Ginjiro Shigeoka vs ArAr Andales Preview March 31st, 2024
Unbeaten southpaw Ginjiro Shigeoka of Japan will be putting his IBF Minimumweight Title (105 lbs) on the line this Sunday, March 31st when he takes on ArAr Andales of the Philippines. The 12-rounder from Nagoya, Japan can be seen live on DAZN in most nations with the card schedule to get underway at 3am ET. Shigeoka last fought in October when he stopped Daniel Valladares in the fifth round. Andales battled to a four-round technical draw with Wilfredo Mendez in his last outing in October. It was his second straight technical draw and his third draw overall in his last four fights.
NOTE: Andales has pulled out of the fight due to medical reasons
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Shigeoka vs Andales Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- ArAr Andales +500
- Ginjiro Shigeoka -800
My Pick
The 24-year-old Ginjiro Shigeoka climbs through the ropes with a perfect mark of 10-0 with 8 Ko’s and has boxed 51 rounds since making his pro debut in 2018. He took up karate while in kindergarten and added boxing to his repertoire at the age of 10. As an amateur he captured five national titles and reportedly had a record of 56-1 with 17 Ko’s. His lone defeat came to his older brother, current WBC Minimumweight Champion Yudai Shigeoka. They were scheduled battle each other in the final of a Japanese domestic tournament but decided not to fight each other. Ginjiro’s corner threw the towel in as soon as the bell rang to start the fight.
Shigeoka won the vacant Asia Pacific Minimumweight Title in 2019 when he stopped Clyde Azarcon in just 72 seconds. He defended the belt twice and then added the vacant Japanese Minimumweight Belt in March, 2022 with a 10-round unanimous decision over Tatsuro Nakashima. His first attempt at the IBF Minimumweight Crown came in January, 2023 against Daniel Valladares but the fight was called a no-contest when Valladares couldn’t continue due to an accidental head butt in the third round.
The Interim IBF Title was up next when Shigeoka halted Rene Mark Cuarto in the ninth round. Shigeoka and Valladares then met again for the full title last October with Shigeoka stopping him in the third frame. Shigeoka stands 5-feet-tall with a 61.5-inch reach and has plenty of power as his current knockout ratio comes in at 80 per cent. He’s gone the distance just twice, which were eight and 10 round fights. All of Shigeoka’s pro bouts have taken place in his homeland of Japan.
Andales is also 24 years old and carries around a record of 14-2-3 with 6 Ko’s and has 109 rounds of pro experience under his belt since making his debut in 2017. He has below average power as 42.8 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage. He has four wins and three draws in his last seven outings but all four wins have been by stoppage. He fought to a 12-round draw with Joey Canoy in April, 2022 to defend the WBO Oriental Minimumweight Title which he won in his previous outing by stopping Minh Phat Sam in the seventh round for the vacant belt.
Andales won the vacant Filipino Minimumweight Title in 2018 with an eight-round majority win over Jonathan Almacen. His first loss was an eight-round technical decision to Thammanoon Niyomtrong in 2019 in a shot at the WBA Mimimumweight Title when his opponent was unable to continue due to an accidental headbutt. He also lost his very next fight three months later when he was stopped in the sixth round by Joel Lino. Andales rebounded in his next outing though when he halted Rey Caitom Jr in the fifth round for the World Boxing Foundation Minimumweight Belt.
At 5-feet-2-inches tall with a 62-inch reach, Andales is two inches taller than Shigeoka and has a slight half-inch edge in reach. This will be his third straight fight in Japan. His last two ended in technical draws in the second and fourth rounds against Tsubasa Koura and Wilfredo Mendez respectively. Andales has had three technical decisions so far in his 19-fight career so Shigeoka may need to be careful of headbutts from him.
Prediction…
Shigeoka is favoured against Andales due to his unbeaten record and his power. In fact, he’s never lost an actual fight inside the ring as an amateur or a pro. Andales doesn’t really possess the power to keep him at bay and all factors point to a Shigeoka victory here with a stoppage also being a pretty good bet.
Shigeoka has the power and superior skills.
Play Shigeoka -800 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
ArAr Andales betting • Ginjiro Shigeoka betting