Koki Ishii
Many fans of professional boxing tend to forget that boxing in the amateurs can be just as meaningful as boxing in the pro's. Some fighters, for example Felix Savon and Teofilo Stevenson were solely about their amateur achievements (admittedly their reasons were very much forced up on them). For forgotten Japanese fighter Koki Ishii however it was amateur credentials that really stood him on a pedestal.
Born in 1954 in Sapporo, Hokkaido Ishii was a fighter who really came to prominence in the mid-late 1970's after a string of fantastic amateur results though sadly underachieved in the professional ranks.
Aged just 22 Ishii emerged on the scene in 1977 when he won a Gold medal in the 51KG division at the Asian Championships in Jakarta. Although none of his opponents were hugely well known it was still an excellent achievement for the youngster who had seemingly come out of nowhere to storm the tournament.
Just a few months after Ishii had claimed a Gold at the Asian Championships he would then go on to compete at the 1978 World Amateur Championships in Belgrade (then part of Yugoslavia). The World Amateur Championships had only started 4 years earlier in Cuba and although Japan had sent a number of fighters to the inaugural competition none of them managed to claim a medal (though several fighters did make it to the quarter-finals). Ishii managed to change that as he reached the semi-final of the tournament and claimed a Bronze medal to become Japan's first ever medal winner in the competition.
Having been impressive in the World Amateur Championships Ishii would continue to impress in the unpaid ranks and just months later he went on to claim a Gold at the Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand.
In 1979 Ishii turned his attention to the professional ranks and he successfully made his debut by stopping Shinji Taki in a bout scheduled for 8 rounds.
Over the following 2 years Ishii would run up a nice streak of wins as his record moved to 9-0 (5) with victories coming against then then OPBF Flyweight champion Hong Soo Yang as well as the then Japanese champion Kazumasa Tamaki.
In 1982 and after less than 3 years as a professional Ishii would find himself in the most notable bout of his professional career as he faced the then reigning WBC Super Flyweight world champion Chul-Ho Kim. Ishii managed to get off to a good start against his Korean opponent dropping Kim in round 3 though sadly the experienced champion, who had lost just 1 of his 20 previous bouts, managed to turn the fight around and stop a brave Ishii in the 8th round.
Following the loss to Kim, Ishii would return to the ring just months later to defeat Yoshiaki Kanda in the 7th round and then out point Rord Mitsuru as he appeared to be rebuilding his career. Sadly however Ishii's career would never truly get back on track and a draw with the then Japanese Light Flyweight champion Katsumi Sato was as close as he ever came to to a professional belt.
Ishii did fight on following his draw with Sato though he'd only fight twice more winning a none-title bout with Hiroyuki Tada before losing via 8th round KO to the genuinely under-rated Shuichi Hozumi in a Japanese title bout. The loss to Hozumi effectively ended Ishii's career with a record of 12-2-1 (7).
Whilst some may view Ishii's professional career as a disappointment following his exceptional success as an amateur, it's fair to say that he was put in bouts that he wasn't ready for. He showed his gameness and his bravery against Kim and even Hozumi, but he was ready for neither and should have taken 2 or 3 more fights before fighting either man.
Of course Ishii's amateur success and especially his medal in the World Amateur Championships does give him a sense of historical importance despite his relative failings as a professional. It's without a doubt that Ishii's success did help a generation of Japanese amateur fighters who then turned professional, and with out his success we may not have had quite the same number of top Japanese amateurs over the year and as a result the high level of professional success.
Born in 1954 in Sapporo, Hokkaido Ishii was a fighter who really came to prominence in the mid-late 1970's after a string of fantastic amateur results though sadly underachieved in the professional ranks.
Aged just 22 Ishii emerged on the scene in 1977 when he won a Gold medal in the 51KG division at the Asian Championships in Jakarta. Although none of his opponents were hugely well known it was still an excellent achievement for the youngster who had seemingly come out of nowhere to storm the tournament.
Just a few months after Ishii had claimed a Gold at the Asian Championships he would then go on to compete at the 1978 World Amateur Championships in Belgrade (then part of Yugoslavia). The World Amateur Championships had only started 4 years earlier in Cuba and although Japan had sent a number of fighters to the inaugural competition none of them managed to claim a medal (though several fighters did make it to the quarter-finals). Ishii managed to change that as he reached the semi-final of the tournament and claimed a Bronze medal to become Japan's first ever medal winner in the competition.
Having been impressive in the World Amateur Championships Ishii would continue to impress in the unpaid ranks and just months later he went on to claim a Gold at the Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand.
In 1979 Ishii turned his attention to the professional ranks and he successfully made his debut by stopping Shinji Taki in a bout scheduled for 8 rounds.
Over the following 2 years Ishii would run up a nice streak of wins as his record moved to 9-0 (5) with victories coming against then then OPBF Flyweight champion Hong Soo Yang as well as the then Japanese champion Kazumasa Tamaki.
In 1982 and after less than 3 years as a professional Ishii would find himself in the most notable bout of his professional career as he faced the then reigning WBC Super Flyweight world champion Chul-Ho Kim. Ishii managed to get off to a good start against his Korean opponent dropping Kim in round 3 though sadly the experienced champion, who had lost just 1 of his 20 previous bouts, managed to turn the fight around and stop a brave Ishii in the 8th round.
Following the loss to Kim, Ishii would return to the ring just months later to defeat Yoshiaki Kanda in the 7th round and then out point Rord Mitsuru as he appeared to be rebuilding his career. Sadly however Ishii's career would never truly get back on track and a draw with the then Japanese Light Flyweight champion Katsumi Sato was as close as he ever came to to a professional belt.
Ishii did fight on following his draw with Sato though he'd only fight twice more winning a none-title bout with Hiroyuki Tada before losing via 8th round KO to the genuinely under-rated Shuichi Hozumi in a Japanese title bout. The loss to Hozumi effectively ended Ishii's career with a record of 12-2-1 (7).
Whilst some may view Ishii's professional career as a disappointment following his exceptional success as an amateur, it's fair to say that he was put in bouts that he wasn't ready for. He showed his gameness and his bravery against Kim and even Hozumi, but he was ready for neither and should have taken 2 or 3 more fights before fighting either man.
Of course Ishii's amateur success and especially his medal in the World Amateur Championships does give him a sense of historical importance despite his relative failings as a professional. It's without a doubt that Ishii's success did help a generation of Japanese amateur fighters who then turned professional, and with out his success we may not have had quite the same number of top Japanese amateurs over the year and as a result the high level of professional success.
