Japanese Scene News & Notes: Nishioka/Munroe Undercard - Linares/Chavez, Kamegai/Alfaro, Roman Gonzalez, Shinsuke Yamanaka

Sidney Boquiren of RingwalkNippon has the latest Japanese boxing news and notes.  For more updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Nishioka-Munroe undercard filled

It is safe to say that Teiken will not be mistaken for Don King’s promotional outfit anytime soon taking a look at the B-sides for the undercard of Nishioka-Munroe on October 24. Though an opponent for WBA Minimumweight beltholder Roman Gonzales is still pending, dance partners for Jorge Linares and Yoshihiro Kamegai have been set as both are scheduled to face former titleholders. On paper, the bouts look interesting, but viewers are probably in for a night in which the house fighter wins rather easily.

Linares is scheduled to face entertaining brawler Jesus Chavez, who should probably be thinking about hanging up the gloves as Andrew pointed out earlier. The former Super Featherweight and Lightweight champ has lost his last three fights (all against good competition in the form of Humberto Soto, David Diaz and Michael Katsidis), and has not been active since the Soto bout last December. While Chavez, the warrior that he is, will leave everything he still has in the ring, this match-up has the makings of a one-sided affair in which the Venezuelan keeps the 37-year old at the end of his jab and picks spots to land his power punches.

Current national 140lb strapholder Yoshihiro Kamegai (16-0, 14KO) will take on Jose Alfaro (23-6, 20KO). Similar to Chavez, the Nicaraguan will be stepping into the ring after losing his most recent significant fights against Antonio DeMarco and Erik Morales. Though he will take a tune-up bout next month, it has been three years since Alfaro’s best win – a TKO victory over DeMarcus Corley – and his fighting style may play into the Japanese’s favor. Should Alfaro come forward with little regard to defense, Kamegai is slick enough to outmaneuver the Nicaraguan and has the variety of punches and explosiveness to do damage quickly. However, still just 26, the former WBA Lightweight champ is more of a live opponent than Chavez and could give Kamegai trouble in spots. Alfaro will need to stay busy with his jab and hope to land his right hand.

An opponent for Gonzales, who is taking a non-title fight in early September, has yet to be determined. Sports Hochi notes that the champ will be making the fourth defense of his crown or could look to earn a strap in his second division by challenging for a title at 108.

One pleasant surprise for the autumn event is the addition of Japanese Bantamweight titleholder Shinsuke Yamanaka. The undefeated 27-year old southpaw (12-0-2, 8KO) has been matched with WBA #14 rated Jose Silveira (11-2, 4KO). Yamanaka has built a decent record on the strength of his left hand and was last seen stopping Mikio Yasuda for the title in June. British boxing fans may remember Silveira as a former opponent of Martin Lindsay. The Mexican has won five in a row since being shutout by Lindsay in 2007.

More Boxing Notes

• Yesterday I received some mail from Watanabe Gym, the home of Takashi Uchiyama. Enclosed was a flyer for the 130lb champ’s upcoming title defense. Though Kono-Rojas had been announced a while back, the undercard also includes Ryuji Migaki (14-2, 10KO) vs. Akinori Kanai (21-4, 20KO) for Migaki’s OPBF Lightweight title, as well as Rikiya Fukuhara (24-3-1. 18KO) meeting Australian Greg Eadie (8-0-1, 4KO) for the vacant regional Super Featherweight title. Also scheduled to appear are veterans Tomoya Kaneshiro and Takashi Kunishige.
• Naoki Matsuda will not be fighting Jorge Solis after all. The OPBF Super Featherweight titleholder had been considered as a challenger for the Mexican’s WBA 130lb interim strap but likely turned it down as the fight is scheduled for September 9, leaving the Teiken fighter with minimal time to prepare. Undefeated Columbian Francisco Cordero (23-0, 15KO) has been inserted as Solis’ opponent. Matsuda (34) defended his title in the beginning of July, but had injured his back just before the fight.
• WBA Super Welterweight interim champ Nobuhiro Ishida’s second defense has been postponed a few weeks and will take place on September 25. According to Boxrec, the 35-year old will be facing Rigoberto Alvarez (25-2, 19KO), currently rated #8 by the Panama-based organization. Alvarez was even on the scorecards when he was stopped in the ninth frame of his fight with former middleweight title challenger Marco Antonio Rubio in January.
• Yesterday, unheralded Hiroshige Osawa (18-3-3, 8KO) scored a majority decision over the WBC’s #13 rated Super Featherweight, Abraham Rodriguez (21-10-3, 10KO), by scores of 77-75 and 77-76 against an even 77-77. Osawa, a lawyer moonlighting as a boxer, used accurate punching to build a lead early in the fight. Though Rodriguez made a late rush, the Osaka native was able to hold him off until earning the decision.
• Also in action yesterday, former national Lightweight champ Akihiro Kondo (14-2, 6KO) made a successful return to the ring by taking a wide unanimous decision over Shinya Yoroizuka (11-5-1). Kondo last fought in April when he lost his title to upstart Nihito Arakawa.

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