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August 7th 2013-Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Yusaku Kuga (6-1, 4) vs Naoto Uebayashi (3-0, 2) Way back in August 2013 once beaten Japanese fighter Yusaku Kuga [久我勇作], who would later go on to capture the Japanese Super Bantamweight title, took on the unbeaten and then touted Naoto Uebayashi [上林 巨人], who had been an outstanding amateur with an 88-14 record in the unpaid ranks.
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October 19th 2015-Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Naoto Uebayashi (7-1-1, 4) vs Atsushi Hosogai (7-9) Not all Japanese amateur standouts go on to have amazing careers. One such fighter who has struggled to make a mark in the professional ranks is Naoto Uebayashi [上林 巨人], who has fallen a long way short of expectations. Here we have his 10th professional fight, where he took on Atsushi Hosogai [細貝 淳]. June 13th 2016-Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Naoto Uebayashi (9-1-1, 5) vs Mikihito Seto (34-12-3, 18) Earlier this month Japanese fans at the Korakuen Hall saw the once touted Naoto Uebayashi [上林 巨人] face off with veteran Mikihito Seto [瀬藤 幹人] in what was a really key bout for both men. March 17th 2016-Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Naoto Uebayashi (8-1-1, 4) vs Naoaki Kumagai (7-3, 4) Whilst we all love watching highly skilled fighters do their thing there is also a lot to like about watching talented yet flawed fighters. One such fighters is former amateur standout Naoto Uebayashi [上林 巨人] who recently fought Naoaki Kumagai [熊谷 直昭] in what turned out to be an enjoyabe. April 21st 2014-Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Naoto Uebayashi (4-0-1, 2) Vs Anis Ceunfin (16-18-5, 6) In November 2012 Naoto Uebayashi [上林巨人] turned professional following an excellent career as an amateur. In his 6th bout he faced experienced Indonesian fighter Anis Ceunfin. April 22nd- Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Naoto Uebayashi (7-0-1, 4) Vs Giovanni Escaner (12-3, 8) One thing we love about Filipino fighters is how under-rated so many. We've seen fighters like Rey Loreto, Sonny Boy Jaro and Rey Megrino all show how their records don't equate to their ability. Another who tried to add himself to that list was Giovanni Escaner who traveled to Japan earlier this year to take on the touted Naoto Uebayashi, a former Japanese amateur who was tipped by some to be a future contender. One fighter we've tried to follow pretty closely is Naoto Uebayashi, an unbeaten Japanese prospect who was a former amateur standout. Tipped for stardom Uebayashi stumbled somewhat early in his career and was surprisingly dropped in just his second bout, by Thailand's Imron Lookkhlongtan, and held to a draw by the then 22 year old Yasaku Kuga, who also dropped him. Just 3 months after the Kuga fight Uebayashi took on his most experienced, at least up to that point in time, Filipino Marjohn Yap. Yap, for those who aren't aware, is a sturdy and durable fighter who had shared the ring with some excellent fighters like Ryosuke Iwasa and had scored some notable upsets including a stoppage over Pramuansak Posuwan. For Uebayashi this was a clear test and, for the first time in his career, he was scheduled to go 8 rounds. As we all know some fighters respond well to being moved up a level and given what they view as a real test as opposed to a bout they go into complacent and feel they can win one handed. For Uebayashi this test seemed to bring out the best in him as he showed off the skills that helped him become such a highly regarded prospect. He combined his skills to a cautious pressure based game plan, he forced Yap against the ropes and forced Yap to lead and made him pay. From Yap's perspective he wasn't shown up and he'll be back in Japan in late 2014 to fight against Hirofumi Mukai. On this performance he has the ability to make life difficult for Mukai. For us however the performance from Uebayashi saw him winning rounds against a competitive Yap to take the win and build on his reputation as one of Japan's more over-looked prospects. (Video courtesy of Akkie4410) To be a very good prospect a fighter to be more than just skilled. Sure the "skills pay the bills" but if the fighter is lacking mentally, has a poor chin or has another obvious flaw then all that skill could go to waste. One man who appears to have the skills but has left us with question marks is Japan's talented Naoto Uebayashi who, despite having a 5-0-1 at the time of writing, has left some with major question marks due to performances in several of his early fights. One of those those, in fact the most telling in many ways, was his second professional bout as Uebayashi took on Thailand's Imron Lookkhlongtan and mentally switched off for just a moment. Uebayashi looked in complete control but made a mistake and was forced to pay with the Thai tagging him with a very crisp and heavy right hand that sent Uebayashi down about 2:40 into the opening round. Much to his credit the Japanese fighter did get back to his feet, recovered and went on to win the fight with a sensational knockout in round 5 but the warning signs for Uebayashi need to be heeded, especially when you consider he was dropped again just 2 fights later by Yusaku Kuga. There is talent here with Uebayashi but he certainly needs to work out a few issues before he's moved into title fights or else he will lose a fight that he has the ability to win. (Video courtesy of Akkie4410) Some of the best things about Japanese boxing happen when a fighter is a novice. Not only is there the Rookie of the Year competition for real rookies, but there are also B Class tournaments for former top amateur fighters and fighters with a bit more experience and there are also some great tests for youngsters who want to prove their talented. Of course not everyone is super prospect like Naoya Inoue or Kosei Tanaka but yet we can almost always see a Japanese prospect tested in their first few fights. We saw two such fighters testing their credentials at one of the B class tournament finals last year when then unbeaten Naoto Uebayashi, a former amateur star, battled the 22 year old Yusaku Kuga. Kuga, who came into the bout with a loss and a draw from his previous 8 bouts knew he was up against it but also showed true self belief and refused to be intimidated by the amateur credentials and hype that Uebayashi had gotten. As a result we got a fantastic fight between two very good and promising fighters. The fight was a very competitive one that showed off what both fighters were capable of at time. Since then however both appear to have developed their skills notably and we'd not be shocked if one, or the other, manages to claim at least a national title at some point in their career. (Video courtesy of Akimoto Righteous) Generally you can recognise a good prospect from their amateur credentials. Its true not all good amateurs become good professionals but a good amateur background does tend to help a fighter when they turn professional. Likewise in Japan it's also worth noting what sort of license they fight with when they turn professional with many of the better prospects fighting under a B class license on their debut, they might not all go on to be stars but they are always worth following early in their career. Those two things made Naoto Uebayashi someone to make a note of when he began his career back in late 2012. He was a 6 time amateur champion and had competed at various international competitions, including the World Amateur Champions in 2009. After his amateur career he turned professional under a B license and looked like a very promising young prospect with the potential to be one to watch. In Uebayashi's third fight he fought he entered a B class tournament and faced Atsuki Hayashi. Hayashi was fighting in his 9th fight and had only lost 1 of his previous 8, it was a considerable test for the much touted Uebayashi who showed his potential with a very solid performance that showed off many of the traits that saw him being so hotly tipped. As one would suspect from a novice in their 3rd pro bout this wasn't punch perfect but it was a very comfortable victory for the unbeaten youngster who was taken the distance for the first time in his career. Not only was he taken the distance but he was pushed hard in the final few rounds as his stamina was given a serious test. (Video courtesy of Akimoto Righteous) |
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