AIBA Youth World Champion Hayato Tsutsumi dominated the Japanese High School National Selection Tournament in Gifu while Imanaga and Aramoto set new records

The Japanese High School National Selection Tournament was held in Gifu where their No.1 AIBA Youth World Champion and Best Asian Youth Boxer of the Year 2016, Hayato Tsutsumi won the title in his new bantamweight (56kg). Besides to him Taiga Imanaga and Issei Aramoto secured their sixth Japanese national titles in Gifu.
Gifu, which was the host of the Japanese High School National Selection Tournament, is Oda Nobunaga’s home who is a famous historical person in Japan. The winners of the Japanese High School National Selection Tournament have got good chance to represent the country in the upcoming ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand.
Misaki Nasu trained hard following her silver medal in the 2016 Japanese High School National Tournament where she lost to Rinka Kinoshita in the final. Nasu met with her main local rival in the semi-final and she was able to beat her by unanimous decision this time. Nasu advanced to the final of the women’s pinweight (46kg) where she was too smart for Haruka Nishimura and claimed a title.
Saya Hamamoto lost to Sena Irie in the semi-final of the Japanese U18 Women’s National Championships in December but this time she was able to do revenge in the second female final of the Japanese High School National Selection Tournament. The 18-year-old talent defeated Irie 4-1 in the final of the flyweight (51kg) and has got her chance to represent Japan in the AIBA Women’s Youth World Boxing Championships in November.
In the third women’s final of the Japanese High School National Selection Tournament Seira Hamaguchi met with Honoka Misaka. Hamaguchi, who eliminated Honami Kanazawa in the semi-final, had to do her very best to beat Honoka Misaka for the gold of the lightweight (60kg) in Gifu. Hamaguchi stopped by TKO her final opponent two-time in 2016 but Misaka was more competitive in their third match in Gifu.
Ginjiro Shigeoka was the favourite of the pinweight (46kg) following his three national titles in 2016. The Japanese National Sports Festival winner talent controlled the first two rounds against Asato Kataoka in the final but his opponent knocked him down in the third. Shigeoka had enough stamina to box until the final bell and his previous advantage was enough to beat his dangerous rival.
Japanese National Sports Festival winner Tatsuya Ogawa, who will be turning to 18 only in June, proved top performance in the Beket Makhmutov Youth Tournament in Oral, Kazakhstan a few weeks ago when he claimed silver medal. Ogawa, who lives and trains in Yonago, defeated Tomu Baba in the final of the light flyweight (49kg) in Gifu.
Ryutaro Nakagaki won the gold medal in the 2015 ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships in Tashkent and returned to the national squad a few weeks ago with another great success when he claimed the title of the Beket Makhmutov Youth Tournament in Kazakhstan. Nakagaki proved top performance once again and dominated all of the rounds against Koshiro Takemi in the final of the flyweight (52kg).
Hayato Tsutsumi claimed gold medal in the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships and also in the ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships therefore he was appointed as the Best Asian Youth Boxer of the Year 2016. The young Japanese talent moved up to the bantamweight (56kg) and following his gold in the Beket Makhmutov Youth Tournament he dominated his final also in Gifu where he stopped Musashi Kajiwara.
ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships bronze medallist and ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships silver medallist Taiga Imanaga won his sixth Japanese national title in Gifu where he competed at the lightweight (60kg). The 18-year-old Japanese hope was too strong for Daiki Harada in his new category.
ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships silver medallist Issei Aramoto also reached his sixth title in Japan as Imanaga. The light welterweight (64kg) boxer dominated his final against Sho Sato and the referee finished their unequal contest still in the first round. Only five Japanese boxers won six gold medals previously in the high school level, the last one was AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships quarter-finalist Reo Saito in 2016.
Tadashi Patrick Usami was a new face in the high school level but he proved his strength in the final of the welterweight (69kg) in Gifu where he stopped Daigo Takahashi for the title. Riku Kondo was bronze medallist in the last edition of the Japanese High School National Selection Tournament but this time he was able to beat all of his rivals in the middleweight (75kg). Kondo spent only 72 seconds in the ring and after his lethal combinations he could knock out Go Wakaya in the gold medal bout.

List of the winners in the Japanese High School National Selection Tournament
Women’s 46kg: Misaki Nasu
Women’s 51kg: Saya Hamamoto
Women’s 60kg: Seira Hamaguchi
Men’s 46kg: Ginjiro Shigeoka
Men’s 49kg: Tatsuya Ogawa
Men’s 52kg: Ryutaro Nakagaki
Men’s 56kg: Hayato Tsutsumi
Men’s 60kg: Taiga Imanaga
Men’s 64kg: Issei Aramoto
Men’s 69kg: Tadashi Patrick Usami
Men’s 75kg: Riku Kondo