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Matchroom Announces Lineup for Prizefighter Series in Japan

Photo credit: Matchroom Boxing Twitter

Matchroom Announces Lineup for Prizefighter Series in Japan

Published on February 1, 2024

Matchroom Boxing have announced the return of their Prizefighter series, with middleweight fights set to take place on March 31 in Nagoya, Japan.

The bouts will air live on DAZN (everywhere except in Asia) and Abema in Japan. According to BoxRec, they will take place on the undercard of Tomoki Kameda’s rematch against Lerato Dlamini. Three separate fight nights will be held to crown an eventual winner. The victor can expect a prize of $1 million.

Prizefighter Lineup Announced

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Prizefighter Quarter-Finals

Riku Kunimoto vs. Eiki Kani

One bout already determined in advance was a clash between Riku Kunimoto (10-1, 4 KOs) and Eiki Kani (8-3-3, 4 KOs). This clash will be for the Japanese middleweight title currently held by Kunimoto.

Mark Dickinson vs. Anauel Ngamissengue

The draw at the press conference pits Mark Dickinson (6-0, 2 KOs) against Anauel Ngamissengue (13-0, 8 KOs). The winner of this fight can expect to meet the victor of the Kunimoto-Kani clash.

Aaron McKenna vs. Jeovanny Estela

Aaron McKenna (18-0, 9 KOs) will take on Jeovanny Estela (14-0, 5 KOs) in the third quarter-final of the night. The fight will happen two months after McKenna’s last bout on the undercard of Natasha Jonas’ win over Mikaela Mayer.

Kieron Conway vs. Ainiwaer Yilixiati

The fourth quarter-final will see Kieron Conway (20-3-1, 5 KOs) take on Ainiwaer Yilixiati (19-1, 14 KOs). The winner of this fight will take on the victor of McKenna-Estela. Like the other three quarter-finals, this will also be a 10-rounder.

History of Matchroom Prizefighter Series

The first edition of Prizefighter took place in 2008 with heavyweights. Since then, there have been over 30 tournaments. What differentiates this edition of Prizefighter from past ones is that it will be the first to happen outside of the United Kingdom. Sky Sports will also not televise it, a departure from past editions.

In September 2023, Matchroom reached an agreement with Rakuten and Never Say Never (NSN) to host a series of events in Japan. The three companies have committed to host three events per year, for the next three years. The March 31 event with the Prizefighter quarter-finals marks the first event in this collaboration.

Press Conference

For the full press conference that announced the event and held the draw for the tournament, click here on the play button below. Video courtesy of Matchroom Boxing.

S Saadeq Ahmed

Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.