is a Japanese professional
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 ...
who currently competes in the
minimumweight division. He is a former
OPBF minimumweight champion.
Early life
Ryuji Hara was born in
Itō, Shizuoka
280px, Itō City Hall
is a city located on the eastern shore of the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 68,773 in 36,717 households and a population density of 550 persons per km². The tota ...
on July 10, 1990. He initially wanted to be a
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...
, and even passed the strict test. However, after winning the National High School Boxing Championship (his first of four), he decided to focus on boxing.
His amateur record was 36-2 (16 KO).
Professional career
Hara made his professional debut in 2010, and won the All-
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 ...
Minimumweight Rookie Tournament in November.
After an impressive 12–0 start to his career, Hara received a shot at the vacant Japanese
minimumweight title. He defeated veteran fighter Kenichi Horikawa by unanimous decision on October 2, 2012, 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 ...
for the belt.
[
After three successful defenses, Hara defeated Donny Mabao for the vacant OPBF minimumweight title on March 30, 2014, in Fuji by majority decision.
By this time, he was ranked in the top four by all four major boxing organizations (#2 WBA, #2 ]WBO
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
, #4 WBC
WBC may stand for:
Business
*Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, a former large India broadcaster now folded into CBS
*Westpac (New Delhi Exchange code: WBC), a multinational Financial services company
*Wholesale Broadband Connect, BT Wholesale's ...
, #5 IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
). Instead of waiting for a world title match, Hara make the risky decision to defend his OPBF belt against up-and-coming fighter Kosei Tanaka
is a Japanese professional boxer. He is a three-weight world champion, having held the WBO mini-flyweight title from 2015 to 2016; the WBO junior-flyweight title from 2016 to 2017; and the WBO flyweight title from 2018 to 2020. Upon winning ...
on October 30, 2014, 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 ...
. Tanaka won by 10th-round TKO.
After an easy second-round knockout against Thai fighter Petchnamchai Sor Sakulwong, Hara was given a shot at the IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
World minimumweight champion, Katsunari Takayama, on September 27, 2015. During the fight, Takayama suffered a cut above his left eye in round three, but eventually overwhelmed Hara with power shots to the body and head. Referee Wayne Hedgepeth stopped the fight in the eighth round to give Takayama the victory.
Professional boxing record
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="8", 23 Wins (14 knockouts, 7 decisions), 2 Losses (2 knockouts, 0 decisions), 0 DrawsKosei Tanaka
is a Japanese professional boxer. He is a three-weight world champion, having held the WBO mini-flyweight title from 2015 to 2016; the WBO junior-flyweight title from 2016 to 2017; and the WBO flyweight title from 2018 to 2020. Upon winning ...
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References
External links
*
Ryuji Hara
o
AsianBoxing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hara, Ryuji
1990 births
Living people
Japanese male boxers
Mini-flyweight boxers
Light-flyweight boxers
Sportspeople from Shizuoka Prefecture