Over the last few years we?ve been seeing more and more Japanese fighters rave through the rankings at a young age. We?ve seen fighters like Kazuto Ioka, Naoya Inoue, Kosei Tanaka, Daigo Higa, Ken Shiro and Hiroto Kyoguchi all usher in the current golden age of Japanese boxing. Whilst the current top young Japanese fighters appear set for some long reigns and the opportunity to further grow the brilliant Japanese boxing scene, they aren?t alone, and there are a number of other youngsters following in their footsteps.
One such fighter is 23 year old Ryota Yamauchi (2-0, 2) who made his professional debut last June but looks set to be one of the next Japanese put on a rocket to the top of the sport.
Like many other Japanese fighters who have raced away to success in recent years Yamauchi did have some notable amateur success, at least domestically. In the unpaid ranks he went 38-15 (14), a decent record on the tough Japanese University scene even if the numbers don?t truly show it.
As an amateur he had made a mark at the under-15 level and had faced off with Takuma Inoue, the younger brother of Naoya Inoue.
It was due to that amateur pedigree that he claimed a B license ahead of his debut back in June. That debut saw him take on Thai visitor Supaluek Noiwaengphim at the Korakuen Hall and almost immediately Yamauchi looked like a star in the making. He looked razor sharp with both his hands and feet, moved gracefully around the ring and kept a tight guard whilst trying to draw mistakes from the Thai. It wasn?t quite the ?wow? factor of a top tier amateur making their debut, but it was the type of performance that instantly impressed and didn?t just look like a youngster in there with someone to blast out. Instead it was a composed performance, a chance to show what he was about and a chance to turn heads, before taking the Thai out with some brutal yet beautifully placed body shots.
