Rising Sun of Pugilism Across the Sea
While the west, particularly the United States, is often regarded as the sole hub of boxing that dominates over other boxing scenes, there is a rapidly growing and well-established boxing scene across the Pacific – Japan. Japan boasts a significant combat sport heritage(karate, judo, jiu jitsu, sumo, kendo, etc.). Boxing is no exception. The country has hosted significant boxing promotions, high profile matches and the market for boxing is growing faster than ever within its borders. Despite being overlooked at times, Japan’s boxing scene has thrived, boasting an immense popularity within its borders and producing world class fighters who have gone on to claim championship belts on the global stage.
Despite multiple combat arts originating from Japan, boxing was not one of them. Boxing was introduced to Japan in the early 20th century through American and European sailors and cultural exchanges between Japan and the west. During these cultural exchanges, many Japanese people went abroad and returned with knowledge of countries overseas. In the case of boxing, Yujiro Watanabe, who is considered to be the Father of Japanese Boxing, brought the sport to Japan after learning it in San Francisco. The first official boxing match in Japan took place in 1921, marking the start of the sport. Combat sports as a form of entertainment gained huge popularity and so did boxing. However, with the advent of World War II, boxing’s popularity declined. Nevertheless, the war also allowed the sport to grow even more as the American occupation of Japan brought in even greater boxing knowledge. As the sport grew, so did the number of athletes, resulting in Japan producing multiple world champions.
There are many different styles of boxing. With the Mexicans, there is the aggressive pressure fighting style. With the Russians, we have a technical striker style. As for Japan’s boxing style, one word comes to my mind: textbook. This does not mean they are predictable or lacking in creativity. Instead, Japanese boxers overall tend to showcase even distribution of skills in all aspects of boxing. They may not throw unorthodox punches that catch the opponent off guard or showcase flamboyant footwork. However, their mastery of fundamentals allows them to get the job done. While their footwork may not resemble that of Muhammad Ali, nor do their jabs resemble those of Floyd Mayweather, Japanese boxers are effective just with their own simple yet orthodox style.
Among all the world class fighters emerging from Japan, one name stands out: Naoya Inoue. Naoya Inoue perfectly embodies Japan’s textbook boxing style, but he stands out amongst others for his level of skill. When a boxer is well rounded, one expects competence in all areas without necessarily standing out in any single aspect. However, Naoya Inoue, despite his skills being very evenly distributed throughout every aspect of boxing, he excels at all. When the averageboxer would have mastery in one or two aspects, Inoue displays mastery over all aspects – whether it’s power, agility, speed or fight IQ. As of the time of this writing, Naoya Inoue is ranked pound-for-pound the best in the world by The Ring and is a unified super bantamweight champion. He masterfully embodies Japanese boxing and is one of very few Japanese boxers to be recognized globally.
Despite Japan having a huge domestic boxing scene, it is not very well-known globally. Japan is often overlooked due to its smaller sized boxers, language barriers, and the lack of money for Japanese events on western TV. Historically, bigger fighters have drawn more attention than smaller ones. Language barriers result in less character / storyline development and less attention from western audiences. However, Japanese boxing’s profile is increasing steadily with a new generation of fighters like Naoya Inoue being recognized globally. This holds a promising future for Japanese boxing and it is certain to thrive in the years to come.
Return to Asia
Global Boxing Atlas 