is a professional boxer nicknamed "Japanese Rocky". He made his mark in the twelve-round
lightweight
Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing.
Boxing
Professional boxing
The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing.
Notable lightweight boxe ...
slugfest against
Omar Figueroa in July 2013,
that earned him the nickname after the film ''
Rocky
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess M ...
''.
"The Japanese lefty gained a zillion fans with his rumble last year against Figueroa," TheSweetScience.com's Michael Woods said in 2014.
He is the former Japanese and OPBF (
Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation
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 ...
) lightweight champion.
Early life and amateur career
Arakawa was born in
Musashino, Tokyo
is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 147,492 in 77,779 households, and a population density of 13,000 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Based on the 2015 Ka ...
,
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 move to
Fussa
is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 56,786, and a population density of 5600 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
About one third of the c ...
soon after. Fussa is the city well known by
U.S. Air Force Base and
Ryū Murakami
is a Japanese novelist, short story writer, essayist, and filmmaker. His novels explore human nature through themes of disillusionment, drug use, surrealism, murder, and war, set against the dark backdrop of Japan. His best known novels are ''Al ...
's novel ''
Almost Transparent Blue
is a 1976 novel, written by Japanese author Ryū Murakami, that features a portrait of narrator Ryū and his friends trapped in a cycle of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll during the 1970s.
Plot
Narrated by the main character Ryū, the novel focuses o ...
''. He enjoyed
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
with fellow kids while living there from the age of two to thirteen, then relocated to
Minamiizu, Shizuoka
is a town located at the southern tip of Izu Peninsula in Kamo District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 8,231 in 3895 households, and a population density of 74 persons per km². The total area of the ...
.
He became involved in
middle-distance running
Middle-distance running events are Track and field#Running, track races longer than Sprint (running), sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be clas ...
and
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
during junior high school, and served as the captain and
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
for the high school's
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
team.
It was also during high school that he watched the
Félix Trinidad
Félix Juan Trinidad García (born January 10, 1973), popularly known as "Tito" Trinidad, is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who competed from 1990 to 2008. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes and is said to b ...
fights on
WOWOW and was inclined into
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
. He later told that his most favorite fight as of May 2013 was Trinidad vs.
Fernando Vargas
Fernando Javier Vargas (born December 7, 1977) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1997 to 2007. He was a two-time light middleweight world champion, having held the IBF title from 1998 to 2000, and the WBA title from 200 ...
in December 2000. After five years' stay in Minamiizu, he went back to Fussa
and lived there until he moved to
Hachioji in March 2012.
He started boxing at the age of nineteen at Hirotaka Nakaya's Hachioji Nakaya Boxing Gym in Hachioji.
His amateur record was only 4–1 (3 KOs)
that won him a minor title in the
light welterweight
Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional boxing
In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...
class.
Professional career
On February 10, 2004, Arakawa made a start to his professional career with a first round
knockout
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
at the
Korakuen Hall
is a famous sports arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, which has hosted many notable boxing, professional wrestling, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and Lethwei matches.
History
On April 16, 1962, the Korakuen Hall was officially opened with ...
.
He defeated Yoshitaka Katō to be crowned the East Japan Rookie King in November 2005, and won the All-Japan Rookie King Tournament in December of that year.
He rematched Katō in September 2006 where he suffered his first loss in a close decision. Issei Nakaya of Hachioji Nakaya Promotions had promoted Arakawa until the end of 2014.
after having visited boxing venues around the world over years.
Regional title fights
In September 2008, Arakawa faced
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
Randy Suico for 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 ...
lightweight title, but the fight ended in a
majority draw
A majority draw is an outcome in several full-contact combat sports, including boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA), and other sports involving striking. In a majority draw, two of the three judges agree that neither fighter won (i.e. tied scorecards), ...
.
Japanese title
Arakawa won the Japanese lightweight title via a
majority decision
A majority decision (MD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking. In a majority decision, two of the three judges agree on which ...
from Akihiro Kondō in April 2010, after being knocked down for the first time in his career in round one. In his second defense in January 2011, he stopped Hiroshi Nakamori in the eighth round after being floored again in round two. In May 2011, he went to
Guadalajara, Mexico
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalaja ...
for a two-week workout at Julian Magdaleno Gym () where
Saúl Álvarez
Saul is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin (Shaul), meaning "ask/question".
People named Saul include:
* Saul Adadi (1850–1918), Sephardic Hakham and rosh yeshiva in the Tripoli Jewish community
* Saul Alinsky (1909–1972), American poli ...
has been training. He defended his title three times all by stoppage before vacating it.
OPBF title
Arakawa successively captured the vacant OPBF lightweight title via a
split decision
A split decision (SD) is a winning criterion in boxing, most commonly in full-contact combat sports, in which two of the three judges score one particular competitor as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other competitor.
A split dec ...
over Filipino fighter Jay Solmiano in October 2011. It was a tough-fought close bout with Solmiano scoring a knockdown in round two.
After defending his title against fellow Japanese Ryūji Migaki by a
unanimous decision
A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighter ...
, he travelled to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
to spar with
Miguel Vázquez
Miguel Ángel Vázquez Bautista (born 6 January 1987) is a Mexican professional boxer who held the IBF lightweight title from 2010 to 2014.
Professional career Early career
Vázquez made his professional debut on 20 January 2006 against Canel ...
and others for over a month. He stopped compatriot Takehiro Shimada in round eight in his second defense in August 2012 while throwing over a hundred punches each in two rounds,
and then vacated his title.
Arakawa vs. Daniel Estrada
In November 2012, Arakawa competed with
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
Pedro Daniel Estrada
Pedro Daniel Estrada Espitia (born 4 May 1985) is a Mexican professional boxer.
Pedro is the former WBC Silver lightweight Champion, WBC Youth World lightweight Champion, WBC FECARBOX lightweight Champion, WBC Continental Americas lightweight Ch ...
in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
on the main event of the ''Gala Ring Telmex 2012''. It was a
WBC Silver lightweight title bout and was a title eliminator with a shot at
Adrien Broner
Adrien Jerome Broner (; born July 28, 1989) is an American professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, including the WBO super featherweight title from 2011 to 2012, the WBC lightweight title from 201 ...
on the line. After eleven rounds, Estrada was called as the winner with a
technical decision
A technical decision is a term used in boxing when a fight has to be stopped because of a headbutt.
In boxing fights, referees have to pay deep attention to the action going on between the fighters, especially when the two combatants are fightin ...
. Its refereeing processes and outcome caused controversy in Japan, and more in Mexico. The WBC's official
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account tweeted as follows: "There was a controversy in that fight where the winner would be fighting for the title, but because there was this problem, the WBC demanded a rematch. That is a fight for all ring officials to look at." A rematch between them never happened.
Arakawa vs. Omar Figueroa
On July 27, 2013, Arakawa made his
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
debut at the event dubbed ''Knockout Kings II'' at the
AT&T Center
AT&T Center is a list of indoor arenas, multi-purpose indoor arena on the east side of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is the home of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association.
The arena seats 18,418 for basketball, and ...
in
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
. His opponent fighting out of the blue corner was the undefeated
Mexican-American
Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...
fighter
Omar Figueroa, Jr. and the WBC
interim
An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities.
Interim may also refer to:
Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept)
*Provis ...
lightweight title was at stake. The interim title bout was made when reigning champion Adrien Broner decided to challenge the
WBA welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...
title.
The incredibly tough fight that was aired live on ''
Showtime Championship Boxing
''Showtime Championship Boxing'' is a television boxing program airing on Showtime. Debuting in March 1986, it is broadcast live on the first Saturday of every month. ''Showtime Championship Boxing'', which is very similar to ''HBO World Champi ...
'', and on WOWOW in Japan, ended in Figueroa's victory by a unanimous decision.
RingTV.com's Douglass Fischer told as follows:
" no fighter raised his stature during the course of one fight as much as Japanese veteran Nihito Arakawa did with the heroic effort he put forth against Omar Figueroa Jr. last July in San Antonio," Fischer later described.
At the year's end, MaxBoxing.com's Steve Kim awarded him the
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...
.
Arakawa vs. Jorge Linares
On March 8, 2014, Arakawa came back to the ring to face Japan-based
Venezuelan
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
Jorge Linares
Jorge Luis Linares Palencia (born 22 August 1985) is a Venezuelan professional boxer. He has held world championships in three weight classes, including the WBC featherweight title from 2007 to 2008; the WBA super featherweight title from 20 ...
in a ten-round WBC title eliminator, with a mandatory shot against Omar Figueroa on the line. It was featured on the undercard of the fight between Saúl Álvarez and
Alfredo Angulo
Alfredo Angulo López (born August 11, 1982) is a Mexican professional boxer who held the WBO interim light middleweight title from 2009 to 2010. As an amateur he represented Mexico at the 2004 Olympics, reaching the first round of the middlewe ...
at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena
The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip.
Sporting events
From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...
in
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
. Figueroa was to fight in the same event, but a wrist injury forced him to postpone it. That is why Arakawa–Linares was carried live on
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
. Arakawa was again fighting out of the red corner, but lost in a unanimous decision.
In the second half of 2014, he defeated Kondō in their rematch in July, and lost to Katō in their rubber match in December, both by unanimous decision at Korakuen Hall.
Arakawa then transferred to Hitoshi Watanabe's Watanabe Boxing Gym in April 2015. Among his new stable-mates are
Takashi Uchiyama
__NOTOC__
is a Japanese former professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2016, having held the WBA (Super) super-featherweight title from 2010 to 2016.
Early life
He was born in Nagasaki Prefecture, grew up in Kasukabe, Saitama, and lives i ...
,
Kōhei Kōno and
Ryōichi Taguchi.
Two nicknames
Arakawa's nickname is "The Baby-faced Sniper" because of his quite accurate shots.
He is originally a sleek jabbing southpaw. Another characteristic is volume punching.
From time to time, he has waged tough fights. His effort might be unsuccessful in one aspect and successful in another. According to Arakawa, the most tough fight for him was the OPBF title defense against Jay Solmiano in October 2011.
Ryūji Migaki said in early 2012 that it would be Arakawa's nature.
His style in the Omar Figueroa fight in July 2013 earned him a new nickname "Japanese Rocky".
During and after the fight,
Mauro Ranallo
Mauro Domenico Ranallo (born December 21, 1969) is a Canadian sports announcer, commentator and mental health advocate. He is currently signed as a play-by-play announcer with MMA organization Bellator, and also performs play-by-play duties for bo ...
summarize his style as "
Bushido
is a moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. There are multiple bushido types which evolved significantly through history. Contemporary forms of bushido are still used in the social and economic organization of Japan. ...
".
References
Video references
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arakawa, Nihito
Southpaw boxers
Lightweight boxers
Boxers from Tokyo
People from Hachiōji, Tokyo
People from Musashino, Tokyo
1981 births
Living people
Japanese male boxers