85th All Japan National Boxing Championships

Six boxers defended their thrones in the 85th All Japan National Boxing Championships
The 85th edition of the All Japan National Boxing Championships was held in the Mizusawa Gymnasium in Iwate Prefecture which is located in the northern area of the Honshu island. The competition was also a selection event for the major qualification events and actions which will be held in 2016. Six of the defending champions have been crowned once again while Ryomei Tanaka and Arashi Morisaka are their new heroes.
The Japanese men boxers are among the bests in the Asian continent and all of the experts are expecting to their improvement in the upcoming years when the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be on the focus. Three of their boxers qualified to the Doha 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships but their head coach Mr. Hirokuni Moto is expecting more quota places to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Tomoya Tsuboi is a new face in Japan’s boxing life, his best result was a silver medal at their Youth National Athletic Meeting one year ago. Since then he won their National Championships last December and qualified also to the Doha 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships where he won his opening bout. The 19-year-old Light Flyweight class (49 kg) boxer defeated Masataka Taniguchi in the semi-final and met with his main rival ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships bronze medallist Tosho Kashiwazaki in the gold medal bout. The final verdict was split decision to Tsuboi who proved he is among the best Asian talents in the lowest weight class.
Ryomei Tanaka joined to the elite national team this year and took part in the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Bangkok as well. The 22-year-old Flyweight class (52 kg) boxer lost to Incheon 2014 Asian Games bronze medallist Shota Hayashida in the final of the last edition but this time he proved it much better. Tanaka eliminated Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympian 19-year-old Subaru Murata in the semi-final and defeated Nobuaki Kanazawa for the gold.
Arashi Morisaka is one of the youngest in the national team who proved his skills in the 85th All Japan National Boxing Championships. He took part in the 2011 AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan while since then he developed well enough. The 19-year-old Morisaka had to meet in the final of the Bantamweight class (56 kg) with ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships bronze medallist Kenji Fujita and delivered the biggest sensation of the event. Morisaka defeated his strong rival who won all of his contests in the Kanto University Boxing League.
ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships bronze medallist Daisuke Narimatsu is Japan’s best boxer who could prepare well to the national event after the Doha 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships. Narimatsu eliminated Kenji Fujita’s elder brother Yamato in the semi-final and continued the winning path against young Yuta Akiyama in the final of the Lightweight class (60 kg).
Japan’s most experienced boxer Masatsugu Kawachi was bronze medallist at the 2007 AIBA World Boxing Championships in Chicago and competed in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as well. The 30-year-old Light Welterweight class (64 kg) boxer secured a bronze medal at the Incheon 2014 Asian Games and defeated Kazuki Saito in the final of the Light Welterweight class (64 kg) which was their repeat match. Kawachi defended is throne and kept his dreams alive to compete in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
London 2012 Olympian Yasuhiro Suzuki claimed bronze medal at the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Bangkok and took part also in the Doha 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships. The 28-year-old Welterweight class (69 kg) boxer met with Ryuji Sato in the final of the event and used his height advantage to keep the distance. Suzuki’s previous experiences were enough to defeat his younger rival and he could also defend his throne.
Makoto Takahashi is not enough tall at the Middleweight class (75 kg) but his fighting spirit and style are amazing to get big results in boxing. His aggressive style delivered for him a gold medal in the 85th edition of the All Japan National Boxing Championships. He stopped 18-year-old Ren Umemura in the semi-final and proved his best against national team member Ryota Hamasaki in the gold medal bout.
The Light Heavyweight class (81 kg) is a new category in Japan’s boxing life and 21-year-old Mitsuro Brendon Tajima, who was born in Brazil but his father is Japanese, claimed the gold medal of the category after 2014 as well. He stopped Hisaki Takakura in the semi-final and also was too strong for Katsuya Tamayama in the gold medal bout. The talented Tajima defended his throne and looking for his first international competition in 2016.

Winners in the 85th All Japan National Boxing Championships
Men’s 49 kg: Tomoya Tsuboi
Men’s 52 kg: Ryomei Tanaka
Men’s 56 kg: Arashi Morisaka
Men’s 60 kg: Daisuke Narimatsu
Men’s 64 kg: Masatsugu Kawachi
Men’s 69 kg: Yasuhiro Suzuki
Men’s 75 kg: Makoto Takahashi
Men’s 81 kg: Mitsuro Brendon Tajima