is a Japanese

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

from

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 ...

, currently competing in

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

Biography

Sawayashiki, at only 19 years old, turned pro in 2004 and started fighting for R.I.S.E. kickboxing promotion in Japan. He made his

debut on December 2, 2006 at the K-1 WGP 2006 Final undercard, against Mitsugu Noda, winning the fight by split decision. On his next fight in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

he stunned the K-1 world by a convincing victory over

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

legend

Jerome Le Banner Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is comm ...

. After three consecutive wins at

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Sawayashiki earned himself a wildcard entry to the K-1 Final Elimination against the K-1 Asia winner

Yusuke Fujimoto Yusuke Fujimoto ( ja, 藤本祐介 ; born July 22, 1975) is a Japanese people, Japanese former heavyweight kickboxer who competed in K-1 and was the K-1 World GP 2007 in Hong Kong tournament champion. He is nicknamed "Bun Bun Maru" because of his ...

. After having his nose broken in the first round, Sawayashiki fought on and knocked down Fujimoto three times in the third round before referee stopped the fight. His next fight was at the

K-1 World GP 2007 Final This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993 at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. 2023 events 2022 events 2021 events ...

against 3-Time World Champion,

Peter Aerts Peter Aerts (born 25 October 1970) is a Dutch semi-retired kickboxer. Known for his devastating high kicks, which earned him the nickname "The Dutch Lumberjack", he is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers of all time ...

. He suffered his first K-1 loss by first round Knockout after taking a tremendous right punch to the face. Sawayashiki's career went downhill from there, losing 4 more straight fights in a row, 3 KO losses to Musashi,

Catalin Morosanu Catalin is a brand name for a thermosetting polymer developed and trademarked in 1927 by the American Catalin Corporation of New York City, when the patent on Bakelite expired that year. A phenol formaldehyde resin, it can be worked with files, ...

and

Glaube Feitosa Glaube Araújo Feitosa (born April 9, 1973) is a Brazilian former kickboxer and a kyokushin full contact karate practitioner who was competing in K-1. In 2005, Feitosa won K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas tournament and was a K-1 World G ...

plus a punishing three round fight against

Jerome Lebanner Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is comm ...

in the 2008 Final 16. Many now consider Sawayashiki's career short lived and likely over.

Titles

*2006 3rd J-NETWORK Heavyweight champion (May 17, 2006 - June 18, 2007)

Kickboxing record

References

External links

Official K-1 website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawayashiki, Junichi 1984 births Living people Japanese male kickboxers Heavyweight kickboxers Japanese male judoka Sportspeople from Tokyo

Biography

Titles

Kickboxing record

See also

References

External links