Philippines, 16 Sep 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Japan Broadens Boxing Horizon, Crowns First IBO World Champion


PhilBoxing.com



Takayama wins the IBO minimumweight world championship belt.

Two weeks before the new year, 2025, Japan apparently turned a new leaf that broadens its international professional boxing horizon.

This after it crowned or allowed the coronation of its first world boxing champion in the person of former many times world titlist Katsunari Takayama as recognized by the International Boxing Organization in a title bout held in the Philippines. Yes you read it right, in the Philippines.

Last December 18, 2024 in the card promoted by Jean Claude Manangquil in General Santos City, Takayama dueled with China's Kha Lu and won by 12 round decision to win the IBO minimumweight championship.

This is or could be another sign of Japan's resolve to vie for sunder boxing titles of significance as it has indicated in fighting for international and regional titles of the İBF and the WBO starting in 2024.

Previous to this, Japan has only allowed Japanese fighters to contest for the world championship of the so called big four-the WBA, WBC, IBF and the WBO.

What has happened to boxing in Japan can be likened to its opening up to the world, though forcibly by American navy fleet commander Commodore Perry in the early 19th century. Had Perry lived through the 1920s and 1930s; he would have marveled at the transformation of Japan into a world industrial and military power.

But boxing in Japan really started the great transformation it is enjoying today when it heeded the three points prescription of Ring Magazine's Douglas Fischer in 2013, namely:

1. That it recognises the IBF and the WBO,
2 That Japanese world champions fight each other, and
3. Japanese fighters fight more often outside of Japan.

Fischer has been marveling at the great progress made by Japan since. Proof positive has been the emergence of Naoya Inoue, Japan's two divisions undisputed world champion and among the world's top three best pound for pound fighters for years now. And Japan producing more than a baker's dozen current and former major world boxing champions that included Takayama himself. Japanese fighters hold all the major belts at bantamweight and half of the world trinkets at flyweight and once in the minimumweight.

This year, Inoue is projected to defend his undisputed world super bantamweight title against fellow Japanese, reigning WBC bantamweight king Junto Nakatani in what is believed to be the biggest all Japanese world title fight in history. How big is that fight? This early, major networks have expressed their desire to carry the bout in their various media platforms

With a Japanese now holding a IBO belt, perhaps we will see how how a world title, no matter "minor" as generally perceived, ought to be given importance by the holder country.

The IBO world belts have been in existence for years. In fact, if memory serves, Manny Pacquiao fought for IBO belts twice, once against Marco Antonio Barrera in 2004 and once against Ricky Hatton in 2009. The IBO belts he won may had been belittled even in his country but the world knew he was the real lineal world champion. Just this December, the IBO heavyweight belt was also at stake in the fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.

The Philippines has at least three times in the recent years won IBO world championships through Edrin Dapudong, Michael Dasmariñas and recently, Dave Apolinario. But we frittered them away as no one among the three had even a title defense, either here or abroad. Dasmariñas and Apolinario however parlayed their status into leading contenders in failed major world title tries.

In the final analysis, the significance of an IBO world title is really in the eyes of the beltholders and their supporters

This may be a lesson we will soon learn with a Japanese being crowned as IBO world champion.

The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Smarts over power
    By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
    By Maloney L. Samaco, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
    By Dong Secuya, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • 21-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?”
    By Carlos Costa, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford
    By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • A Masterpiece of Boxing: Terence Crawford Dethrones Canelo Alvarez in Historic Showdown
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • LEWIS CROCKER IS CROWNED THE NEW IBF WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
    , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Battle of Undefeated: Callum Walsh Vanquishes Fernando Vargas Jr.
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Undercard Inferno: Mbilli and Martinez Deliver a Super Middleweight War Ending in a Thrilling Draw
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Crawford to defy odds?
    By Joaquin Henson, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Clash of Titans: The Final Predictions for Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Weigh-In Results: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
    , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Inoue and Akhmadaliev Make Weight for Sunday's Battle, Watch it LIVE on Facebook!
    By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • IIEE North Cotabato and Metro Central are the Golden Champion on 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Chess
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Sydney Sy Tancontian is Female Awardee of Sports Hero of the Year
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford: Size Matters
    By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • BOOTS TALKS SPARRING WITH CANELO IN ‘DAY IN THE LIFE’
    , Sat, 13 Sep 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.