Weekly Asian Boxing Results (December 1st To December 7th)
(Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
This past week has been an explosive and interesting one, with great action, some disappointment and some really clinical work at times. This was a strong week for fans of the Asian scene
December 2nd-
Koki Inoue (15-0, 12) KO7 Jheritz Chavez (9-4-2, 7)
Naoya Inoue's cousin Koki Inoue successfully claimed the WBO Asia Pacific title at 140lbs as he stopped rugged hitting Filipino Jheritz Chavez in 7 rounds. Chavez had given Inoue's former amateur rival, Rikki Naito, fits last year and although the Filipino was competitive at times, an Inoue counter at the very end of round 7 left Chavez being counted out whilst getting to his feet. Although not a clean KO this was one of the best shots of the weekend. A real beauty from Inoue.
Taku Kuwahara (7-0, 4) UD8 Ricardo Sueno (10-4-4, 3)
Talented Japanese Flyweight Taku Kuwahara notched his 5th win in the space of a year as he dominated Filipino journeyman Ricardo Sueno. Credit needs to go to Sueno for lasting the distance, but he was rarely competitive, and failed to take a round on 2 of the scorecards, with the third judge seemingly giving him a sympathy round more than anything. Big things are expected from Kuwhara in 2020 and I suspect he'll be in a title fight, of some kind, by the summer.
Ryo Matsumoto (23-3, 21) TKO4 Jinya Ito (8-6-1, 3)
Former world title challenger Ryo Matsumoto continued his rebuilding process, after 2 losses last year, with his second straight win. He was matched relatively softly here, and whilst Ito, who had beaten Matsumoto's stable mate Sho Nakazawa, put up a brave effort the bout was always looking like a foregone conclusion. It's hard to really know how far Matsumoto can go, but at 25 years old it would be foolish to write him off. As for Ito 2020 could be an interesting year domestically for him, despite this being his third loss in 4 bouts
Mark Antonio (6-0, 6) KO3 Arlon Batingal (8-11, 4)
Filipino prospect Mark Antonio scored his second win of the year, following almost 2 years of inactivity, as he stopped Arlon Batingal. The 22 year old Antonio is a real talent, but needs to be kept active now. This bout was never going to be a test for him, and instead of facing testing opponents he just needs to be active. One more easy fight in 2020 should then be followed by a good step up for a man who turned professional with high expectations on his shoulders.
December 6th-
Hamzah Farouk (10-0, 7) KO4 Reynold Kundimang (8-2-3, 2)
Singaporean fighter Hamzah Farouk netted the biggest win of his career, and the OPBF "silver" Super Featherweight title with a 4th round KO win over Indonesian teenager Reynold Kundimang. This had been very hotly contested in the first 3 rounds, but a series of right hands dropped the Indonesian teen for the count. Despite the win for Farouk I'm personally more interested in seeing where Kundimang goes from here, as it appears there is talent there, and if he can link up with a good team he could make a mark on the regional scene in the years to come.
Issei Ochiai (2-0, 1) TKO3 Kazunori Takai (6-6-3, 3)
Japanese youngster Issei Ochiai, a prospect managed by former world champion Celes Kobayashi, netted the Celes Gym the first of two noteworthy wins this week. The talented youngster, who was a former amateur standout before making his debut earlier this year, took out limited domestic foe Kazunori Takai, who has now failed to score a win in 5 fight. Ochiai is expected to be one to watch in the coming years and given he has a very notable stable mate, more about him later, there is certainly some one to look up to for the youngster.
December 7th-
Joe Noynay (18-2-2, 7) TD (D5) Kenichi Ogawa (24-1-1-1, 18)
I expected a brilliant fight between Joe Noynay, the WBO Asia Pacific Super Featherweight champion, and Kenichi Ogawa, best known for his bout with Tevin Farmer. Sadly we ended up with a bout marred by head clashes and cuts. By the time we got the end of round 3 the bout should have been stopped, due to a nasty vertical cut on Ogawa, but the bout went on until being stopped in round 5 due to cuts to Noynay. Between Ogawa suffering his cut and the bout being stopped we had seen 2 more horrific head clashes in a bout that never had the chance to get going.
Kosuke Saka (20-5, 17) TKO6 Masaru Sueyoshi (19-2-1, 11)
In a genuine shocker Kosuke Saka, who had been stopped in 2 rounds by Joe Noynay earlier this year, steam rolled Masaru Sueyoshi to become the new Japanese Super Featherweight champion. Saka, who has been hot and cold at times, who on point through out, pressuring Sueyoshi hard and refusing to give the trick Teiken man any space to work in. Sueyoshi took his lumps through the first 5 rounds whilst trying to fight back but a knockdown in round 6 left the referee with no option but to call a halt to the bout. With the win Saka becomes a 2-weight Japanese national champion.
Kimika Miyoshi (15-12-1, 6) TKO6 Aira Midorikawa (5-1, 1)
Former female world title challenger Kimika Miyoshi relied on her experience and accurate punching to break down the previously unbeaten Aira Midorikawa, to retain the Japanese female Featherweight title. This was Miyoshi's first defense since winning the belt in September with a split decision win over Miki Mitsuda.
Mahammadrasul Majidov (2-0, 2) TKO2 Tom Little (10-8, 3)
Big hitting Azeri Heavyweight did what he needed to do in Saudi Arabia to stop Englishman Tom Little. This wasn't a mind blowing performance by Majidov, though it didn't need to be and the former amateur standout never needed to get out of second gear. He dropped Little early in round two, before wobbling him and forcing the referee to jump in later that same round. The reality now is that Majidov, at 33, will have to have a rocket strapped to his back, and fights like this aren't needed for the former amateur standout..
Sadriddin Akhmedov (11-0, 10) KO7 Jose Antonio Villalobos (12-6-2, 7)
Man what a prospect Sadriddin Akhmedov is! The Kazakh toyed with Argentina's Jose Antonio Villalobos through much of the first 6 rounds of their clash on Saturday night before taking him out with a huge right hand in round 7. If this kid isn't on your radar yet he will be soon. The hard hitting Light Middleweight is only 21 but is quickly proving to be one of the best prospects in the sport and this was his 5th win this year. Whilst Villalobos was never going to be a test this was still a solid performance topped off with a brutal KO by a man who is expected to be a massive star.
Ryosuke Iwasa (27-3, 17) TKO11 Marlon Tapales (33-3, 16)
Japanese Ryosuke Iwasa, a stable mate of Issei Ochiai, claimed the IBF "interim" Super Bantamweight title by stopping former WBO Bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales. Prior to this bout Iwasa had never looked good against fellow southpaws but here he dominated Tapales, dropping him early and then putting him down again in round 11. Tapales did beat the count but was wobbling around and gave the referee little option but wave off the fight. Although Iwasa has been inconsistent though his career this was a fantastic performance and one of the best of his career. If he fights like this when he fights for the full title, at some point in 2020, there's no reason he can't become a 2-time champion.
Jerwin Ancajas (32-1-2, 22) TKO6 Miguel Gonzalez (31-3, 8)
The forgettable reign of IBF Super Flyweight world champion Jerwin Ancajas continued as he stopped limited Chilean battler Miguel Gonzalez. Gonzalez has previously lost in his two bouts at fringe world and looked out of his depth here. While he was game, and gave a brave effort, he never looked like a test for Ancajas, who is sadly testing everyone’s patience. For a fighter with his ability Ancajas should be fighting world class fighters but Top Rank seem to be guiding him on the path of least resistance.