Fumiya Fuse
Usually when we talk about exciting young Japanese talent we usually talk about former amateur standouts, youngsters who have a strong background in the unpaid ranks and have turned professional with a bit of momentum ahead of their debut. There are however other prospects worthy of note. They can be the organic prospects, who are developed through the ranks, moved from 4 to 6 and then to 8 rounders without much fuss or fanfare. They can also be Rookie of the Year prospects, who have spent their early fights developing against fellow novices in Rookie bouts.
The 20 year old Fumiya Fuse (8-0, 1), from the talent laden Watanabe Gym, falls squarely into that last category, having only had a short, and rather unremarkable amateur career before beginning his professional career.
Born in 1998 Fuse would go 17-5 in the unpaid ranks before making his professional debut in January 2017, taking a decision over Shinnosuke Hasegawa. This would begin a sensational year for Fuse who would, within a year, become a very highly regarded fighter, who had already shown a lot of promise.
The 20 year old Fumiya Fuse (8-0, 1), from the talent laden Watanabe Gym, falls squarely into that last category, having only had a short, and rather unremarkable amateur career before beginning his professional career.
Born in 1998 Fuse would go 17-5 in the unpaid ranks before making his professional debut in January 2017, taking a decision over Shinnosuke Hasegawa. This would begin a sensational year for Fuse who would, within a year, become a very highly regarded fighter, who had already shown a lot of promise.
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A big part of Fuse's rise through the ranks was how he performed in the Rookie of the Year. His first Rookie of the Year bout came on June 13th 2017, when he took a split decision win over Mizuki Akima. Just 3 months later he would defeat Takayoshi Suzuki in the East Japan Rookie of the Year sime-final bout. The win over Suzuki would secure Fuse a bout in the East Japan final against Wataru Ikegami, with Fuse again taking a decision to book his place in the All Japan final.
Interestingly the bout with Ikegami was televised on G+ and for many fans this was their first time to see Fuse in action. He impressed in his performance, showing a razor straight left hand, impressive movement and real natural speed. He certainly seemed to lack power, and lacked crispness in some of his punches, but his jab, straight and uppercuts were all really nice for such a novice. Despite having only been a professional for less than a year Fuse had made his way to the All-Japan final in December 2017, where he would take on fellow unbeaten Hiroki Tokuyama. Once again it was Fuse's movement, speed and straight punches that shone as he out boxed Tokuyama before securing a rather weak looking stoppage in the 4th round. Although Tokuyama was clearly being beaten the stoppage, with just seconds of the round left, did seem rather early from the referee. Regardless of the haste of the referee it did seem like Fuse would have been on route to a win regardless, to become the 2017 All Japan Bantamweight Rookie of the Year. Following his Rookie of the Year win Fuse would have a less busy 2018, though it would be a a notable one. His first bout of the year sw him going against his first international opponent, widely defeating Indonesian foe Yohanis Tatul over 6 rounds. He would build on that by winning his first bout outside of Japan, defeating Dong Young Lee in Korea, in what was a real show case of his ability, his timing, his speed and his clean punching. It was the win over Lee, on foreign soil, that really opened our eyes on what a great prospect Fuse was but he was still looking very much like a child in a man's sport, and it was clear he was still a youngster, who was needing to physically mature, adding meat to his bones before taking on tougher, more established fighters. To begin 2019 Fuse beat Naoto Mizutani over 8 rounds. That was another decision for Fusem and another showing that whilst he was a really skilled fighter, there was work to do. Not only was he lacking power and strength, failing to make Mizutani respect his punching, but also he seemed to tire in the later rounds, leading to a new area for him to improve on. This was Fuse's first 8 round bout, and it's clear there is serious work for him to do, though it's hard not to be excited about his early potential. At the moment Fuse looks to be a sharp punching, speedy, intelligent southpaw making his mark on the lower levels of the sport. This year we'd expect Watanabe gym to push him into bigger and better fights, potentially ending the year against a Japanese ranked fighter. He is still a kid in boxing circles, and needs time to develop his stamina, strength and power. He'll never be a 1-punch KO artist, but he will be able to improve not only his physical power but also his technique and will be able to get the respect of opponents. Interestingly Fuse's favourite fighter is listed, on boxmob, as Bernard Hopkins and whilst the styles of the two are different you can see that Fuse is a smart fighter and looking up to Hopkins' determination, ring craft and counter punching will not be a bad thing for the talented youngster. (Image courtesy of Watanabe Gym) |
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