Rising stars as Miyu Suzuki and Yuta Sakai won the titles at the 34th Japan National High School Boxing Tournament

Kagashima Prefecture’s Akune was the host of the 34th Japan National High School Boxing Tournament and the JOC Junior Olympic Cup Boxing Tournament. Japan’s medallists from the recent Youth World Boxing Championships, Miyu Suzuki and Yuta Sakai won gold medals in their national event in Akune.

Japan National High School Boxing Tournament is the first selection for their boxers in the youth age group but two further national competitions will be coming soon for them. Five women and eight men boxers claimed gold medals in the national event.

Japan competed successfully in the 2022 IBA Youth World Boxing Championships where their boxers claimed titles and medals. The Japan National High School Boxing Tournament supported the selections for the upcoming ASBC Asian Youth & Junior Boxing Championships.

Nonoka Okabe was the first winner at the women’s pinweight in Akune where she defeated Yuri Fukuda for the pinweight title. Eisha Taguchi was the best boxer at the women’s light flyweight and she will have the chance to represent Japan in the international stage.

Miyu Suzuki earned a bronze medal at the 2022 IBA Youth World Boxing Championships and she is still in the youth age group this year. The 18-year-old flyweight boxer defeated Miku Oikawa in the final of the National High School Boxing Tournament.

Korin Kokofu, the participant of the last Youth World Boxing Championships, defeated a big name, Rina Tsutsumi at the bantamweight and she earned the Women’s JOC Junior Olympic Cup trophy. Seina Adachi was the favourite of the lightweight but she lost to Sakura Okayama in the fifth female final of the national event.

Raito Kataoka won the men’s light flyweight and the Men’s JOC Junior Olympic Cup in Akune. Japan’s best male talent, Yuta Sakai won the bantamweight (54kg) at the 2022 IBA Youth World Boxing Championships and he was too smart for Fuuma Kumamoto in the finals of the Nationals.

The winner of the lightweight, Akito Horie received the Fighting Spirit Award in Akune and Masatake Yoshizumi was named for the Men’s Best Athlete Award.

The list of the winners at the 2023 Japan National High School Boxing Tournament

 Women’s pinweight: Nonoka Okabe

 Women’s light flyweight: Eisha Taguchi

 Women’s flyweight: Miyu Suzuki

 Women’s bantamweight: Korin Kokofu

 Women’s lightweight: Sakura Okayama

 Men’s pinweight: Seiya Nakayama

 Men’s light flyweight: Raito Kataoka

 Men’s flyweight: Sento Ito

 Men’s bantamweight: Yuta Sakai

 Men’s lightweight: Akito Horie

 Men’s light welterweight: Masatake Yoshizumi

 Men’s welterweight: Moeto Kawamura

 Men’s middleweight: Yeshua Silva

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