The Untold Story Behind the Legendary Akebono vs. Bob Sapp Fight

“It’ll work out somehow.”

――That grand plan quietly disappeared…

Hosoda: Even though they hyped it up so much (laughs). But there has never been a professional boxer who caused as much trouble outside the ring as Tyson. He had been convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to six years in prison, and he was repeatedly arrested and released. Common sense dictates that with a criminal record like that, he wouldn’t be able to enter Japan due to violations of the “Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.” They charged ahead thinking, “It’ll work out somehow,” but in the end, it didn’t.

――So instead of making a rational judgment, they prioritized the hope of drawing a “packed audience” by bringing Tyson over.

Hosoda: That’s why producer Tanigawa then attempted to hold the “Tyson vs. Sapp” fight in Honolulu, Hawaii. However, this time, the main sponsors wouldn’t agree. They insisted on holding it at a major venue within Japan.

By 2003, the internet existed, but business models based on online streaming hadn’t been established yet. For sponsors, a packed venue broadcast live on terrestrial TV, along with high-quality commercials, was the ultimate status symbol. However, in the end, not holding the “Tyson vs. Sapp” fight was the right decision. Sapp would have been easily defeated. There was no way Sapp could have won against Tyson, who would only accept boxing rules.

For those organizing the martial arts event, the cancellation of “Tyson vs. Sapp” was a serious crisis. With little time left before the New Year’s Eve broadcast, tensions among stakeholders grew. In the midst of this pressure, the last-minute solution of the “Akebono vs. Sapp” match was born.

In 【Part 2】, Hosoda will discuss in detail the surprising background behind the realization of this match, which ultimately overtook the NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen in ratings.

【Part 2: The Inside Story of the “Akebono vs. Bob Sapp” Match That Defeated Kōhaku】

 

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Masashi Hosoda (Hosoda Masashi)

Nonfiction writer. Born in 1971 in Okayama Prefecture, raised in Tottori City. After working as a caster for the CS broadcast channel Samurai TV and as a broadcast writer, he became a nonfiction author. His works include Sakamoto Ryoma Wasn’t There (Saizusha) and Why Do Musicians Abandon Their Devoted Wives? (East Shinsho). His 2020 book, The Man Who Made Tadashi Sawamura Fly in a Vacuum: A Biography of Showa-era Promoter Osamu Noguchi (Shinchosha), won the 43rd Kodansha Honda Yasuharu Nonfiction Award, while Rikidozan’s Widow (Shogakukan) received the 30th Shogakukan Nonfiction Award. In December 2024, he published The Day Martial Arts Defeated Kōhaku (Kodansha).