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Boxing in Japan

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The history of boxing in Japan began in 1854 when Matthew Perry landed at Shimoda, Shizuoka soon after the Convention of Kanagawa. At that time, American sailors often engaged in sparring matches on board their ships, with their fists wrapped in thin leather. It was the first example of boxing conveyed to Japan. In addition, an ōzeki-ranked sumo wrestler named Tsunekichi Koyanagi (小柳 常吉) was summoned by the Shogunate, and ordered to fight a boxer and a wrestler from the United States. The three fought matches, using different martial arts' styles, before Perry and other spectators. Koyanagi reportedly won.[1][2]

Yūjirō Watanabe as known as Father of Japanese Boxing (born 1889 or 1890).[3]

History

The first exhibition match named Western Professional Sumo (西洋大相撲) was held in Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1887, and the first boxing gym Meriken Training Institute (メリケン練習所) was established in Ishikawachō, Yokohama, Kanagawa by James Hōjō (ジェームス 北條) and Toranosuke Saitō (齋藤 虎之助) in 1896. After the first tutorial book Bōgeki Jizai Seiyō Kentōjutsu ([防撃自在西洋拳闘術] Error: {{nihongo}}: text has italic markup (help)) was issued in 1900, the other boxing gym International Jūken Club (国際柔拳倶楽部) was opened in Mikage, Kobe by Kenji Kanō (嘉納 健治) in 1909. However those were not genuine.[4][5] After learning boxing in San Francisco, California since 1906 as a professional boxer who was nicknamed Four-Round King, Yūjirō Watanabe (渡辺 勇次郎, aka Father of Japanese Boxing) established Nippon Kentō Club (日本拳闘倶楽部) in Shimomeguro, Meguro, Tokyo, on December 25, 1921.[4][6][3][7] Sadayuki Ogino (荻野 貞行, aka Mother of Japanese Boxing) from Rikkyo University began boxing under Watanabe's management.[8] Ogino in the junior featherweight) and Kinzaburō Yokoyama (横山 金三郎) in the featherweight were recognized as the first Japanese champions by Nippon Kentō Club in 1922.[4][3] In the first Japanese title matches for professional boxers held in April 1924, Fuji Okamoto in the flyweight division and Kintarō Usuda in the lightweight division became titleholders.[4] There was no clear distinction between amateur and professional around that time.[9]

Simultaneously with National Student Kentō Federation (全国学生拳闘連盟) whose president was Yūjirō Watanabe, the All-Japan Amateur Federation (全日本アマチュア連盟) was established in July 1926. The first Japanese championships for amateur boxers was held by Dai Nippon Kentōkai (大日本拳闘会) in 1927.[6] Fuji Okamoto in the bantamweight division and Kintarō Usuda in the welterweight division participated in the 1928 Summer Olympics.[4] All-Japan Professional Kentō Association (全日本プロフェッショナル拳闘協会) founded in February 1931 in order to perform the establishment of championships and the development of professional boxers, repeated division and dissolution to become the current Japan Pro Boxing Associations (JPBA).[10][11][12] Tsuneo Horiguchi (堀口 恒男, aka Piston Horiguchi, Saint Fist; 拳聖) from Waseda University[13] played an active part in those days.[14][10] Although Japan's boxing was interrupted by the Pacific War, the first Japanese championships after the war was held in 1947.[6] Then the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC), a virtually only governing body of Japan's professional boxing was founded in order to prepare Yoshio Shirai's world title match. Its establishment was presented at the Tokyo Kaikan on April 21, 1952. Munehide Tanabe (田邊 宗英, often written as 田辺 宗英) from Waseda University who was the founding president of Teiken Boxing Gym and the president of the Korakuen Stadium, was elected as its first commissioner.[12][15] Shirai defeated the champion Dado Marino via a unanimous decision in the flyweight division on May 19 of that year, while being watched by 45,000 spectators at the Korakuen Stadium,[16] to become the Japan's first world champion.[17] The JBC has joined the NBA (the current WBA) since January 7, 1954,[15] and the WBC since the rematch of Johnny Famechon vs. Fighting Harada in January 1970.[18][* 1] In June 1956, Boxing Magazine, the Japan's oldest surviving boxing journal, was launched by the Baseball Magazine Sha. Currently there is only one more monthly boxing journal in Japan. It is Boxing Beat which has been renamed twice from World Boxing since 1968.[22]

Traditionally, the different bodies of amateur and professional boxers had had no exchanges. However they decided in 2011 to cooperate with each other, biginning with joint training.[23][24] From 2011 through 2012, the middleweight boxers had record-breaking performances both in amateur and professional boxing. Nobuhiro Ishida knocked out previously undefeated James Kirkland at the MGM Grand Las Vegas to be awarded The Ring Upset of the Year.[25] Ryōta Murata secured the silver medal in the World Amateur Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics.[26] Tadashi Yuba won his fourth Japanese title in different weight divisions to be a quadruple champion.[27] All those are the first record for Japan.

Professional boxing

In Japan, every professional boxer must contract with a manager under the JBC rules,[28] and is required to belong to a boxing gym which has exclusive management rights for boxers as a member of each regional subsidiary body of Japan Pro Boxing Associations under the Japan's conventional gym system.[29] Two professional boxers belonging to the same gym have not been allowed to fight against each other unless one of them transfers to other gym, because it might disrupt the gym system.[30] However, it is often quite difficult for boxers to transfer between the gyms due to the matters on transfer fees, match fees and so on.[31]

The JBC set up the Japanese heavyweight title once in 1957, but that division did not last long because there were few heavyweight boxers in Japan at that time. Therefore they have recognized the titles and ratings only in thirteen weight divisions from minimumweight to middleweight for over fifty years. Although they added four weight divisions i.e. super middleweight, light heavyweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight, from September 2009,[32] so far the ratings of those divisions are not settled yet.

Currently Japan has two major annual tournaments. One is the All-Japan Rookie King (全日本新人王, Zen-Nihon shinjin'ō) Tournament which came to be known by the popular anime/manga series Hajime no Ippo,[* 2] and the other is the Japanese Title Elimination Tournament nicknamed The Strongest in Korakuen (最強後楽園, Saikyō Kōrakuen, former Class A Tournament) which is competed by class A boxers who have acquired a class A license to fight in eight or more round bouts, and whose winners would be recognized as the next mandatory challengers against each divisional Japanese champion in the annual mandatory bout series Champion Carnival.[34] In addition to those, there are several other tournaments such as Raging Battle (former B:Tight!).[35] Most of Japanese professional boxers have staked their survival on those tournaments in the country.

As of March 2012, Japan produced seventy male world champions and twelve female world champions. When Yōta Satō won the world title to be the twelfth world champion managed by Kyoei Boxing Gym in March 2012, Japan had had nine world champions at the same time including an emeritus champion and a champion in recess.[36] Nevertheless his Kyoei Boxing Gym announced to sell their own building simultaneously with Satō's first title defense.[37] Although the eight world champions except the females i.e. Shozo Saijo (in the United States in 1968), Kuniaki Shibata (in Mexico in 1970, and in the United States in 1973), Shoji Oguma (in South Korea in 1980), Yasutsune Uehara (in the United States in 1980), Tadashi Mihara (in the United States in 1981), Akinobu Hiranaka (in Mexico in 1992), Orzubek Nazarov (in South Africa in 1993) and Jorge Linares (in the United States in 2007, and in Panama in 2008) were crowned across the sea,[38] it is in contrast to the status of boxing in the Philippines where twenty-five of twenty-eight world champions won the title abroad as of September 2007.[39] Japan's male world champions rarely risk their titles outside of their country. Apart from non-Japanese nationals, the only ten champions did it, and the only three among them successfully defended their titles[40] (Jiro Watanabe in South Korea in 1985, a Korean expatriate Masamori Tokuyama in South Korea in 2001, Toshiaki Nishioka in Mexico in 2009, and also Nishioka in the United States in 2011). That is because Japan's professional boxing has given priority to holding the fights in their own country to get paid television broadcast rights fees.[41] Consequently, Japan's champions still remain internationally unrecognized.[40] The broadcast rights fees have decreased under the economic downturn.[41]

Japanese boxers have very low recognition in the United States as cable networks are generally unconcerned with the lower weight classes to which most of the Japanese boxers belong.[42] The Ring's Doug Fischer outlined the following three basic conditions that are required for Japan's boxing in order to earn international recognition:

  1. "The Japanese commission needs to recognize the WBO and the IBF."
  2. "Japan's top promoters need to bring in more world-class fighters from outside of Asia to challenge their fighters."
  3. "The Japanese titleholders need to fight each other."[42]

WBC's Kazuto Ioka vs. WBA's Akira Yaegashi in June 2012 would be the first-ever world title unification match for Japan's world champions. The president of Japan Pro Boxing Associations Hideyuki Ohashi mentioned that it could be a healthy sign for the future of Japan's boxing.[43] Prior to that, there have been two attempts to unify the world titles. However, in the fight between WBA's Jirō Watanabe and WBC's Payao Poontarat, Watanabe was stripped of his WBA title before the fight since he participated in that bout under the WBC rules without being sanctioned by the WBA. The chairman of the WBA's championship committee Elias Cordova had warned on the day of the fight stating that "The minute he steps into the ring Watanabe will be stripped of his title."[44][45][46] In the fight between WBC's Hozumi Hasegawa and WBO's Fernando Montiel, Montiel's WBO title was not at stake[47] because the JBC had recognized only the WBA, WBC and OPBF as legitimate governing organizations sanctioning championship bouts and had not allowed their boxers to fight for the other organizations' titles.[48] Since February 28, 2011, the JBC have permitted them only when a Japan's reigning world titleholder of the WBA or WBC is going to fight in a title unification match against a world champion of the IBF or WBO. However, if a Japan's champion wins, he must vacate the newer IBF or WBO title after a fixed period, and a defense match for the newer title will not be authorized.[49]

Notes

  1. ^ The WBC certified title bouts in Japan have always been sanctioned under the WBC's open scoring system[19] since the world title doubleheader featuring Hozumi Hasegawa and Eagle Kyowa in November 13, 2006.[20][21]
  2. ^ In the All-Japan Rookie King Tournament, a boxer who unified rookie king titles of the West Japan (西日本, Nishinihon), Central Japan (中日本, Nakanihon) and Western part of Japan (西部日本, Seibu-Nihon) is promoted to the West representative (西軍代表, Seigun daihyō) and confronts the East Japan rookie king who is also the East representative (東軍代表, Tōgun daihyō) at the same time in order to decide the winner of the tournament. The West Japan rookie king can not fight against the East Japan rookie king unless he unifies all those three titles.[33] To be exact, what is depicted as the West Japan rookie king in Hajime no Ippo ought to be the West representative.

References

  1. ^ "ボクシングの伝来と協会の歴史 – 第二章 ペリー提督によって日本に伝来" (in Japanese). Japan Pro Boxing Associations. 2008. Retrieved Mach 16, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ Shun Kasahara, The University of Tokyo (Spring, 2009). "Perry Visits Japan: a visual history – The Sumo Won Perry's Heart". Brown University Library. Retrieved Mach 16, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b c "ボクシングの伝来と協会の歴史 – 第三章 ボクシングの父・渡辺勇次郎" (in Japanese). Japan Pro Boxing Associations. 2008. Retrieved Mach 16, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e Baseball Magazine Sha 2004, p. 66.
  5. ^ Baseball Magazine Sha 2002, p. 40.
  6. ^ a b c "ボクシングの歴史 – 第4章" (in Japanese). Japan Boxing Commission. Retrieved Mach 16, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ^ Hisao Adachi (February 21, 2009). "¡Matsuda empató con Umetsu en el Korakuen!" (in Spanish). NotiFight.com. Retrieved Mach 16, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ Baseball Magazine Sha 2004, p. 242.
  9. ^ Baseball Magazine Sha 2004, p. 172.
  10. ^ a b Baseball Magazine Sha 2004, p. 67.
  11. ^ "ボクシングの伝来と協会の歴史 – 第四章 ジム創設ラッシュと拳闘協会発足" (in Japanese). Japan Pro Boxing Associations. 2008. Retrieved Mach 16, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  12. ^ a b "ボクシングの伝来と協会の歴史 – 第五章 分裂、コミッション設立、解散、再編" (in Japanese). Japan Pro Boxing Associations. 2008. Retrieved Mach 16, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  13. ^ "復校祈り英国遠征　早大ボクシング部慈善試合" (in Japanese). Sankei Sports. October 30, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Baseball Magazine Sha 2002, pp. 40–41.
  15. ^ a b Baseball Magazine Sha 2002, p. 286.
  16. ^ Baseball Magazine Sha 2002, p. 291.
  17. ^ Baseball Magazine Sha 2002, p. 78.
  18. ^ Seiichi Ashizawa (July 8, 2005). "酔いどれ芦沢記者の「想い出の名勝負」ジョニー・ファメション－ファイティング原田" (in Japanese). boxing.jp. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  19. ^ (WBC Statement) (February 24th, 2012). "WBC makes pitch for open scoring". Fightnews.com. Retrieved April 17, 2012. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Dan Rafael (December 7, 2006). "Merits of open scoring a split decision of sorts". ESPN. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  21. ^ Chuck Johnson (November 16, 2006). "With new rule, boxers will know the score". USA Today. Retrieved April 17, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ "専門誌ボクシング・ワールド6月号で休刊" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. May 16, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ Boxing Beat editorial department (May 30, 2011). "元プロ経験者のアマ資格認める　日連が画期的決定" (in Japanese). MACC Publications Inc. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  24. ^ Boxing Beat editorial department (August 30, 2010). "プロ－アマ雪解け?　首脳同士が歴史的握手" (in Japanese). MACC Publications Inc. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  25. ^ Jake Donovan 2012, p. 44.
  26. ^ Fitness Sports 2011, p. 109.
  27. ^ Fitness Sports 2012, p. 29.
  28. ^ "JBC rules – Part 1" (in Japanese). West Japan Boxing Associations. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  29. ^ "Q and A – Question 1" (in Japanese). Japan Boxing Commission. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  30. ^ "坂田 vs 興毅の元同門対決今夏にも実現へ". Nikkan Sports. May 14, 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ Asazawa & Shibuya 2007, p. 61
  32. ^ Boxing Beat editorial department (September 24, 2009). "日本にS・ミドル級超ランキング設置" (in Japanese). MACC Publications Inc. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  33. ^ Boxing Beat editorial department (September 27, 2009). "西部－西日本新人王対抗戦結果" (in Japanese). MACC Publications Inc. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  34. ^ "『「最強後楽園」日本タイトル挑戦権獲得トーナメント』開催" (in Japanese). Japan Boxing Commission. June 3, 2008. Retrieved Mach 16, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  35. ^ Boxing Beat editorial department (June 29, 2009). "高額賞金戦 "レイジングバトル" 8月開催" (in Japanese). MACC Publications Inc. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  36. ^ Joe Koizumi (March 28, 2012). "Sato-Suriyan: Full Report". Fightnews.com. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  37. ^ "協栄ジム　大久保の自社ビル売却し賃貸ビルへ移転" (in Japanese). Sports Nippon. April 17, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  38. ^ Isao Hara (June 2, 2010). "日本人の海外挑戦30連敗" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. Retrieved November 9, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  39. ^ Shigeru Masuda 2007, p. 55.
  40. ^ a b Daisuke Yamaguchi (September 30, 2011). "ボクシング・西岡、本場ラスベガスで王者のファイト" (in Japanese). Nihon Keizai Shimbun. p. 2. Retrieved October 6, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  41. ^ a b Makoto Maeda (June 16, 2009). "西岡の海外防衛戦が示すボクシング界の台所事情。〜海を渡る日本人王者の時代〜" (in Japanese). Number (Bungeishunjū). Retrieved October 6, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  42. ^ a b Doug Fischer (April 6, 2012). "Dougie's Friday mailbag". RingTV. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  43. ^ Kazufumi Nomura (April 9, 2012). "ミニマム級日本人2王者が会見" (in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun. Retrieved April 9, 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  44. ^ "Champions confident". Times Daily. July 5, 1984. p. 8B. Retrieved April 14, 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  45. ^ AP (June 26, 1984). "Coetzee May Lose Title". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 4C. Retrieved April 14, 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  46. ^ Cliff Rold (October 31, 2012). "Mijares vs. Darchinyan: The Pre-Fight Report Card". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  47. ^ Ronnie Nathanielsz (April 29, 2010). "WBC vs. WBO Rift Over Hasegawa-Montiel Involvement". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  48. ^ Kazuto Harada (February 22, 2011). "Koki Kameda I'll Fight Nonito Donaire at Anytime!". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  49. ^ "委員長会議報告書" (in Japanese). Japan Boxing Commission. March 9, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2012.

Bibliography

  • Boxing Magazine editorial department, ed. (May 31, 2002). 日本プロボクシング史 世界タイトルマッチで見る50年 (Japan Pro Boxing History – 50 Years of World Title Bouts) (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Baseball Magazine Sha Co., Ltd. pp. 40–41, 78, 286, 291. ISBN 978-4-583-03695-3.
  • Boxing Magazine editorial department, ed. (March 1, 2004). 日本プロボクシングチャンピオン大鑑 (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Baseball Magazine Sha Co., Ltd. pp. 66, 67, 172, 242. ISBN 978-4-583-03784-4.
  • Jake Donovan (April 2012). "Upset of the Year". The Ring (May 2012 issue). Pennsylvania, United States: Sports and Entertainment Publications, LLC: pp. 44–45. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Boxing Beat editorial department (October 15, 2011). MACC Publications Inc (ed.). "村田が銀 & 五輪切符獲得". Ironman. Boxing Beat (in Japanese) (special issue). Tokyo, Japan: Fitness Sports Co., Ltd: p. 109. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  • Boxing Beat editorial department (February 15, 2012). MACC Publications Inc (ed.). "湯場、ついに4階級制覇成す". Ironman. Boxing Beat (in Japanese) (special issue). Tokyo, Japan: Fitness Sports Co., Ltd.: p. 29. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  • Asazawa, Ei; Shibuya, Jun (September 10, 2007). "移籍騒動の高山、問題収束せぬまま10月に再起". Boxing Magazine (in Japanese) (October 2007 issue). Tokyo, Japan: Baseball Magazine Sha Co., Ltd: p. 61. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Shigeru Masuda (September 10, 2007). "熱いぞ!　とてつもなく熱いぞ!!　フィリピン・リングの「今」と「昔」". Boxing Magazine (in Japanese) (October 2007 issue). Tokyo, Japan: Baseball Magazine Sha Co., Ltd: p. 55. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
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