Conrad Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
We were expecting a big show this coming Friday in Dubai, though sadly the planned big show was made significantly smaller when the main event of the show was cancelled at short notice due to an injury suffered in training by one of the two fighters. Despite the huge loss at the top of the card, there are three bouts of note on their with Asian interest, still. The main event is one of those bouts with Asian interest as unbeaten Kazakh hopeful Ali Baloyev (10-0, 7) takes on Rolly Lambert Fogoum (11-1-1, 10), who is based in Dubai and originally from Cameroon. The promising Baloyev seemed set for big things early in his career, but sadly he has never stepped up or kicked on with things, and on paper this is actually his toughest bout to date. Something that should be regarded as a genuine shame given how promising he seemed to be in his first few bouts. As for Fogoum his competition has also been poor, but there's never really been much fuss about him showing much promise. This is a strange one, in that both men have good looking records, but we really don't much at all about either man. Another bout of note is an all-Thai fight, which will see Apichet Petchmanee (9-0, 2) defending his WBC regional Lightweight title against Phumiritdet Chonlathondamrongkun (7-0, 7). This is not just an all Thai bout, but also a bout between two unbeaten fighters. Apichet has long been touted as a potential star of Thai boxing, but in recent bouts he has looked very limited, and a lot of hype surrounding him has died off. Phumiritdet on the other hand is real unknown, but has scored all of his wins by stoppage, and that could be a problem given that Apichet has shown a questionable chin in the past. The third bout of note for us will see unbeaten Indian fighter Faizan Anwar (7-0, 4) take on Filipino veteran Ricky Sismundo (35-15-3, 17). The unbeaten Anwar is taking a huge step up in class here, especially given the competition he has faced so far, however Sismundo is not the fighter he once was, and he has lost his last 4, and is almost 3 years removed from his last win, with 2 recent losses coming by stoppage. Anwar is not only the younger, fresher fighter, but also the naturally bigger fighter and should be seen as the huge favourite, but this is easily the toughest match up of his career so far. Airport Hilton, Miami, Florida, USA As well as the action in Dubai we'll also be expecting to see Filipinos in action in the US . One of the Filipino fighters in question is the heavy handed Romero Duno (22-2, 17), who is set to take on the limited Ramon Elizer Esperanza (22-19-1, 11). This will be Duno's second bout since he was beaten by Ryan Garcia, and this really should be little more than a formality for Duno, who is levels above Esperanza. Another Filipino set to be on this show is Mike Plania (25-1, 12), who takes on the very poor Jonathan Lecona Ramos (18-31-5, 6). Sadly Plania is one of those fighters has really not been able to build on a big win. His win over Joshua Greer Jr in 2020 is almost forgotten, and although he's world ranked this is the type of fight he's now getting, whilst Greer just got a big fight on ESPN last weekend. Fingers crossed Plania will get big fights in the near future, but this bout should serve as little more than a tick over for "Magic Mike". Puebla, Mexico We get more action in the west as two notable Japanese fighters take to a ring in Mexico for bouts as A-Sign boxing take their show on the road and go international. The more notable of the two Japanese fighters on this show is Japanese Light Middleweight champion Hironobu Matsunaga (18-1, 11), who takes on the very limited Gustavo Garibay (16-14-2, 8). The talented Matsunaga has proven himself as a fantastic fighter in Japan, the hope is that, in the next year or two, he will land a big fight in the US and this bout should help him prepare for a big US bout by allowing him experience of fighting in a very different environment than he's used to in Japan. The other Japanese fighter on this card is more well known to Mexican fans, and that's because Shoki Sakai (25-12-2, 13), first made his name in Mexico before later fighting in the US and Japan. Sakai, who last fought in Mexico back in 2016, will be up against Dario Ferman (18-9, 15), a 37 year old who's heavy handed, but has been stopped in 8 of his 9 losses and should be seen as a bit of a glass cannon.
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Illinois, USA This coming Saturday isn't a huge day for fights involving Asian fighters, but it is a pretty interesting day with thanks to other fights, including the Heavyweight debut of Oleksandr Usyk. On the same card as Usyk's Heavyweight debut will be a WBA Light Heavyweight world title defense for Dmitry Bivol (16-0, 11), who takes on the unheralded Lenin Castillo (20-2-1, 15). On paper this isn't the bout that Bivol, and his fans, would have wanted but it should still be a good test against a big, talented and tough challenger. Castillo isn't well known, but has never been stopped and gave Marcus Browne a really competitive test. Bivol will, obviously, be strongly favoured here but he will have to work hard for the win against a capable, yet relatively obscure, challenger. Our full preview of this bout can be read here Will Bivol be tested by unheralded Castillo? Almaty, Kazakhstan The biggest Asian card for the day takes place Kazakhstan as MTK go to Almaty for a pretty notable, yet not hugely exciting, show. The main event here will see the hard hitting and unbeaten Ali Baloyev (9-0, 7) take on Venezuelan veteran Gusmyr Perdomo (26-9, 17). Baloyev is a genuine one to watch, and on paper this is a credible step up in class for him, after a string of relative limited opponents. Despite that it does need noting that Perdomo is now 42 and it's more than a decade ago that he fought Mikkel Kessler. Perdomo was once a solid fighter but now he's an old man and will have to rely on wiles to survive with Baloyev. In an 8 round support bout we'll see Abilkhaiyr Shegaliyev (6-0, 4) likely pick up a straight forward win as he takes on Georgian Sandro Jajanidze (5-19-1, 3). It's hard to see anything but a win for Shegaliyev, but Jajanidze is a tough, rugged guy and could well see out the distance with the Kazakh prospect. Arguably the pick of the bouts will see Chinese-Kazakh fighter Yelieqiati Nihemaituola (14-0-1, 5) take on Filipino Ryan Rey Ponteras (22-14-3, 11). On paper this is a horrible mismatch, but paper only tells half the story and Ponteras is an upset minded Filipino who travels to win, and he will be here looking to end the unbeaten run of his foe. Whilst Ponteras was stopped last time out, by Seiya Tsutsumi, we still expect to see a gutsy, determined and rough effort from him and this could be a much better fight than it looks on paper. Others on this card include unbeaten hopefuls Nurtas Azhbenov (6-0, 2), Hurshid Tojibaev (2-0, 1) and the debuting pair of Nurdos Tolebay (0-0) and Miras Ali Sarsenov (0-0). These 4 are tipped for big things, especially Tojibaev and Sarsenov who both had very strong amateur careers, and it's going to be interesting to follow their progress. Sadly however MTK aren't known for pushing their prospects quickly, and it could be a while until we see any of these talented fighters given a serious test. Metro Manila, Philippines Over in the Philippines we'll see a small yet noteworthy card. In the main event we'll see former world title challenger Denver Cuello (38-5-6, 26) take on Jesse Espinas (19-4, 11) in an IBO world title eliminator. Cuello has only fought 3 times in the last 4 years and although he's not the fighter he once was the 32 year old southpaw is still a very dangerous and will know that a win will open doors for him. Espinas on the other hand will be looking to bounce back from successive defeats and will know that another loss here will be hard to bounce back from. A very interesting match up One of the other notable bouts here will see Cris Alfante (17-7-1, 9) take on Mateo Handig (15-19, 9). The 27 year old Alfante has reeled off 3 straight stoppage wins since his last loss, to Ardin Diale, and despite his less than stellar record he is 6-1 since a June 2016 loss to Andrew Moloney. Handig is no push over, but with 3 straight losses, and only 3 wins since an upset loss over Katsunari Takayama back in 2012, he's not expected to be competitive here. In a more interesting bout on the same card we'll see the unbeaten Ranelio Quizo (6-0, 1) take on Ronel Dela Cruz (6-1-1, 4). The 21 year old Quizo is unbeaten since his debut in early 2018 but this is a step up in class for him. On the hand Dela Cruz is 1-1-1 in his last 3, but is certainly no push over, he was just unlucky to face April Jay Abne last time out in a Ultimate Boxing Series bout, with Abne winning the tournament this past August. This is a really, really match up. Negros Occidental, Philippines A second Filipino card is set to be headlined by a match up between will see the hard hitting, but technically flawed, Joepher Montano (10-5-2, 9) take on former OPBF title challenger Benjie Suganob (10-7-1, 5). Given that Suganob's biggest bout to date took place at 122lbs it's hard to see what he has to offer at 140lbs, the weight for this bout. Yanggu, South Korea Another Asian card will take place in South Korea, and this is another less than great card. The main event will see unbeaten Korean fighter Hye Soo Park (5-8-1, 1) take on Chinese visitor Jinyan Gao (2-1) in a bout for the WIBA Super Flyweight title. The Korean took the bout on short notice, after the unbeaten Soo Rin Kim was forced to pull out of the bout with around 10 days notice due to a back issue, and is likely to be too small for the naturally bigger Chinese fighter. A second title fight will see Yong Hwan Jun (5-4-1, 2) make his first defense of the KBM Welterweight title, as he takes on Hae Myung Jung (3-1-1, 1). Jun won the title last time out, when he defeated Dong Young Kang over 10 rounds, but didn't really blow anyone away with his performance. The challenge was actually held to a draw last time out, when he failed to get past Gi Won Shin. This should be competitive, but it's hard to get too excited about the contest, and it showed how much the Korean scene needs to work together to have a decent domestic title picture. New South Wales, Australia At the East Cessnock Bowling Club in New South Wales we see two Indian fighters in action. One of those Indian fighters is the unbeaten Sagar Narwat (9-0-1, 3), who takes on fellow unbeaten fighter Troy O'Meley (9-0, 2) in a good looking bout, but one that perhaps isn't as interesting as it looks. Narwat began his career in the Philippines, but his last 6 bouts have been in India and have all been against very limited opposition. O'Meley has also faced mostly limited opposition, though he got through a bit of a gut check last time out when he was pushed hard in a 6 rounder against Isaac Buckley. This looks good, and may turn out to be good, but really both men have mostly padded their records. The other Indian on this card is Shivani Dahiya (1-1) who is up against it here, as she takes on Bianca Elmir (4-1, 3). On paper this doesn't look much of a mismatch, but Elmir ran Shannon O'Connell close just 2 fights ago and should have way too much for Dahiya here. New South Wales, Australia Also in Australia we'll see once beaten local Tyson Lantry (7-1, 3) take on Filipino visitor Rodynie Rafol (13-7-2, 6), on a separate show in New South Wales. This bout, for the lightly regarded WBF Asia Pacific Lightweight title, looks like a mismatch and we would be surprised by anything but a win for the local. Coming in Lantry has won his last 6, since a stoppage loss in his second pro-bout, whilst Rafol has lost 2 of his last 3, and has only had 1 win since 2015. Notably however Rafol's only recent win was an upset in Australia against James MacDonald, over a year ago. Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan The big focus this Saturday is in the Kazakh Capital of Nur-Sultan, where the country will be celebrating Capital City day. To celebrate the day MTK will be putting on a stacked card in the city with a world title fight main event, several interesting support bouts and a host of prospects. The main event will see WBC Bantamweight champion Nordine Oubaali (15-0, 11) defending his title, for the first time, as he takes on Filipino challenger Arthur Villanueva (32-3-1, 18). The talented French-Moroccan is a real talent, and he was one of the many top Bantamweights frozen out of the WBSS, but is getting on in age and won't remain the skilled boxer-puncher that he's looked for much longer. Despite being the older fighter Oubaali will be strongly favoured here against a challenger who has lost his 3 biggest bouts, and would need a career best performance to even come close against the Frenchman. Villanueva isn't a bad fighter, but his ability is more that of a gatekeeper than a true contender. A full preview of this bout is available here Villanueva takes on Oubaali for WBC Bantamweight crown In the main supporting bout we'll see unbeaten Kazakh Zhankosh Turarov (23-0, 16) take on Mauro Maximiliano Godoy (31-4-1, 16) in a bout for the WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight title. The unbeaten Turarov returned to the ring in June after almost 21 months out of the ring, and took a really disappointing win over Richmond Djarbeng, who sat in his corner complaining of stomach cramps after the second round. Godoy should prove to be a good test for Turarov, but the Argentinian has lost 3 of his last 7 and may be on the slide from the fighter he once was. Still this is easily Turarov's best test on paper, so far. Another notable supporting bout will see the unbeaten Viktor Kotochigov (9-0, 4) taking on Jairo Lopez (24-10, 16), who was once regarded as a fringe contender. On paper this is a step up for the unbeaten Kazakh but Lopez is 3-4 in his last 7 and has been stopped in 3 of those 4 losses. This should be easier than it looks on paper for Kotochigov. This card will b stacked with other Kazakh prospects, as MTK go all out to put on a show for local fans with Kazakh talent. Among the prospects are Ali Baloyev (8-0, 7), Sultan Zaurbek (7-0, 5), Nurtas Azhbenov (5-0, 1), Abay Tolesh (2-0, 2) and Abilkhaiyr Shegaliyev (5-0, 4), who are in relatively easily here and won't face too much of a test as they continue to build their careers and move towards bigger bouts. Tokyo, Japan As well as the Kazakh show there is also a notable card in Tokyo thanks to Teiken. This card is a really interesting one, with a notable name in the main event, a really good chief support bout, and a host of notable prospects The main event will see Kenichi Ogawa (23-1-0-1, 17) take on limited Filipino visitor Glenn Medura (10-5-1, 6) in what will be little more than a stay busy bout for Ogawa. Originally the Japanese puncher was scheduled to have an IBF world title eliminator eliminator with South African Azinga Fuzile (14-0, 8), but Fuzile failed to secure a visa in time for the bout leading to Medura, who is 0-4 in Japan, getting the bout. We don't see this going very long at all. A much better Japan Vs Philippines bout will see Shuya Masaki (12-1, 5) take on Al Toyogon (10-3-1, 6) in an excellent match up. The once beaten Masaki, who's only loss came to Hironori Mishiro, hasn't really shined as Teiken would have wished and this is a long way from a gimme. Masaki is talented, but really needs to get prove he can put on good performances, something we don't really see from him with any consistency. Toyogon on the other hand is looking to bounce back from a recent loss to Ryo Sagawa, and will be coming into this out with a point to prove. A very interesting bout contest. One of the other main supporting bouts will be a Welterweight bout between Masaya Tamayama (12-1, 6) and Riku Nagahama (9-2-1, 4), with both men wanting to tak a big step towards a potential Japanese title fight in the near future. Nagahama is looking to secure a second win since his TKO loss last year to Yuki Nagano, who has since gone on to win the Japanese title, whilst Tamayama is looking for a 9th straight win, and a chance to take a huge step towards a big bout. Among the other supporting bouts we will see Japanese Super Flyweight prospect Hayate Kaji (12-0, 9) take on Japanese based Filipino veteran Rey Orais (20-18-2, 5), in what looks to be a chance for Kaji to take a huge step towards a Japanese title fight. It feels like Kaji has been on the verge of a break out fight for a while and whilst this isn't going to be it, it seems like a win and his next one will be his long awaited break out bout. For Orais questions should be asked why he's continuing to fight, rather than focus more on the training role he has at the Flare Yamagami gym. Lower down on this card we'll see two more touted Japanese prospects both take big steps up in class against Filipino foes. One of those is the fantastic Mikito Nakano (2-0, 2), who takes on Arvin Yurong (12-2, 3) in a genuinely good test. Nakano looks like he has the ability to move through the rankings quickly, and could fight for a title as early as late 2020, and Yurong is a very under-rated young fighter who should force answers from Nakano. The other is Kuntae Lee (1-0, 1), who's debut saw him look fantastic against an opponent who didn't want to be there. Here Lee takes on unbeaten Filipino Marlon Paniamogan (9-0-1, 5) in what should be a much, much better match up. Sadly not much is known about the visitor, so it's unclear what type of a test he will actually pose for the very talented Lee. Cebu, Philippines A smaller show takes place in the Phillipines where we see a few interesting Filipino fighters in action with a really good main event. The main event will see the unbeaten Mark Vicelles (10-0-1, 5) take on the once touted Jesse Espinas (19-3, 11). The 23 year old Vicelles isn't well known but comes into this on the back of an excellent win over Robert Onggocan, and this is a logical step up in class. As for Espinas this is a slight step backwards, but is one that makes sense given he was beaten last time out in an OPBF title bout against Edward Heno. A very interesting match up, and rightfully the main event of the card. In a good supporting bout Ponciano Remandiman (10-4-1, 5) and Prince Andrew Laurio (10-2-1, 7) will face off for the Philippines Visayas Professional Boxing Association Super Flyweight title. The 22 year old Remandiman has turned around a 2-4-1 start with 8 straight wins and has great momentum coming into this bout, as well as a good win last time out against Renz Rosia. Interestingly Lauio's career is going in the opposite direction, and he is 2-2-1 in his last 5, with stoppage losses in his last 2 bouts. His early potential appears to have been massively over-hyped and he is now really faltering. One other bout of note here will see the one beaten Tomjune Mangubat (10-1-1, 9) take on Joffrey Garcia (6-10-4, 5), in what should be another straight forward win for Mangubat. Tokyo, Japan The 2018 Rookie of the Year comes to an end this coming Monday as the East Japan and West Japan representatives face off in the All Japan final. The competition isn't a prestigious as the WBSS, for example, but is a major launchpad for Japanese novices, many of whom go on to make a mark in the years that follow a Rookie of the Year triumph, such as Masayuki Ito. As with the regional finals we won't go through the whole show with a break down but we will look at some selected bouts. The Light Flyweight bout will see East Japan champion Daiki Kameyama (6-2-1, 2) take on the unbeaten Tetsuya Mimura (6-0), who was crowned the West Japan champion. This bout isn't expected to be the most explosive, with just 2 stoppages among their 15 career bouts, but should be a hotly contested one, with a lot of skills on show. Also, given that both are in their early 20's, the winner here will have a lot of time to develop and move into bigger fights down the line. On paper one of the best bouts is the Super Bantamweight clash between Koki Mioya (5-1-1) and Hiroki Hanabusa (5-0-1, 2). Again both men have similar looking records, a lack of power and both are in their earlier 20's. The Super Bantamweight division is currently one of the most stacked in Japan and we don't expect to see either of these two being fast tracked following the Rookie tournament, but to see them in the mix with Japanese ranked fighters over the coming years will certainly be something to keep an eye on. Probably the best match up is at Featherweight, as East Japan and West Japan MVP's collide. The East Japan representative is the unbeaten 22 year old Hikari Mineta (5-0, 3), who debuted in October 2017 and has gone 4-0 (3) this year. From the West is the once beaten southpaw Yuri Takemoto (4-1-1, 3), who also debuted in 2017, but has come into his own this year, going 3-0 (2). This is the most mouth watering bout given the fighters records, performances in the regional finals, with both men stopping their opponents. Interestingly the Middleweight final pits unbeaten fighters against each other, with Nath Nwachukwu (3-0-1, 1) taking on Kazuki Kyohara (3-0, 2). Given how relatively thin the Japanese scene is at Middleweight we do tend to see the All-Japanese Rookie of the Year at 160lbs move into title contention quite quickly, with 2017 Rookie of the Year winner Shuji Kato now lined up for a national title fight in 2019. It does need saying however that Nwachukwu and Kyohara aren't likely to be moved that aggressively over the coming 12 months. Agusan del Norte, Philippines We're set to have a small card in the Philippines. The most notable bout on the card appears to be a bout between Angelito Merin (9-9-3, 3) and Holly Quinones (3-10-1, 1). Given this is the main event of the card it shows how low key the show is, even if it is the final Filipino card before Christmas Moscow, Russia As well as the Rookie of the Year action in Japan there is also a bout of note in Russia, as Kazakh Nursultan Zhangabayev (5-0, 4) faces off with experienced Filipino Arnel Tinampay (25-22-1, 11) in a bout for a WBC regional title. On paper this looks like a mismatch, but the Filipino has never been stopped and has scored more than his share of upsets, especially against Japanese fighters. Zhangabayev is a very good prospect, but this is by far his stiffest test to date. Zhangabayev isn't the only Kazakh on this card. Another, in a title bout, is Aidos Yerbossynuly (9-0, 7), who will be taking on Belgian national champion Ilias Achergui (12-3-1, 6) for a minor WBO title. This looks a decent bout on paper, though in reality it's a huge step up in class for Achergui, who has never fought anyone with the quality of Yerbossybuly. In a supporting bout the Kyrgyzstan born Kazakh Ali Baloyev (7-0, 6) will battle Ecuadorian Jean Carlos Mina (6-1, 2) in a bout we suspect will be very competitive. Baloyev will be favoured, but Mina is no push over and he could give the Kazakh puncher some real questions to answer here. Also announced for this show is debutant Konstantin Brusensky (0-0), though his opponent isn't currently known. Florida, USA This coming Saturday our attention turns to the US as we get the chance to see a Japanese fighter compete for the WBO Super Featherweight title in Florida. The match up in question will see former OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific Super Featherweight champion Masayuki Ito (23-1-1, 12) take on the unbeaten Christopher Diaz (23-0, 15) in what looks like an excellent match up to fill the void left when Vasyl Lomachenko moved up in weight. The 27 year old Ito has been waiting a while for a shot at a world title, and although his last couple of fights have been stay busy contests he does hold good wins against the likes of Shinto Eto, Takuya Watanabe and Lorenzo Villanueva. This will however by Ito's first bout outside of Japan. At 23 years old Diaz is the younger fighter and also the bigger puncher but his competition has been slightly softer than that of Ito and he's yet to prove he can go 10 rounds, something that Ito has done in the past. This really could be one of the highlights of the month. Kentucky, USA Another title bout Stateside of note will take place in Kentucky, as Uzbek born Russian based Batyr Akhmedov (4-0, 3) defends his WBA Inter-Continental Light Welterweight title against the heavy handed Ismael Barroso (20-2-2, 19). This is another tough test, on paper at least, for Akhmedov but he has shone since making his debut in February 2017 and looks like one of the most exciting prospects in world boxing. Barroso was highly touted a few years ago, and claimed the WBA "interim" Lightweight title with a win over Kevin Mitchell. Since then however he has gone 1-2 and is an old 35 year old. Texas, USA Staying in the US there will also be a couple of bouts of note in Texas. One of those will see Kyrgyzstan born Kazakh fighter Ali Baloyev (5-0, 4) battle against American foe Richard Urquizo (3-4-2, 1) for the lightly regarded NABF Junior Cruiserweight title. It's hard to imagine anything but a Baloyev win here, especially given his power and 3 stoppage losses that Urquizo has suffered in his 4 losses. Another Kazakh in action on this show is Askhat Zhantursynov (0-0), who will be making his debut against American Michael Coronado (1-1-1). Hard to say too much about this bout, but we have been informed that Zhantursynov was a former kick boxer and could end up being the next guy to switch codes with some genuine success. |
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