Tsuyoshi Hamada

When we look at the most significant retired fighters in Japan few have the power that Tsuyoshi Hamada (21-2, 19) has, with Hamada being a key figure within the Teiken set up, and has major roles on TV, often appearing on the G+ "Dynamic Glove" broadcasts, NTV broadcasts and WOWOW broadcasts. Hamada however, hasn't always been a father figure of Japanese boxing, and at one point he was a world champion, a highly respected fighter, a huge fan favourite and a serious puncher.
Born in Okinawa in November 1960 Hamada was part of a huge family, with as many as 21 people living under a single roof. He was the youngest of 7 brothers, and it was always going to be hard to get attention in such a big family, especially as the youngest.
It would be one of Hamada's older brothers, Yuji, who inspired him to begin boxing in elementary school, and it wasn't long until his natural punching power showed through. In fact he was hurting kids significant older when he got in the ring, and there was few able to cope with the brutish power of the youngster. Yuji, who was 6 years older than Tyuoshi, even suggested that his younger brother was hitting harder than people at Junior High School.
In the amateurs Hamada would have a stellar career, going 37-6 (28), taking an inter-high school title in 1978. Following graduation he would then begin training at Teiken who would manage him through his professional career.
Despite his solid amateur background Hamada would debut in 4 rounds bouts, and score a 2nd round KO win on debut, stopping Norimasa Kakegawa. That was followed by a quick blow out win over Masahiko Murayama before Hamada suffered a decision loss to Fusao Imai. That loss would by Hamada's only loss to a domestic rival during his entire career, it would also be his final bout before progressing into 6 round bouts.
Born in Okinawa in November 1960 Hamada was part of a huge family, with as many as 21 people living under a single roof. He was the youngest of 7 brothers, and it was always going to be hard to get attention in such a big family, especially as the youngest.
It would be one of Hamada's older brothers, Yuji, who inspired him to begin boxing in elementary school, and it wasn't long until his natural punching power showed through. In fact he was hurting kids significant older when he got in the ring, and there was few able to cope with the brutish power of the youngster. Yuji, who was 6 years older than Tyuoshi, even suggested that his younger brother was hitting harder than people at Junior High School.
In the amateurs Hamada would have a stellar career, going 37-6 (28), taking an inter-high school title in 1978. Following graduation he would then begin training at Teiken who would manage him through his professional career.
Despite his solid amateur background Hamada would debut in 4 rounds bouts, and score a 2nd round KO win on debut, stopping Norimasa Kakegawa. That was followed by a quick blow out win over Masahiko Murayama before Hamada suffered a decision loss to Fusao Imai. That loss would by Hamada's only loss to a domestic rival during his entire career, it would also be his final bout before progressing into 6 round bouts.
It would be 4 months until Hamada returned to the ring following the loss to Imai, and on his return he stopped Kunio Tada in 5 rounds. That win would begin a 10 fight T/KO run of Hamada's that began on February 22nd 1980 and ran through to March 1st 1984, when he had a no contest with Jose Resendez but more about that later. Ignoring the No Contest it began a 15 fight T/KO run for him.
Hamada's destructive power saw him begin blitzing domestic opponents, like Katsuo Kazama, Minahiko Okuyama and Takeshi Mine. Even durable fighters, like Filipino journeyman Deo Rabago, failed to see the final bell with Hamada. Sadly however, Hamada's power did come at a cost, and he would suffer awful issues with his left hand fracturing it multiple times early in his career. It was badly fractured against the aforementioned Rabago, and as a result he had surgery to deal with it. Those injuries would keep Hamada out of the ring for 2 years, with his consolation being the fact he had taken the KO Award for 1981, his first multiple annual awards. On his return to the ring Hamada's power proved to be just as devastating as it had previously been, as he blasted out Max Boy Toyogon. What was notable however is that Hamada had gone from fighting as a Super Featherweight to fighting as a Lightweight-come-Light Welterweight, with his body maturing during his time away from the ring. His second bout as part of his comeback saw him battle Donny Soriano, and break him down with heavy shots to the head and body. Following Hamada's comeback in August 1983 Hamada would swiftly make his US debut, in March 1984 when he faced Jose Resendez at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. The bout ended in strange circumstances, with Hamada being deducted a point for alow blow before scoring a legitimate knockdown with a body shot, that the referee seemed to be unsure about, though stopped the bout due to. Originally the result was announced as a No Decision, though it would later become a No Contest. Technically the did end the KO run of Hamada's though with the result not standing his KO run was still alive in the eyes of many. Despite the issues with the Resendez bout Hamada would fight in the US just a month later, stopping Greg Triplett in 3 rounds. That would be Hamada's second, and final, bout away from Japan. Hamada would return to a Japanese ring just 3 months after stopping Triplett, and would take out Filipino fighter Romy Cunanan with body shots inside the opening round. Hamada would then take a notable step up in class, facing off with former WBA Lightweight champion Claude Noel. Noel was a big step up for Hamada, but the Japanese puncher would see him off in the 4th round, and Noel would fight just once more, losing a decision to Graeme Brooke 2 months later, before retiring. The win over noel was notable as it saw Hamada setting a new Japanese record for most successive stoppages, at 13 when you ignore the controversial No Contest. Amazingly Hamada would fit a 5th contest in to 1984, and would challenge Japanese Lightweight champion Hikaru Tomonari. Entering the bout Hamada was 15-1-0-1 (15) whilst Tomonari was 25-6-1 (13), a 2-weight Japanese champion and a former world title challenger. Despite the gulf in experience it was again Hamada's power that would be the guy, eventually breaking down Tomonari in round 7, dropping him twice in a matter of moments, and forcing the referee to step in and halt the contest. That saw Hamawa winning his first title, more than 5 years after his debut! Following his title win Hamada would take on the Thai Lightweight champion Dawthong Chuvatana, who was stopped in round 2 by Hamada. This win saw Hamada extend his record to 17-1-0-1 (17), and notch his 15th straight stoppage win, ignoring the No Contest. A record that still stands today, though was tied by Daigo Higa in 2018. Hamada would claim his second professional title in July 1985, when he defeated OPBF Lightweight champion Jong Jong Pacquing, who was looking to make his third defense. The defending champion was down in round 4, and seemed to be the clear loser, though some how earned a 116-116 draw on the card of Filipino judge Vicente Valdez. Whilst the scorecard of Valdez was poor, the bigger news was that a fighter had survived with Hamada, and Pacquing had become the first fighter, since Fusao Imai, to hear the final bell with Hamada. Whilst Pacquing going the distance was big news it was overshadowed in some ways by Hamada damaging his right knee, which resulted in him delaying his ring return. After winning the OPBF belt, and having time to recover from his knee injury, Hamada would make his first, and only, defence of the OPBF Lightweight title. He would retain the belt by taking out Indonesian challenger Suwarno Perico in 90 seconds. Having climbed up the rankings, and won 18 bouts in a row, again ignoring the No Contest, Hamada would get a world title shot at the then WBA Light Welterweight champion Rene Arredondo. Hamada jumped on Arredondo straight away, and was all over him from the opening bell. Arredondo tried to fight back but Hamada would force the champion backwards, and continue to press and pressure him. At the very end of the round Hamada dropped Arredondo hard and the champion was counted out, at an official time of 3:09 of round 1, giving Hamada his career defining win. Prior to facing Arredondo there was significant issues with Hamada's health. He was said to have been significantly over-trained, unable to climb up stairs and struggling to tighten bottles. As a result he was told to rest, and apparently slept for 22 hours to help recover in time for the fight. Hamada would defend the title 5 months after winning it, taking a split decision win over American challenger Ronnie Shields, in what was a close bout that had some very messy moments late on. Shields boxed well though Hamada did enough to convince 2 judges that he deserved the win. Sadly for Hamada his reign would come to an end in July 1987, when he was stopped in a rematch with Rene Arredondo. Arredondo, who had been hammered by Hamada in their first bout, cut the Japanese fighter early on and then caught him with a series of head shots whilst Hamada was on the ropes, forcing the referee to save a bloodied Hamada in round 6. A plan to face Arredondo a third time was in place, though Hamada's knee wouldn't heal, and Arredondo would lose the belt in his first defense. Rather than chasing another fight Hamada retired, with a record of 21-2-0-1 (19). During his career Hamada didn't just win the three titles he held, but also won a number of awards. We mentioned he had taken the KO Award in 1981, he would then claim the same award in 1984 and 1985. He won the Effort award in 1983, the Skill award in 1984 and 1985, the Best Fighter award in 1986 and the Best Fight award, also in 1986, for his first bout with Arredondo. After retiring Hamada has, as mentioned, remained a key figure in boxing. He is often seen as a commentator, he works with Teiken, he has featured in anime Ashite No Joe, and is regarded as a major voice in the boxing media, with columns in the press. He also acts as a representative for Hamada Industry, which sell dietary supplements. In the ring Hamada was an aggressive, exciting and powerful fighter. Almost always coming forward tyring to take opponents out quickly and destructively. He was somewhat crude, but had power in both hands. Fighting out of the southpaw stance it was originally his left hand that was brutal, but he would work on his right hook later in his career, and prove to be a brutal 2-handed fighter. |
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