Takashi Uchiyama
Courtesy of Watanabe gym
A lot of fans in the West typically think that Japanese boxers are "weak" and need to rely on speed to get to the top of the sport. Whilst international fans are more than happy to applaud the technical aspects of Japanese fighters few are thought of as powerhouses. One man who buckles that trend however is WBA Super Featherweight champion Takashi Uchiyama (24-1-1, 20) [内山 高志] who is among the hard hitters pound-for-pound in the sport today.
The 36 year old Uchiyama is currently considered as the premier fighter in the Super Featherweight division and whilst he is best known for his thunderous power he's actually a very complete fight with a solid amateur pedigree, very well schooled skills and the all the tools and credentials to be considered on the fringes of the pound-for-pound lists.
Before turning professional in 2005 Uchiyama had run up a spectacular amateur record of 91-22 (59) including 4 notable amateur titles, including 3 successive All Japan Japanese Lightweight titles. Although he wasn't a global star like some amateur fighters he did manage to compete at the 2003 World Championships in Bangkok (losing to eventual Bronze medal winner Gyula Kate).
Upon turning professional Uchiyama's power was scary. On his debut in the paid ranks he needed just 35 seconds to stop Chandet Sithramkamhaeng and his following 2 opponents also failed to make it beyond the opening round as the destructive power was simply too much.
In Uchiyama's first major test he out pointed Tomoya Endo over 8 rounds, it was his fourth bout and the first to see Uchiyama extended beyond the first round. Despite being dragged into a distance fight Uchiyama relied on his boxing ability and claimed a clear decision. Just a few bouts later Uchiyama would claim his first professional title stopping experienced Australian Nedal Hussein for the OPBF Super Featherweight title. It was the bout against Hussein that helped launch Uchiyama up the WBA rankings and into contention for a world title fight, though he was still inexperienced and needed more seasoning before then.
The 36 year old Uchiyama is currently considered as the premier fighter in the Super Featherweight division and whilst he is best known for his thunderous power he's actually a very complete fight with a solid amateur pedigree, very well schooled skills and the all the tools and credentials to be considered on the fringes of the pound-for-pound lists.
Before turning professional in 2005 Uchiyama had run up a spectacular amateur record of 91-22 (59) including 4 notable amateur titles, including 3 successive All Japan Japanese Lightweight titles. Although he wasn't a global star like some amateur fighters he did manage to compete at the 2003 World Championships in Bangkok (losing to eventual Bronze medal winner Gyula Kate).
Upon turning professional Uchiyama's power was scary. On his debut in the paid ranks he needed just 35 seconds to stop Chandet Sithramkamhaeng and his following 2 opponents also failed to make it beyond the opening round as the destructive power was simply too much.
In Uchiyama's first major test he out pointed Tomoya Endo over 8 rounds, it was his fourth bout and the first to see Uchiyama extended beyond the first round. Despite being dragged into a distance fight Uchiyama relied on his boxing ability and claimed a clear decision. Just a few bouts later Uchiyama would claim his first professional title stopping experienced Australian Nedal Hussein for the OPBF Super Featherweight title. It was the bout against Hussein that helped launch Uchiyama up the WBA rankings and into contention for a world title fight, though he was still inexperienced and needed more seasoning before then.
Within the 25 months following Uchiyama's victory over Hussein the Japanese puncher would record an excellent 5 defenses of his OPBF title with only Hero Bando managing to see the final bell. Those defenses saw Uchiyama maturing as a fighter and going 12 rounds for the first time as he started preparation for a world title fight.
Following the unexpected loss by Jorge Linares to Juan Carlos Salgado, Salgado returned to Japan to make the first defense of his new acquired WBA Super Featherweight title as he faced the then highly ranked Uchiyama. Uchiyama was by now thoroughly prepared for his world title fight and it showed as he went out to a clear lead over Salgado before forcing a stoppage with just 12 seconds left. Although Salgado was stopped on his feet he was completely gone whilst Uchiyama was starting to unload on him. Since claiming the world title Uchiyama has been a destructive force blasting through an impressive 8 defenses with 5 T/KO's including a stoppage of current WBC Super Featherweight champion Takashi Miura as well as "interim" champions Jorge Solis and Bryan Vasquez. The stoppages over both Solis and Vasquez were eye-catching to say the least with Solis left out cold whilst Vasquez was simply battered into submission. The first man that Uchiyama hasn't managed to stop since becoming champion was the teak tough Filipino Michael Farenas. Unfortunately though that bout was terminated early after a clash of heads in round 3 caused a technical draw, the one and only mark on Uchiyama's otherwise perfect record. In early 2013 Uchiyama made the 7th successive defense of the WBA Super Featherweight title as he stopped Venezuelan Jaider Parra, the younger brother of Lorenzo Parra with a vicious body shot. Surprisingly however Uchiyama ended the year by being taken the 12 round distance, for the first time in his career, by Japan's very own Daiki Kaneko. Although victorious over Kaneko the bout was actually the coming out party for Kaneko who looks like a nailed on future champion. Sadly 2014 was a bit of a write off for Uchiyama who saw opponents avoid him before he returned on New Years Eve and took on Argentinian challenger Israel Perez. The Japanese fighter eventually broke down Perez but was given a good work out prior to the bout's conclusion which came at the end of round 9 when Perez stayed in his corner. To begin 2015 we saw Uchiyama at his most brutal as he stopped Thai Jomthong Chuwatana in just 2 rounds. The heavy heavy handed Uchiyama battered Jomthong for much of the first round before finishing him off with a vicious right hand in the second round in what was one of Uchiyama's most impressive performances. That result was followed by Uchiyama recording a 3rd round TKO win over the over-matched Oliver Flores as he continued his run of fighting on New Year's Eve. Uchiyama's long unbeaten run came to an end earlier this year when he was upset by Panamanian Jezreel Corrales, who surprisingly stopped Uchiyama in the second round to dethrone the Japanese fighter, who had long been the lynchpin of the division. The loss sent Uchiyama into questioning his future, however it does seem like his career will continue and he's expected to return to the ring in December. For those who want to see some footage of Uchiyama we've included some from the Parra fight courtesy of TakushokuAlumni. |
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