Ryo Miyazaki v Jesus Silvestre

Although Ryo Miyazaki (19-0-3, 11) might be one of Japan's least known world champions the WBA Minimumweight champion is a genuinely talented, and improving fighter who is slowly proving to be a genuinely world level fighter. Sure few consider him to be one of the best Minimumweight's on the planet, or even the best 105lb fighter in Japan but he's a fighter who isn't too far off that mark.

This coming Wednesday Miyazaki attempts to prove that he's continually improving as he takes on the highly regarded Mexican Jesus Silvestre (27-3, 20) a fighter who has held the WBA "interim" title prior to getting this fight.

Miyazaki, at his best is a handful. He's not a massive puncher, despite his perfectly time KO of Carlos Velarde last time out, he's not the hardest working and he's not the fastest but over all he's a fighter with enough facets to his game to hold his own with pretty much anyone. He's shown the ability to go to war with someone as he did with Pornsawan Porpramook at the end of last year, he's shown the ability to box and he's also shown the frustrating ability to make life difficulty for himself.

Unfortunately for Miyazaki the longer he shows the ability to turn fights into difficult battles the longer he will be remembered as "the stable mate of Kazuto Ioka" rather managing to create his own legacy.

This weeks fight with Silvestre certainly looks like a bout that Miyazaki won't need to make hard for himself because Silvestre can do that for him.

The young Mexican is a tough and improving fighter who has experienced the harsh conditions of fighting in Asia by fighting in both Thailand and the Philippines. Although he lost both of those bouts he did show the tenacity to one day be a world champion and this bout will be his big chance to live up to that expectation.

Whilst Silvestre himself isn't the most skilled boxer or the hardest hitting he does have a solid punch on him, has a very exciting pressure style and looks like a man who would walk through fire to get to his man. This has worked in many of fights, including bouts with Takuya Mitamura, Yader Escobar and Carlos Velarde though against Donnie Nietes his work rate did eventually cost him with his corner getting him TKO'd late in round 10.

With the style of Silvestre we are guaranteed a very fun fight here, whether he can break down Miyazaki, or whether Miyazaki can manage to land another hayemaker is up for question. If Miyazaki can't find the howitzer that he'll need to discourage Silvestre than he's in for a long, hard night.

With the show being an Ioka Gym card you've got to favour Miyazaki if it goes to a decision, however there would be little shock if the judges render cards that are questionable with Silvestre getting a somewhat harsh decision against him.

One thing is certain here, despite the winner, and that is that I'm really looking forward to this. Potentially this could honestly be a FOTY.

Prediction-Miyazaki SD12 (Controversially)

Jesus Silvestre v Takuya Mitamura

This weekend Mexican Jesus Silvestre (25-3, 18) will make the first defense of his WBA "interim" Minimunweight title as he faces unbeaten Japanese fighter Takuya Mitamura (12-0, 2) in a bout that appears to be much, much more meaningful than the bout that saw Silvestre claiming the belt.

Silvestre won the title just a few months back as he out pointed Panamanian Edwin Diaz (15-18, 5) in what I felt was a joke of a fight, so much so that I didn't even attempt to watch it. Whilst it poor that Diaz getting the shot despite a losing record, it was made even worse that the bout for the interim title came just weeks after the the "regular" title had been unified with the WBC title by Kazuto Ioka.

Whilst Silvestre will go into this match as the "champion" he is an awfully weak champion and has very few notable victories. In fact he's lost to his 3 best opponents (Paipharob Kokietgym, Donnie Nites and Jose Alfredo Rodriguez) whilst his best wins have come against the likes of     Yader Escobar and Walter Rojas, who are far from special themselves.

Despite being just 22 years old, Silvestre has been a professional for almost 6 years and with 28 fights behind him, I really need to question how much he can actually improve. Sadly from the footage I've seen he's very wide up, and whilst he has a nice array of body punches he's defensively awful and doesn't have any sort of world class quality. Whilst he appears to be big and tough he simply can't keeping eating punches or his career will be over very quickly.

Whilst I don't think much of Silvestre he does have one saving grace, the fact he is fighting at home. In Mexico Silvestre is 25-1 (18) away from Mexico however he is 0-2, more interestingly is that Silvestre is 15-0 (12) in his home state of Nayarit, the same state as this upcoming fight.

Sadly whilst Silvestre isn't great he is a lot more well known than Takuya Mitamura, who appears to be very difficult to find any footage of. Despite this what I do know is that Mitamura is unbeaten in 12 fights since turning professional in 2008 having won all 12 of those fights.

Last year Mitamura won his professional title by claiming the Japanese Minimumweight title by out pointing the experienced Takashi Kunishige (who's best known for fighting Edgar Sosa in a WBC world title fight) and he has since defended that belt once by stopping Toshihiro Nakashima. Despite being the national champion, no one really thinks that Mitamura is the best Minimumweight in Japan after all the country has Kazuto Ioka, Akira Yaegashi and Katsunari Takayama however is likely the best "#4" in world boxing.

Sadly for Mitamura however he's not much of a puncher and he will struggle to get a decision in Mexico against a Mexican fighter. With this is in mind it's hard to feel that the challenger really has a chance. Unless Mitamura can stop Silvestre he'll not win.

Prediction-Silvestre UD