Datong, China
The most notable action this coming Tuesday is from Datong, in China, where we'll get two former world champions taking on younger fighters in what could potentially be a card where two men turn back the clock, or get put out to pasture. One of those former champions is Xiong Zhao Zhong (26-7-1, 14), the first ever male world champion, who looks to resurrect his career in the show's main event. The former WBC Minimumweight champion hasn't fought in over a year, and is more than 2 years removed from his last win, but has gotten a fight with unbeaten Thai Petchmanee Kokietgym (18-0, 10), with the two men fighting for the WBA “interim” world title at Minimumweight. The 26 year old Thai will be taking a huge step up, but comes into the bout as an unbeaten fighter on his way to world titles and will be very confident of coming out on top here. The other bout will see world ranked Chinese fighter Can Xu (12-2) take on former champion Nehomar Cermeno (26-6-1-1, 15) in a WBA International Featherweight title fight. Coming in to the bout Xu is closing in on a world title shot, with a #4 ranking with the WBA, but hasyet to score a big win. He'll see this as a huge chance to score a career best win, but it comes against a man who twice beat China's last big hope, Qiu Xiao Jun. This could be a coming out performance for Xu, or another win over a Chinese hope by Cermeno. Baku, Azerbaijan There is also a bout of note set to take place in Azerbaijan, with the main event bout against featuring an aged former world champion taking on a younger unbeaten man, looking to move his career forward and score his biggest win. This time around the unbeaten man is Ramal Amanov (10-0, 1), a 33 year old Azeri southpaw, and the former champion is Zab Judah (43-9-0-2, 30), who was a huge name in the early 00's but is now very much a spent force at the age of 39 and with just a single fight in the last 3 years. Amanov is taking a huge step up here but if he's going to have any sort of notoriety with his career he will have to get past the ghost of Judah here.
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Tokyo, Japan To begin October we turn our attention to the Korakuen Hall,where Ohashi gym put on a solid looking card. The main event is a genuinely brilliant match up as 2012 Olympic bronze medal winner Satoshi Shimizu (3-0, 3) takes a massive step up, to challenge OPBF Featherweight champion Sa Myung Noh (11-3, 4, who will be looking to defend the title he won back in June when he upset Ryo Takenaka. To date Shimizu has fought just 9 rounds as a professional and has looked destructive, but flawed, with a lot of power and exciting style. As for Noh he's looking to build on a career defining win and will be hoping that another win in Japan could help him more towards a potential world title fight, and it is worth noting he enters this bout with a WBC world ranking which will improve if he retains his title here. The main event is a great bout but it may actually be the second best fight on the card as former world title challenger Satoshi Hosono (33-3-1, 22) takes on talented youngster Reiya Abe (14-2, 7). On paper we suspect many will favour Hosono, given his experience and the fact that his set backs have come against world class opposition, however Abe is no joke and he has rocked up 6 straight wins,including notable victories against Ryo Hino, Hikaru Marugame, Shingo Kusano and Tsuyoshi Tameda. This really could be a very special bout between fighters at different points in their career. On the under-card fight fans will see Tsuyoshi Tameda (14-3-2, 12), making his Ohashi debut, and Ryuji Hara (22-2,13) who both take on Thai foes in what should be showcases contests before bigger bouts later in the year, with Hara expected to get a second world title fight in the very near future. Jinan, China
For a second day running we get action in Jinan, and for a second day running that action is headlined by a Chinese fighter taking on an Indonesian foe. This time around it will be the big punching Ainiwaer Yilixiati (10-1, 8) defending the Chinese honour as he takes on Skax Max (8-15, 7). The once beaten local lost last time out, after putting in a solid performance against Jayde Mitchell in an OPBF title fight, a fight that was much more competitive than the scorecards suggested. As for the visitor he has gone 2-4 in his last 6, and was stopped last time out in China by the talented Pui Yu Lim, and we expect the same to happen here. Selatan, Indonesia In Indonesia we get a number of title fights on what looks like a pretty interesting card, at least given the typical stand of Indonesian cards. One of the title bouts will see the once touted Defry Palulu (18-2-1, 12) take on domestic foe Isack Junior (25-7-2, 8) in a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Super Featherweight title, with Palulu making his first defense of the title. The bout should be an interesting but should see Palulu come out on top, and continue to rebuild his career, following an upset loss last year to Jason Butar Butar. Another title bout on this card will see John Ruba (14-3-1, 7) take on Joffrey Garcia (5-6-4, 4) for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Light Welterweight title. Although the bout looks like a mismatch it will be good to see Ruba pick up a title and begin a run towards bigger and better fights. Although relatively unknown Ruba has impressed on the road, and ran Ryosuke Maruki mega close back in 2015, and has got the ability to go far. Also on this card will be the unbeaten Tibo Monabesa (15-0-2, 7) and the experienced Larry Siwu (25-9, 21), who will both be facing relatively poor opponents as they look to stay busy before potentially bigger fights in the near future. Banjarnegara, Indonesia In a second Indonesian show fight fans will see Budi Wilson (0-6) take on the debuting James Lipus (0-0) in a bout that is hard to get too excited about given the lack of information available on either fighter. This coming Friday is a crazy day in the world of Asian boxing with a trio of Chinese cards, as well as a notable Japanese show. The bouts aren't likely to have much global attention, but they range from a really high profile debut, to a potentially thrilling war on the verges of world class. Beijing, China For us the biggest show of the day is from Beijing, where we see a number of prospects in action, in bouts of varying quality. One of the really good looking bouts will see Filipino Ronnie Baldonado (9-0-1, 6) defending his WBO “interim” Oriental Flyweight title against touted Indonesian puncher Iwan Zoda (14-2-1, 13). For the champion the bout will be his first defense of the title he won back in April, when he stopped Yiming Ma inside a round whilst Zoda will be looking to rebuild after a year that has seen hi suffer a stoppage to Robert Onggocan and a surprising draw with Ical Tobida. It's fair to say Zoda can ill afford a set back but Baldonado is on a role with a trio of first round blow outs. Another really interesting contest will see Filipino prospect Mark Anthony Barriga (6-0, 1) take a huge step up to face former 2-time world title challenger Samartlek Kokietgym (33-6, 12) in a contest for the WBO International Minimumweight title. The 24 year old Barriga was a top Filipino prospect and it's clear his team view him as a special talent but this is a massive step up in class, and should tell us a lot about just how far Barriga could go. Samartlek, who is best known for losing in world title bouts to Naoya Inoue and Akira Yaegashi, does have a padded record, but is a very decent fight and will certainly not be afraid of Barriga's amateur background. Another title bout featuring an unbeaten fighter on this show will see Jin Xiang Pan (7-0, 4) take on James MacDonald (8-1-1, 4) for the WBO Youth Super Featherweight title. On paper this bout doesn't have the appeal of the ones above, but it's a step up for both fighters and it should be very interesting to see where both men are going in their career. Arguably the most notable title bout on the card, yet potentially the most one-sided, will see former Chinese amateur stand out Lu Bin (0-0) take on Thai foe Chatchai Or Benjamas (8-9, 6) for the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Light Flyweight Title. Making his professional debut in a 10 rounder is clearly Bin and his team looking to make a statement and given his background in amateur boxing and the APB there is real star potential here. It should be noted that Chatchai isn't great, and was an early opponent for the likes of Yohei Tobe and KJ Cataraja, but Bin's willingness to fight for a title early is still a statement from his team. One other bout of note from this show will see big punching Filipino Jayar Inson (13-1, 9) take on China's Yangcheng Jin (5-1-2, 1). This is likely to be a straight forward win for the visitor, but he is coming in to the bout on the back of a loss on the road in South Africa, and may be wearing the mental scars of that defeat. Xi An, China We get more title action in Xi An as novices Yiran Li (3-0, 3) and Super Top Singnamchai (2-0, 1) battle for the WBC Youth Featherweight title. Li made his professional debut back in April and has needed just 7 rounds to despatch his first 3 foes whilst the Thai visitor apparently debuted in 2012, and hasn't had a boxing contest in more than 5 years, making this a very perplexing contest on paper. Jinan, China Staying in China just a little longer fans will get card in Jinan where the headline bout will see Indonesian veteran Hero Tito (23-12-2, 8) battle with local Aizi Aili (5-2-1, 2), in what could be a pretty solid match up between well matched fighters at different stages of their career. Tokyo, Japan As well as all the action in China there will also be a notable card at the Korakuen Hall, which will be available on the A-sign service. The main event of the card is a potential war as former world title challenger Hisashi Amagasa (33-6-2, 21) takes on Richard Pumicpic (19-8-2, 6) in a bout for the WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight title, essentially securing the winner a top 15 WBO ranking. Of the two men Amagasa is the more well known, given his bouts with Guillermo Rigondeaux and Josh Warrington, and will be favoured, however Pumicpic is no pushover and he has has pushed fighters like Ryosuke Iwasa, Cesar Juarez and Yohei Tobe all really close in thrilling fights. We're expecting this fight to be the bout of the day. In another good looking contest we'll see veteran Takafumi Nakajima (28-9-1, 12) take on Jin Miura (9-2, 1). Coming in to this Nakajima has a little bit of momentum, with 3 straight wins to put back to back losses behind him, whilst Miura comes in on the back of a narrow loss in Russia. This could be a highly skilled battle with both men looking to really boost their hopes of a potential domestic title bout. One other fighter of note on this card is Naoki Mochizuki (11-2, 6), who will be facing off with a Thai visitor. Tokyo, Japan
The Rookie of the Year continues this coming Tuesday when we get the second set of Rookie of the Easy Semi-Finals. The show will feature 12 bouts, one taking place in every division below Middleweight, other than Light Middleweight, and will see all the winners fill out the bracket for November's Rookie of the East final, with the victors taking on the winners from Monday's show. The bouts are expected to be exciting and competitive, with arguably the most notable fighter on the card being Mirai Naito (4-0, 2), who battles Kenichiro Kosakai (0-2-1) for a place in the Lightweight final. Naito is the brother of Rikki Naito and son of Cassius Naito, which has certainly helped him get some attention in Japan, even though he is still very much a boxing novice. Tokyo, Japan
The Rookie of the Year shows are heading to a finish,with two regions having already been settled. This week attention turns to the East Japan competition, as we get two shows in as many days. The first of those shows takes place on Monday and will feature 11 bouts, from Minimumweight to Middleweight. The contests will see the first half of the bracket being filled for November's Rookie of the East final, with the victors taking on the winners from tomorrow's card. Sadly we've not had the time to work out who is fighting who in this show, but we suspect the card will feature a number of great bouts. As the Rookie shows always do. Quetta, Pakistan
This coming Monday attention turns to Pakistan, where local hopeful Nadir Baloch (3-0, 3) takes a huge step up in class to take on Filipino Ralph Jhon Lulu (12-2-2, 5) in a bout for the UBO International Super Bantamweight title. The promising Baloch, a former Pakistani amateur standout, has stopped his first 3 foes in a combined 17 rounds, and has experienced going 8 rounds already, but his competition has been weak despite fighting in 10 rounders. As for Lulu he has lost his last two, including a stoppage loss to Genesis Servania, and whilst his record looks good it's hard to see any sort of notable wins on there. Texas, USA The most notable bout for Asian fight fans this Saturday is in Texas where we'll see a Filipino icon in action as Nonito Donaire (37-4, 24) returns to the ring for the first time since losing the WBO Super Bantamweight title to Jessie Magdaleno last November. The “Filipino Flash” has been training in Japan for his return, which sees him moving back up to Featherweight to face Ruben Garcia Hernandez (22-2-1, 9) in a contest for the WBC Silver title. Although he has been inactive, and is 34, Donaire should have far too much for Hernandez. California, USA In California there is another notable Filipino in action, as the heavy handed Romero Duno (14-1, 13) returns to the States for the first time since his break out win over Christian Gonzalez. The hard hitting Pinoy puncher will be up against Mexican veteran Juan Pablo Sanchez (30-13, 14). Duno should have too much fire power for his Mexican foe, who has been stopped 8 times, but Sanchez does appear to be than his record suggests and his last couple of losses, have been in competitive decisions against Rene Alvarado and Antonio Moran, both solid punchers. Louisiana, USA More Asian fighters are in action in the US as a number of fighters from Central Asia fight on a card in Louisiana. In the main event we'll see 21 year old Tajik hopeful Mekhrubon Sanginov (4-0, 3) take on American Cameron Burroughs (4-1-0-1, 3) for the WBC Youth Middleweight title. Sanginov has been a professional for just under a year but has impressed with 3 quick wins and a bizarre split decision in Poland where one judge appears to have been watching a different fight to everyone else. This should be a really interesting and looks to be very well matched, though neither man has has got many rounds under their belt, which could make this contest sloppy if it gets to the later rounds. Also on this card are Balaussa Muzdiman (0-0), Iskander Kharsan (1-0, 1) and Ali Baloyev (1-0, 1) who will all be facing limited looking opposition as they look to take their next step in their professional journey. Ibaragi, Japan Fight fans in Japan are set for a bit of a strange card with a trio of notable names, all taking on very weak opposition. In the main event the always fun to watch Tatsuya Takahashi (26-7-5, 19) will be up against limited Thai visitor Chatphet Saithonggym (0-2) in what should be an easy win for Takahashi, following a technical decision loss to Jetro Pabustan earlier this year. Although Takahashi is a very fun to watch fighter it's unlikely this will be too exciting, with the bout likely designed to give Takahashi an easy win. Another mismatch will see big punching Japanese Welterweight Yuki Beppu (15-0-1, 15) take on an unnamed Thai foe. This will be Beppu's second bout since drawing with Charles Bellamy back in January and we're expecting another early finish for the 26 year old banger. Arguably the most interesting bout on this card will see novice Tetsuya Watanabe (1-0), who is touted as once to watch, take on the always entertaining and charming Takuya Yamaguchi (3-8-2, 2). It's hard to imagine Yamaguchi winning, but he will throw leather with bad intentions and could well test Watanabe's resolve and chin in a potentially interesting contest. Johore Bahru, Malaysia We get yet another Asian show with action in Malaysia, as we see FH Promotions give several fighters a chance to shine. One of those looking to impress here is Azizbek Abdugofurov (7-0, 4), who was originally scheduled to face Ibrahim Tamba (21-8-1, 14) but is now listed as facing a TBA, presumably a late replacement for Tamba who appears to be out of the bout. Abdugofurov is regarded as one of the top Uzbek prospects and has quickly climbed into the top 25 on boxrec due to notable wins over the likes of Chaloemporn Singwancha, Sirimongkol Singwancha and Martin Fidel Rios. It's likely his bout here will just be a stay busy, but he really is one to watch. Another unbeaten man looking to extend his record is local favourite Muhamad Farkhan (4-0, 4), who will want to shine in front of his loyal fans as he takes on Thai visitor Khundon Chaiyonggym (8-3, 8). It's fair to say that Farkhan will have all the fans behind him and should win, but this is a small step up for the local hero. On paper one bout that does have promise will see Filipino fighters collide as Jeson Umbal (15-5, 10) takes on Jon Jon Estrada (10-3-1,9). For Umbal this bout will be his 4th in Malaysia, where he is 3-0 (1) and will see him look to continue his 7 fight winning run. As for Estrada this bout will be his first outside of the Philippines. Given his power Estrada is a real threat to the rise of Umbal and this could be a very exciting and hard hitting bout, which should thrill the fans. Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines In the Philippines there will be two shows, but the most notable is in Metro Manila. In the main event of this card we'll see the talented pairing of Glenn Suminguit (19-3, 10) and Renoel Pael (21-6-1, 11) battle for the GAB Bantamweight title, with Suminguit looking for his firs defense of the title. Suminguit won the title a year ago, stopping Alvin Bais in 3 rounds for the vacant title, but has only fought once since then, losing in Super Bantamweight bout, and could well have some ring rust coming in to this one. As for Pael the bout will see is confidence being checked, with the once touted Leyte man being 2-5 in his last 7, and really struggling for form. In supporting bouts we'll see the Elorde brothers take on two over-matched Indonesians. Juan Miguel Elorde (23-1, 12) will be up against Afrizal Tamboresi (11-6, 6), who has lost his last 4 and been stopped in his last 3 and Juan Martin Elorde (22-1-1, 9) will be up against veteran Arief Blader (23-24-2, 8), who has won 1 of his last 5. It's hard to imagine of the Elorde's losing here in what are really mismatches. What could turn out to be an interesting contest is set to see Wilbert Berondo (10-2-1, 4) take on the tough and under-rated Jayar Diama (7-11-7, 3). Although it looks one sided on paper it needs to be noted that Diama is much better than the numbers suggest and he could be a real handful for Berondo, who is best known for suffering a stoppage loss to the exceptional Hinata Maruta. Benguet, Philippines In a second Filipino show we'll see a card headlined by a bout between Roilo Golez (16-18-1, 7) and Diarh Gabutan (19-6-3,10). Coming in to this one Golez is totally out of form, losing 7 of his last 8 bouts by stoppage. Whilst Golez has mixed with some good company he's also suffered lossesto limited foes, like Geboi Mansalayao and it's fair hard to say that Gabutan should pick up the win here. Saying that however Golez' only win in his last 8 bouts, was actually a 5th round KO against Gabutan, who knows he cannot afford another loss, especially not to Golez. Singapore, Singapore Also in Asia there is a show in Singapore, featuring a number of fighters from across Asia. In a high profile female bout local star Nurshahidah Roslie (6-1, 4) will take on Thai visitor Sriphrae Nongkipahuyuth (12-4-2, 5) in a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Female and OPBF Female Featherweight titles. This will give both fighters something to fight for, and we do expect them to have a proper fight here, but it's hard to imagine the visitor having the power needed to really test Roslie. Another local in action is unbeaten Super Middleweight hopeful Rafi Majid (5-0, 5), who takes on Indonesian visitor Maxi Nahak (7-13-3, 3) in a bout for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Super Middleweight title. Majid has blitzed his first 5 opponents, in a combined 7 rounds, and will likely do the same here, against a naturally smaller man who has been stopped 9 times already n 23 fights. Another fight where we'd expected to see someone beat an Indonesian is a contest that will feature Filipino fighter Jun Tapale (22-9-1, 8) battling Indon Rusmin Kie Raha (15-13-3, 3). Although Tapale isn's a huge puncher Raha has been stopped in 8 of his 13 losses and we could see a 9th here. Raha's best hope is to see out the final bell, but it's hard to imagine him really testing the Filipino. Tokyo, Japan For a second day running we get some action at the Korakuen Hall, and we again get a card featuring some notable names on the Japanese domestic scene. Originally the main event of the card was set to see Japanese Middleweight champion Hikaru Nishida (16-8-1, 7) defending his title against Kazuyuki Fukuyama (11-8, 3), Sadly illness has forced Fukuyama out of the contest, and now Nishida will face a Thai visitor instead. The originally made bout did have a little bit of interest, though Nishida was the clear favourite. Sadly the replacement just looks like a stay busy fight for Nishida. In saying that however Nishida has had a string of notable bouts, including a war with Tomohiro Ebisu earlier this year and wins against Makoto Fuchigami, Ratchasi Sithsaithong and Akio Shibata. From what we under-stand the Thai is Vichian K Max Gym (0-1), who was stopped inside a roundby Brandon Lockhart earlier this year, and we expect something similar from Nishida. In a really good supporting bout we'll see the always fun to watch Gakuya Furuhashi (19-8-1, 9) take on Yoshiyuki Takabayashi (9-8, 4). On paper this looks like a mismatch but Takabayashi is much better than his record indicates and Furuhashi has taken so much punishment in recent bouts it's hard to know what he really has left. We'd assume Furuhashi will come out on top but this is no foregone conclusion, with the only guarantee being that this will be action packed. Metro Manila, Philippines In the Philippines fans will get a chance to see a card with an interesting main event between two fighters who are known better for putting up great efforts in losses, rather than their ability to win, but should put on a really good bout against each other. That main event will see the criminally over-looked Vergil Puton (16-8, 8) battle against Eduardo Mancito (15-6-2, 9). Of the two men Puton is the better known, and has given problems to the likes of JR Magboo, Ye Joon Kim, Shuya Masaki and Ibrahim Balla, proving his ability as an “opponent”, who comes to win but just falls short. As for Mancito he has suffered losses to Thong Sithluangphophun, Jelbirt Gomera, Alberto Guevara, Tomas Rojas and Rey Vargas. This should be a really fun, competitive and exciting fight, but we suspect Puton will take home the win. In a supporting bout on this card fans will see Malaysian prospect Aiman Abubakar (5-0, 2) face off with Nestor Junio (1-9-2), in what should be a straight forward win for the unbeaten man. Eastern Cape, South Africa In South Africa we'll see unbeaten Filipino prospect Jhack Tepora (20-0, 15) take on heavy handed South African Lusanda Komanisi (21-3, 18) in a really good match up on paper. The Filipino has long been tipped as one to watch, and has claimed a number of minor titles through his career but hasn't fought away from his homeland yet. As for Komanisi he's shown brutal power in stopping the likes of Mabute Sinyabi and Roli Gasca, but did need a second bout with Gasca to see him off after a very controversial split decision over him in their first bout. This is a really good match up and will see the winner enhancing their standing and taking huge strides towards a world title fight. Arizona, USA In the US fight fans will get the chance to see 2016 Olympic gold medal winner Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (2-0, 1) fighting in the paid ranks for the 3rd time. The talented Uzbek will be up against Mexican tough guy Victor Rosas (9-6, 3), who has only been stopped once in his 15 fight career. The Uzbek was dropped on debut but went on to stop his foe that night and has since added a nice 8 rounds of experience to his record, and is likely to be fast tracked. Although he will be strongly favoured to defeat the upset minded Rosas, he will likely be looking to gain the experience of the later rounds, so don't be surprised to see this one go the distance. Tokyo, Japan This coming Thursday sees action return to the Korakuen Hall after a short break away from the Japanese holy land of boxing. The card isn't the biggest, or the best, but it does feature a number of notable fighters. One of those notable names will be former Japanese Super Flyweight champion Kenta Nakagawa (13-3-1, 9), who returns to action for the first time since losing the title to Ryuichi Funai earlier this year. The former champion is being matched rather softly here as he takes on Petchkaorat Kaolamlekgym (0-2), who has been stropped in both of his previous visitors to Japan. Although Nakagawa was stopped last time out it would be a massive surprise to to see anything but a stoppage for the Japanese local. In the chief support bout we'll see veteran Takashi Inagaki (19-15-2, 9) take on Japanese ranked Yuya Okazaki (12-10-2, 4). Coming in to the bout Inagaki has has mixed success, including a draw with Daisuke Sakamoto, but it's hard to imagine him having much luck against Okazaki, who is a level below the best Japanese fighters at 140, but should be well above the likes of Inagaki. |
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