The story of the reversal of the “cheap” boxer Yuichi Ideta to become the “Japanese Champion

Special Circumstances: “Name Remains in the Japanese Ranks” Even After 11 Straight Losses

Ideta was originally a fighter at Yonekura Gym, but in August 2005, Yonekura Gym was closed and he became a member of Misako Gym. He had lost six consecutive fights by the time he transferred to Misasako, and he temporarily retired from the gym, but returned to the gym in time for the transfer. Since joining the Misako Gym, he has lost five consecutive fights, for a total of 11 consecutive losses. The president of another gym even complained to him to his face, “Why don’t you let him quit? Misako continued.

He doesn’t seem to be focused on winning, and he doesn’t show any emotion of frustration at losing. I feel like they are used to losing. Even if they have lost a lot, if they play a good match and the content of the match makes people want to see them play again, then I’ll put them in a match. If I gave it my all and then lost because my opponent was one better, then I would say, “Let’s try harder next time,” but it looked like I was losing games that I could have won.

Even so, he took about a week off and continued to practice silently with a swollen face. I had never seen a fighter lose 11 fights in a row, so I wondered what was going on (laugh).

But I have no trouble setting up fights. His opponents’ gyms often call him up, and I don’t remember having any trouble making up fights. He is hard-hitting and has punching power. Whenever I set up a fight with him, I would lose again. I felt frustrated.

Normally, he would have been advised to retire, but he was able to stay active because of the special circumstances of the super welterweight division. In the Japanese boxing world, the lightweight division is thriving and has produced many world champions.

However, the super welterweight division is the sixth heaviest of the 17 weight classes, with a weight limit of 154 pounds (69.8 kg). Only four Japanese have been world champions, while Shinji Takehara and Ryota Murata have won world titles in the middleweight division, one weight class higher.

The number of competitors is also small, and in many cases, the middle and heavyweight classes do not even meet the Japanese ranking of 15. Since Ideta had won 12 straight fights in his debut and qualified as a class A boxer (two wins in six rounds), his name remained in the Japanese ranks even though he continued to lose.

From the opposing gym’s point of view, he was a “tasty” opponent. He was patient and never gave up the fight. He is a hard-hitting but clumsy fighter with a losing habit, and he is the kind of fighter who can get one win with minimal risk. In fact, MISAKO, the president of his gym, said he had no trouble making matches.

I would have thought that the other team would have put him in the match, thinking, ‘There’s no one that’s this easy to beat. But I had a feeling that if I could just get one win, I could get rid of my losing habit. I have the potential to become the Japanese champion. I was waiting for that chance.”