AIBA Youth World Champion Hayato Tsutsumi is the star of the Japanese team in the ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships

Japan will have strong team in the ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships and their boxers could be competitive with the top nations such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India, China and Thailand. Their big star AIBA Youth World Champion and ASBC Asian Youth Champion Hayato Tsutsumi will be there also in the continental event to win his next gold medal at the bantamweight (56kg) in Bangkok.
The head coach Mr. Shigeru Hiyama selected seven athletes to the ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships but their seventh boxer Sho Patrick Usami was finally unable to join to the team. Besides to Hayato Tsutsumi their Tatsuya Ogawa, Ryutaro Nakagaki, Taiga Imanaga and Issei Aramoto are all among the medal favourites in the ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships.
Yonago’s Tatsuya Ogawa began boxing to lose weight in 2009 but his coach former national team member boxer Takeshi Ida realized his talent to the sport. Ogawa, who celebrated his 18th birthday a few days ago, won the Japanese National Sports Festival and claimed silver medal at the Beket Makhmutov Youth Tournament in Kazakhstan this March.
Miyazaki’s Ryutaro Nakagaki began boxing in 2010 and after five years of experiences in the sport he was able to win the gold medal at the 2015 ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships in Tashkent. Following a few unexpected losses in the national level he regained his place and won the Beket Makhmutov Youth Tournament three months ago.
Chiba’s Hayato Tsutsumi achieved the title in the 2016 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in St. Petersburg and also in the 2016 ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships in Tashkent. Japan’s pride was named as the Best Asian Youth Boxer of the Year and following his unbeaten performance in the recent 21 months he is the main gold medal contender of the bantamweight (56kg).
Nara City’s ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships bronze medallist and ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships silver medallist Taiga Imanaga is also an experienced boxer in the international level. Hiroaki Takami’s pupil, who will be turning to 18 in August, moved up to the lightweight (60kg) this year and won their High School Selection Tournament in Gifu.
Kashiba City’s Issei Aramoto is only 17 yet but he won seven Japanese national titles during his career. Aramoto, who began boxing in 2006, moved up to the welterweight (69kg) in the recent half year and has got strong expectations in Bangkok. Aramoto achieved silver medal in the 2015 ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships which was his peak point in his career. Japan’s sixth boxer will be Riku Kondo at the middleweight (75kg) who won the High School Selection Tournament in Gifu in March.