Shinya Iwabuchi Vs Shamgar Koichi

One of the things that's really interesting in boxing is the paths fighters take through out their careers. One bout could see two men fighting in their debuts then years later they could be clashing again for a world title. It's something that very few other sports have but is something that really interests us, especially on the domestic scene where fighters can often fight each other more than once and where the same handful of fighters all seem to fight each other.

Back in 2011 at the Strongest Korakuen final fans got to see a Light Welterweight bout between the highly exciting Shinya Iwabuchi and the dangerous Shamgar Koichi, then fighting under his birth name as Koichi Aso. The bout, scheduled for 8 rounds, was to decide the next challenger for the Japanese crown at 140lbs.

Surprisingly the contest lasted less than a round with Iwabuchi hurting and then finishing off Koichi with a devastating flurry of punches to secure his chance at the belt.

As history would have it Iwabuchi went on to win the title in his next bout, stopping Yuji Wauke in 7 rounds. After defending the belt 3 times he gave it up in 2013 to challenge for the OPBF title. Although Iwabuchi lost in his first OPBF title fight, dropping a decision to Min Wook Kim, he will be getting another chance at the belt in August 2014 when he battles Keita Obara. As for Koichi he's about to challenge Hiroki Okada for Japanese title, almost 3 years after losing this bout.

Note-An alternative video of this fight, taken from another angle, can be seen here.

(Video courtesy of suzufeel)