Pinoy Fighters Welcome to Fight in Japan Again
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 06 Jul 2022
Ganoza (L) and Shigeoka (R) during yesterday's weighin in Japan.
The good news is that Filopino fighters are allowed to enter Japan again to ply their trade and show their wares after more than two years on account of the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.
This is welcome news as Japan is a high paying destination for Filipino boxers and Dai Nippon currently has the most number of world boxing champions as well as world rated fighters in Asia.
But the bad news, many are apprehensive, is that Filipino fighters will be once again served as stay busy opponents and worse, record boosters especially for established and even up and coming Japanese fighters.
That fear is not totally unfounded.
Tonight, Cris Ganoza will be the first Filipino boxer to fight in Japan again without securing special permits as were granted to Geimel Magramo in 2021 and fairly recently Nonito Donaire who fought Japanese foes for world titles.
Ganoza will go up in the main event in Kurimoto against world rated Yudai Shigeoka who will be defending his WBO Asia Pacific minimumweight title for the first time in only his fifth pro bout.
With a record of 19 wins including 9 by KO against 3 losses, Ganoza on paper looks like a fair match to Shigeoka who only has four previous pro bouts and wins. But Shigeoka is already rated number seven in the world following wins over Filipino former Orient Pacific champion Lito Dante and fellow Japanese world ranked Tsoubasa Koura from whom he won his current WBO Asia Pacific belt. Yudai who is from Kurumoto has also previously won the Japanese national title.
Hence, it will not be difficult to predict who will win this fight.
July 13 will see Donnie 'Ahas' Nietes bidding to win back the WBO super flyweight championship from his former victim and now reigning titlist Kazuto Ioka in a main event bout in Ota City, Tokyo which will also be a Japan versus the Philippines boxing battle.
Fighting in the undercards are Fresco Carciosa who will go up against Musashi Mori in the featherweight, Froilan Saludar who will fight former WBC flyweight champion Daigo Higa and veteran Jhun Gemino against debuting pro Hayato Tutsumi.
Again, on paper these undercards seem fair matches when viewed from their records but Higa and Mori both have superior credentials.
Jonjon Estrada winds up the Filipinos fight schedule for July in Japan when he takes on Kyosuke Kameda on July 23.
August will see more Philippines versus Japan boxing bouts including a promotion officially billed as such on August 14 in Hyogo featuring Jonathan Taconing versus former WBO minimumweight titlist Ryuya Yamanaka, Ranelio Quizo against Kazuki Anaguchi and Jun Blazo against Takahiro Tai.
Also on that date will see former world super bantamweight title challenger Jeo Santisima going up against Hiroshige Osawa.
Before that on August 7 Jhunriel Ramonal will fight undefeated Jinki Maeda.
Pete Apolinar will cap August when he defends his OPBF super bantamweight title against undefeated youngster Yoshiaki Tikishi.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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