Metro Manila, Philippines The action in May is pretty hectic after a slow start. The action doesn't actually kick off until May 4th when Filipino fans get a title double double. In one of the two title bouts fans will see the once beaten Jeffrey Francisco (13-1-1, 1) battle against Yusuke Suzuki (6-2, 4) for the EPBC Bantamweight title. On paper this might not look like anything special however it's a really good match up with Francisco's only loss coming to the very decent Jestoni Autida whilst Suzuki's only losses are to Ryoichi Tamura and Yusaku Kuga, two more very good fighters. The bout is likely to be a boxer vs puncher affair but a very good one to watch. The other title bout on this card will see the unbeaten Joe Noynay (10-0-1, 3) battle former OPBF title challenger Richard Pumicpic (17-7-2, 6) in what looks like a very tough assignment for the WBC International Super Bantamweight title. Noynay comes into this on the back of a draw against the under-rated, and under-sized, Alie Laurel in what was a coming of age fight for Noynay. For Pumicpic this is a chance to claim a notable title. As for the under-card on this card it features a host of notable fighters. Including the unbeaten Dave Penalosa (10-0, 7), former world title challenger Silvester Lopez (25-11-2, 18), the once touted Renan Trongco (17-6, 10) and the exciting Allan Vallespin (5-0, 5)
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Panama City, Panama The best bout of the day, by some margin, is in Panama where Thailand's Suriyan Sor Rungvisai (46-6-1, 23) battles Anselmo Moreno (35-4-1, 12) in a WBC Bantamweight world title eliminator. Both of these men have been recent world champions and both are battling for a rematch at Shinsuke Yamanaka. This really is as good as it gets for an eliminator and not only is it a bout between two top fighters, but it's also between fighters with polar opposite styles, with Moreno being a slippery cat and Suriyan being an pressure based lion. This really should something special. Metro Manila, Philippines Whilst the action in Panama is world class, there is still plenty of regional and domestic match ups in Asia, with some of the most notable taking place in the Philippines. In one of the two main event bouts on this card fans will see the highly promising John Vincent Moralde (15-0, 7) battle against Jimmy Aducal (8-5-2, 6). On paper this looks like a mismatch but we consider it a good step for Moralde who is in with a southpaw who holds a notable stoppage win over Lloyd Jardeliza. Saying that Moralde should win without too many problems. The other headline attraction will see teenage hopeful Mike Plania (9-0, 4) battle against fellow unbeaten Lorence Rosas (5-0-2, 2) in what looks like a fantastic match up between unbeaten hopefuls with a lot to gain, including a regional WBF title. As well as the two main events this card will feature several prospects, though they seem to be very easily matched. Tangerang, Indonesia We also get an interesting card from Indonesian. In one of two Indonesian title bouts fans will see John Ruba (8-3-1, 4) battle Philipus Rangga (8-12, 1) for the Light Welterweight crown. Interestingly these two men have fought in the past, with Rangga taking a narrow decision over Ruba though since then Ruba has improved and will be seeking revenger here. In the other national title fight fans will see Light Middleweight title bout as Maxi Nahak (5-11-2, 1) faces Rocky Alap Alap (5-13) in a bout between feather fisted fighters. This one seems like it will certainly go 12 rounds but it's very hard to call a winner. The records of the two men aren't great but it could still be a very intriguing match up. Although not a title bout we are very interested in a contest between Tibo Monabesa (12-0-1, 5), one of the star prospects of Indonesian, and Thai veteran Kaichon Sor Vorapin (25-14, 9). Kaichon will be fighting for the 40th time and whilst he is the more experienced fighter there is real hope that Monabesa could be a future star of Indonesian boxing, much like Iwan Zoda. There is genuine excitement about the Indonesian prospect, but this is a step up for him and could prove to be a very good test. Shanghai, China In Shanghai we get another “Fist of Fury” card which features some interesting match ups. One of those interesting match ups will see hard hitting southpaw Alimu Wushouer (6-0, 6) face off against 18 year old Xiao Long Chen (2-2). We have to favour the 21 year old Wushouer but he is certainly not as proven as his record may suggest on paper. In another Lightweight bout on thus card Jiao Cai Tan (3-2, 1), also an 18 year old will be up against Xiao Long Yang (4-1-1, 3). Notably Tan stopped Chen, see above, last time out, but has been stopped by Wushouer, again see above. For Yang , who was stopped a year ago by Wushouer on debut, he's coming into this on the back of a draw against Abudureyimu. Gurgaon, India There will also be action in India where a small card is being held in Gurgaon. In a Heavyweight bout the unbeaten Vikas Hooda (2-0, 1) will be up against the debuting Parveen Kumar (0-0). Hooda debuted a year ago but hasn't been busy since then whilst very little is known about Kumar. Also on this card is the wonderfully named Honey (0-0), who debuts against Rahul Ganguli (1-0) in a 4 rounder at Super Bantamweight April 29th is an incredibly busy day through Asia with fights all over the continent. Chongqing, China In Chongqing Chinese fans get an interesting card courtesy of Zowi boxing. The card isn't the biggest but it is an interesting one with several notable bouts. The main event will see the unbeaten Bai Shan Bo (7-0-1, 4) battle against Filipino Nelson Tinampay (9-2-1, 4) for the WBC youth 140lb title. This will be Bo's first defense of the title, that he won in February when he stopped Tackie Annan inside a round. If Bo is as good as touted he should win this one, but it is a step up in class for him and Tinampay is no push over. In an under-card bout fans will see unbeaten Venezuelan Omrri Bolivar (4-0, 2) continue his tour of Asia as he faces the highly experienced Indonesian Ricky Manufoe (24-24-3, 10). Bolivar will be fighting in his fourth Asian bout and should over-come the Indonesian journeyman, who has struggled for wins in recent years and suffered losses regularly on the road. Another under-card bout on this card will see Xing Xin Yang (10-4-2, 7) battle against Takamori Akita (10-5-1, 8) in a bout for the PABA and WBC ABC Continental Welterweight titles. On paper this looks a brilliantly matched bout, and whilst neither is likely to go far in the sport we are glad to see an even looking match up. Shanghai, China Staying in China their will also be a Fists of Fury card promoted by SECA and Top Rank. The card, like the other Fists of Fury, will feature novices each looking to become the latest Chinese fighter to catch the attention of Top Rank who could bring put them on to higher profile cards in the future. Yesan, South Korea In South Korea fight fans will see a WIBA Light Flyweight title bout as Su-Yun Hong (13-1-1, 7) faces experienced Filipino Jujeath Nagaowa (13-16-1, 8). This will be Hong's 4th defense of the title and looks to be her most difficult assignment since her 2014 loss to Mako Yamada, in a bout that saw Hong lose the WBO female Minimumweight title. Metro Manila, Philippines Fans in Metro Manila get a title double-header. In a bout for the PBF Bantamweight title fans will see the very talented Michael Dasmarinas (23-2, 15) battle against Jecker Buhawe (16-11-1, 10). We rate Dasmarinas very highly and see him easily over-coming Buhawe here, especially given that Buhawe is 2-4 in his last 6 and hasn't fought in the last 12 months. The other bout is a PBF Super Featherweight title fight which will see the under-rated Vergil Puton (15-7, 7) battle the puncher Marbon Bodiongan (12-4-2, 10). Puton has lost 4 of his last 5 but has been competitive in all 4 losses and he really is a credible opponent. For Bodiongan, who has lost 3 of his last 4, this is a very tricky match up and it's be a surprise if he was to win. Osaka, Japan In Osaka Japanese fans get a small but notable card. In the main event fans will see Shota Kawaguchi (18-7-1, 8) battle Filipino visitor Jonathan Francisco (8-5-1, 2). This will be Kawaguchi's third successive bout against a Filipino, following back to back losses to Sonny Boy Jaro, and he has actually lost 3 of his last 4. For Francisco this bout sees him return to Japan for his second bout in the country, following a technical draw last year against Toshiyuki Igarashi. In a supporting bout fans will see former world title challenger Nana Yoshikawa (5-1, 3) battle against a Thai opponent. This is thought to be a title prelude for Yoshikawa who will be getting a title fight later in the year. Jakarta, Indonesia There is also action in Jakarta where the vacant Indonesia Boxing Association (IBA) Super Bantamweight title will be on the line as the unbeaten Semly Mau (3-0) faces off against Celvin Joe (2-3-1). Mau is thought to have debuted in 2013, though of course Indonesian records are known to be regularly incomplete, and scored a notable win over Erick Deztroyer back in 2014. As for Joe we believe he comes into this on the back of back-to-back defeats, including a loss Mike Tawatchai, though those losses were back in 2012 and 2013. Tokyo, Japan The action in Japan this week was highlighted on Wednesday, but on Thursday we get more title action. In the main event of the card fans will see lanky Japanese Welterweight champion Nobuyuki Shindo (17-3-1, 6) make the first defense of his title, as he goes up against the destructively heavy handed Toshio Arikawa (12-4, 10), in a mandatory defense. Shindo won the belt in January, when he beat Yasuhiro Okawa, in what was his third title bout whilst Arikawa has got his shot at the title following a shock 6th round TKO win over Akinori Watanabe. In a notable under-card bout the once beaten Ryosuke Takami (8-1, 7) will face Japanese-Brazilian Cristiano Aoqui (10-4-2, 6) in what we suspect will be a very good encounter. The 22 year old Takami has won his last 4 all by stoppage and ia very dangerous fighter whilst Aoqui is better than his record suggests. Another notable under-card bout will see Motoki Osanai (0-0) make his debut in a 6 rounder. This youngster from the Watanabe gym will be facing a Thai opponent and the pressure will be on the 23 year old to live up to the expectation that Watanabe have on him. Tokyo, Japan The big boxing day this month for Japanese fans is April 28th, a day in which 3 Japanese world champions will look to defend their titles, a promising youngster looks to bounce back with a win, following a second career defeat, and a Heavyweight hopeful looks to record an international level win. All of which will take place at the Ota City general gymnasium. The highest profile bout, and the one that does look somewhat intriguing on paper, sees WBA Super Featherweight “Super” champion Takashi Uchiyama's (24-0-1, 20) defending his title against “interim” champion Jezreel Corrales (19-1-0-1, 7). For Uchiyama, one of the real outstanding Japanese fighters, the bout will be his 12th defense and see him taking a step closer to the all-time Japanese record, the 13 defense record by Yoko Gushiken however it's not the bout he'll have wanted. Prior to signing for this fight he had been in talks with big name American fighters and this will feel like a let down to the champion, who was anticipating a big US debut, instead of a fight in Tokyo against a relatively unknown challenger. At Super Flyweight the well liked Kohei Kono (31-8-1, 13) will be defending his WBA title against Thai challenger Inthanon Sithchamuang (28-7-1, 15). The bout really “looks” more even on paper than it should do and Kono, a world class fighter, shouldn't really struggle with the very limited Inthanon, who's world ranking really is questionable. We will accept that Kono's last bout was a tough one, against Koki Kameda, but this is too much of a step down in our eyes and the WBA need to take some responsibility for not stepping up and having better rankings. The third world title bout is also a less than thrilling match up as WBA Light Flyweight champion Ryoichi Taguchi (23-2-1, 10) defending his title against Venezuelan veteran Juan Jose Landaeta (27-8-1, 21). Of he world title bouts this one does have a possible upset, though that says more about Taguchi's last performance, a very poor outing against Luis de la Rosa, than it does about Landaeta. At his bets Landaeta was a very credible contender, however he is now in his late 30's and more than a decade removed from his last world level performance. In an 8 rounder on the under-card fans will see once beaten Japanese Heavyweight Kyotaro Fujimoto (13-1, 7) face off against Australian visitor Nathan McKay (6-2, 3). For Fujimoto this is a second successive bout with a disappointing opponent and it's perhaps time he took a risk rather than facing limited opposition with little to gain. Whilst he's far from a special fighter he should be against better tests than McKay. In another under-card bout recent Japanese title challenger Yusaku Kuga (11-2-1, 7) will face Thailand's Sukkasem Kietyongyuth (13-5, 8), in what will be Kuga's first bout since coming uop short against Yasutaka Ishimoto last year. On paper this looks well matched, but we'd be shocked if Sukkasem really provides a test for the exciting Kuga, who is better than the numbers suggest. Tokyo, Japan This week is a busy for Japanese fans with a huge show on Wednesday, a decent show on Thursday and an interesting one on Friday. Tuesday however acts as the calm before the storm with only a small card at the Korakuen Hall. The only real bout of note on the card is an 8 rounder that sees Japanese ranked fighters colliding. The bout in question will see the heavy handed Kenta Nakagawa (10-2-1, 7) take on Shuji Hamada (13-7-4) in a bout that could decide a potential Japanese title challenger at 115lbs. Of the two men Nakagawa should be the favourite, given he's higher ranked and bigger puncher however Hamada is no push over and recent wins over Yota Hori and Masafumi Otake, as well as a draw with Ryuto Oho, show he's a legitimate threat on the Japanese domestic scene Hiroshima, Japan Their isn't a lot of action this Sunday but it's fair to say that one bout does stand out as being more intriguing than any other, and that is the headline bout of a show in Hiroshima. That bout is one between world ranked Filipino banger Rey Loreto (21-13, 13) and the Japanese and OPBF ranked Koji Itagaki (16-9-2, 7). On paper this may not look like a great bout, especially give the 22 combined losses, but the reality is that these are both fighters with more ability than their records suggest. Coming in to this one Itagaki is on a 4 fight winning streak, including wins over Benezer Alolod and Michael Enriquez, whilst Loreto has won his last 5, including victories over Pornsawan Porpramook and Nkosinathi Joyi. Both are capable fighters and this really could be very exciting. In the chief support bout Japanese ranked Ryuji Ikeda (11-2-1, 7) will be facing Kazuyasu Okamoto (10-4, 3) in a good looking 8 round affair. The 20 year old Ikeda has stopped his last 5 opponents since being stopped himself, by Kenta Onjo, and looks to be an emerging force at 140lbs on the Japanese domestic scene. Okamoto is nothing special but is a good test for the promising youngster, and could provide an upset if Ikeda isn't on his game. Mie, Japan The other card in Japan is a genuinely forgettable card on paper from Mie. The main event of this show will see Japanese ranked Super Featherweight Yusuke Nakagawa (9-4-1, 5) risk his ranking against Yutaka Ekawa (7-4-1, 4). Although Nakagawa has a JBC ranking this bout could be a tough one for him, and it will be just his second bout since a KO loss to Rikiya Fukuhara last September. Notably however Ekawa was stopped in his last bout and has been beaten inside the distance 3 times. Another Japanese ranked fighter on this card is Featherweight contender Shota Hayashi (26-5-1, 16), who looks to secure a stay busy win as he takes on Shohei Fujimoto (9-5-3, 8). Hayashi is very close to a Japanese title fight, and we suspect a win here could get him a shot at the Japanese title, with the division likely to have a genuine shake up in the near future. Bangkok, Thailand There's also a card in Thailand which will see Japanese veteran Cobra Suwa (17-11-2, 9) attempt to claim the WBC Asian Boxing Council 154lb title as he takes on Thai local Ratchasai Sithsaithong (6-2, 5). Last year Suwa claimed the “Silver” version of the title, and the PABA belt, in bouts in Thailand and is now fighting his third successive bout in the country as he attempts to end his career with a collection of titles. As for the Thai he's facing his second Japanese opponent after losing a bout last year to current OPBF/JBC Middleweight champion Hikaru Nishida. Thailand Also in Thailand fans will get the chances to see former world title challenger Shin Ono (18-7-2, 2). Ono is facing a Thai local, though unfortunately we don't have the Thai's name. Recent weeks have seen a rise in fights of note, and that's certainly the case this coming Saturday with a host of fights featuring Asian fighters, 3 of which feature world title bouts. California, USA The most notable of those world title bouts comes in California as Middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin (34-0, 21) defends his WBA “super”, IBF and WBC “interim” titles against IBF mandatory challenger Dominic Wade (18-0, 12). The bout pits unbeaten fighters together but the reality is that the bout is widely seen as a mismatch with Golovkin a clear favourite and a man who is simply destroying the contenders at 160lbs as he continues to hunt more titles and unifications bouts. Cebu, Philippines Another of the world title bouts headlines a card in the Philippines and, like the bout in California, this one is also viewed as a mismatch. The world title bout in question will see WBO Super Bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (36-3, 23) defending his title against the very unqualified Hungarian challenger Zsolt Bedak (25-1, 8). For Donaire the bout will be his first since reclaiming the title in December, winning a very competitive bout with Cesar Juarez, and it's an easy first defense if we're being honest. Bedak has only lost once, losing by 10th round TKO to Wilfredo Vazquez Jr, but has done nothing since that loss to deserve a world title fight. Whilst the world title bout on this show is likely to be a exercise in pointlessness for the champion the show does feature a really tasty looking support bout as the touted Mark Magsayo (13-0, 10) battles former world title challenger Chris Avalos (26-4, 19) in a bout for the WBO International Featherweight title. Avalos has lost 2 of his last 3, by stoppage, but this should be a good test for Magsayo who is stepping up in quality fight by fight. On the under card are several notable fighters, one of which is Light Welterweight contender Jason Pagara (37-2, 23) who faces off against Mexican Miguel Zamudio (35-8-1, 21), who is best known for his exploits down at Featherweight, where fought for a WBA interim title. Sadly given the natural size difference this looks to be another mismatch in favour of the local favourite who seems to be treading water. Another undercard bout will see former world title challenger Rocky Fuentes (36-8-2, 21) ace off against Romnick Magos (12-5, 7, in what looks like a safe fight for Fuentes. The bout will be the “Road Warrior's” second contest since his stoppage loss to Roman Gonzalez in late 2014 and looks to be a case of staying busy rather than anything else. As for Magos the “Daredevil” will be looking for a career best result, though is unlikely to find it here. Sinaloa, Mexico The third world title fight to feature an Asian will see Filipino Richie Mepranum (31-4-1, 8) battle against WBC Super Flyweight champion Carlos Cuadras (34-0-1, 26). On paper this is a mismatch in favour of the Mexican champion, who is looking for his 6th defense of the title, but Mepranum has got experience at this level and holds a notable win over Hernan Marquez. Saying that however Cuadras should be too big and too good for the challenger. Notably however the winner of this will go into a mandatory title bout against Thailand's all action Srisaket Sor Rungvisai later in the year. Texas, USA In the US fans will get their first chance to see Mexican based Japanese fighter Shoki Sakai (20-5, 13), who makes his US debut against Texan Carlos Villa (11-2-1, 6). The bout should be a win for the under-rated Sakai, though travelling to Villa's home state may make things difficult for Sakai, Metro Manila, Philippines Back in the Philippines fans get a low level domestic card, with the most notable bout being a contest between former world ranked fighter Renan Trongco (17-6, 10) and domestic journeyman Ricky Oyan (4-27-2, 2), in what should be a straight forward win for Trongco. It's been busy in Asia recently and that's the case again on April 22nd when we get cards across Asia, and we get fighters on the road. Tokyo, Japan In Japan fans get two shows, with the most notable being held at the Korakuen Hall, and although it lacks a “big fight” it does look like a very intriguing card with three bouts of note. The main event of the card sees the promising Takeshi Inoue (5-0-1, 2) battle against Elfelos Vega (6-2, 4) in a contest that could well decide the next Japanese title challenger at 154lbs. Of the two men Inoue is the one who has impressed more, though this will be his toughest test to date and comes against a man who does have the power to be a real threat to Inoue's unbeaten record. Interestingly Vega's last loss came to a man on the under-card of this show, Kazuto Takesako (2-0, 2). The very promising Takesako will be up against a Thai foe who isn't expected to pose any threat to the unbeaten novice, though hopefully we will see Takesako let off the leash later in the year as he has the potential to go very far in the sport, though did look somewhat wild against Vega. The third bout of note from this card will see Kazuaki Moriya (13-7, 2) battle against Ryuto Oho (8-2-1, 2), in what is essentially the co-feature bout. The records may not be great, and given the power of both men we do suspect this will go the scheduled 8 rounds, but we'd be amazed if it wasn't an action packed and exciting Flyweight encounter. Osaka, Japan The other Japanese show comes from Osaka and sadly is lacking in terms of bouts, with the only notable contest being a bout between Tetsuya Hisada (24-9-2, 14) and poor Indonesian import Ardi Tefa (6-6-1, 4), who is unlikely to pose any threat to the JBC ranked Light Flyweight contender. This should be an easy contest for Hisada before a potential Japanese title fight later in the year. Sidoarjo, Indonesia Tefa isn't to be the only Indonesian in action this weekend and in fact Indonesian fans get a show all of their own, and in fact they get two title fights. On paper the more significant of those two title fights comes in an international bout as former world title challenger Roy Mukhlis (28-5-3, 21), who once faced Takashi Uchiyama for the WBA Super Featherweight title, faces former OPBF Super Featherweight champion Allan Tanada (13-4-3, 5) for the lightly regarded World Boxing Foundation Asia Pacific Lightweight title. Coming in to this one Mukhlis has gone 2-2-1, in his last 5, including a 1-1-1 series with Hero Tito. Interestingly Tanada is also 2-2-1 in his last 5, though has lost his last 2 bouts. The other title bout will see veteran Rasmanudin (19-14-3, 10) battle against Hanif Yogya (3-2-1, 2) for the IBC Super Bantamweight title. If we're being honest Rasmanudin has looked horrible show in recent fights, and has gone 3-11-1 in his last 15. On paper Yogya shouldn't pose much of a threat however he has won his last 3 and may simply have more left than his rival. Metro Manila, Philippines We get yet more title action in the Philippines with a bout between Warren Mambuanag (9-5-2, 3) and the hard hitting Arnel Baconaje (5-0, 5), who will be trading blows for the Interim GAB Super Featherweight title. The winner of this will be set to face veteran Edgar Gabejan for the full title later in the year, though Gabejan hasn't actually defended the belt in over a year. Sadly aside from the main event there is little to really note about this show, though there is an interesting 6 rounder between Carlo Caesar Penalosa (3-0, 1) and fellow novice Alvin Defeo (1-0). Tarlac, Philippines Another card in the Philippines, which is actually worse than the one above, is set to take place in Tarlac. On paper the most notable bout is a 6 round mismatch as former OPBF champion Romeo Jakosalem (16-12-1, 8) faces the horribly over-matched Edsil Jungco (1-9-5). Jakosalem has lost his last 3, and 8 of his last 12, but should be far too good for Jungco here in what we suspect will be an easy win for “Jako”. Eastern Cape, South Africa Fans get two really interesting bouts in South Africa as Japanese fighters get their passports out to face a pair of locals. The most notable of the bouts on offer sees Japan's very promising Tsuyoshi Tameda (13-1-2, 11) take on former world champion Simpiwe Vetyeka (28-3,17). Although relatively unknown outside of Asia Tameda is a genuinely promising fighter who has notable stoppage wins over Takenori Ohashi and Mark Bernaldez, with the Bernaldez win being his best to date. As for Vetyeka he's a man known to Japanese fans for his bout with Hozumi Hasegawa, almost 9 years ago, whilst international fan will recognise his win over Chris John and his loss to Nonito Donaire. On paper it's easy to favour Vetyeka, a former WBA champion, however he is now 35 and has fought just 4 rounds in the last 16 months. The other bout sees former Japanese Super Flyweight champion Yohei Tobe (9-2-1, 5) face off against Luzuko Siyo (15-3, 12) in a bout for the WBA Inter-Continental Super Flyweight title. Again the local is the favourite but Tobe is better than his record indicates and does seem to be the naturally bigger man here, with Siyo having fought as low as Minimumweight. This could be a really good bout, even if it does end up being over-shadowed by the other contest on the card. Victoria, Australia Staying with Japanese fighters on the road, fans in Australia will be able to see Japanese veteran Yosuke Kirima (22-5-2, 15) take on Australia's very own Michael Zerafa (18-2, 10) for the IBF Pan Pacific Middleweight crown. Although experienced Kirima has been known as a fighter who loses in his most notable contests, losing in two Japanese title fights, and hasn't yet managed to score a “big win”, even domestically. As for Zerafa he too has lost his biggest bouts, though one of those was a bout with former world champion Peter Quuillin, whilst the other was against fast rising Russian Arif Magomedov, both of whom are much better than Kirima if we're being honest. Pskov, Russian In Russia we get a low profile match up as Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov (1-0, 1), originally from Tajikistan, faces Kazakh Amir Saltayev (1-0) in a bout between unbeaten novices. Tokyo, Japan The action in Japan has been pretty none stop recently, and that continues this Sunday with a Kadoebi show at the Korakuen Hall. In the main event of the card fans get a rematch as Japanese 140lb champion Hiroki Okada (11-0, 9) battles against the exciting Koichi Aso (20-6-1, 13). Okada narrowly beat Aso when the men first met, back in July 2014, though has since shown genuine improvement with back-to-back 3rd round TKO wins. Aso has bounced back from the loss to Okada with back-to-back stoppage wins of his own, but this is a bigger test than he has faced since the first Okada bout. Potentially this could be a thriller and we'd be genuinely shocked if the bout wasn't action packed. In the chief support bout we have another intriguing match up as the world ranked Yukinori Oguni (16-1-1, 5) faces off against Thailand's Mike Tawatchai (38-8-1, 21). Both of these men have come up short against Shingo Wake however it's a great match up between two men who will both be viewing this as a chance to move towards a potential rematch with Wake, who could be the IBF champion by the time a rematch could be made. Oguni, a former JBC and OPBF champion, is a very talented boxer-move and should be too slippery for Tawatchai, however the Thai will refuse to to concede defeat and could be a very tricky assignment for Oguni. In another bout of note former Japanese title challenger Gosuke Seki (16-2-2, 3) will be up against Keisuke Ota (9-9, 2) in a bout that Seki must win if he's to remain relevant on the Japanese domestic scene. Seki has lost 2 of his last 3 and although talented cannot afford an upset loss to Ota. As for Ota he's taking a big step up in class but will see this as his chance to move towards a Japanese ranking. One final bout of note from this card will see the exciting Shuhei Tsuchiya (19-4, 16) in against against Thai visitor Ekarachan Mor Krungthep Thomburee (0-0) in what should be a straight forward win for the exciting, but flawed, Tsuchiya. |
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