Boxing

Sean said:

Friday 5th September -

Mick Conlan vs Jack Bateson
Looking forward to this one as its an interesting and intriguing match up as far as im concerned , Conlan (22 Fights - 19 Wins (10 KOs) - 3 Losses) is looking to remain relevant in the division after his losses to Jordan Gill and Luis Alberto Lopez going after world titles whilst Bateson (22 Fights - 20 Wins (6 KOs) - 1 Loss - 1 Draw) is out to make a statement against a proven fighter to announce that hes ready for the bigger names and i think it'll be a good bout to watch. Conlan comes into this after a points win over Asad Asif Khan earlier this year which was basically a routine win to get him back to winning ways after those two aforementioned losses whilst Bateson is having his first fight of the year , drawing his last bout with Danny Quartermaine after a clash of heads resulted in cuts to both fighters. Conlan is by far the more experienced fighter and has been fighting at a higher level than Bateson which i think will be in his favour , tbh hes only lost to people with a bit of oomph in their punches , although Gill aint known as a puncher he can still bang imho and his only other loss came to Leigh Wood. Bateson on the other hand is yet to face someone like Conlan the one time he stepped it up he lost and that was to Shabaz Masoud who stopped him in the twelfth round and he relies on his technical skills and ability rather than power. As i say Conlans experience against high class opponents will stand him in good stead here and i see him using his ability to control a fight and distance to his advantage , for me he has the better ring IQ and footwork and whilst i see Bateson making a decent fight of it i think Conlan can come through this and be declared the winner , im not hugely confident as Bateson has the skills and ability to outbox Conlan but i just see Conlan being too experienced for the Leeds fighter.
Mick Conlan To Win

Charlie Edwards vs Salvador Juarez
This ones for the vacant WBC International Super Flyweight title , Brit Charlie Edwards (23 Fights - 20 Wins (7 KOs) - 2 Losses - 1 Draw) comes into this after suffering only the second loss of his career against fellow Brit Andrew Cain , for the British and Commonwealth and WBC Silver Bantamweight titles , going down by split decision .. going back down to flyweight for this one and im in two minds whether thats a good thing or not for him tbh , i think so but him and his team must think it is and thats the main thing. His opponent is the Mexican Salvador Juarez (31 Fights - 20 Wins (4 KOs) - 9 Losses - 2 Draws) , beat the Japanese newcomer Ryusei Moriwaki when last seen back in December of last year , by a split decision , decent win that one tbh , before that he'd lost to the solid , fellow , Mexican Argi Cortes , stopping him in the eighth round. Juarez is a decent enough boxer , and like all Mexicans he'll be coming to win , but i feel that Edwards is just gonna be too skilful and too slick for him. Neither carry big power so im not expecting a stoppage in this one , though its boxing and as we all know anything can happen but i would definatley be leaning more towards it being decided by the judges , and looking at it i think Edwards comes away with the belt.
Charlie Edwards To Win

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Sean said:

Saturday 6th September

Mark Dickinson vs Troy Williamson
Mark Dickinson (9 Fights - 8 Wins (2 KOs) - 1 Loss) makes the first defense of his English Super Middleweight title against Darlingtons Troy Williamson (25 Fights - 20 Wins (14 KOs) - 4 Losses - 1 Draw) in what should be an entertaining match up. Dickinson took the title from Reece Farnhill in his last fight back in March of this year by a unanimous decision , good win that and he'll definatley be up for keeping hold of the belt .. sole loss on his resume came against Kazuto Takesako in a Japanese Prize Fighting competition held in Japan so not judging him too harshly on that one as in his other fights he's looked pretty solid imho , but for me this will definatley be his hardest fight to date , Williamson is alot more experienced and has been in against the likes of Caoimhin Agyarko , Josh Kelly , Harry Scarff and Ted Cheeseman so has been fighting at a higher level that Dickinson in his short career , and hes been in some proper wars over the years. Hasnt looked anywhere like his old self in recent bouts i gotta be honest , losing his last three .. Agyarko , Ishamel Davis and Jahi Tucker , all by decision. I think Williamson will give it his best but from what ive seen lately i think Dickinson will retain his title , probably by decision.
Mark Dickinson To Win

Pat McCormack vs Miguel Parra
The talented Pat McCormack (7 Fights - 7 Wins (5 KOs)) steps it up when he takes on the experienced Mexican Miguel Parra (31 Fights - 25 Wins (17 KOs) - 5 Losses - 1 Draw) , McCormack hasnt really fought alot since turning pro back in 2022 , had a solid amateur career winning golds at The Commonwealth Games , EU Championships , European Games and a silver in the Tokyo Olympics along with a whole host of other medals besides .. considering hes now 30 i would of thought me may be more active than he has been tbh but hes looked good in his seven bouts to date , stopped the decent Robbie Davies Jr in the sixth round last time , and he'll be looking for a statement win here. Parra as mentioned is alot more experienced in the pro ranks and is game and will come to fight , as all Mexicans do , has won his last two fights by stoppage after going down on points to Uzbek Shakhram Giyasov in a closely fought contest. Parra is a come forward type fighter and i think this will suit McCormack who , for me , is the better boxer , both can bang but id favour McCormack to be too good for Parra , to outwork him and possibly stop him from the mid rounds onwards , but i do think McCormack will win however he gets the job done.
Pat McCormack To Win

Eduardo Nunez vs Chris Diaz Velez
'Sugar' Nunez (29 Fights - 28 Wins (27 KOs) - 1 Loss) makes the first defence of his IBF Junior Lightweight title in his hometown against Chris Diaz Velez (35 Fights - 30 Wins (19 KOs) - 5 Losses) , should be a good fight while it lasts as i cant see past a Nunez stoppage in this one tbh. Nunez hasnt looked back since his UD loss to Hiram Gallardo back in 2018 stopping all of his 18 opponents since then which is an impressive feat i gotta say. Diaz-Velez is decent enough but everytime he has attempted to step up hes been beaten , and i see that being the case again here. Think theres a chance that Nunez will want to impress in front of his hometown fans so im gonna go for a stoppage win in this one , im thinking that it could be mid to late but wouldnt discount Nunez starting fast and trying to blitz Diaz quickly.
Eduardo Nunez To Win .. By Stoppage

Other Fights ..
Sandy Ryan vs Jade Grierson - Really cant see past a Sandy Ryan win here , shes been in against top opposition so far in her 11 fight career in Mikaela Mayer , Terri Harper and Jessica McCaskill , and though she lost her last two against Mayer she acquitted herself well and can be considered unlucky i think to not of won at least one of those bouts. Grierson is decent but this will be a massive step up for her and though she'll look to impress i think Ryan is gonna be too good for her.
Sandy Ryan To Win

Tiah Mai Ayton vs Lydie Blanc - Tiah Mai Ayton won her first pro bout convincingly by stoppage and i see this one going the very same way , think this girl could be summat special in the womans ranks and i cant see Blanc having anything that will hinder her progress in any way shape or form.
Tiah Mai Ayton To Win

Leo Atang vs Cristian Uwaka - Leo Atang is being laudered as a possible future heavyweight champ , after just one pro fight , altho he did have a solid amateur career .. stopped his opponent in the first round on pro debut and im fairly certain that this one will probably go the same way.
Leo Atang To Win

Adam Maca vs Fran Rodriguez - Maca won his pro debut and looks to make it two from two which he should do in all honesty , up against a 1-21 in Rodriguez , cant see his opponent causing him any problems , or shouldnt do , should be a straight forward win for Maca.
Adam Maca To Win

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Sean said:

Saturday 13th September

Lewis Crocker vs Paddy Donovan
Looking forward to this one , especially after the ending of their first fight with Donovan (15 Fights - 14 Wins (11 KOs) - 1 Loss) being disqualified after the referee having deemed that he hit Crocker (21 Fights - 21 Wins (11 KOs)) after the bell had sounded , gotta say that up til that point Donovan was well on top of things and looked to have Crockers number tbh and im finding it hard to see how Crocker could turn that around. For me Donovan is the better boxer and in the first fight it showed , he has faster hands , is more skillful and has the better ring IQ overall .. i think this time round if hes to stand any chance Crocker has to be more aggressive , he needs to double up on the jab rather than the single hard ones he was throwing in the first fight , go to the body and apply pressure from the off , make Donovan uncomfortable and take him away from his game plan .. can he do it ? I dunno , looking at the first fight id say that hes up against it in this rematch if im being honest .. as i said i think that Donovan is the better boxer and whilst i can see a path to victory for Crocker , i see Donovan breaking Crocker down and possibly stopping him from the mid rounds onwards.
Paddy Donovan To Win

Pat Brown vs Austine Nnamdi
Looking forward to seeing Pat Brown (3 Fights - 3 Wins (3 KOs)) out again , this will be his fourth fight since his debut back in March of this year so keeping busy and getting the rounds and experience in which is always good to see. Has looked decent enough in his three bouts so far but its early days yet and we'll learn more as we go along .. His opponent is Nigerian Austine Nnamdi (17 Fights - 12 Wins (10 KOs) - 5 Losses) , was on a five fight winning streak until he bumped into the useful New Zealander Floyd Masson who beat him by a unanimous decision , had a filler fight last time beating Brit Harry Matthews (Won 17 - Lost 100 - Draw 7) on points , basically just a confidence booster really but should be putting opponents like that away tbh .. Not really fought anyone of any note looking through his resume and i can only see Pat Brown continuing his winning streak here.
Pat Brown To Win

Christian Mbilli vs Lester Martinez
Looking forward to this one have to say as it has the potential to be a proper war , and potentially a better watch than the main event. Two unbeaten Super Middleweights , so someones 0 has to go , who will be looking to put themselves in line for a shot at the winner of Canelo and Crawford .. Mbilli (29 Fights - 29 Wins (24 KOs)) won the vacant WBC Interim Super Middleweight Title when last seen in June of this year , stopping the tough and durable Maciej Sulecki in the first round , before that he'd gone the distance with the decent Sergiy Derevyanchenko , winning by unanimous decision , that was a solid win over a tried and tested performer whose losses have come to the likes of Daniel Jacobs , Gennady Golovkin , Jermall Charlo , Carlos Adames and Jaime Munguia .. Martinez (19 Fights - 19 Wins (16 KOs)) hasnt really faced anyone of the level of Mbillis' recent opponents but his last two wins have come over decent enough opposition in Joeshon James and ex IBO Super Middleweight title holder Carlos Gongara (Mbilli had also fought Gongara a year earlier , both winning by UD) .. Both carry power and can bang , as is self evident from their records , but i'd say that Martinez is more explosive and carries the better one punch power whereas Mbilli tends to come at his opponent and throw relentlessly , swarming his opponent .. Martinez has a sledgehammer jab and i think has the better movement and boxing skills (from the little ive seen of him) .. Mbilli will be on the front foot from the first bell looking to drown Martinez i think , but from what ive seen Martinez is calm and composed , and picks his shots well so i expect him to be able to handle that as he can box on the front or the back foot .. its a difficult one to call if im being honest , i like both fighters and can see both of them having their successes in the fight but im edging towards Martinez for the win as Mbilli often leaves himself open and isnt the best defensively and i can see Martinez catching him on the way in (can also see Mbilli catching and hurting Martinez as well especially if he can trap him on the ropes) .. not massively confident about this but siding with the slight underdog .. just as an interesting snippet Martinez is one of Terence Crawfords main sparring partners and has been since 2022.
Lester Martinez To Win

Callum Walsh vs Fernando Vargas Jr
Quite looking forward to this one , I rate Walsh (14 Fights - 14 Wins (11 KOs) who left his native Ireland for the sunnier climbs of California to train with the legendary Freddy Roach and have been impressed by him so far but then hes only faced low level opponents so far tbh although he has begun to step it up in recent outings , beat Elias Espadas last time , before that he stopped Scotsman Dean Sutherland in the first round and in his fight before that stopped the Pole Przemyslaw Runowski in the second round , good solid display that and he become the first person to stop Runowski. Has a good amateur background and has started well in the pro ranks. Vargas Jr (17 Fights - 17 Wins (15 KOs)) has also been impressive in his career so far , stopped the half decent Gonzalo Gaston Coria last time in his first fight of the year , fought three times last year , stopping two of his opponents within the distance .. comes from a family steeped in boxing with his dad (and trainer) Fernando Vargas Sr being a world champion and facing the likes of Oscar De La Hoya , Felix Trinidad and Shane Mosley amongst others and his two brothers are also unbeaten in the pro ranks (Emiliano looks as though he could be a bit special tbh). Both southpaws and both carry some decent pop in their shots .. should be an entertaining fight i think as both will want to make their mark and look to push themselves up the rankings , but for me Walsh has the better skillset and ring IQ , he'll look to start fast and overwhelm Vargas Jr , imposing himself and taking the fight to him , Vargas Jr is extremely fast with his hands and has good movement so hes gonna be using those to try and stay out of trouble and its gonna be interesting to see how he deals with Walshs' aggressive style. As i said i think this one should be a good watch , coming down on the side of Walsh as i think hes the better boxer , plain and simple.
Callum Walsh To Win

Serhii Bohachuk vs Brandon Adames
Intriguing rematch this one , when they first met back in 2021 Adames (29 Fights - 25 Wins (16 KOs) - 4 Losses) stopped Bohachuk (28 Fights - 26 Wins (16 KOs) - 2 Losses) in the eighth round but i think Bohachuk has improved since then and i feel that things could be different this time around. For me Bohachuk was winning the first fight when he was caught and stopped , as i say i think hes improved alot since then and i feel that hes not gonna be taking as many risks as he did back then , by his admission he thought he was unbeatable and that that loss helped him change his mindset and his training so i think Adames will be facing a totally different Bohachuk here. Adames lost a split decision to the unbeaten Greek fighter Andreas Katzourakis when last seen back in November 2024 , has only had two other fights since the Bohachuk win and he won both of those whilst Bohachuk beat Mykal Fox last time by UD , before that he beat the British fighter Ishmael Davis by a sixth round stoppage .. suffered the second loss of his career before that bout losing to Vergil Ortiz Jr by a majority decision , a great close fight that one and one i thought Bohachuk won personally .. As i say i think Bohachuk has improved since their first meeting and its difficult to comment on Adames as hes only had the three fights since then , i feel that Bohachuk is better at managing range now , and more importantly hes much more defensively responsible. I wouldnt write Adames off totally but i think Bohachuk can avenge his loss in this one and come out on top.
Serhii Bohachuk To Win

Ivan Dychko vs Jermaine Franklin
Not a bad fight this one and should be an interesting one with both boxers looking for a statement win to boost their name .. Franklin (25 Fights - 23 Wins (15 KOs) - 2 Losses) is a name that should be familiar to British fight fans , his only two losses have come against British fighters in the form of Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte (2023 and 2022 respectively) , gotta be honest i think he won the Whyte fight .. has put those losses behind him and won his two fights since , the last one being a sixth stoppage of the decent Devin Vargas back in November of last year , although in all honesty cant read to much into that one as Vargas , though a decent fighter , is now 42/43 years old and way past his best. Dychko has long been touted as a potential heavyweight champion , has an impeccable amateur career , bronze medals in two summer Olympics , medals in the World Amateur Championships , Asian Games etc etc .. and ended the amateurs with a record of 181 wins and 18 losses , three of those losses came against Joe Joyce , Anthony Joshua and Tony Yoka who should be familiar names to all. Has stopped 14 of his 15 opponents so far in the pro ranks but for me has been plodding along (badly managed i think) , and at 35 years old i kinda feel that any chance of him setting the heavyweight division alight has been and gone , could be wrong though. One fight so far this year in which he stopped Sam Crossed in the first round , in fact as yet to see past the third round in any of his fights bar one where he went the distance against Kevin Espindola , which was a bit of a shock as hes basically nothing more than a journeyman tbh. Dychko at 6'9 towers above the 6'2 Franklin and has a healthy reach adantage , but i think this will be his toughest test to date as Franklin has been in with proven heavyweights and come out unscathed ,the biggest negative i can see for Franklin is his inactivity his last fight was back in May of last year , and obviously theres the height to deal with , Franklin is a sound boxer with good fundamentals but im struggling to see him landing with any effect on Dychko .. has a solid chin , never been stopped but im fairly certain that this is gonna be tested against Dychko who will be looking to stop him. Tough one to call tbh , the bookies have Dychko as a slight favourite at 10/11 with Franklin at EV which shows how close a call it is .. Franklin has quick hands and brings decent pressure but i see Dychko keeping him at bay with his lead hand , not confident but im gonna go with Dychko.
Ivan Dychko To Win

Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford
Gotta be honest and say not looking forward to this one , well i am but im not lol , as theres so many ifs , buts and maybes to take into consideration its making it really difficult to come to a decision either way. Crawford (41 Fights - 41 Wins (31 KOs)) makes the two division jump to take on Canelo (67 Fights - 63 Wins (39 KOs) - 2 Losses - 2 Draws) for all the baubles and as good as they both are i have a feeling that the actual fight wont live up to all the hype , obviously i hope it does though. Alots been made of the way Crawford took Spence Jr apart , and as good as it was i have to say that Spence looked a shadow of his former self so for me that win werent as good as some make it out to be , and last time out he barely scraped past Israil Madrimov , who i think would of won had he been more aggressive during the fight. That was at Super Welterweight and tbh i dont think he looked that good , and going up further weight against someone like Canelo whose comfortable at the weight makes me think its possible he could struggle , but hes a consumate professional so im expecting him to bring his best to the ring , and give it his best shot. Canelo seems to be past his best , hasnt really impressed against recent opposition imho , a few years back he'd of been stopping the likes of John Ryder , Jaime Munguia , Edgar Berlanga , William Scull .. hes knocked a few down but has failed to stop any of them , infact the last time he stopped someone was back in 2021 when he TKO'd Caleb Plant in the eleventh round. I believe in the old saying that theres weight classes for a reason , and my head is telling me that this is gonna be the case here .. technically speaking Crawford is moving up three classes for this , had one fight at 154 and goes up another two for this one and thats a damn lot when your facing someone like Canelo lets be honest , and hes not gonna be weight drained either hes gonna be a fully hydrated 168lb .. Theres pluses and minuses on both sides obviously , and i really am finding it hard to gauge how this one pans out and am not confident about whoever i pick if im being totally honest. I think Crawford is by far the better boxer of the two , and hes slick and fast but those two attributes werent so evident last time against Madrimov i gotta be honest , and that makes me question how his skillset and speed are gonna transfer to the higher weight .. Power wise , as ive said i think Canelos power is on the wain and doesnt seem anything like it was , whilst im having problems seeing how Crawfords power troubles Canelo , as i feel he'll need some pop to gain Canelos respect , Canelo probably has the best chin in boxing , hes never been dropped let alone stopped and i really cant see Crawford having enough to do either of those things , although stranger things have happened lets be honest. Id say that Crawfords not a power puncher anyway , his punches are more erosive , wearing his opponents down until theres nothing left and he can pick them apart. I do think that Crawford , as this point in both their careers has the better finishing instinct , if he hurts his opponent he'll go for the finish whereas Canelo , of late , seems to have lost that instinct , drops his opponent but doesnt really seem to follow up. I havent forgotten either that Canelo has been picking and choosing opponents especially since the Bivol loss , where he was totally outboxed , and for me definatley lost the first fight against Golovkin , and its in my mind that hes struggled against quality boxers in the past but again aside from a couple of instances (Mayweather and Bivol) hes come through it .. i dunno , you know a draw wouldnt surprise me in this , but i cant sit on the fence so im tentatively gonna go with the proven fighter at the weight in Canelo , but im not at all confident , and if im being honest id quite like Crawford to pull it off but as it stands weighing it all up im gonna go with Canelo.
Canelo Alvarez To Win

Other Bouts ..
Steve Nelson vs Raiko Santana .. Nelson lost his unbeaten record to the well touted Diego Pacheco last time by unanimous decision and i think he'll be looking to put that loss behind him with a good win here , Santana isnt a bad fighter but i think Nelson is probably a level above imo , and i think he'll force the pace and fight forcing Santana to fight off the back foot , cant see that Santana has anything to phase Nelson tbh and his defence can be pretty sloppy so im gonna say Nelson takes this.
Steve Nelson To Win

Reito Tsutsumi vs Javier Martinez .. 23 year old Japanese fighter looks to take his pro record to 3-0 in this one and i think theres every chance that he can accomplish that against a slightly more experienced opponent whose lost his last two fights .. Japan are knocking out (no pun intended) some great boxers at the moment and Tsutsumi is one of them , very quick , seems to have an old head on young shoulders and should have too much for Martinez.
Reito Tsutsumi To Win

Ishmael Davis vs Caoimhin Agyarko .. Good match up this one i think and should be an entertaining fight. With Davis you're usually guaranteed a decent fight as he gives his all and doesnt mind a fire fight , whilst the unbeaten Agyarko tends to use his skills and fight smart , a tad boring but he gets the job done. Davis arrives on the back of two losses , Serhii Bohachuck last time and before that Josh Kelly , no shame in either as both are solid boxers as far as im concerned and both are levels above anyone that Agyarko has faced in the ring .. I think Davis is gonna be aggressive and take the fight to the Irishman and if he isnt 100% then i can see Davis nicking it , possibly stopping him but as it stands looking at their recent outings i favour Agyarko to come away with the win , i think his movement and timing and ring IQ will prove too good for Davis.
Caoimhin Agyarko To Win

Tyrone McKenna vs Dylan Moran .. Another rematch , McKenna beat Moran by a second round stoppage last time on the War In Waterford card , and despite losing by stoppage to Harlem Eubank last time out i really cant see why he shouldnt be beating Moran again if im being honest as it was no fluke as far as im concerned , think the same thing happens again.
Tyrone McKenna To Win

Matty Boreland vs Ruadhan Farrell .. Should be a very technical fight this one , neither fighter possesses huge power but both are able boxers , with Boreland being the slightly better imo. Boreland looking to keep his unbeaten record going , making it six straight wins .. Farrell won the same amount of fights but also has a draw and a loss on his record , the loss coming to the talented Colm Murphy , still early days so nowt to worry about far as im concerned. Farrell is tall for the weight class , 5'10 , and will have a height and reach advantage over Boreland which im sure he'll try to use to his best advantage but i think Boreland is a better boxer and will figure a way out to beat him. Think it'll be a closely fought fight but i think Boreland edges it.
Matty Boreland To Win

Aaron Bowen vs Carlos Miquel Ronner .. Should be a straightforward assignment for the unbeaten Irishman Bowen , think he'll be too much for the Argentinian.
Aaron Bowen To Win
Molly McCann vs Kate Radomska .. Pro debut for Molly 'Meatball' McCann who makes the transition from MMA to the Boxing ring , should be able to make a winning debut against someone like Radomska who has lost to the likes of Nicola Hopewell , Shannon Ryan , Chloe Watson , Maisie Rose Courtney and has lost more than shes won to date (4-6) .. not a bad introduction for McCann but she should be beating the likes of Radomska if shes too make a name for herself in the boxing ring.
Molly McCann To Win

Jim Donovan vs Lukasz Barabasz .. Donovan makes his pro debut after a successful amateur career , should be beating the likes of Barabasz whose only won four of his twenty one fights to date , Donovan should be putting this quality of opponent away.
Jim Donovan To Win

Kyle Smith vs Connor Meanwell - Pro debut for Smith who had a decent enough amateur career ending up 34 - 5 with 3 KOs , up against Meanwell who is on a 28 fight losing streak , soon to be 29 probably as im assuming hes been brought in for Smith to make a winning debut.
Kyle Smith To Win

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Sean said:

Sunday 14th September

Naoya Inoue vs Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Ive been waiting for this one for so long , i really hope it doesnt disappoint. Ive long said that this could well be the fight to test Inoue , but then MJ went and lost to Tapales and the fight kinda went down the pan unfortunatley , but we're here now and im hoping for a good watch. Inoue (30 Fights - 30 Wins (27 KOs)) needs no introduction lets be honest , hes swept away all before him and in all bar three of his fights hes finished his opponents off early. Akhmadaliev (15 Fights - 14 Wins (11 KOs) - 1 Loss) has long said that hes wanted this fight and that he can beat The Monster , so now its basically put up or shut up time ! Lots have been said of the fact that Inoue has been dropped several times in his career , but they fail to follow that up with but he got up and stopped his opponent. To me the fact that he gets dropped and gets back up and then goes on to stop his opponent speaks volumes about his fighting spirit and his recovery time for me , obviously its a concern that he gets caught he does seems susceptible to the left hook as hes going in as he tends to drop his guard/hands , but im sure him and his team will work on that. It also has to be said that though he has been on the canvas hes not once looked hurt , its more a case of a flash knockdown due to carelessness but against a big puncher that could well cost him one day. And MJ can punch , he has decent power and he doesnt waste his punches either , they always seem to be thrown where and when it matters so Inoue is gonna have to on his Ps & Qs in this one as far as im concerned. Akhmadaliev has won all three of his fights since losing to Tapales , all by stoppage , and has looked good in doing so but there are gaps for Inoue to exploit , he is pretty solid defensively but he does leave openings and if leaving himself open when fighting someone like Inoue chances are hes gonna get dropped and possibly stopped , he also seems vulnerable to the body which is something else that Inoue excels at/with. Alots been made of the fact that he lost to Tapales , and that Inoue then beat him .. it was a very close fight , i thought MJ done enough but two judges thought otherwise giving it to Tapales (115-113) whilst the other judge favoured MJ (118-110) .. tbh i like the fact that this one is taking place in Japan as the judges seem to be very fair , if they think the hometown fighters lost they'll score it as such so i cant see any such trouble / controversy if the fight goes to the cards. MJ is a southpaw and whilst they can be trouble for some boxers Inoue seems to eat them up and spit them out with the 6 hes faced so far never having reached the championship rounds , on average he takes them out within five rounds. Stephen Fulton was supposed to be the sternest test for Inoue when he fought him but he pretty much picked him apart and dropped him , but i always thought that Akhmadaliev was the one who would possibly test him the most (aside from Nakatani) .. think Inoue is gonna be laser focussed in this one , as will MJ , think this could depend on who starts the best .. Inoue tends to start fairly slowly and cautiously , figuring his opponent out and i can see MJ starting fast in this one and possibly trying to unsettle him and throwing heavy punches from early on .. imho this would probably be his best chance as for me Inoue is by far the better boxer , with better ring IQ and skills , and if he allows him to settle , get comfortable i can see Inoue then going through the gears and breaking MJ down. One thing that concerns me is that MJ hasnt been in with anyone like Inoue before , hes never faced someone with that skillset , that heavy handed , with precise and clinical finishing power and i really dont see , although i rate MJ , how he deals with that other than to try and catch him cold early doors. End of the day though i give Akhmadaliev a chance i cant go against Inoue , think it will be a case of "and still.."
Naoya Inoue To Win

Yoshiki Takei vs Christian Medina
Takei (11 Fights - 11 Wins (9 KOs) beat Jason Maloney in May last year for the WBO Bantamweight title and has successfully defended it twice since then , first time beating fellow Japanese fighter Daigo Higa and then when last seen (May 2025) he stopped the Thai Yuttapong Tongdee in the first round of a scheduled 12 .. Japan aint half knocking out some decent boxers at the mo and id say that Takei is one of them , before joining the pro boxing ranks he was a world champion kick boxer and ranked 8th in the PTP list. His opponent is Mexican Christian Medina (29 Fights - 25 Wins (18 KOs) - 4 Losses) who is looking for his fifth straight win , his last loss came on his first fight outside of Mexico , funnily enough in Japan , against Ryosuke Nishida (who lost for first time lto against Junto Nakatani) .. I can see him bringing it as all Mexicans seem to do tbh , especially as Takeis' title is on the line , he has decent power and skills and i can see him troubling Takei at points tbh , but despite that i still see Takei coming through and retaining his title.
Yoshiki Takei To Win

Other Bouts ..
Yuni Takada vs Ryusei Matsumoto .. Heavily favouring Mastsumoto in this domestic dust up , Takada is more experienced but i cant see him causing too much trouble for Matsumoto who is unbeaten in six (with four stoppages) , looks a decent prospect and i think this will be win number seven.
Ryusei Matsumoto To Win

Yudai Murakami vs Taiga Imanaga .. Another unbeaten prospect in Imanaga , should have enough to come out on top against Murakami i think. Murakami isnt a bad boxer but can be a bit reckless and i can see Imanaga catching him.
Taiga Imanaga To Win

Toshiki Shimomachi vs Han Sol Lee .. Shimomachi should be far too good for the South Korean Lee who has only won one of his last six fights , think theres every chance that Shimomachi gets the stoppage in this one as Lees whiskers aint that cracky tbh.
Toshiki Shimomachi To Win

Ei Go vs Shunpei Ohata .. Unbeaten Ei Go should be able to win this one , at 5'10 hes tall for the division and has a good 3 inch advantage over his opponent which i see him taking full advantage of tbh , hes good at controlling the pace of the fight and i think he'll dictate how things pan out , for me hes a level above Ohata and see him coming out on top.
Ei Go To Win

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