The Bodymaker Colosseum in Osaka, Japan will feature a boxing card headlined by WBO World Super Bantamweight Champion Guillermo Rigondeaux facing the challenge of Japan’s Hisashi Amagasa. Right now, Rigondeaux is a massive (-5000) favorite over Amagasa, who returns at (+2500). No over/under line is available as of yet. Rigondeaux has established himself as one of the best technical boxers on the planet, but his mindset that it is OK to win boring as long as you win has cost him his Top Rank contract and he is now fighting in Japan as a sort of free agent. Amagasa is the first fight he is taking in Japan, and at (28-4-2) overall, Amagasa is not expected to be on the level with Rigondeaux. Rigondeaux would like to impress enough that he can get a steady calendar of fights feasting on Japanese opposition in the next year or so, and a few exciting wins would go a long way towards him getting back on the world stage. Amagasa is five years younger than Rigondeaux, but the skills he brings to the table are no where near as polished as that of the champion. Also at the books right now is a Flyweight 10-rounder where Venezuela’s Jean Piero Perez is a big underdog at (+3000) to Japan’s Kazuto Ioka, who comes back at (-7500). Perez held a piece of the interim World title briefly, but he has gone (2-4) since then against the increased level of competition. Ioka, at (15-1) and eight years younger than Perez at 25 years old, brings world championship pedigree already in two weight classes (Minimumweight and Light Flyweight) and he is attempting to add a win here and get back into the title picture. Also on the card Katsunari Takayama faces Go Odaira for the vacant IBF and WBO World Minimumweight titles in an all Japanese affair that may not get a line at the books. There is also a Super Flyweight 10 rounder with undefeated Japanese Champion Sho Ishida (17-0) facing off against Masato Morisaki (9-3-1) in his first title defense. The promotion is offering 10 fights in all. Aside from this show, the Ota City Gym in Tokyo has a boxing card headlined by local hero Takashi Uchiyama facing Israel Perez in defense of his WBC World Super Featherweight title and the day before sees the Metropolitan Gym in Tokyo host a card with a scheduled three world title bouts, including the title defense of WBO World Super Flyweight champion Omar Narvaez (43-1-2 overall record) as he faces Naoya Inoue. Look for more boxing lines to hit the books from Japan.
