Exactly 2 weeks ago we looked at our first "Reliving the Finish", which was Naoya Inoue's excellent finish of Ngaoprajan Chuwatana, in what was Inoue's second bout. Today we return with an older finish by someone who was incredibly talented but certainly not a puncher. Despite neither men being a KO artist, this was certain a KO worthy of reliving. In Joo Cho (14-0, 6) vs Pone Saengmorakot (18-0, 6) In the summer of 1998 In Joo Cho took the WBC Super Flyweight title from Gerry Penalosa with a rather questionable decision. His first defense was another questionable win, as he narrowly over-came Joel Luna Zarate. Despite being talented Cho was struggling to get recognition at world level and was struggling to win any world level bouts without needing some questionable score-cards. Cho's biggest problem was his last of power. He simply didn't hit hard enough to get the respect of world class opponents. In his third defense the Korean clashed with fellow unbeaten fighter Pone Saengmorakot. Pone was making his international debut and was asking questions of Cho through the first 7 rounds. Cho was doing enough to remain in the lead, but he wasn't having things all his own way. That changed late in round 8 when we got this amazing knockout from the Korean. We're going to include two different videos here. The first one will be in real time and the second is the replays, which are in slow motion with an alternative angle. What we see is Cho catching his Thai foe with a left, then missing with another looping left before the two men land with right hands at the same time time. When they land Pone has his lights instantly turned out. This would be the final KO win for Cho, and the first KO loss for Pone, who was later stopped on cuts against Gerry Penalosa. Sadly for Cho his reign didn't last much longer as he lost the belt 14 months later to Masanori Tokuyama, who then scored a brilliant KO of Cho in their 2001 rematch.
0 Comments
We've all heard of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, and we've decided to put our spin on things with "Six degrees of separation" looking to connect Asian fighters you may never have assumed were connected! Today we connect former Flyweight world champions Yong Kang Kim and Yuri Arbachakov Just as ground rules, we're not doing the more basic "A beat B who beat C who beat D" type of thing, but instead we want to link fighters in different ways. As a result we will limit A fought B connections, and try to get more varied connections together, as you'll see here! We also know there are often shorter routes to connect fighters, but that's not always the most interesting way to connect them. 1-Korean fighter Yong Kang Kim is a former WBC and WBA Flyweight champion. If we were to connect these two men in the quickest way, both were WBC champions and both beat Sot Chitalada. Instead of that, lets go around the houses a bit more. Kim made his debut on April 6th 1985. On the same day Meldrick Taylor won his 4th professional bout, beating Elias Martinez in Texas. 2-American fighter Meldrick Taylor is well known globally for his 1990 loss to Julio Cesar Chavez, in what was the Ring Magazine Fight of the Year and one of the most divisive bouts in history, with the stoppage coming in the final seconds. That bout was refereed by Richard Steele. 3-The legendary Richard Steele was the third man in the ring for Manny Pacquiao's bout with Gabriel Mira in 1999. That bout took place at the Araneta Coliseum in Metro Manila. 4-The Araneta Coliseum hosted a number of big fights over the years, including the Thrilla In Manila in 1975, another Ring Magazine Fight of the Year. That bout, of course, was the final bout in the rivalry between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. 5-Muhammad Ali only fought a single bout in Japan, that was his 1972 clash with Mac Foster. Interestingly that bout took place at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. 6-The Nippon Budokan also played host to a single bout featuring Yuri Arbachakob, that was his 1994 fight against the then unbeaten Chatchai Sasakul, in the first of the two clashes between the two men, who also rematched in 1997 with Sasakul getting revenge over the Japanese based Russian. One of the fun things about these articles for us, the Asian Boxing Team, is the fact we get to learn about fighters we didn't know anything about. Today we had have one such fighter as we talk about Byung Yong Min (4-2, 4), in our latest 5 Midweek Facts piece.
We'll admit we really didn't know anything at all about Min when were given his name, but in reality we wish we had known something about Min, who had a remarkably short career but a very notable one. He only fought 6 times, never heard the final bell of a fight, either stopping his opponent or being stopped in every bout. His career was so short he only managed 35 rounds as a professional, but they were exciting rounds! 1-Min was part of the sensational Korean team at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul. The Korean team took all 12 gold medals, with Min beating Syed Hussein Shah of Pakistan in the final of the 81KG division. That is the same Syed Hussein Shah who would pick up an Olympic bronze medal in 1988, and become a major boxing figure in his homeland. 2-Despite his impressive showing at the Asian Games, and in the 1985 and 1987 Asian Championships, Min failed to make it to the national team for the 1988 Olympics. 3-In his professional debut, in 1989, Min faced 39 fight Australian veteran Kevin Wagstaff. Although Wagstaff was no world beater he was a former OPBF Cruiserwieght champion and a southpaw boasting a 24-12-3 (11) record. Min would stop Wagstaff in 2 rounds. Interestingly, albeit as an aside, Wagstaff's very next bout saw him fighting to a draw with Matthew Saad Muhammad. 4-In just his second professional bout Min claimed the OPBF Light Heavyweight title, beating Fred Toleafoa for the previously vacant title. This title win came impressively early in Min's career, just months after his debut. 5-From what we could find every one of Min's bouts was televised live on MBC in South Korea. Due to his amateur career and ambitions opponents he was one of the last staples of MBC's live coverage of the sport. Over the last few days we've worked our way through the top 10 rankings for the Asian scene at Minimumweight through to Super Flyweight and today we add the Bantamweight rankings, and this is one of the divisions with incredible depth. We feel the #1 is a consensus pick, #2 and #3 are interchangeable and then the other 7 are a mix of really talented fighters in one of the most packed top 10's that we'll be covering. There could be some debate about the placements, but in reality there's not a lot separating some of these guys. However, that's not a bad thing, and it helps show the competitive nature of the division right now.
1-Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16) The current WBA "Super" and IBF unified champion champion is arguably the face of Asian boxing right now, Naoya Inoue. The heavy handed 27 year old from Kanagawa is already a 3 weight world champion and within just 19 fights is one of the sports genuine stars. After winning world titles at Light Flyweight and Super Flyweight Inoue moved to Bantamweight and decimated Jamie McDonnell, Juan Carlos Payano and Emmanuel Rodriguez, before working hard to defeat Nonito Donaire in the WBSS Finale last November. The bout against Donaire saw Inoue needing to prove his toughness, chin and will to win and proving them in the way he did really boosted his standing in our eyes, and he answered some real questions. Having now shown he can fight through adversity we know Inoue is much, much more than just an offensive "Monster". 2-Nonito Donaire (40-6, 26) Having given Inoue such a tough bout in the WBSS final it's fair to suggest that Nonito Donaire is #2, or at worst #3, in division in regards to Asian fighters. The 37 year old Filipino veteran is a physical monster at the weight, with huge size advantages over almost everyone else at 118lbs. He's not just big but he's also strong, very powerful, incredibly tough and a nightmare to fight. He's not as quick as he once was, though as he's lost speed he has adapted and certainly throws fewer wild shots than he once did. There is a case of father time being on his back, but the "Filipino Flash", is experienced, skilled, strong, and has become a more intelligent fighter as the years have gone on. We don't imagine he'll have a Bernard Hopkins-esque career, but he did show there is more than just a bit of life left in his career. 3-John Riel Casimero (29-4, 20) We mentioned that Donaire was either #2 or #3, the man he is potentially interchangeable with is WBO champion John Riel Casimero. Casimero is a 3-weight world champion, and is someone who has long been over-looked by fans of the sport. He's won titles at at 108lbs, 112lbs and now Bantameight. Blessed with confidence, speed and power Casimero is nightmare to face when he's on song. He is however rather unpredictable and he can look both amazing and terrible in the same fight. He won the WBO title last year, stopping Zolani Tete, and seems to be enjoying a good run of form, though that could change at any moment. Originally the plan had been for Casimero to face off with Inoue in April though that bout was cancelled by on going global situation. Now it appears the two men could end up going in different directions with Casimero now looking likely to face Joshua Greer Jr, in a mandatory title defense instead. 4-Keita Kurihara (15-5, 13) After the top 3 we end up with 4 or 5 guys who are very tricky to split, and matching any of them would give some compelling bouts. Among those "chasing group" is OPBF champion Keita Kurihara, a hard hitting 27 year from Japan. On paper Kurihara shouldn't be here, with 5 losses from his 20 bouts, however those losses don't tell the full story of where Kurihara is now. In fact 4 of his losses came in his first 7 bouts and he has only been beaten once in his last 13, with that coming to Hiroaki Teshigawara. In that time he has beaten Ryan Lumacad, Yuki Strong Kobayashi, Warlito Parrenas and Sukkasem Kietyongyuth. He's not the most talented of the ones in this area of the rankings, through he is very much among the most dangerous. 5-Reymart Gaballo (23-0, 20) The most overlooked man in the division, by some margin, is 23 year old Filipino Reymart Gaballo. Gaballo is a joy to watch, but also a freakishly good fighter with some absolutely terrifying traits. He's lightning quick, tall and rangy, with frightening power, very confident and despite look a bit raw around the edges appears to take a good shot, and throw and even better one. His best win to date is probably over Stephon Young, more than 2 years ago, and since then has been supposedly decent opponents. We're really looking forward to seeing the leash being off Gaballo and allowing him to back up our high ranking of him as he looks like the sort of fighter who really could stamp his authority on the division. 6-Takuma Inoue (13-1, 3) Naoya Inoue's little brother, Takuma Inoue, is pretty much the opposite of Keita Kurihara. Whilst Kurihara is all about power Inoue at the cost of skills Takuma Inoue is very much about skills and movement, at the expense of his power. He's a smart boxer-mover, with under-defense, very good movement and sharp punches, but a lack of punching power a strange lack of physical strength, despite visibly looking strong. His 2019 loss to Nordine Oubaali saw him being bullied for much of the fight, though his will to win shined through late on and he pushed Oubaali hard late on, answer questions about his heart and his stamina. We do wonder whether he could drop back down to Super Flyweight, where he fought earlier in his career. If he could he would a great addition there, but instead might find his success being a bit limited at Bantamweight. Saying that however he's only 24 and is still a boxing baby, despite being a pro since 2013. He might not be the generational talent that his older brother is, but don't write him off at after just a single loss. 7-Nawaphon Por Chokchai (48-1-1, 38) Former Flyweight world title challenger Nawaphon Por Chokchai, also known by various other names, has reeled off 12 wins since being stopped by Juan Hernandez back in 2017. Whilst his competition hasn't been the best he has scored notable victories over Amnat Ruenrroeng, Richard Claveras, Sonny Boy Jaro and Ryan Lumacad since his sole defeat, putting him back among the contenders looking for a shot. His record is padded, but watching him, you know he can step it up and would be a nightmare for many of the divisional elite. Some how he's only 28 at the moment, and right bang in his prime, despite already having 50 bouts to his name. Another fighter we can't right off for just having a loss against his name. 8-Michael Dasmarinas (30-2-1, 20) There's an argument that 27 year Filipino Michael Dasmarinas should be much higher up this list, and we do appreciate those arguments. Wins over Karim Guerfi and Kenny Demecillo are very good wins. Sadly however we can't the gift he got against Manyo Plange out of our head, and his win over Demecillo was certainly not the clear cut win that many would have expected for a supposed top divisional talent. He's skilled and talented, but we do wonder if he has maybe hit an early peak and is now, perhaps, heading the wrong way. He's been a sparring partner for both of the Inoue brothers, and is technically a mandatory for the IBF title, but we do wonder whether he'd last long with the Monster if, or when, they fight. 9-Yusuke Suzuki (11-3, 7) Japanese national champion Yusuke Suzuki is another fighter with a record looks out of place in this top 10, but he certainly belongs here. He would also be an absolute nightmare for many in the rankings. The 31 year old southpaw is a solid puncher, teak tough, with an insane work rate and excellent will to win. He can be out boxed, and he cant be out manoeuvred, but but he's a dark horse in the division and certainly deserves a mention. Last time out he over-came some awful facial swelling to out point Yuta Saito. To date he has only lost once at the weight, and that was a split decision in the Philippines to the touted Jeffrey Francisco. Since then he has reeled off 5 wins and come back from a nasty injury. He's not in the mix for the higher positions but is pretty much interchangeable with the man ranked #9. 10-Yuki Strong Kobayashi (16-8, 9) Another fight who's record doesn't scream "top 10" is Yuki Strong Kobayashi, who is in the list due to his recent results. In the last 60 months he had gone 6-1 (3) with his only loss being a close one to Keita Kurihara. In that same time he has beaten Satoshi Ozawa, Vicent Astrolabio and Ben Mananquil. The win over Mananquil saw him net the WBO Asia Pacific title and score a recent big surprise last year over the talented Filipino. Kobayashi has improved from the fighter he once was, and when he was 10-7 (5) his career very much seemed like it was going nowhere but the 28 year old is now an experienced regional champion and with Muto gym well and truly behind him his future is bright. He's not near the top of this list, but certainly belongs on it. A rematch between him and Kurihara would be good, as would a bout with Suzuki. On the Bubble: Ben Mananquil, Kenny Demecillo, Renz Rosia, Yelshat Nikhemttolla, Petch Sor Chitpatttana, and Carl Jammes Martin Few Japanese fighters have ever split opinion like Koki Kameda. The flamboyant, arrogant, cocky, confident, attention grabbing, headline stealing fighter knew how to get attention and how to benefit from having fans and haters. He seemed to know that having fans want to see him lose was just as valuable as fans wanting to see him win.
Although a lot is known about Kameda a lot isn't, so today we bring you 10 facts you probably didn't know about... Koki Kameda 1-Prior to turning to boxing Kameda had originally taken up karate at the age of 4, then went into boxing at the age of 11 and quickly made his mark, taking part in a televised exhibition with former world champion Hiroki Ioka. As an amateur Kameda went 16-1 (12) and won the All Japan Championships as a teenager. 2-In April 2005 Kameda transferred from the Green Tsuda gym to the Kyoei Gym. The transfer cost a reported ¥30,000,000 (around $300,000) 3-Kameda's first 8 opponents were all Thai, and he didn't face a single Japanese opponent until his 22nd bout, when he fought Daisuke Naito. By that point he had faced opponents from Thailand, Venezuela, Mexico, Nicaragua, Indonesia, USA and the Philippines. In fact during his entire career he only face 2 Japanese foes Naito and Kohei Kono. 4-Kameda was dubbed the "Naniwa no Token", or the "Fighting Fist of Naniwa", with Naniwa being old name for what is now Osaka. Haters and detractors in Japan did however tweak it to make it the "run-away dog of Osaka" 5-The original opponent for Kameda's March 8th 2006 bout wasn't Carlos Bouchan, but instead Edgar Sosa. The bout, Kameda's 10th as a professional, saw Sosa pull out on February 14th with a hand injury. Interestingly Sosa would fight just 3 weeks later, beating future world champion Gilberto Keb Baas. 6-Kameda's 2009 bout with Daisuke Naito had an average TV rating of 43.1%. That was impressive by any standard, but the peak rating actually went up to 51.2%, the highest peak rating of any show on Japanese TV in 2009! The average rating is higher than that of any other all-Japanese world title bout in history. Despite splitting opinion Kameda was, for years, a huge ratings hit for TBS in general and a number of his fights peaked at over 30% of the Kanto region 7-Kameda's final defense of the WBA "regular" Bantamweight title in 2013, which saw him beat Jung Oh Son, used 1/2 point scoring, and due to it being held in Korea and being held later than usual for televised bouts in Japan the scores hadn't been collated by the time the bout went off the air on TBS. Due to that the actual result wasn't known in Japan until the news report that followed the airing of the fight. 8-Whilst it's well known that Koki and brothers Daiki and Tomoki are fighting brothers the family's boxing connections are much bigger than that. With their sister, Himeki Kameda, and their cousin, Kyonosuke Kameda, also being professional fighters. 9-Kameda has a credited role as an actor in the 2010 movie "BOX!" (also known as "Bokkusu"). 10-On May 7th 2017 Kameda took part in a special event on streaming service AbemaTV, essentially titled "10,000,000 yen if you beat Koki Kameda". It was a special event that saw Kameda fight against 4 opponents in a single event. The show was a huge success for AbemaTV, so big in fact that it crashed their servers with over 14,000,000 people tuning in. Interestingly one of the fighters that Kameda faced, "Joe Blog", would later make his professional debut on a Kyoei promoted card put together by Kameda. Extra fact 1 - Kameda's 2015 bout with Kohei Kono is the only time an all-Japanese world title fight has taken place on US soil, with the bout being fought in Chicago. Extra fact 2 - Kameda is a published author, with 2 Japanese books available with Kameda listed as the author. "Koki Kameda declares war" and "It's so Strong". For this volume of 5 bouts to enjoy during Isolation we've a pair of low key Japanese domestics, bout before bringing you a national title fight from Korea, a regional title bout from Japan and world title bout from South Korea. Once again we want you to go into the bouts blind and enjoy them for what they are, a distraction to the current situation affecting the world. These are pretty fun this time around with intense action, and some rather short bouts. Please, enjoy! Yusei Fujikawa (3-1, 1) Vs Haruki Ishikawa (6-0, 5) [2018] Katsunori Nagamine (10-1, 6) vs Kenya Yamashita (8-1, 5) [2016] Jung Bum Kim (9-1-1, 8) vs Hyuk Jin Kwon (5-2, 4) [1999] Keita Obara (19-2-1, 17) Vs Alvin Lagumbay (9-2, 8) I [2018] Seung Hoon Lee (42-6, 22) Vs Daniel Zaragoza (36-4, 20) [1988] Not all shocking results take place on a global scale and today we look a real hidden upset, but still a massive one that took place in 1990 in Japan for the Japanese Featherweight title. The bout is one of the biggest upsets of the year, and just looking at the records of the men involved it was one we doubt anyone would have expected going into the bout. Date November 16th 1990 Venue Kobe, Hyogo, Japan Fighters Seiji Asakawa (16-1-1, 12) vs Toshikazu Sono (5-4, 1) In early 1989 Seiji Asakawa won the Japanese Featherweight title, beating Kazuya Kano. His first defense was a shoot out with the popular Kngo Fukuda, which saw both men being dropped, and by November 1990 he had scored 5 defenses of the belt. He looked well on his way to getting a world title fight, with this supposed to be a tune up, and was proving to be a popular fighter, in fun fights, with big power and a real will to win. At just 22 he ticked a lot of boxes for a future star, and even after his eventual retirement he remained a popular figure among Japanese boxing fans for his likeable personality and boyish good looks. Here he was defending the title for the 6th time and doing it in his home of Kobe. On the other hand Toshikazu Sono was an unknown. He had won just 5 of his 9 bouts and had scored just a single stoppage. Just 2 months earlier he had been beaten by Yoshikazu Tamasaki, which was his 3rd loss in 4 bouts, and had done absolutely nothing to get a Japanese title fight. The only real thing of note on his record was winning the West Japan Rookie of the Year in October 1987, before losing the All Japan final inside a round against Hideki Uchikoshi. When we said the bout was supposed to be a tune up for Asakawa before a future world title fight, we were being serious. Asakawa was not supposed to be tested here. He was supposed to sharpen his tools, keep busy and, in 1991, potentially get a world title bout. No one told Sono he was there to lose, and no one told him he couldn't punch. As it turned out, he could bang when he needed to, and he was tougher than expected. From opening round Sono, who was in white shorts for those interested, was proving himself very capable and was holding his own with the much fancied Asakawa. He wasn't hurting the champion, but was certainly not being blown away or overwhelmed. He held his own in exchanges, and moved around the ring like a man who was a lot more talented than his record suggested. It seemed like Asakawa was doing enough to win the opening round, but it was close and really competitive. Asakawa opened up more towards the end of round 2 and seemed like he was close to closing the show as the bell rang. He was all smiles in the corner and Sono actually began walking away from his corner before realising where he was when the bell went. Round 3 was another competitive one, though again it seemed like Asakawa was in control. Sono wasn't looking in awe of the champion, but Asakawa was just doing every thing a little bit better than Sono, and moved through the gears in spurts, as he looked to prove a point, but also get rounds under his belt. He was however forced to take a warning shot of sorts in the final few seconds of the round. Asakawa should have taken the warning to heart. He didn't. After a relatively competitive first 2 minutes of round 4 Asakawa began to open up and again seemed to be showing the class of being able to take a round with a good final minute. This time around Sono responded and with with 30 seconds of the round left a left hook from Sono dropped Asakawa face first. Asakawa wasn't out cold, but failed to beat the 10 count. The new champion was mobbed my his family and friends, whilst the rest of the arena fell silent. They were in shock. The local star had just had everything, his title, his expected world title fight and his aura, destroyed from a single punch. Surprisingly Sono never actually fought again after this, instead going into the family business. Asakawa on the other hand would rebuild, reclaim the Japanese title, fights for world titles, twice, and claim the OPBF title. The bout, at the time, was regarded as one of the biggest upsets in Japanese boxing, and even now, 30 years on, it's hard to think of too many bigger surprises in the country. When we talk about the most important trainers in Japanese boxing history one name that standouts out is Eddie Townsend, arguably the most notable and successful trainer to ever make a mark in Japan. Townsend was born in Hawaii to an Irish-American father and a Japanese mother, making him a Japanese American, and he would go on to train 6 future world champions. He wasn't the only American trainer to make a major impact on Japanese boxing however and today we look at another trainer from America who made an impact before Townsend went on to train 6 world champions.
Dr Alvin Robert Cahn is not someone we expect people to be familiar with, but his impact is massive, and that was despite the fact that originally, he wasn't a boxing trainer. In fact he was scientist. Cahn was born in 1892 as part of a Jewish family in Chicago. He would go to the University of Illinois and would become a very impressive nutritional scientist. His scientific mind and ability lead to him working for the government and later working in Japan at the GHQ following the second world war. Whilst living and working in Japan Cahn spotted a young 24 year old boxer who was training in Tokyo. That was Yoshio Shirai. At the time Shirai's career wasn't going anywhere, he was injured, he was considering jacking it in and walking away from the sport. Shirai had shown some early promise but injuries and poor health had curtailed his career, and a loss to Japanese Flyweight champion Yoichiro Hanada seemed to show that he was lacking some of the tools needed to be a star. Despite Shirai questioning his future Cahn, who was just a scientist, had seen something in Shirai. At the time Japanese boxing was based very much on aggression, stamina and determination. The biggest star of the era was Piston Horiguchi, known for his relentless energy. That however was a style that had limitations and Cahn was a fan of more technical boxing, a style that was more American than the come forward sluggers that had been on the Japanese scene. In Shirai, Cahn saw a long, rangy young man, a man with the physical traits to fight in a way he liked. He didn't have the experience of a boxing trainer, but recognised that Shirai had the tools to go far. With a translator alongside him Cahn went to visit Shirai, a number of times. Finally convincing the fighter, who had gotten into sport as a youngster when watching Kangaroos boxing at a circus, to let Cahn work with him. In fact not only was Cahna talking Shirai into working with him, but into not retiring form boxing all together. Cahn repaid that faith quickly, and began to work on helping Shirai heal from his injuries, which had been suffered in the war. Cahn help to feed Shirai, getting him the nutrition he needed to physically mend his body. He also helped Shirai financially, and got Shirai to sign an exclusive contract. With Shriai's body better than it was, and health better than it had been in years the focus was on the skills that Shirai needed. The first focus was on the jab, something that Cahn made a focus of Shirai's training, sending hours working on it, to get Shirai to perfect the shot. It was, in Cahn's eye, the most vital tool in a boxer's arsenal, and with Shirai having a long frame the jab was even more potent. That was only part of what Cahn worked on with Shirai, using data and analysing opponents, explaining that the mental part of the sport was just as important as the physical aspects. Shirai would excel under Cahn, and would avenge his 1947 loss to Yoichiro Hanada in 1949, defeating Hanada for the Japanese Flyweight title. Hanada has essentially had a 14 year reign by this point. Shirai not only beat Hanada, but sent him down for the count. Just 11 months later Shirai would take the Japanese Bantamweight title from Hiroshi Horiguchi, the brother of the legendary Piston Horiguchi. Holding, and defending, the Japanese Flyweight and Bantamweight, Shirai would become the new face of Japanese boxing, and with Cahn working on scientific training methods with Shirai things were continually improving. Cahn also had his eye on bigger things. It was great training the best fighter in Japan, but the world was a bigger vision and the man they were targeting was Dado Marino, a Filipino who was recognised as the best Flyweight on the planet in 1950. In 1951 Cahn would get what he wanted, and his man would get a bout with Dado Marino in May 1951, thanks to Marino's manager being a Japanese-American and being willing to set up a non-title bout. This was a chance to prove what Shirai could do. Sadly Shirai would fail in his bout with Marino, losing a split decision. The loss was a set back, but showed that Shirai belong at that level. It should be noted that Marino was way over the Flyweight limit, and that the bout was very close and competitive. It was also fought in front of around 35,000 fans at the Korakuen Baseball Stadium. A rematch with Marino occurred later in 1951, this time in Hawaii, and this time Shirai would avenge the loss, stopping the Filipino in 7 rounds to earn his place in the Flyweight world rankings. The training of Cahn had seen Shirai become the first world ranked Japanese fighter, it had spurred a now found hero and had essentially forced the formation of the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC). On May 19th 1952 Shirai would get a third bout with Marino, this time for the Flyweight world title. Before the fight Cahn spoke to Shirai with intensity, and tried to make the situation clear to his. This wasn't a bout for Shirai, but for Japan, telling him “Don’t fight for yourself. You’re fighting for a Japan that has lost all confidence and hope after the war. Right now, the only way Japan can compete in the world is through sports. Win, and you will give your country courage.” The advice worked and helped spur on Shirai, who would defeat Marino with a 15 round decision to become the Flyweight world champion, a huge national hero. Shirai fought the bout with a high intensity early on. That saw him being rocked, and shaken but Shirai recovered, and continued to be spurred on and encouraged by his trainer. Cahn seemed to realise his man had made a mistake and began to hammer back into him the basis of Shirai's training. That worked, and Cahn's advice kicked in, with Shirai calming down, cleaning his head, and boxing smartly against a tiring Marino. The win saw more than 40,000 people watching the bout live, at the venue. Shirai had become the bright light of Japan. He wasn't just their new boxing or sport hero, but was the new national hero in a country that had been left ruined by the second world war. With Cahn by his side the pairing also proved that Japan and American could work side by side. With the title win not only had Japan developed a new star, but Cahn had been right all the time. His scientific approach to training, nutrition and technique had proven vital. Cahn would continue to work with Shirai and would continue to teach his charge things. There's a story from Japan of Shirai suffering a cut in sparring before a title defense. Rather than worrying about his champion's cut Cahn got some hemostatic cream, and used that on his man, convincing Shirai it would work by using it on a cut he caused on his own arm. Shirai's reign as a world champion saw him defending the belt 4 times, with Cahn training him right through to the end of his career, which came in 1955. Although Shirai had lost the world title in 1954 to Pascual Perez, and lost a rematch to Perez in 1955, the relationship between the two men remained close. The mutual respect and adoration remained. Shirai thanked Cahn for his guidance and helping him with his career, with Cahn responding that he should be the one who was thankful as Shirai had given his life a purpose. Cahn had stayed in Japan long after the GHQ, that he was working at, had closed After Shirai retired he and Cahn remained close friends, in fact some they were as close as family. The American continued to live in Japan until his death on January 24th 1971. By then he was 78 and had been in ill health, suffering from dementia and had a blood clot in the brain. He had been in a coma prior to his death, though reportedly woke when Shirai visited him a day before died, grabbing Shirai's hand before falling back into a coma. Although Alvin Robert Cahn may have only trained a single world champion in his life, his impact on Japanese boxing was massive. He showed a scientific approach to the sport could be a success. He proved fighters needed to be healthy, and work on hitting without being hit. He developed a true star for Japan, a hero to get behind, and helped force the development of the Japan Boxing Commission. Even after Cahn's death Shirai continued to follow his advice and stayed out of the boxing business, which Cahn had described as being a monkey business. It wasn't until 1995, when Shirai was brought into Yoko Gushiken's "Shirai Gushiken Sports Gym" as an honorary chairman, that Shirai would be involved in the sport. His involvement at the gym, was minimal. It was reported that after Cahn's death it was reported that he gave all his property over to Shirai, as he had no family of his own and had been essentially part of Shirai's family. Few will argue against Eddie Townsend being the most important trainer in Japanese boxing history, but Cahn's impact in the sport is huge and his relationship with Shirai was massive. "Dr Cahn" was the first trainer to bring science in Japanese boxing and paved the way for the rise in Japanese boxing. As for Shirai he would live until he was 80 years old, dying in 2003 from pneumonia, having secured his place as a true legend of Japanese sport. |
Thinking Out East
With this site being pretty successful so far we've decided to open up about our own views and start what could be considered effectively an editorial style opinion column dubbed "Thinking Out East" (T.O.E). Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|