FORMER ALA Boxing Gym prospect Mark John “The Journeyman” Yap who is now based in Osaka, Japan will make a second title defense of his Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight strap against Japanese Seizo Kono next month at the Edion Arena in Osaka Japan.
Mark John Yap who is based in Japan for the past six years, has been steadily making his name in the Japanese boxing circuit as one of the toughest bantamweight contenders there.
Despite having 12 losses in his boxing record, Yap of Cagayan de Oro City, is still highly considered a legitimate threat inside the ring. On top of his 12 losses, he has 27 wins and 13 knockouts with no draws.
The 28-year old boxer who is now under the Muto Boxing Gym in Osaka, Japan last fought in the Philippines in 2012 in Davao City against JR Mendoza whom he beat via technical knockout (TKO). He has accumulated ten victories in Japan along with four losses. He is on an eight-fight winning streak and won his last three bouts via TKO against Thai Sitthichai Turedphon, Japanese Kentaro Masuda and Takahiro Yamamoto from whom he snatched the OPBF crown.
Kono meanwhile, is as equally dangerous as Yap as the 28-year old boxer from Kobe, Japan has a record of 19 wins with 12 knockouts coupled with eight defeats and one draw. Kono has won four straight fights all against fellow Japanese boxers.
His most notable fight was in 2013 where he fought the reigning WBC world super bantamweight king Rey Vargas of Mexico. Kono lost that fight via TKO.