Teiken Boxing Gym
Encyclopedia
in Tokyo
, a Japan
's traditional boxing
club whose genesis dates back to 1926, manages professional boxers as a member of the , a subsidiary body of . Currently located in Kagurazaka
, Shinjuku
, its president is the International Boxing Hall of Fame
r , the representative is , and the long-time female manager is . In order to distinguish from three related clubs i.e. Osaka Teiken Boxing Gym, Fukuoka Teiken Boxing Gym and Hachinohe Teiken Boxing Gym, it is often referred to as "Teiken (Boxing) Gym in Tokyo" or "Tokyo's Teiken (Boxing) Gym", and so on.
Teiken Promotions Inc. in Sakae-chō, Kita, Tokyo
, also headed by the boxing promoter
Akihiko Honda, is the managerial and promotional company for the Teiken Boxing Gym's and other world wide professional boxers, as well as supervises the boxers' training. While Teiken Promotions has so far directed the world champions such as Jirō Watanabe
who belonged to Osaka Teiken Boxing Gym, Genaro Hernández
, David Griman
, Jose Luis Bueno
, Eloy Rojas
, César Bazán
, Edwin Valero
, Román González
et al., Teiken Boxing Gym has brought up similarly the world champions Masao Ōba, Tsuyoshi Hamada, Jorge Linares
, Toshiaki Nishioka
, Takahiro Aō, Akifumi Shimoda
, Shinsuke Yamanaka
et al.note: 帝拳はヨネクラと並んで2位タイ meaning "Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo shares an equal second position with Yonekura Boxing Gym" in this news article is the misinformation, as Yonekura Boxing Gym managed five world champions as of October 2011.
Besides, Teiken Promotions has provided boxing television programs World Premium Boxing and Dynamic Glove under the auspices of the Hochi Shimbun
on Nippon Television
. In addition, they have provided Excite Match, Excite Match Special and WOWOW Premium On Demand on WOWOW
. From 2009, Teiken Promotions has co-sponsored WOW FES! with WOWOW. Dynamic Glove which had stopped the terrestrial broadcasting after April 2009, and had been televised only on NTV
's CS channel Nittele G+ as Dynamic Glove Special, was back on the air in March 2011, two years later. Boxing Gekitō Retsuden by Teiken Promotions is also broadcasted on Nittele G+. This article primarily focuses on Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo, while featuring the major activities of Teiken Promotions.
, Kanagawa
in 1896, then the other boxing gym was opened in Kobe
, Hyōgo
in 1909. However those were not so authentic ones. When who learned boxing in San Francisco, California
, United States
since 1906 to bring it to Japan, established as the first genuine boxing gym in Shimomeguro, Meguro, Tokyo
, on December 25, 1921, whose father lived in the United States and who aimed at becoming a trading merchant while studying at Rikkyo University
, started boxing there under Watanabe's management. Ogino, a right-handed boxer known by his quick spear-like cross
, was recognized as the Japanese junior featherweight
champion by Nippon Kentō Club in 1922. That was one of the first boxing titles in Japan authorized at two weight divisions. His professional record was 8–2 (1 KO) with 9 draws, 2 exhibition matches, and one more match whose result is unknown. Since the gym collapsed in the Great Kantō earthquake
, Ogino went on a visit to Shanghai
, China
with three boxers in spite of Watanabe's objection, in 1924. That first overseas expedition for Japanese boxers became an opportunity for the birth of Teiken Boxing Gym. Ogino also appeared in the Japan's first boxing movie in 1926.
Teiken Boxing Gym separated from Nippon Kentō Club was founded under Ogino's direction as , commonly abbreviated as , in 1926. Evaluated as a good referee as well, Ogino also did the writing work. from Waseda University
who became the president of the Korakuen Stadium
later, and was also appointed as the first commissioner of the Japan Boxing Commission in April 1952, assumed the position of its founding president. Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo is the second oldest boxing gym that exists in Japan, next to , as of October 2011.
After for the establishment of championships and the development of professional boxers was formed in February 1931, as Teiken Boxing Gym, one of its members, declared their secession in April 1932, the association was divided into two factions. Since Matsutarō Shōriki
who owned the Yomiuri Shimbun
released that they would hold the Japan–France
confrontation matches with inviting world-class boxers from France in April 1933, two factions were reintegrated as an which was dissolved in 1937.
After an American toy maker Louis Marx
demonstrated the hula hoop
at the lobby of the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo
, hula hooping became a big boom in Japan. While the police and doctors were concerned about the public confusion, Akira Honda held a national hula hoop contest in December 1958. In addition to the competitions for the endurance, the skill and grace in four age groups, he gave presentations by boxers and actresses to show its significance in health and beauty.
In the 1960s when Akira Honda was a president, although the world champion did not exist in Teiken Boxing Gym yet, as the distinctive Japanese and OPBF
champions such as Kazuo Takayama (Japanese), Teruo Kosaka (OPBF, Japanese), Kenji Fukuchi (OPBF, Japanese), Makoto Watanabe (OPBF, Japanese) and Morio Kaneda (Japanese) won popularity, it was termed "Golden Age" of Teiken Boxing Gym, as well as Japan's boxing of the same time having been called so. Kazuo Takayama's first title shot against Davey Moore attracted 20,000 spectators at the 40,000-seat Korakuen Stadium
in August 1960. When Teruo Kosaka challenged the world title for the first time Honda guaranteed the champion Carlos Ortiz
55,000 dollars in the amount of time including a match fee of a non-title bout with Takayama scheduled for the next month. Kosaka's third world title shot against Gabriel Elorde
which was his last match was watched by the audience of 33,000 at the Araneta Coliseum
, in Quezon City
, Philippines
in June 1965. Today Yūjirō Watanabe, Sadayuki Ogino and Akira Honda are respectively referred to as "Father of Japanese Boxing", "Mother of Japanese Boxing" and "Emperor of Japanese Boxing".
division. He is the current president of Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo as well as Teiken Promotions.
Teiken Boxing Gym has continued a clear contractual relationship, the development of the boxers which does not give them a title shot in a hurry, and the steady promotion corresponding to each boxer's ability. They have given their boxers high rewards. As one example, Tsuyoshi Hamada
's match fee for his world title shot in July 1986 was about 95,000 dollars, and that for the second defense in July 1987 was 299,600 dollars, both in the amount of time. However, since the other promoters complained that only the boxers of Teiken Boxing Gym are blessed with an exceptional remuneration, Honda stopped announcing their match fees.
Honda promoted two of Mike Tyson
's fights for the world heavyweight
title both at the Tokyo Dome
. The number of spectators of the fight against Buster Douglas in 1990 was 51,600, while its audience rating was 38.3 percent. As for the fight against Tony Tubbs
in 1988, the attendance was 51,000 and the rating was 28.8 percent. Those two fights hold the top two attendance records in Japan's boxing history. Realizing a first world title tripleheader in Japan in 1998, Honda continuously carried it out six times until April 2011.
When Takahiro Aō won a world title on March 12, 2009, Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo had simultaneously three active world champions. From that time, journalists of sports papers and others came to write it again as the "Golden Age" of Teiken Boxing Gym. However the fatal accident later mentioned in the section titled #Two fatalities occurred during a Japanese title match just nine days after that, and Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo became comparatively estranged from worldly things.
At that time, the leading trainers in Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo were Sendai Tanaka
and Yūichi Kasai
. Tanaka who studied with the International Boxing Hall of Famer Amílcar Brusa and signed a deal with Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo in May 2003, is proficient in the Spanish language
and had ever served as Marco Antonio Barrera
's trainer. He guided Edwin Valero
, Jorge Linares
, Román González
and Takahiro Aō to the world titles, while coaching the two-time world title challenger at the Druzhba Palace of Sports
in Donetsk
, Ukraine
and at the Parque Andrés Quintana Roo in Cozumel
, Quintana Roo
, Mexico, Motoki Sasaki (OPBF, Japanese), similarly the world title challenger at the König Palast
in Krefeld
, North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
, Kōji Satō (OPBF), and Daisuke Nakagawa (Japanese), Yoshihiro Kamegai (Japanese) et al., and also helped Yūichi Kasai. Kasai led Toshiaki Nishioka
and Akifumi Shimoda
to their world titles, while training a former Olympic boxer Toshiyuki Igarashi
(Japanese) and a former mixed martial artist
Hiromitsu Miura
et al. In addition, there are Shin Yamato and several other trainers coaching boxers including Shinsuke Yamanaka
and the current/former OPBF/Japanese champions who wait for the opportunity to come such as Naoki Matsuda (OPBF, Japanese). Since autumn 2009, Masahiko Nakamura has served as the strength and conditioning coach for Takahiro Aō, Jorge Linares, Toshiaki Nishioka et al.
The world title doubleheader on October 10, 2009 was also broadcast live on Azteca
in Mexico
, in addition to Japan and Venezuela
.
's Sky Sports
, and relayed also in Mexico, Venezuela and Nicaragua
.
Although Takahiro Aō and Jorge Linares lost their world titles in the latter half of 2009, when Akifumi Shimoda became the sixth world champion for Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo in January 2011, there came to be three active world champions at the same time in the gym again.
At Shimoda's open media workout, one month before the sixth world title tripleheader for Teiken Promotions in April 2011, Honda unofficially announced as the schedule from the mid-2011, Shimoda's first defense match in the United States where he trained in the past, and the other plan that Toshiaki Nishioka et al. would fight afterwards, similarly in the United States. Soon after that, Tōhoku earthquake
occurred. Confirming the intentions of all participating boxers in that tripleheader, Honda considered their safety at the top priority. Then, preparing for the blackout, he made effort to secure by themselves the necessary minimum electric power for the live telecast and for operating the venue facilities, in consultation with Nippon Television which would broadcast the fights. However, he decided to refund all previous tickets and change the venue from the Ryōgoku Kokugikan
in Tokyo to the World Memorial Hall
in Kobe for the risk management
.
That tripleheader event was relayed in the United States, Argentina
, Italy
and other countries, besides Japan's NTV and Mexico's Televisa
. After that, Honda said that it would be difficult for a while to hold events in Japan, due to power problems in the metropolitan area caused by the earthquake. In May of that year, Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo officially announced three matches from May through July in Mexico and the United States including two world title bouts i.e. Motoki Sasaki's second world title shot mentioned above, and Akifumi Shimoda's mandatory defense against Rico Ramos
as the HBO televised co-main event to Paul Williams
vs. Erislandy Lara at the Boardwalk Hall
in Atlantic City, New Jersey
, staged by Goossen Tutor Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions
and Teiken Promotions.
From July through August of the same year, they released a world title doubleheader featuring Toshiaki Nishioka and Román González at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino
in October, presented by Teiken Promotions in association with Top Rank
and Zanfer Promotions, and one more card including Takahiro Aō's second defense and two world title eliminators (one of two was later promoted to a vacant world title match) at the Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium
in November. Furthermore, Jorge Linares vs. Antonio DeMarco
for the vacant WBC lightweight title took place at the Staples Center
in October, in the event staged by Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions
in association with Teiken Promotions.
boxer of Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo, and Hosei University
alumni Masatate Tsuji (born in 1978) lost his first title shot via a final round knockout in a ten-round bout in the thirtieth edition of the annual Japanese boxing series, the Champion Carnival at the Korakuen Hall
. Tsuji who made a professional debut on October 19, 2002, had won the other annual series Japanese title elimination tournament nicknamed with the winner becoming the next mandatory challenger for the Japanese titleholder at the Champion Carnival, in October 2008, after defeating Akira Yaegashi
in its semi-final match. In the scores until the ninth round of his fight in March 2009, all three judges gave a five to six point advantage for Tsuji. However fizzled from around three quarters, he lost consciousness just after the fight. Although Tsuji was taken to the hospital directly from the ring
of the Korakuen Hall by the ambulance to undergo craniotomy
immediately due to the acute subdural hematoma
, he passed away without regaining consciousness on March 24, 2009. His final records were 31–19 (10 KOs) in amateur bouts, and 12–2 (3 KOs) with 2 draws in professional bouts. Tsuji now rests in peace on the Seto Inland Sea coast in his home city Hiroshima
. Prior to that, the former Japanese lightweight champion Nobuo Kobayashi (born in 1910) of Teiken Boxing Gym has become the first boxing fatality in Japan at the Koshien tennis court
in Kobe on September 1, 1930. Therefore, that was the second death for Teiken Boxing Gym as a result of injuries suffered in the ring.
After Tsuji's fatality, Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo refrained from activities such as the advertisement and the recruitment of trainees, and closed their homepage. Besides, all six promising young boxers of Teiken Boxing Gym who had been slated to compete in the East Japan Rookie King Tournament in 2010, declined to participate in it. Such circumstances caused the criticism or the guess and even the rumor that Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo might close.
As Tsuyoshi Hamada told later, several boxers had fought wearing boxing shorts with Tsuji's name on them. Yoshihiro Kamegai and Shinsuke Yamanaka who both fought on the undercard of Tsuji's final match earned their first Japanese title shot wearing such shorts in the first half of 2010. Past the second death anniversary of Tsuji, Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo resumed the official website after the prior notice.
division in 1986. While there were several multiple-time world title challengers such as Kazuo Takayama (1960, 1961),Teruo Kosaka (1962, 1964, 1965), Shūichi Hozumi (1983, 1986), Fujio Ozaki (1988, 1989), Shirō Yahiro (1993, 1996, 1998) and Yūichi Kasai (1994, 1996, 1997), no one got a world championship belt
in Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo for about twenty-one years, although the boxers promoted by Honda such as Genaro Hernández (1991, 1997), David Griman (1992), Jose Luis Bueno (1993), Eloy Rojas (1993), César Bazán (1998), Edwin Valero (2006, 2009) and Román González (2008, 2011) were crowned the world champions. On the other hand, in Osaka Teiken Boxing Gym, Jirō Watanabe (1982, 1984), Takuya Muguruma
(1987) and Jōichirō Tatsuyoshi
(1991, 1993, 1997) captured it from 1980s to 1990s.
Meantime, the boxers continued training under the supervision of Honda, and under the instruction of trainers including Yūichi Kasai who retired as a boxer in 1997 and Sendai Tanaka who contracted with Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo in 2003 as mentioned above. Once Jorge Linares (2007, twice in 2008) earned his first world title shot in the featherweight
division in Las Vegas, Nevada
to become the fifty-seventh world champion in Japan's boxing history and the third world champion for the gym, Toshiaki Nishioka (2008), Takahiro Aō (2009, 2010), Akifumi Shimoda (2011) and Shinsuke Yamanaka (2011) successively gained it.
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's traditional boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
club whose genesis dates back to 1926, manages professional boxers as a member of the , a subsidiary body of . Currently located in Kagurazaka
Kagurazaka
is a neighbourhood in Tokyo, near Iidabashi Station. It has a sloping street at its center, lined by numerous cafés and restaurants. It is served by Tokyo Metro Tozai Line and Toei Oedo Line.-History:...
, Shinjuku
Shinjuku, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population...
, its president is the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
r , the representative is , and the long-time female manager is . In order to distinguish from three related clubs i.e. Osaka Teiken Boxing Gym, Fukuoka Teiken Boxing Gym and Hachinohe Teiken Boxing Gym, it is often referred to as "Teiken (Boxing) Gym in Tokyo" or "Tokyo's Teiken (Boxing) Gym", and so on.
Teiken Promotions Inc. in Sakae-chō, Kita, Tokyo
Kita, Tokyo
is one of the special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself the City of Kita .As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 332,140 and a population density of 16,140 persons per km². The total area is 20.59 km².-Geography:...
, also headed by the boxing promoter
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
Akihiko Honda, is the managerial and promotional company for the Teiken Boxing Gym's and other world wide professional boxers, as well as supervises the boxers' training. While Teiken Promotions has so far directed the world champions such as Jirō Watanabe
Jiro Watanabe
is a Japanese former boxerWatanabe, who fought only in Japan and South Korea, was one of the first World Super flyweight champions, as the division was relatively new when he was crowned.-Biography:...
who belonged to Osaka Teiken Boxing Gym, Genaro Hernández
Genaro Hernandez
Genaro Hernández was a Mexican-American boxer from South Central Los Angeles. Hernández was the former WBC, WBA, & Lineal super featherweight champion.-Pro career:...
, David Griman
David Griman
David Griman is a former Venezuelan professional boxer. He is a former World Boxing Association flyweight champion.- Amateur highlights :...
, Jose Luis Bueno
Jose Luis Bueno
José Luis Bueno , is a retired Mexican professional boxer and former WBC Super Flyweight Champion. Bueno is also the trainer of current WBC Light Flyweight Champion, Adrián Hernández....
, Eloy Rojas
Eloy Rojas
Eloy David Rojas Leandro was a professional boxer in the Featherweight division.Rojas turned pro in 1986 and won the Lineal & WBA Featherweight Titles in 1993 by defeating Yong-Kyun Park by decision. He defended the titles six times before losing them to Wilfredo Vazquez in 1996 via TKO in a...
, César Bazán
Cesar Bazan
César Bazán Pérez is a former professional boxer in the Light Welterweight division and is the former WBC Lightweight Champion.-Professional career:...
, Edwin Valero
Edwin Valero
Edwin Valero was a Venezuelan professional boxer. He was born in Bolero Alto, and raised in El Vigía ....
, Román González
Román González (boxer)
Román Alberto González Luna is a Nicaraguan professional boxer who is the current WBA light flyweight champion and is the former WBA minimumweight champion.-Career:...
et al., Teiken Boxing Gym has brought up similarly the world champions Masao Ōba, Tsuyoshi Hamada, Jorge Linares
Jorge Linares
Jorge Linares is a professional boxer from Venezuela. He is a former WBC featherweight champion and former WBA super featherweight champion. Linares is currently living in Tokyo, Japan. Jorge's older brother is boxer Nelson Linares.- Amateur career :Linares compiled an Amateur record of 89-5...
, Toshiaki Nishioka
Toshiaki Nishioka
is a Japanese professional boxer who is the current WBC super bantamweight champion. Nishioka is currently ranked as the #1 super bantamweight in the world by The Ring and ESPN. Unlike most other Japan's world champions, Nishioka has been willing to fight outside of his own country.- 1976 to 1990s...
, Takahiro Aō, Akifumi Shimoda
Akifumi Shimoda
is a super bantamweight boxer from Japan and the former world champion of WBA at Super bantamweight. He was born in Hiroshima Prefecture, grew up in Kure city, and currently lives in Tokyo...
, Shinsuke Yamanaka
Shinsuke Yamanaka
is a Japanese professional boxer who is the current WBC bantamweight champion.Yaegashi captured the vacant WBC bantamweight title in his first world title shot against Mexico's Christian Esquivel via an eleventh round technical knockout after knocking him down in the sixth and eleventh rounds at...
et al.note: 帝拳はヨネクラと並んで2位タイ meaning "Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo shares an equal second position with Yonekura Boxing Gym" in this news article is the misinformation, as Yonekura Boxing Gym managed five world champions as of October 2011.
Besides, Teiken Promotions has provided boxing television programs World Premium Boxing and Dynamic Glove under the auspices of the Hochi Shimbun
Sports Hochi
, previously known as literally widely informing newspaper, is a Japanese language daily sports newspaper. As of 2002, it has a circulation of a million.It is an affiliate newspaper of Yomiuri Shimbun.-External links:*...
on Nippon Television
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
. In addition, they have provided Excite Match, Excite Match Special and WOWOW Premium On Demand on WOWOW
WOWOW
WOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It has its headquarters on the 21st floor of the Akasaka Park Building in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo...
. From 2009, Teiken Promotions has co-sponsored WOW FES! with WOWOW. Dynamic Glove which had stopped the terrestrial broadcasting after April 2009, and had been televised only on NTV
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
's CS channel Nittele G+ as Dynamic Glove Special, was back on the air in March 2011, two years later. Boxing Gekitō Retsuden by Teiken Promotions is also broadcasted on Nittele G+. This article primarily focuses on Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo, while featuring the major activities of Teiken Promotions.
History
Early 20th century
In Japan's boxing history, the first boxing gym was established in YokohamaYokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Kanagawa
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
in 1896, then the other boxing gym was opened in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, Hyōgo
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
in 1909. However those were not so authentic ones. When who learned boxing in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 1906 to bring it to Japan, established as the first genuine boxing gym in Shimomeguro, Meguro, Tokyo
Shimomeguro, Meguro, Tokyo
is a district located in the eastern portion of Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. It consists of 1- to 6-chōme.Shimomeguro is home to , also known as . is a historic hotel and restaurant building located on the eastern edge of Shimomeguro....
, on December 25, 1921, whose father lived in the United States and who aimed at becoming a trading merchant while studying at Rikkyo University
Rikkyo University
, also known as Saint Paul's University, is a private university, based on Christian precepts, in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. There is a suburban campus in Niiza in nearby Saitama.It is known for its liberal climate symbolized by the motto -History:...
, started boxing there under Watanabe's management. Ogino, a right-handed boxer known by his quick spear-like cross
Cross (boxing)
In boxing, a cross is a power-punch like the uppercut and hook. Compubox, a computerized punch scoring system, counts the cross as a power-punch....
, was recognized as the Japanese junior featherweight
Super Bantamweight
Super bantamweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 122 pounds, or roughly 55.34 kilograms....
champion by Nippon Kentō Club in 1922. That was one of the first boxing titles in Japan authorized at two weight divisions. His professional record was 8–2 (1 KO) with 9 draws, 2 exhibition matches, and one more match whose result is unknown. Since the gym collapsed in the Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
, Ogino went on a visit to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
with three boxers in spite of Watanabe's objection, in 1924. That first overseas expedition for Japanese boxers became an opportunity for the birth of Teiken Boxing Gym. Ogino also appeared in the Japan's first boxing movie in 1926.
Teiken Boxing Gym separated from Nippon Kentō Club was founded under Ogino's direction as , commonly abbreviated as , in 1926. Evaluated as a good referee as well, Ogino also did the writing work. from Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
who became the president of the Korakuen Stadium
Korakuen Stadium
was a stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Completed in 1937, it was primarily used for baseball and was home to the Yomiuri Giants until 1988 when they moved next door, to the Tokyo Dome, which sits on the site of the Velodrome. The ballpark had a capacity of 50,000 people. In 1942 Korakuen Stadium played...
later, and was also appointed as the first commissioner of the Japan Boxing Commission in April 1952, assumed the position of its founding president. Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo is the second oldest boxing gym that exists in Japan, next to , as of October 2011.
After for the establishment of championships and the development of professional boxers was formed in February 1931, as Teiken Boxing Gym, one of its members, declared their secession in April 1932, the association was divided into two factions. Since Matsutarō Shōriki
Matsutaro Shoriki
was the father of Japanese professional baseball. Born in Daimon, Toyama, he was a media mogul, owned the Yomiuri Shimbun, one of Japan's major daily newspapers, and founded Japan's first commercial television station, Nippon Television Network Corporation...
who owned the Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
released that they would hold the Japan–France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
confrontation matches with inviting world-class boxers from France in April 1933, two factions were reintegrated as an which was dissolved in 1937.
Mid-20th century
Then , the founding manager of Teiken Boxing Gym, who also acted as the chief director of from 1948 and the founder president of from 1962, was inaugurated as the president of Teiken Boxing Gym.After an American toy maker Louis Marx
Louis Marx
Louis Marx was an American toy maker and businessman whose company, Louis Marx and Company was the largest toy company in the world in the 1950s...
demonstrated the hula hoop
Hula hoop
A hula hoop is a toy hoop that is twirled around the waist, limbs or neck.Although the exact origins of hula hoops are unknown, children and adults around the world have played with hoops, twirling, rolling and throwing them throughout history...
at the lobby of the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo
Imperial Hotel, Tokyo
The Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Japan, was created in the late 1880s at the request of the Japanese aristocracy to cater to the increasing number of western visitors to Japan. The hotel site is located just south of the Imperial Palace grounds, next to the previous location of the Palace moat...
, hula hooping became a big boom in Japan. While the police and doctors were concerned about the public confusion, Akira Honda held a national hula hoop contest in December 1958. In addition to the competitions for the endurance, the skill and grace in four age groups, he gave presentations by boxers and actresses to show its significance in health and beauty.
In the 1960s when Akira Honda was a president, although the world champion did not exist in Teiken Boxing Gym yet, as the distinctive Japanese and OPBF
Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation
The Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation is a professional boxing organization that sanctions title fights in the Asian and Pacific region.-History:The OPBF was formed in 1954 by the Japanese, Korean, and Filipino boxing commissions...
champions such as Kazuo Takayama (Japanese), Teruo Kosaka (OPBF, Japanese), Kenji Fukuchi (OPBF, Japanese), Makoto Watanabe (OPBF, Japanese) and Morio Kaneda (Japanese) won popularity, it was termed "Golden Age" of Teiken Boxing Gym, as well as Japan's boxing of the same time having been called so. Kazuo Takayama's first title shot against Davey Moore attracted 20,000 spectators at the 40,000-seat Korakuen Stadium
Korakuen Stadium
was a stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Completed in 1937, it was primarily used for baseball and was home to the Yomiuri Giants until 1988 when they moved next door, to the Tokyo Dome, which sits on the site of the Velodrome. The ballpark had a capacity of 50,000 people. In 1942 Korakuen Stadium played...
in August 1960. When Teruo Kosaka challenged the world title for the first time Honda guaranteed the champion Carlos Ortiz
Carlos Ortiz
For the Cuban wrestler with the same name see Carlos Julian OrtízCarlos Ortiz is a Puerto Rican who was a three time world boxing champion, twice in the lightweight division and once in the Jr. Welterweights....
55,000 dollars in the amount of time including a match fee of a non-title bout with Takayama scheduled for the next month. Kosaka's third world title shot against Gabriel Elorde
Gabriel Elorde
Gabriel "Flash" Elorde was a Filipino professional boxer. He was born and raised in the town of Bogo, Cebu....
which was his last match was watched by the audience of 33,000 at the Araneta Coliseum
Araneta Coliseum
The Smart Araneta Coliseum, known as The Big Dome is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines...
, in Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in June 1965. Today Yūjirō Watanabe, Sadayuki Ogino and Akira Honda are respectively referred to as "Father of Japanese Boxing", "Mother of Japanese Boxing" and "Emperor of Japanese Boxing".
Late 20th century
When Akira Honda died as the president of Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo in 1965, his son Akihiko Honda took possession of that post at the age of seventeen with the help of Haru Nagano. In 1970 when Honda was a Rikkyo University's student at the age of twenty-two, Masao Ōba managed by him gained the first world title for Teiken Boxing Gym in the flyweightFlyweight
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...
division. He is the current president of Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo as well as Teiken Promotions.
Teiken Boxing Gym has continued a clear contractual relationship, the development of the boxers which does not give them a title shot in a hurry, and the steady promotion corresponding to each boxer's ability. They have given their boxers high rewards. As one example, Tsuyoshi Hamada
Tsuyoshi Hamada
is a retired Japanese professional boxer who is a former WBC world junior welterweight champion.Hamada was born in Nakagusuku, Okinawa, and began boxing at the age of fifteen. He won the Japan's inter-high school championship in the featherweight division in 1978. He had an amateur record of 37–6...
's match fee for his world title shot in July 1986 was about 95,000 dollars, and that for the second defense in July 1987 was 299,600 dollars, both in the amount of time. However, since the other promoters complained that only the boxers of Teiken Boxing Gym are blessed with an exceptional remuneration, Honda stopped announcing their match fees.
Honda promoted two of Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
's fights for the world heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
title both at the Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
. The number of spectators of the fight against Buster Douglas in 1990 was 51,600, while its audience rating was 38.3 percent. As for the fight against Tony Tubbs
Tony Tubbs
Tony Tubbs is a retired professional heavyweight boxer who was the WBA Heavyweight Champion of the world from 1985 to 1986.-Amateur career:...
in 1988, the attendance was 51,000 and the rating was 28.8 percent. Those two fights hold the top two attendance records in Japan's boxing history. Realizing a first world title tripleheader in Japan in 1998, Honda continuously carried it out six times until April 2011.
2000s
On March 14, 2007 Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo announced Tsuyoshi Hamada would take office as the representative of Teiken Promotions, while Honda would promote their boxers in the international market as the president.When Takahiro Aō won a world title on March 12, 2009, Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo had simultaneously three active world champions. From that time, journalists of sports papers and others came to write it again as the "Golden Age" of Teiken Boxing Gym. However the fatal accident later mentioned in the section titled #Two fatalities occurred during a Japanese title match just nine days after that, and Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo became comparatively estranged from worldly things.
At that time, the leading trainers in Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo were Sendai Tanaka
Sendai Tanaka
is a Japanese boxing trainer. He is one of the few outstanding trainers from Asia, and has a reputation especially for his focus mitts training.-Early career:Tanaka was born in Yamoto, Miyagi , Japan...
and Yūichi Kasai
Yūichi Kasai
is a Japanese boxing trainer and a former three-time world title challenger in the junior featherweight division.Kasai was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, and began boxing at the age of a high school student. He won the Japan's inter-high school championship in the bantamweight...
. Tanaka who studied with the International Boxing Hall of Famer Amílcar Brusa and signed a deal with Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo in May 2003, is proficient in the Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and had ever served as Marco Antonio Barrera
Marco Antonio Barrera
Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia is a Mexicanprofessional boxer. He has won numerous world titles in three different weight classes; he is a former two-time WBO super bantamweight , WBC, Lineal, & The Ring featherweight , and WBC & IBF super featherweight champion...
's trainer. He guided Edwin Valero
Edwin Valero
Edwin Valero was a Venezuelan professional boxer. He was born in Bolero Alto, and raised in El Vigía ....
, Jorge Linares
Jorge Linares
Jorge Linares is a professional boxer from Venezuela. He is a former WBC featherweight champion and former WBA super featherweight champion. Linares is currently living in Tokyo, Japan. Jorge's older brother is boxer Nelson Linares.- Amateur career :Linares compiled an Amateur record of 89-5...
, Román González
Román González (boxer)
Román Alberto González Luna is a Nicaraguan professional boxer who is the current WBA light flyweight champion and is the former WBA minimumweight champion.-Career:...
and Takahiro Aō to the world titles, while coaching the two-time world title challenger at the Druzhba Palace of Sports
Druzhba Palace of Sports
Druzhba Palace of Sports is an indoor arena in Donets'k, Ukraine. Built in 1975, it has a seating capacity of 4,700 people for sporting events and 5,100 for concerts and is the regular home venue of BC Donetsk basketball team and HC Donbass Ice Hockey team....
in Donetsk
Donetsk
Donetsk , is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Administratively, it is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the economic and cultural Donets Basin region...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and at the Parque Andrés Quintana Roo in Cozumel
Cozumel
Cozumel is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close to the Yucatan Channel. Cozumel is one of the ten municipalities of the state of Quintana Roo...
, Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
, Mexico, Motoki Sasaki (OPBF, Japanese), similarly the world title challenger at the König Palast
König Palast
König Palast is an arena in Krefeld, Germany. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home to the Krefeld Pinguine of the DEL. König Palast opened in 2004 and holds 8,000 people.-External links:*...
in Krefeld
Krefeld
Krefeld , also known as Crefeld until 1929, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its centre lying just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine; the borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine...
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Kōji Satō (OPBF), and Daisuke Nakagawa (Japanese), Yoshihiro Kamegai (Japanese) et al., and also helped Yūichi Kasai. Kasai led Toshiaki Nishioka
Toshiaki Nishioka
is a Japanese professional boxer who is the current WBC super bantamweight champion. Nishioka is currently ranked as the #1 super bantamweight in the world by The Ring and ESPN. Unlike most other Japan's world champions, Nishioka has been willing to fight outside of his own country.- 1976 to 1990s...
and Akifumi Shimoda
Akifumi Shimoda
is a super bantamweight boxer from Japan and the former world champion of WBA at Super bantamweight. He was born in Hiroshima Prefecture, grew up in Kure city, and currently lives in Tokyo...
to their world titles, while training a former Olympic boxer Toshiyuki Igarashi
Toshiyuki Igarashi
is a male light flyweight boxer from Japan. He competed for his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, where he was stopped in the first round of the men's light flyweight division by Ethiopia's Endalkachew Kebede...
(Japanese) and a former mixed martial artist
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
Hiromitsu Miura
Hiromitsu Miura
Hiromitsu Miura is a Japanese Boxer and former mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight division in MMA and now competes in the light heavyweight division in boxing.-Career:...
et al. In addition, there are Shin Yamato and several other trainers coaching boxers including Shinsuke Yamanaka
Shinsuke Yamanaka
is a Japanese professional boxer who is the current WBC bantamweight champion.Yaegashi captured the vacant WBC bantamweight title in his first world title shot against Mexico's Christian Esquivel via an eleventh round technical knockout after knocking him down in the sixth and eleventh rounds at...
and the current/former OPBF/Japanese champions who wait for the opportunity to come such as Naoki Matsuda (OPBF, Japanese). Since autumn 2009, Masahiko Nakamura has served as the strength and conditioning coach for Takahiro Aō, Jorge Linares, Toshiaki Nishioka et al.
The world title doubleheader on October 10, 2009 was also broadcast live on Azteca
Azteca (television)
Azteca, is the second largest Mexican television entertainment. It was established in 1983 as the state-owned Instituto Mexicano de la Televisión , a holding of the national TV networks channel 13 and 7 and was privatized under its current name in 1993 and now is part of Grupo Salinas...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, in addition to Japan and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
2010s
The world title doubleheader on April 30, 2010 was broadcast live in three countries, and that on October 24 of the same year was carried live on Japan's NTV and the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
, and relayed also in Mexico, Venezuela and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
Although Takahiro Aō and Jorge Linares lost their world titles in the latter half of 2009, when Akifumi Shimoda became the sixth world champion for Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo in January 2011, there came to be three active world champions at the same time in the gym again.
At Shimoda's open media workout, one month before the sixth world title tripleheader for Teiken Promotions in April 2011, Honda unofficially announced as the schedule from the mid-2011, Shimoda's first defense match in the United States where he trained in the past, and the other plan that Toshiaki Nishioka et al. would fight afterwards, similarly in the United States. Soon after that, Tōhoku earthquake
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
occurred. Confirming the intentions of all participating boxers in that tripleheader, Honda considered their safety at the top priority. Then, preparing for the blackout, he made effort to secure by themselves the necessary minimum electric power for the live telecast and for operating the venue facilities, in consultation with Nippon Television which would broadcast the fights. However, he decided to refund all previous tickets and change the venue from the Ryōgoku Kokugikan
Ryogoku Kokugikan
, also known as Sumo Hall, is an indoor sporting arena located in the Ryōgoku neighborhood of Sumida, one of the 23 wards of Tokyo in Japan, next to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. It is the third building built in Tokyo associated with the name kokugikan. The current building was opened in 1985 and has a...
in Tokyo to the World Memorial Hall
World Memorial Hall
World Hall or World Memorial Hall is a multi-purpose arena, located in the Chūō-ku Ward of Kobe, Japan. It has a maximum capacity of 8,000 people and is optimized for large-scale meetings, sport events, trade shows and concerts...
in Kobe for the risk management
Risk management
Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities...
.
That tripleheader event was relayed in the United States, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and other countries, besides Japan's NTV and Mexico's Televisa
Televisa
Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
. After that, Honda said that it would be difficult for a while to hold events in Japan, due to power problems in the metropolitan area caused by the earthquake. In May of that year, Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo officially announced three matches from May through July in Mexico and the United States including two world title bouts i.e. Motoki Sasaki's second world title shot mentioned above, and Akifumi Shimoda's mandatory defense against Rico Ramos
Rico Ramos
Rico Dashon Ramos is an American Super Bantamweight boxer of Puerto Rican descent. He is the current WBA world super bantamweight champion.-Amateur career:...
as the HBO televised co-main event to Paul Williams
Paul Williams (boxer)
Paul Williams is an American boxer and is the former two-time WBO welterweight champion.With a height of six-feet-one inch, Paul is considered extremely tall for the three divisions he campaigns in: Welterweight, Jr...
vs. Erislandy Lara at the Boardwalk Hall
Boardwalk Hall
Boardwalk Hall, formally known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is an arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States...
in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
, staged by Goossen Tutor Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions
Golden Boy Promotions
Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. is a combat sport promotional firm started by former boxer six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya...
and Teiken Promotions.
From July through August of the same year, they released a world title doubleheader featuring Toshiaki Nishioka and Román González at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino
MGM Grand Las Vegas
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the third largest hotel in the world and largest hotel resort complex in the United States in front of The Venetian. The MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world when it opened in...
in October, presented by Teiken Promotions in association with Top Rank
Top Rank
Top Rank may refer to:*Top Rank, Las Vegas based boxing promotion company formed in 1973* Top Rank Records, 1950s subsidiary record label of the Rank Organisation, British company which ran from 1937 to 1996...
and Zanfer Promotions, and one more card including Takahiro Aō's second defense and two world title eliminators (one of two was later promoted to a vacant world title match) at the Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium
Yoyogi National Gymnasium
is an arena in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, Japan which is famous for its suspension roof design.It was designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964 to house swimming and diving events in the 1964 Summer Olympics. A separate annex was used for the basketball competition at those same games...
in November. Furthermore, Jorge Linares vs. Antonio DeMarco
Antonio DeMarco
Antonio de Marco Soto is a Mexican professional boxer and the current WBC Lightweight Champion. Antonio is a cousin of three division world champion Humberto Soto.-Lightweight:...
for the vacant WBC lightweight title took place at the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
in October, in the event staged by Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions
Gary Shaw (boxing promoter)
Gary Shaw is an American boxing promoter.Shaw began his professional affiliation with boxing in 1971, when he was appointed inspector to the New Jersey State Athletic Control Commission by Jersey Joe Walcott....
in association with Teiken Promotions.
Two fatalities
On March 21, 2009, the minimumweightMinimumweight
Minimumweight is a weight class division in combat sports. The most notable of which is in professional boxing where boxers may weigh no more than . This is a relatively new weight category for professionals, first inaugurated by the major boxing sanctioning bodies between 1987 and 1990...
boxer of Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo, and Hosei University
Hosei University
is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan.The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha , established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō . This was from 1883 headed by Dr. Gustave Emile Boissonade, and was heavily influenced by the French legal tradition...
alumni Masatate Tsuji (born in 1978) lost his first title shot via a final round knockout in a ten-round bout in the thirtieth edition of the annual Japanese boxing series, the Champion Carnival at the Korakuen Hall
Korakuen Hall
is an arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, which has hosted many boxing, professional wrestling and mixed martial arts matches. Part of Tokyo Dome City, it is one of Tokyo's biggest attractions. It opened on April 16, 1962 and has a capacity of approximately 1,800 people. The venue hosted the boxing...
. Tsuji who made a professional debut on October 19, 2002, had won the other annual series Japanese title elimination tournament nicknamed with the winner becoming the next mandatory challenger for the Japanese titleholder at the Champion Carnival, in October 2008, after defeating Akira Yaegashi
Akira Yaegashi
is a Japanese professional boxer who is the current WBA minimumweight champion.Yaegashi captured the WBA minimumweight title in his second world title shot against Thai's Pornsawan Porpramook via a tenth round technical knockout at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on October 24, 2011.-External links:...
in its semi-final match. In the scores until the ninth round of his fight in March 2009, all three judges gave a five to six point advantage for Tsuji. However fizzled from around three quarters, he lost consciousness just after the fight. Although Tsuji was taken to the hospital directly from the ring
Boxing ring
A boxing ring is the space in which a boxing match occurs. A modern ring, which is set on a raised platform, is square with a post at each corner to which four parallel rows of ropes are attached with a turnbuckle...
of the Korakuen Hall by the ambulance to undergo craniotomy
Craniotomy
A craniotomy is a surgical operation in which a bone flap is temporarily removed from the skull to access the brain. Craniotomies are often a critical operation performed on patients recording, brain imaging, and for neurological manipulations such as electrical stimulation and chemical...
immediately due to the acute subdural hematoma
Subdural hematoma
A subdural hematoma or subdural haematoma , also known as a subdural haemorrhage , is a type of haematoma, a form of traumatic brain injury. Blood gathers within the outermost meningeal layer, between the dura mater, which adheres to the skull, and the arachnoid mater, which envelops the brain...
, he passed away without regaining consciousness on March 24, 2009. His final records were 31–19 (10 KOs) in amateur bouts, and 12–2 (3 KOs) with 2 draws in professional bouts. Tsuji now rests in peace on the Seto Inland Sea coast in his home city Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
. Prior to that, the former Japanese lightweight champion Nobuo Kobayashi (born in 1910) of Teiken Boxing Gym has become the first boxing fatality in Japan at the Koshien tennis court
Koshien Stadium
is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on April 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.The name Kōshien comes...
in Kobe on September 1, 1930. Therefore, that was the second death for Teiken Boxing Gym as a result of injuries suffered in the ring.
After Tsuji's fatality, Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo refrained from activities such as the advertisement and the recruitment of trainees, and closed their homepage. Besides, all six promising young boxers of Teiken Boxing Gym who had been slated to compete in the East Japan Rookie King Tournament in 2010, declined to participate in it. Such circumstances caused the criticism or the guess and even the rumor that Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo might close.
As Tsuyoshi Hamada told later, several boxers had fought wearing boxing shorts with Tsuji's name on them. Yoshihiro Kamegai and Shinsuke Yamanaka who both fought on the undercard of Tsuji's final match earned their first Japanese title shot wearing such shorts in the first half of 2010. Past the second death anniversary of Tsuji, Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo resumed the official website after the prior notice.
World champions
Following above mentioned Masao Ōba (1970), Tsuyoshi Hamada won a world title in the junior welterweightLight welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
division in 1986. While there were several multiple-time world title challengers such as Kazuo Takayama (1960, 1961),Teruo Kosaka (1962, 1964, 1965), Shūichi Hozumi (1983, 1986), Fujio Ozaki (1988, 1989), Shirō Yahiro (1993, 1996, 1998) and Yūichi Kasai (1994, 1996, 1997), no one got a world championship belt
Championship belt
A championship belt is a large, extravagantly designed belt used primarily in combat sports such as boxing, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling to signify the champions of the promotion or company, much like a cup or trophy in other sports...
in Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo for about twenty-one years, although the boxers promoted by Honda such as Genaro Hernández (1991, 1997), David Griman (1992), Jose Luis Bueno (1993), Eloy Rojas (1993), César Bazán (1998), Edwin Valero (2006, 2009) and Román González (2008, 2011) were crowned the world champions. On the other hand, in Osaka Teiken Boxing Gym, Jirō Watanabe (1982, 1984), Takuya Muguruma
Takuya Muguruma (boxer)
is a retired Japanese boxer who is a former WBA bantamweight champion. He is an alumnus of the Kinki University.Muguruma became interested in boxing at the age of a junior high school student. In high school, he belonged to the rugby club. As Muguruma was a slow runner, he was a substitute player...
(1987) and Jōichirō Tatsuyoshi
Joichiro Tatsuyoshi
is a former World Boxing Council world bantamweight champion from Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan. His record is 19–6–1 .He is popular for his fight style and unique personality, and has appeared in several television variety shows....
(1991, 1993, 1997) captured it from 1980s to 1990s.
Meantime, the boxers continued training under the supervision of Honda, and under the instruction of trainers including Yūichi Kasai who retired as a boxer in 1997 and Sendai Tanaka who contracted with Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo in 2003 as mentioned above. Once Jorge Linares (2007, twice in 2008) earned his first world title shot in the featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
division in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
to become the fifty-seventh world champion in Japan's boxing history and the third world champion for the gym, Toshiaki Nishioka (2008), Takahiro Aō (2009, 2010), Akifumi Shimoda (2011) and Shinsuke Yamanaka (2011) successively gained it.