is a

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

from

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and the former world champion of WBA at

Super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations or ...

. He was born in

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

and grew up in

Kure City is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan M ...

Hiroshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders Okayama ...

. He currently lives in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. Shimoda has trained under Yūichi Kasai's instruction at the

Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo, a Japan's traditional boxing club whose genesis dates back to 1926, manages professional boxers as a member of the , a subsidiary body of . Currently located in Kagurazaka, Shinjuku, its president is the International Boxing Hall of Fa ...

in Tokyo.

Biography

Akifumi Shimoda was born in

Kure city is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan M ...

on September 11, 1984.

Debut

Shimoda turned professional in 2003. On January 18, 2003, he fought against Kazumasa Watanabe, and won his debut via the first round knockout on 18 January. After this victory, won eleven straight victories.

Winning national and international title

On April 9, 2007, Shimoda captured the Japanese

super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations or ...

title and defended it four times. On March 28, 2010, Shimoda captured the

OPBF The Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) is a professional boxing organization that sanctions title fights in the Asian and Pacific region. History Oriental boxing started in the Philippines in 1946 after the Spanish-American War. While ...

title, then defended it once.

Winning the world title

Shimoda won the WBA super bantamweight title from Korean Ryol Li Lee via a twelfth round unanimous decision in the latter's first title defence in Tokyo at the

Ariake Coliseum is an indoor sporting arena in located in Ariake, Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan. It has a capacity of 10,000 and is one of the few professional tennis venues which has a retractable roof. Events The arena is used as the center court for the Japan O ...

on January 31, 2011. He would lose the title in his first defense against Rico Ramos.

Professional boxing record

Titles

*60th East Japan Freshman Tournament Bantamweight winner (November 2, 2003) *32nd Japanese Super bantamweight champion (Defences: 4) *37th OPBF Super bantamweight champion (Defences: 1) *31st WBA World Super bantamweight champion (Defences: 0)

Awards

*2007 Fresh fighter Award (Japanese Boxing Commission / December 17, 2007)

References

External links

*
Shimoda Akifumi Official website
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Shimoda, Akifumi 1984 births Living people Japanese male boxers People from Kure, Hiroshima Sportspeople from Sapporo Sportspeople from Hiroshima Prefecture Southpaw boxers World Boxing Association champions World super-bantamweight boxing champions