Shinji Takehara

Shinji Takehara (竹原慎二, Takehara Shinji, born January 25, 1972 in Fuchū, Hiroshima) was a professional boxer in the Middleweight (160lb) division. He was the first boxer from Japan to capture a World Middleweight Title.

Shinji Takehara
Statistics
Real nameShinji Takehara
Weight(s)Middleweight
Height185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Nationality Japanese
Born (1972-01-25) January 25, 1972
Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights25
Wins24
Wins by KO18
Losses1
Draws0
No contests0

Takehara turned pro in 1989 and had a relatively short professional career, spanning only seven years. In 1995 he landed a shot at the WBA Middleweight Title against Jorge Fernando Castro and won by decision. Takehara lost the belt in his only defeat during his first defense to William Joppy in a 9th-round TKO. He was overwhelmed in the first round and appeared unable to determine incoming attacks. Ringside doctors examination discovered Takehara had posterior vitreous detachment which progressed into retinal detachment and subsequently forced him into retirement.[1]

Childhood and early career

Takehara got into numerous street fights during his teens. He briefly played baseball before joining the school judo team. Takehara did not move on to high school, after graduating middle school, he moved to Tokyo in 1988 to start a boxing career. He took numerous part-time jobs while training, including working as a cleaning man at Yokohama Arena, where he would later make his first (and only) title defense of the WBA Middleweight Title.

Professional career

Takehara made his debut on May 15, 1989 with a 4th-round KO victory. He went on to win the Japanese Middleweight Title in 1991, defending it three times. He won the vacant OPBF Middleweight Title in 1993, which he defended six times.

Takehara got a shot against WBA Middleweight Champion Jorge Castro, who had a record of 98-4-2 at the time and had made five title defenses. Takehara went into the fight as a huge underdog, and the match took place in the tiny Korakuen Hall despite being a world title bout. Regardless, Takehara knocked Castro down in the 3rd round, and won by unanimous decision in 12 rounds, becoming the first ever Japanese boxer to win a world middleweight title.

The win against Castro generated huge media hype, and Takehara's title defense took place in Yokohama Arena on June 24, 1996 against William Joppy. Though both fighters were undefeated, Takehara was once again the underdog, and Joppy announced that he would win easily by KO. The fight was a disaster for Takehara, who was knocked down in the 1st, and lost by TKO in the 9th when the referee stopped the fight, giving up the middleweight title in half a year. Takehara himself admitted that he would have been knocked out even if the referee did not stop the fight, and Joppy remarked that he could have knocked out Takehara much earlier if he had wanted.

While preparing for his next fight, Takehara was diagnosed with a detached retina. This forced him to retire from boxing at only 24 years of age. His record was 24-1-0 (18KOs).

Legacy

Winning a world middleweight title had been regarded as impossible for any Japanese boxer, since the division had featured some of the sports best champions, including Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Durán, Marvin Hagler, and Thomas Hearns. Though Takehara lost in his first defense, William Joppy remained a top middleweight contender for more than seven years after beating Takehara. Joppy remarked before his fight against Félix Trinidad that Takehara punched the hardest of any of the fighters he had faced. Takehara is now known more for his success after retiring from boxing, but his short career has left an important legacy on Japanese boxing.

Post retirement

Few people knew Takehara as a former world champion, and he had to rely on part-time jobs to maintain a living. After years of mediocre living, Takehara achieved immense popularity in 2000 after appearing on the variety show "Gachinko Fight Club." The show is similar to The Contender in concept, where the lives of aspiring boxers are documented as they go through hard training and life struggles. The show produced 12 professional boxers during its three-year run, and Takehara's role as the tough but fair-minded trainer was central to the show's success, allowing Takehara to pursue further opportunities in the television business. Since then, he has appeared on numerous variety and talk shows, and has even guest-starred in a TV drama series and released a rap CD. Takehara's blog and column in the Yahoo! Japan web magazine enjoy great popularity. IN 2014 he was diagnosed with bladder cancer and underwent treatment that left him in remission since 2015.

Professional boxing record
Professional record summary
25 fights 24 wins 1 loss
By knockout 18 1
By decision 6 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
25 Loss24–1 William Joppy TKO 9 (12)
2:29		 1996–06–24 Yokohama Arena,
Yokohama, Kanagawa		 Lost WBA middleweight title
24 Win24–0 Jorge Castro UD 12 1995–12–19 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo Won WBA middleweight title
23 Win23–0 Lee Shung-Chun PTS 12 1995–09–12 Tokyo Retained OPBF Middleweight title.
22 Win22–0 Park Young-Ki KO 1 (12) 1995–04–17 Tokyo Retained OPBF Middleweight title.
21 Win21–0 Craig Trotter KO 7 (12) 1994–12–19 Tokyo Retained OPBF Middleweight title.
20 Win20–0 Lee Hyun-Sik PTS 12 1994–09–18 Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo Retained OPBF Middleweight title.
19 Win19–0 Alex Tui KO 7 (12) 1994–06–12 Hiroshima, Hiroshima Retained OPBF Middleweight title.
18 Win18–0 Noli de Guia KO 1 (?)
1:52		 1994–02–21 Tokyo
17 Win17–0 Nico Toriri KO 6 (12) 1993–11–22 Tokyo Retained OPBF Middleweight title.
16 Win16–0 Lee Sung-Chun KO 12 1993–05–24
2:38		 Tokyo Won vacant OPBF Middleweight title.
15 Win15–0 Satoshi Yokozaki KO 5 (10) 1993–02–15 Tokyo Retained Japanese Middleweight title.
14 Win14–0 Biney Martin UD 10 1992–08–17 Tokyo Retained Japanese Middleweight title.
13 Win13–0 Yoshinori Nishizawa PTS 10 1992–05–17 Tokyo Retained Japanese Middleweight title.
12 Win12–0 Hisashi Teraji KO 2 (10)
2:47		 1992–02–17 Tokyo Retained Japanese Middleweight title.
11 Win11–0 Takehito Saijo KO 7 (10) 1991–10–28 Tokyo Won Japanese Middleweight title.
10 Win10–0 Jiro Kashiwara KO 4 (?) 1991–07–15 Tokyo
9 Win9–0 Tomoo Suzuki KO 1 (?) 1991–02–18 Tokyo
8 Win8–0 Park Keon-Soo KO 1 (?) 1990–11–26 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
7 Win7–0 Satoshi Yokozaki KO 10 1990–07–30 Tokyo
6 Win6–0 Haruhisa Tokuda KO 2 (?) 1990–02–18 Osaka, Osaka
5 Win5–0 Biney Martin PTS 6 1989–12–23 Tokyo
4 Win4–0 Yoshihiro Kitada KO 1 (?) 1989–11–10 Tokyo
3 Win3–0 Kiyoshi Hirayama KO 1 (?) 1989–09–18 Tokyo
2 Win2–0 Kiyoshi Hirayama KO 2 (?) 1989–07–17 Tokyo
1 Win1–0 Masao Tadano KO 4 (?) 1989–05–15 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

See also

References
  1. 日本プロボクシング史 世界タイトルマッチで見る50年. BBM Japan. 2002. ISBN 4-583-03695-7.
Achievements
Preceded by
Jorge Castro		 WBA Middleweight Champion
19 Dec 1995–24 Jun 1996		 Succeeded by
William Joppy
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