THREE Pinoy warriors are seeing action Saturday, June 7, 2025, in a Philippines vs. Japan rivalry at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Leading the charge for the Filipinos is former amateur standout John Kevien Jimenez, who’s taking on undefeated Japanese prospect Ryusei Matsumoto in a 10-rounder.
The 20-year-old Jimenez is fighting for the second time in Japan. In his previous visit last year, Jimenez suffered his first career defeat after losing to Takeshi Ishii by unanimous decision in an Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation minimumweight title fight.
Following back-to-back losses, Jimenez bounced back with a second-round stoppage of Faisol Akbar last April.
The 27-year-old Matsumo, who turned pro in 2023, is fresh from a fourth-round knockout of Masatora Okada in February.
The last time Matsumoto shared the ring with a Filipino was in the amatuer ranks in 2018. He lost to Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam by decision in Thailand.
Jimenez is 9-2 with four knockouts, while Matsumoto is 5-0 with three knockouts.
The two other Filipinos fighting in the same card are Michael Casama and Jay Francis Buray.
Casama (10-3-1, 10 KOs) locks horns with Yuichiro Taka (4-0), while Buray (13-3-1, 3 KOs) trades leathers with Kota Kaneko (7-1, 6 KOs). / EKA