Hideyuki Ohashi requests allowing 16 year olds to turn professional

Popular Japanese promoter Hideyuki Ohashi, the chairman of the Ohashi Gym and the head of the Japan Professional Boxing Association (JPBA), has requested the the Japanese Boxing Commission (JBC) change their rules on how old a fighter needs to be to turn professional.

At the moment the minimum age limit is 17 years old. It was at 17 that one of Ohashi's top prospects, Takuma Inoue, turned professional.

Ohashi wants the age limit to be taken down from 17 to 16 allowing fighters to get a license after High School.

This is the second time Ohashi has made the request. The first time the request fell on deaf ears however we are expecting the request to be given an answer this time around having seen how promising both of the Inoue brothers are despite their young ages.

We hope to hear the decision on this in the come weeks though hopefully if it does happen we won't see all the top young amateurs running to become professionals, it would be a real shame if the amateur system in Japan crumbles away because of something like this


(Photo, of Mr Ohashi, courtesy of http://www.ohashi-gym.com)

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