The fight will see Japanese champion Kyotaro Fujimoto (8-1, 5) fighting against blown up Light Middleweight Nobuhiro Ishida (25-9-2, 10). The fight, an 8 rounder, might be an all-Japanese contest yet it has managed to make headlines across the globe and we, like many other fans, can't wait to see the outcome of this very quirky and unusual match up.
Heavyweight action in Japan isn't something we tend to think about a great deal but this Wednesday sees a Japanese Heavyweight fight taking centre stage despite no title being on the line.
The fight will see Japanese champion Kyotaro Fujimoto (8-1, 5) fighting against blown up Light Middleweight Nobuhiro Ishida (25-9-2, 10). The fight, an 8 rounder, might be an all-Japanese contest yet it has managed to make headlines across the globe and we, like many other fans, can't wait to see the outcome of this very quirky and unusual match up.
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Heavyweight fights in Asia are rare, we all know that, though just days after Andy Ruiz Jr defeat Tor Hamer in Macau the division again in the spotlight in the East as Japanese Heavyweight champion Kyotaro Fujimoto (7-1, 5) makes the first defense of his title.
The 27 year old Kyotaro, just the second ever Japanese Heavyweight champion, will be facing the more experienced Kotatsu Takehara (9-8-3, 4). Although Takehara's record is average at best he has faced the more notable opponents having shared a ring with Alex Leapai, Magomed Abdusalamov and Lucas Browne. This experience may well serve Takehara well going in to this bout, though Kyotaro will still be favoured in what looks to be nothing short of a boxing "oddity". The start of a long weekend in the Heavyweight division kicks off with 3 very interesting bouts spread through the Pacific.
The most notable bout of the day takes place in Japan on a card dubbed "Kamikaze 2" as Kyotaro Fujimoto (6-1, 4) takes on former WBC Heavyweight title contender Okello Peter (21-6, 19). This bout may not scream "major bout" on paper but it's set to be the first Japanese Heavyweight title fight in well over 50 years. Due to the historical aspect of this fight we've previewed it in detail here sadly however it won't be televised live, instead it will be shown on tape delay around 3AM local time Saturday morning thanks to TBS. On the same show as the historic Japanese title fight there's a second Heavyweight contest as Rio Hidaka (10-1, 8) looks to bounce back from his sole loss. Hidaka will be facing Masataka Takehara (7-8-3, 3) who has won just one of his last 9 contests. Interestingly Takehara was blasted out in a round by Lucas Browne last time out... ...which nicely segues into the final bout as Australian banger Lucas Browne (16-0, 14) takes on American Travis Walker (39-10-1, 31). Originally Browne was supposed to face Englishman Richard Towers though unfortunately Towers was prevented from setting foot on Australia due to his criminal past, quite ironic we know. As a result of the unbeaten Towers being unable to fight we actually think we've ended up with a better bout. Walker, although no world title challenger himself, is an entertaining fighter who can be involved in some genuine tear ups and is acually known to Australian fans due to his controversial bout with Alex Leapai and his victory over Kali Meehan. Due to the power and experience of Walker we think this will be a very tough one for "Big Daddy" Browne against a man they call "The Freight Train". |