Wakashoyo Shunichi

Wakashoyo Shunichi (born 8 March 1966 as Yoichi Babaguchi) is a Japanese mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler and former sumo wrestler.

Wakashoyo Shunichi
若翔洋 俊一
Personal information
BornYoichi Babaguchi
(1966-03-08) 8 March 1966
Tokyo, Japan
Height181 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight164 kg (362 lb)
Career
StableFutagoyama
Record496–444–57
DebutMay 1981
Highest rankSekiwake (May, 1993)
RetiredNovember 1997
Elder nameSee Career
Championships1 (Jūryō)
1 (Sandanme)
Special PrizesFighting Spirit (2)
* Up to date as of June 2020.

Career

Although born in Chiba, he grew up in Nakano, Tokyo. He joined sumo in 1981, wrestling out of Futagoyama stable. He first entered the top makuuchi division in 1991 and made his sanyaku debut in March 1993 from komusubi rank. Unusually, he came through with a winning record (which included a win over new yokozuna Akebono), and was awarded his second successive special prize for Fighting Spirit. After the tournament he was promoted to sekiwake, which was the highest rank he was to achieve. He retired in November 1997 and became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Otowayama. However, the retirement of his former stablemate, Wakanohana in March 2000 meant that his elder name was needed by the former Takamisugi (who had been borrowing Wakanohana's), and Wakashoyo had to leave the sumo world.

He then signed with K-1, a kickboxing and mixed martial arts organization, fighting under his old shikona (He uses the Latin script, appearing as "WAKASHOYO" rather than using the Japanese characters. The Sumo Association requested that Konishiki do the same thing in his post-sumo career). He made his debut in a kickboxing bout against fellow newcomer, South Korean giant Choi Hong-man in the quarter-final of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Seoul on 19 March 2005. Wakashoyo was knocked down twice in the first round; he was not able to recover from the second one. In July 2005 he entered Hero's, the mixed martial arts series promoted by K-1, against kickboxing legend Peter Aerts in an MMA bout at Hero's 2. He was again knocked out in the first round. Wakashoyo returned to the promotion against Kazuhiro Hamanaka at Hero's 5 on 3 May 2006 and was submitted with an arm lock.

In 2008 he began using his real name, Yoichi Babaguchi, as his fighting name. However, he reverted to the name Wakashoyo in December 2010 for a kickboxing match with fellow former sekitori Sentoryu. Out of shape in his first match in over two and a half years, he lost in the first round.[1]

Babaguchi, under his Wakashoyo name, started his career in professional wrestling in Inoki Genome Federation in 2008, later changing to Real Japan Pro Wrestling in 2011.

Fighting style

During his sumo career Wakashoyo favoured yotsu-sumo, or grappling techniques. He preferred a hidari-yotsu, or right hand outside, left hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi. His most common winning kimarite was yori-kiri, or force out, but he also liked using kotenage, or armlock throw.

Sumo career record
Wakashoyo Shunichi[2]
Year in sumo January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 March
Haru basho, Osaka		 May
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya		 September
Aki basho, Tokyo		 November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1981 x x (Maezumo) West Jonokuchi #29
4–3
 		 West Jonidan #139
4–3
 		 East Jonidan #115
4–3
 
1982 East Jonidan #93
4–3
 		 East Jonidan #64
3–4
 		 West Jonidan #81
4–3
 		 West Jonidan #55
3–4
 		 East Jonidan #71
5–2
 		 West Jonidan #27
2–5
 
1983 East Jonidan #49
4–3
 		 West Jonidan #34
5–2
 		 West Sandanme #89
5–2
 		 West Sandanme #60
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #45
2–5
 		 West Sandanme #72
3–4
 
1984 West Sandanme #83
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #62
3–4
 		 West Sandanme #81
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #62
5–2
 		 East Sandanme #33
5–2
 		 West Sandanme #1
1–6
 
1985 West Sandanme #39
5–2
 		 West Sandanme #9
3–4
 		 West Sandanme #24
5–2
 		 East Makushita #55
2–5
 		 West Sandanme #22
3–4
 		 East Sandanme #35
4–3
 
1986 East Sandanme #15
7–0
Champion
 		 East Makushita #20
3–4
 		 East Makushita #34
3–4
 		 East Makushita #48
5–2
 		 West Makushita #24
2–5
 		 East Makushita #42
5–2
 
1987 East Makushita #28
1–6
 		 West Makushita #56
6–1–P
 		 West Makushita #28
4–3
 		 West Makushita #19
2–5
 		 West Makushita #39
6–1
 		 East Makushita #19
5–2
 
1988 East Makushita #10
4–3
 		 East Makushita #6
0–3–4
 		 East Makushita #41
4–3
 		 East Makushita #30
5–2
 		 West Makushita #17
6–1
 		 East Makushita #4
5–2
 
1989 West Makushita #1
0–1–6
 		 East Makushita #36
0–2–5
 		 East Sandanme #12
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7		 West Sandanme #72
6–1
 		 West Sandanme #20
5–2
 		 West Makushita #50
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7
1990 East Sandanme #31
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7		 East Sandanme #92
6–1
 		 East Sandanme #38
5–2
 		 East Sandanme #12
6–1
 		 East Makushita #40
5–2
 		 East Makushita #20
5–2
 
1991 East Makushita #10
6–1
 		 West Makushita #3
5–2
 		 East Jūryō #11
10–5
 		 West Jūryō #3
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #13
3–12
 		 West Jūryō #4
10–5–P
 
1992 West Maegashira #15
6–9
 		 East Jūryō #2
10–5
 		 East Maegashira #11
5–10
 		 East Jūryō #2
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #13
10–5
 		 East Maegashira #4
8–7
 
1993 West Maegashira #3
10–5
F		 West Komusubi #1
10–5
F		 East Sekiwake #2
7–8
 		 West Komusubi #1
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #1
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #5
8–7
 
1994 West Komusubi #1
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #2
4–11
 		 East Maegashira #10
2–13
 		 East Jūryō #6
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #4
9–6
 		 West Jūryō #1
11–4–P
 
1995 East Maegashira #15
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #12
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #4
3–12
 		 East Maegashira #15
11–4
 		 East Maegashira #4
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #4
5–9–1
 
1996 East Maegashira #10
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15		 East Maegashira #10
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #14
4–11
 		 East Jūryō #7
11–4–P
 		 East Jūryō #3
5–10
 		 West Jūryō #9
9–6
 
1997 East Jūryō #5
10–5
 		 East Jūryō #2
4–11
 		 West Jūryō #7
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #5
1–14
 		 East Makushita #7
3–4
 		 West Makushita #13
Retired
1–1–0
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi(s); P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

Kickboxing record
Kickboxing record
0 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 0–6–1 Sentoryū TKO (3 knockdowns) Survivor: Round 6 25 December 2010 1 1:09 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 0–5–1 Noboru Tadashi TKO (low kicks) Utsunomiya Utsunomiya Vol.2 29 March 2009 1 0:46 Japan
Loss 0–4–1 Masami Ueno KO Chikusei Fighting Dream 15 September 2008 1 0:40 Japan
Loss 0–3–1 Atsushi Hamada KO (right low kick) Dragon Moero 22 December 2007 1 1:55 Japan
Loss 0–2–1 Gen Shiyo KO (right low kick) New Japan Kickboxing Association: Titans Neos II 16 September 2007 1 0:54 Japan
Draw 0–1–1 Mr. Kamikaze No decision Ryukyu Kamikaze Spirit 13 November 2005 3 3:00 Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
Loss 0–1 Choi Hong-man KO (left hook) K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Seoul 19 March 2005 1 1:40 Seoul, South Korea 2005 Seoul Grand Prix quarter-final bout.

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
8 matches 1 win 6 losses
By knockout 0 5
By submission 1 1
Draws 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 1–6–1 Kyoshiro Kawada KO (punches) Kingdom Ehrgeiz: Majors vs. Indies April 30, 2012 1 N/A Tokyo, Japan
Loss 1–5–1 Hirohide Fujinuma TKO (punches) Deep: 47 Impact April 17, 2010 1 0:17 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 1–4–1 Yusuke Kawaguchi TKO (punches) Deep: Megaton Grand Prix 2008 Semifinal May 24, 2008 1 0:16 Tokyo, Japan
Win 1–3–1 Kintaro Tsurukame Submission (punches) Deep: Megaton Grand Prix 2008 Opening Round March 29, 2008 1 1:22 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 0–3–1 Kengo Watanabe TKO (punches) GCM: Cage Force EX Western Bound February 17, 2007 1 0:20 Tottori, Japan
Loss 0–2–1 Kazuhiro Hamanaka Submission (kimura) K-1: Hero's 5 May 3, 2006 1 1:22 Tokyo, Japan
Draw 0–1–1 Soichi Nishida Draw GCM: D.O.G. 4 December 11, 2005 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 0–1 Peter Aerts TKO (punches) K-1: Hero's 2 July 6, 2005 1 1:36 Tokyo, Japan
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See also

References
  1. Gunning, John (27 December 2010). "Sentoryu has his revenge". Daily Yomiuri Online. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010.
  2. "Wakashoyo Shunichi Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
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