Weekly Asian boxing results (October 6th to October 12th)
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Another week has passed us by, and we've had a lot of action this past week, with a number of mid-week fights to go along with what was on at the weekend. The week only had 1 world level bout, but it had a lot of regional title action and several notable upsets in what was a solid overall week for those who follow Asian fighters.
Sunday October 6th
Cavite, Philippines
Alphoe Dagayloan (14-3-5, 5) UD8 Lyster Jun Pronco (9-20-2, 6)
Under-rated Filipino Alphoe Dagayloan bounced back from a close loss to touted Japanese prospect Ryota Yamauchi as he took a decision over domestic journeyman Lyster Jun Pronco. The 27 year old Dagayloan is a genuine prospect and his recent run of competition has been tough, with his last 5 opponents having just 3 losses between, so it's hard to complain about him having an easy one here.
Kochi, Japan
Yuri Takemoto (8-1-1, 4) TD6 Yoshiyuki Takabayashi (9-11-1, 4)
Talented Japanese fighter Yuri Takemoto was given a stern test here, being dropped in round 2 before battling back to take a win over the over-looked Yoshiyuki Takabayashi. A clash of heads left Takabayashi cut and a an inspection in round 6 saw the bout being stopped. Despite the knockdown Takemoto did box well and was deserving of the win, with all 3 judges scoring the bout identically, 58-55. There will be bigger tests for the youngster in the future, but recovering from the knockdown should in still some more confidence in him going forward.
October 9th
Cheonan, South Korea
Rikki Naito (22-2, 7) UD12 Gyu Beom Jeon (9-4-1, 4)
Second generation Korean Rikki Naito extended his OPBF reign as he out pointed Korean foe Gyu Beom Jeon. The bout had been scheduled for much earlier in the year but was delayed numerous times, causing Naito to be out of the ring for around a year, despite that he was too sharp, too smart and too good for Jeon who really struggled cope with the southpaw stance of Naito. To his credit Jeon showed his toughness and made a go of it, but was well down on the score cards before he finally managed to have sustained success in the championship rounds.
October 10th
Tokyo, Japan
Shuichiro Yoshino (11-0, 9) TKO1 Harmonito Dela Torre (20-3, 12)
The unbeaten Shuichiro Yoshino became a triple crown winner as he added the OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific Lightweight titles to his Japanese Lightweight title thanks to a quick win over Filipino Harmonito Dela Torre. On paper this looked a really good match up, and Dela Torre took the fight to Yoshino from the opening seconds. That proved to be a mistake though and a counter from Yoshino dropped the Filipino hard and the bout was waved off after just over 2 minutes into the contest.
Yuto Takahashi (11-4, 5) MD10 Kenichi Horikawa (40-16-1, 13)
In a notable upset 26 year old Yuto Takahashi claimed the Japanese Minimumweight title, out pointing veteran Kenichi Horikawa over 10 rounds. This was hotly contested through out, but Takahashi's speed and youth paid dividends over the 39 year old Horikawa, who was looking to make his second defense. Interesting this bout came around in odd circumstances, as both men had recently other bouts, before cancellations lead to this match up, with Takahashi originally planning a bout against Horikawa's stable mate Norihito Tanaka before Tanaka was injured. A rematch in 2020 would be interesting though it wouldn't be a surprise to see Horikawa finally hang them up after a very solid career.
Shinba Yamaguchi (1-0, 1) TKO1 Buncha Natheekeereekan (1-3)
Youngster Shinba Yamaguchi, the son of former world champion Keiji Yamaguchi, made his debut with a blow out win against Thai visitor Buncha Natheekeereekan. Shinba's father was seen as a prodigy when he turned professional, and although he failed to reach the heights expected of him there is a feeling that Shinba maybe get a lot of attention of the coming years as he begins his professional journey.
October 11th
Tokyo, Japan
Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa (12-4-1, 11) TKO8 Koki Tyson (14-4-3, 12)
A collision of punchers saw Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa claim the previously vacant OPBF Middleweight title with a TKO win over Koki Tyson. These two had fought to a draw earlier in the year, and seemed very matched on paper. The competitiveness showed through the bout, but as tiredness set in Hosokawa seemed to have that bit more snap in his shots. It was that snap that left Tyson with grotesque swelling around his right eye and forced the stoppage. For those thinking Fabio Turchi's eye was bad against Tommy McCarthy, this one looked quite a bit worse. Following this bout Hosokawa's promoter revealed a deal had been struck for him to unify with unbeaten Japanese champion Kazuto Takesako in January.
Jhunriel Ramonal (16-8-6, 9) TKO3 Shingo Wake (26-6-2, 18)
The big shock of the week saw Filipino Jhunriel Ramonal knockout the world ranked Shingo Wake, avenging his 2013 loss to Wake. Coming in Wake looked set for a world title fight, and was ranked #2 by the WBC. Through 2 rounds he was in control, he had been out boxing Ramonal and left the Filipino cut. Ramonal however pressed forward, showing incredible will to win and dropped Wake twice in round 3, the second time being a huge knockdown, and the referee waved the action of. Whilst a trilogy seems possible right now it is actually very unclear what Wake's next move is, and retirement wouldn't be a big surprise.
Shin Ono (24-10-3, 6) UD8 Akira Kokubo (8-9-3, 2)
An action packed bout saw former world title challenger Shin Ono narrowly over-come upset minded foe Akira Kokubo. A knockdown in the middle rounds was the difference between the two men, with Ono winning by a single point on two of the cards. At the age of 36 and with his best years well behind him it's hard to know what Ono wants to achieve in the sport, and this may have been the feel good victory that he retires on, before he turns 37 in December.
October 12th
New South Wales, Australia
Rodynie Rafol (14-7-2, 7) TKO3 Tyson Lantry (7-2, 3)
A second upset in as many days by a Filipino saw the much unfancied Rodynie Rafol stop Tyson Lantry in Australia for a minor title. Rafol had fought just once in the last 50 months, an upset over James MacDonald, and this was expected to be a straight forward win for Lantry against a semi-retired and limited Filipino. Things didn't go as expected and Lantry was hurt in the first round, and never recovered before being saved in round 3.
Metro Manila, Philippines
Jesse Espinas (20-4, 11) UD10 Denver Cuello (35-6-6, 26)
In a genuinely awful fight Jesse Espinas over-came the once thrilling Denver Cuello. This bout, an IBO eliminator at Flyweight, saw Cuello look old and shot and Espinas look lazy and disinterested. The difference seemed to come down to energy late on, but there was very little to enjoy from this and it's a shame that Espinas is going to face Maximo Flores after this stinker of a fight.
Bang Phli, Thailand
Thanongsak Simsri (12-0, 11) UD6 Lerdchai Chaiyawed (2-4, 1)
Hard hitting Thai teenager Thanongsak Simsri found someone who could stand up to his power, but took the win with his first decision win. On paper this looked a mismatch but the reality is that Lerdchai Chaiyawed is one of the best guys to test a promising fighter in the lower weights. The 24 year old Lerdchai has never been stopped and holds a huge win over Samartlek Kokietgym. A really good test for Thanongsak and just what he needed, even if it did cost him his perfect KO streak.
Illinois, USA
Dmitry Bivol (17-0, 11) UD12 Lenin Castillo (20-3-1, 15)
The Espinas Vs Cuello bout was bad, but that was hidden away on a GAB stream, sadly the WBA Light Heavyweight bout between Dmitry Bivol and Lenin Castillo wasn't hidden away, instead it was on DAZN and Sky Sports and was another stinker. The talented Bivol controlled the fight from very early on, dropped Castillo in round 5, but showed no urgency and really just went through the motions against a tough but limited opponent. Sadly for Bivol this isn't the first time he has bored fans and if he's not careful he could find himself frozen out of good fights, much like other boring fighters like Demetrius Andrade. Bivol is clearly an excellent boxer, but he can't afford to join the "who needs him?" club at this point in his career.