jr (27-0, 21).  Sangyo Shinko Center, Sakai, Osaka, Japan
This coming Monday attention turns to Osaka for a small, but noteworthy show in Sakai city, from Harada promotions. The main event of the card will see JBC ranked Welterweight hopeful Shoma Yano (8-2, 7) take on former regional title holder Hiroya Nojima (11-3-1, 5) in a really compelling 8 rounder at just under 150lbs. The 26 year old Yano is a genuinely dangerous fighter at this level, with 7 stoppages in 8 wins, and 6 in the first 3 rounds. The only fighter he beat without stopping was Taiki Henzan, who has never been stopped and is regarded as a very tough guy. Notably however he can be out boxed, as we saw last time out when Masayuki Urashima took a clear decision over him. The key is to avoid a war with Yano. As for Nojima he won the Rookie of the Year in 2020, winning the postponed final in February 2021, but is best known for his huge 2022 upset win over Yuki Nonaka for the WBO AP Middleweight title, which he defended once. Since then however he has dropped back to 147lbs and gone 0-2-1 and is without a win since December 2022. He’s tough, rugged and will almost certainly be drawn into Yano’s fight at some point, which could make this a very, very fun one for fans in attendance. The chief support bout will see recent Japanese title challenger Ryan Joshua Yamamoto (7-7, 1) take on Shota Yukawa (12-7-4, 5), with Yamamoto looking to hold on to his top 15 JBC ranking in a rematch of a bout from 2023. The 31 year old Yamamoto has lost his last two, but put up good efforts against Cristiano Aoqui and Kuntae Lee. Notably prior to those losses he had out-pointed Yukawa, in what was a third successive win and helped him secure the higher profile bouts against top domestic competition. As for Yukawa, the 37 year old has fought just once since his loss to Yamamoto, fighting to a technical draw in November 2024 with Takuya Hashimoto. Notably Yukawa has been stopped 3 times in his 7 losses, but is unlikely to be concerned about his chin here, given Yamamoto's only stoppage win came back in 2020. Interestingly neither man can really afford a loss here, and we suspect this to be fought with a bit of desperation from both, given their current standings in the sport with Yukawa’s age and Yamamoto’s current losing ring.  T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
To close a 3 day fiesta of huge fights in the US we have a Top Rank card in Las Vegas on Sunday featuring the current star of Japanese boxing, returning to the US for the first time in almost 4 years, and the US debut of a rising Japanese star, who’s expected to fight for a world title sooner rather than later. The headline bout will see Undisputed Super Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (29-0, 26) defending his title against unheralded challenger Ramon Cardenas (26-1, 14). Inoue, fighting for the second time in 2025, was last seen in an American ring during 2021, when he stopped Michael Dasmarinas, back when he was a Bantamweight champion. Since then he has become Undisputed champion at both Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight, and scored legacy defining wins over Nonito Donaire, Stephen Fulton, Marlon Tapales and Luis Nery. Sadly though since his win over Nery, a year ago, his competition has dropped off, with wins over TJ Doheny and Ye Joon Kim being criticised, despite both coming about after issues securing a fight with Sam Goodman, and this fight, with Cardenas has also come about after issues getting a more notably fighter, in this case Alan Picasso. As for Cardenas, there is no pressure on him here, and he’s getting the opportunity of a lifetime, on the back of wins against the likes of Bryan Acosta, Jesus Ramirez Rubio, Israel Rodriguez Picazo and Rafael Pedroza. This isn't so much a step up in class for the challenger as an astronomical leap, however he deserves credit for saying yes when it seems others have said no to facing The Monster. In a supporting bout unbeaten Japanese hopeful Mikito Nakano (12-0, 11) will make his US debut, as he takes on Pedro Marquez Medina (16-1, 10). The hard hitting Nakano is the OPBF Featherweight champion, who was earmarked as one to watch since debuting in 2018. Had it not been for an injury during the Covid pandemic we genuinely feel he could well have been mixing at world level by now, but the injury slowed his progress drastically, and he's now making up for lost time. He's not seen the final bell since his 5th bout, an 8 round win over Ruito Saeki, and has won, and defended the OPBF title. As for As for Medina, he's unbeaten since a 2015 loss to Luis Lebron, winning 15 in a row since then. Whilst his competition hasn't been the toughest during that run he does hold some notable wins, including one over Felix Caraballo, one of Juan Carlos Pena and one over Alexander Meija, who Japanese fans may remember for his 2017 bout with Hiroshige Osawa. This has the feel of being “Nakano’s international debut” rather than a genuinely competitive bout. Wat Pak Bo School, Suan Luang, Bangkok, Thailand As well as the two notable bouts in Las Vegas, we also have a small card in Thailand, with two Thai title bouts on the show One of the title bouts will see the once beaten Wira Mikham (17-1, 11) take on Surasit Klinkason (4-5, 4) in a bout for the Thai Featherweight title. Despite his 17-1 record, there is a lack of real quality on Mikham's record. His most notable bout is a loss in the UK against Dayan Gonzalez, whilst his biggest wins are against much smaller men, such as Phai Pharob and Wittawas Basapean Despite that he should have far, far too much for Klinkason, who is 1-4 i his last 5, has been stopped 4 times in his last 5 bouts, and has failed to score a single win of note, in fact all 4 of his wins have come against fighters with either fewer wins than losses, or were making their debut. The other title bout will see Patumpong Saengarun (13-8, 7) battle against Bunchuai Phosungnoen (8-6-1, 6) for the Thai Middleweight title. On paper this looks competitive, though if we’re being honest Saengarun should have too much for his foe. The 33 year old Saengarun has only been stopped twice and recently went the distance with Japanese prospect Yukiya Ochiai. Interestingly Saengarun has gone 12-3 after a horror start to his career which began 0-4 and was 1-5 after 6 bouts. Phosungnoen on the other hand has been stopped in 5 of his 6 losses, has fought at 140lbs during his career and lacks anything on his record to get excited about. There is no momentum, there is no bout that has seen him show some toughness and nothing that suggests he can pick up a win here.  This coming Saturday is a huge day of action globally, and whilst much of the attention will be elsewhere, there is still some noteworthy Asian action, including two title bouts in Tokyo, a small card in Osaka and an even smaller show in Incheon.
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan The main card for Asian interest takes place at Korakuen Hall and features two rematches, for titles, along with a former Japanese champion looking to get back to winning ways against a promising unbeaten fighter looking for their career best win. The main event of the show will see the once beaten Jukiya Iimura (8-1, 2) look to make his first defense of the OPBF Flyweight title, as he takes on Filipino challenger Esneth Domingo (21-2, 13), the man who gave Iimura his sole loss, in what is not just an OPBF title fight but also, essentially, a world title eliminator. Iimura was 3-0 when he ran into Domingo for the first time, and was stopped in 6 rounds, in his next fight Iimura claimed the Japanese title, with a win over Josuke Nagata, and recorded 3 defenses before claiming the OPBF title in December. He’s a talented fighter, but very much a skilled one, without much in terms of power, and someone who can get dragged into the wrong type of fight. As for Domingo, the hard hitting Filipino has gone 4-0 (4) since beating Iimura, including a win in Japan over Kosuke Tomioka. Whilst his record might not show him to be a big puncher he now has 5 straight KO’s since his 2022 loss to Nhlanhla Tyirha and it appears the now 26 year old has started to believe in his own power, something that makes him very dangerous at this level. The other rematch will see Yudai Murakami (6-2) and Shuma Nakazato (15-3-3, 8) face off for the vacant Japanese Lightweight title, which was recently vacated by Hironori Mishiro after 2 successful defences. Nakazato and Murakami clashed in late 2023, with Nakazato taking a clear decision over Murakami to score his one, and only, successful defence of the Japanese title. Since their first bout Nakazato has gone 1-1, losing to Hironori Mishiro just over a year ago before beating Cristiano Aoqui in November. As for Murakami he is 2-0 since that loss, beating Hiro Ichimichi and Hiromasa Urakawa. Sadly for Murakami he lacks power and over 10 rounds that is a major issue against someone like Nakazato, who has solid and respectable pop, and solid boxing skills to go with his power. Hard to see revenge here, but the bout should be high level throughout. Whilst the other two bouts will be good high level boxing, with one guy who can bang a bit against someone who needs to walk something of a tightrope, the main under-card bout will see a monster puncher take on a very rugged and unbeaten fighter. That bout will see former Japanese 140lb champion Homura Fujita (12-2, 10) take on the unbeaten Eikichi Kawamura (5-0-1, 3) in a brilliant clash of styles. Fujita is a heavy handed puncher, who’s boxing has improved a lot in recent years, but is still more a puncher than a boxer, and that was shown in his title loss to Kuntae Lee, who showed Fujita what boxing was about. He’s still a work in progress, but at this level Fujita is very dangerous. As for Kawamura, he’s an aggressive, rugged, tough, strong type, who comes to fight, and force fighters to stand with him. Kawamura’s most notable result is a draw with former world title challenger Akihiro Kondo, and that bout, despite being a draw, will have instilled a confidence with him that he’ll look to build on here. Expected this one to be thrilling, violent, and explosive, with both men looking to not just win, but break down their foe. Yodogawa Ward Center, Osaka, Osaka, Japan The other Japanese show, from Osaka, will be mostly 4 rounders, with the one exception being a 6 rounder between Masaki Kimura (4-2, 1) and Daigo Mori (5-5-1, 2). With a 4-2 record, Kimura will likely be the easy pick on paper, however the 32 year old southpaw has lost 2 of his last 4 and is 2-1 since turning to the sport in 2024, after almost a decade away. Given his age, inactivity, and recent results, it's hard to feel confident in him putting it together here. As for Mori the 26 year old has won his last 2 bouts, following a 0-4 run of fights between 2022 and 2024, and will feel he has some momentum coming into this. This is low level stuff, but should be entertaining for fans in attendance. Nova Boxing Gymnasium, Incheon, South Korea A similar show, albeit a Korean one, to the Osaka card will take place in Incheon, where much of the card is again low level. On paper the most interesting bout on the card is a 6 rounder between Nam Joo Kim (3-3) and Jong Hwa Yoo (2-3-1, 1), who we suspect will put on a show. Neither man is going place, with both having lost 50% of their career bouts and neither having much in terms of power, but both will feel they have a chance to pick up a win here, and will likely put it all on the line for the win. Notably Yoo has lost his last 3 and the 29 year old is almost 5 years removed from his last win, whilst Kim has won his last 3, following a 0-3 start to his career, and definitely seems to have the momentum rolling into this bout. Times Square, New York, New York, USA
This coming weekend is a huge one for boxing, with notable huge fights across a long weekend, if you will, running from Friday to Sunday with major bouts in New York. On Friday the talking point for us however isn’t a huge fight, but instead a very notable debut, as former amateur standout Reito Tsutsumi (0-0) kicks off his career, on one of the biggest shows of the year, taking on Levale Whittington (1-2-1, 1) in a 6 rounder. Tsutsumi, the brother of the world ranked Hayato Tsutusmi, is widely regarded as a special talent, capable of being raced to title fights, and has already linked up with Turki Alalshikh which should help open future doors for him. As an amateur he was truly spectacular, and among the very best Japan has ever produced, with his amateur credentials expected to help him be fast tracked to a world title within 10 fights. Sadly, unlike his brother and a handful of others in Japan, his debut is a high profile affair, but an underwhelming one, as he takes on as he takes on 25 year old American fighter Whittington, who has failed to win any of his last 3 bouts, is naturally smaller than Tsutsumi, and although he's never been stopped he is really facing a major step up in class here, against a very special fighter. We see this as a clear showcase debut for Tsutsumi, before bigger tests later in the year, and we wouldn’t be surprised by him facing a world ranked opponent within a year of this fight. Chongqing, China
To kick off the month of May, which is a genuinely incredible month, with a lot of great action, attention turns to China for a show in Chongqing. Sadly at the time of writing few details regarding the event have been revealed however the main event is a solid looking bout, as Tonghui Li (14-2, 8) takes on Indian visitor Sabari Jaishankar (13-3, 6). Given he’s the home fighter, fighting in his native China, Li is the man who will have the crowd behind him, he’s also the much more established fighter, despite both men having 16 bouts. Li, who is 35, has been a professional since 2015 and holds credible wins over Romeo Jakosalem, Larry Siwu, Arnel Tinampay and Dacong Wang. Notably however he has fought for just 129 seconds since the start of 2021, taking out a very limited Thai opponent back in January, and it’s really hard to know what he has left to offer. At his best he’d been a clear favourite, but with inactivity and father time against him, it’s hard to be sure what Li has left in the tank. As for Jaishankar, he's 28, debuted in 2020, and has fought mostly on the limited Indian scene, though has picked up wins on his travels in Australia, Tanzania and Thailand. Notably however both of his losses have come on the road against decent fighters in the form of Fatih Keles, in Turkey, and Jack Rafferty, in England. He’s younger, hungrier, but also smaller than Li, and will know that this is, probably, the third hardest bout of his career so far, and that a win here would be the best of his career so far, though rather oddly he does howl a win over MMA fighter Sergio Petis, in what was Petis’ professional boxing debut earlier this year. |
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