is a retired Japanese professional kickboxer and boxer. He is the former

SHOOT BOXING , commonly written as Shootboxing, is a combat sport. Shoot boxing is also a stand-up fighting promotion company based in Tokyo, Japan. The organization was founded by former kickboxer Caesar Takeshi in 1985. Shootboxing, the combat sport, ...

and

REBELS A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

Super Bantamweight champion, as well as the former concurrent WBC Muaythai and WPMF Japan Super Bantamweight champion.

Kickboxing & Muay Thai career

Early career

Amateur career

Kusakabe took part in the super bantamweight (-55 kg) event of the 2008 K-1 Koshien

Chūbu region The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshū, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Ya ...

tournament, open exclusively to high-schoolers, on July 6, 2008. He captured the tournament title with three consecutive unanimous decisions in a single day, as he was able to overcome Kosuke Minowa in the quarterfinals, Taishi Hiratsuka in the semifinals and Yusuke Tsuboi in the finals. This success earned him a place in the K-1 Koshien King of Under 18 Tournament, the opening round of which was held in

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

on October 1, 2008. Kusakabe beat Ryuma Tobe by unanimous decision in the opening round and future two-weight

Krush Krush were a UK dance music group, who had a crossover hit single with "House Arrest" in 1987. Career The group consisted of musicians Mark Gamble, Cassius Campbell and record producers Mark Brydon and Robert Gordon. Ruth Joy was the featured ...

champion

Daizo Sasaki Daizo Sasaki (born 20 November 1990) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super lightweight divisions of Krush and K-1. He is the former Krush Super Lightweight champion, the former Krush Lightweight champion, the 2018 K-1 Super ...

by a first-round knockout in the quarterfinals. He advanced the to tournament semifinals, held on December 31, 2008, where he suffered a third-round technical knockout stoppage at the hands of the future two-weight

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

champion

Koya Urabe is a retired Japanese kickboxer, who competed professionally in the super featherweight and lightweight divisions of K-1. He is the former K-1 Lightweight champion, the former K-1 Super Featherweight champion and a two-time K-1 World Super Fe ...

Early professional career

Kusakabe made his debut as a professional competitor against Phetsanga Sakrungruang on March 16, 2008, at the famed

Rajadamnern Stadium Rajadamnern Stadium (; ), also spelled ''Ratchadamnoen'', is a sporting arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Along with Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Rajadamnern is one of the two main stadiums for modern Muay Thai. It hosts fights every Monday, Wednesday, ...

. He won the fight by a fourth-round technical knockout and went on to win two more fights before making his AJKF and

debuts against Rikiya Ozawa at AJKF Krush.3 on May 17, 2009. Kusakabe won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges awarding him a 30–27 scorecard. Kusakabe next faced the one-time AJKF Super Bantamweight title challenger

Shota Takiya is a retired Japanese kickboxer who competed in the super bantamweight divisions of Krush, K-1, RISE and Rizin FF. A professional competitor since 2007, he is a former two-time Krush Super Bantamweight champion. Kickboxing career Early ca ...

at Krush×Survivor on March 13, 2010. He won the fight by majority decision. Two of the judges scored the bout 30–29 and 30–28 in his favor, while the third ringside official handed in an even 30–30 scorecard.

Super bantamweight champion

Shootboxing champion

On March 30, 2010, it was revealed that Kusakabe would be one of eight participants in the Shootboxing Young Caesars Super Bantamweight tournament, with the eventual winner being guaranteed a title shot. Kusakabe faced Masahiro Fujimoto in the tournament quarterfinals at "Anniversary Series 2 -ISHIN- So no Ni" on April 11. The bout was judged a majority draw after the first three rounds were contested. Two of the ringside officials scored the contest 29–29, while the third judge edged it 29–28 for Kusakaba, who was declared the winner by unanimous decision after an extra fourth round was fought. Kusakabe faced Masanori Minato in the Young Caesars tournament semifinals at "Anniversary Series 3 -ISHIN- So no San" on June 6, 2010. He won the fight by a third-round technical knockout and advanced to the Ceasers Cup final, held on the same day, where he faced Kazuyuki Fushimi, who he had beaten by unanimous decision two years prior. Kusakabe was even more successful in the rematch, as he was able to knock Fushimi out with a hook to the body at the 1:35 minute mark of the final round. The tournament victory earned Kusakabe the right to challenge Phantom Shinya for the Shootboxing Japan Super Bantamweight Championship at "Anniversary Series 4 -ISHIN- So no Yon" on September 18, 2010. He won the fight by a third-round technical knockout to become the youngest champion in Shootboxing history at the age of 18 years and two months, breaking the record previously held by Makoto Ue by a month.

Krush tournament run

On November 11, 2010, it was announced that Kusakabe would be taking part in the

Super Bantamweight Inaugural Championship Tournament. Kusakabe faced the former AJKF and

RISE Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...

bantamweight champion

Nobuchika Terado Nobuchika Terado (born September 9, 1980) is a retired Japanese kickboxer. He was the 2009 AJKF and RISE Bantamweight champion, the 2011 ISKA Bantamweight and 2012 Super Bantamweight champion, as well as the 2016 Krush Super Bantamweight ch ...

in the quarterfinals, which were held on December 12, 2010. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Kusakabe faced Hiroaki Mizuhara in the tournament semifinals on April 30, 2011. He won the fight by unanimous decision and advanced to the final, held on the same day, where he faced

for the inaugural Krush Super Bantamweight title. Kusakabe suffered the first loss of his professional career, as Takiya was able to stop him with a front kick, near the end of the third and final round.

Transition to muay thai

Kusakabe made his return to muay thai on October 2, 2011, when he faced Arato for the vacant WBC Muay Thai Japan Super Bantamweight title. He won the fight by a fifth-round knockout. Kusakabe faced Sota Ichinohe at 2011 Fujiwara Matsuri on December 22, 2011. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Kusakabe was next challenged Yusuke Shimizu for the WPMF Japan Super Bantamweight title at M-1 Muay Thai Challenge "Suk Yod Muaythai vol.1 Part 2" on March 25, 2012. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with two scorecards of 49–48 and one scorecard of 49–47. Kusakabe made his first WBC Muay Thai Japan Super Bantamweight title defense against Keisuke Miyamoto at NJKF KICK TO THE FUTURE 6 on September 22, 2012. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Kusakabe faced Ilias El Hajoui at HOOST CUP SPIRIT 1 on November 23, 2012. He won the fight by a third-round knockout. After he successfully bounced back from his second professional loss at the hands of Miyamoto, Kusakabe made his first WPMF Japan Super Bantamweight title defense against Sota Ichinohe at HOOST CUP KINGS Oujatachi no Kyouen on June 16, 2013. He lost the fight by a fifth-round knockout. A month later, at REBELS 18 on July 21, Kusakabe faced Taisuke Degai for the inaugural REBELS Super Bantamweight (-55kg) title. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 50–47, 49–47 and 49–48. Kusakabe announced his retirement from the sports of kickboxing and muay thai on February 19, 2014, in order to begin competing in professional boxing.

Championships and accomplishments

Kickboxing

**2008 K-1 Koshien Super Bantamweight (-55 kg) Chūbu Tournament Winner **2009 K-1 Koshien Super Bantamweight (-55 kg) Tournament Third Place *

**2010 Shoot Boxing Super Bantamweight (-55 kg) Young Ceasers Cup Tournament Winner **2010 Shoot Boxing Super Bantamweight (-55kg) Championship **Youngest fighter to win a Shootboxing Championship (18 years, 60 days) *

**2011 Krush Super Bantamweight Inaugural Championship Tournament Runner-up

Muay thai

*World Boxing Council Muay Thai ** 2011 WBC Muay Thai Japan Super Bantamweight Championship *World Professional Muaythai Federation ** 2012 WPMF Japan Super Bantamweight Championship *

**2013 REBELS Super Bantamweight (-55kg) Championship

Karate

*IKO Kyokushinkaikan **2006 Kyokushinkaikan International Youth Championships U-14 -50 kg Winner *Japan Karate Judge Organization ** 2006 JKJO Japan Cup Junior Championship Middle School -50 kg Winner ** 2007 JKJO All Japan Junior Championship Middle School -65 kg Winner

Kickboxing and Muay Thai record

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Nagoya, Japan is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, , KO (Elbow) , , 5 , , 1:40 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2012-11-23, , Win , , align=left, Ilias El Hajoui , , HOOST CUP SPIRIT 1 , ,

, , KO (Left hook) , , 3 , , , - style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;" , 2012-09-22 , , Loss , , align=left, Keisuke Miyamoto , , NJKF KICK TO THE FUTURE 6 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2012-03-25, , Win , , align=left, Yusuke Shimizu , , M-1 Muay Thai Challenge "Suk Yod Muaythai vol.1 Part 2" , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-12-22, , Win , , align=left, Sota Ichinohe , , 2011 Fujiwara Matsuri , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-10-02, , Win , , align=left, Arato , , WBC Muay Thai Japan "The Path to the World Champion" , ,

, , KO (Left hook) , , 5 , , 2:30 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2011-04-30, , Loss, , align=left,

, , Krush Inaugural Championship Tournament ～Triple Final Round～ Final , ,

, , KO (Front Kick) , , 3 , , 2:14 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-04-30, , Win , , align=left, Hiroaki Mizuhara , , Krush Inaugural Championship Tournament ～Triple Final Round～ Semi Final , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2010-12-12, , Win , , align=left,

, , Krush Inaugural Championship Tournament ~First Round~, ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2010-09-18, , Win , , align=left, Phantom Shinya , , SHOOT BOXING 25th Anniversary Series 4 -ISHIN- So no Yon , ,

, , KO (Punch + knee to the body) , , 3 , , 1:03 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2010-06-06, , Win , , align=left, Kazuyuki Fushimi , , SHOOT BOXING 25th Anniversary Series 3 -ISHIN- So no San, Young Caesars Tournament Final , ,

, , KO (Left hook to the body) , , 3 , , 1:35 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2010-06-06, , Win , , align=left, Masanori Minato , , SHOOT BOXING 25th Anniversary Series 3 -ISHIN- So no San, Young Caesars Tournament Semifinal , ,

, , TKO (Punches) , , 3 , , 2:41 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2010-04-11, , Win , , align=left, Masahiro Fujimoto , , SHOOT BOXING 25th Anniversary Series 2 -ISHIN- So no Ni , ,

, , Ext.R Decision (Unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2010-03-13, , Win , , align=left,

, , Krush×Survivor , ,

, , Decision (Majority) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2009-05-17 , , Win, , align=left, Rikiya Ozawa , , AJKF Krush.3 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2009-03-08 , , Win, , align=left, Genki Minato, , Nagoya Kick 〜Boogie Fight 07〜 , ,

, , KO , , 2 , , 2:14 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2008-05-28, , Win , , align=left, Kazuyuki Fushimi , , SHOOT BOXING 2008 Hidama 〜Road to S-cup〜 So no San , ,

, , Ext.R Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 2:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2008-03-16, , Win , , align=left, Phetsanga Sakrungruang , , Kiatyongyut,

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Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

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Dynamite!! 2009 ''Dynamite!! 2009'' was a mixed martial arts and kickboxing event promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group, held in the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on December 31, 2009. The event included bouts that encompass the DREAM, Sengoku Ra ...

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Saitama, Japan is the capital and largest city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. , the city had an estimated population of 1,324,854 ...

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Dynamite!! 2008 ''Dynamite!! 2008'' was the annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held by K-1 & DREAM on New Year's Eve, Wednesday, December 31, 2008, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. It featured eleven DREAM mixed martial arts rules fights ...

- Koshien Tournament, Semifinals , ,

, , TKO (Doctor stoppage) , , 3 , , 2:29 , - , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2008-10-01 , , Win, , align=left,

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, , KO (Left High Kick) , , 1 , , 2:43 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2008-10-01 , , Win, , align=left, Ryuma Tobe , , K-1 World MAX 2008 World Championship Tournament Final - Koshien Tournament, First Round , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 2:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2008-07-06 , , Win, , align=left, Yusuke Tsuboi, , 2008 K-1 Koshien Chubu Region Selection Tournament, Final , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 1 , , 2:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2008-07-06 , , Win, , align=left, Taishi Hiratsuka, , 2008 K-1 Koshien Chubu Region Selection Tournament, Semi Final , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 1 , , 2:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2008-07-06 , , Win, , align=left, Kosuke Minowa, , 2008 K-1 Koshien Chubu Region Selection Tournament, Quarter Final , ,

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, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2008-05-17 , , Win, , align=left, Daichi Sugishita, , Nagoya Kick 〜Boogie Fight 04〜 , ,

, , Decision (Majority) , , 3 , , 2:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2008-04-14 , , Win, , align=left, Koji Ikimi , , Striking Challenge 14 , ,

, , KO , , 2 , , 2:18 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2007-12-22 , , Win, , align=left, Hiroya Ashino , , Team Dragon "Burning Dragon! Part 1" Amateur Challenge Match , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 1 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2007-12-02 , , Win, , align=left, Kazushi Saga , , Striking Challenge 13 , ,

, , KO (Left cross) , , 2 , , 0:50 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2007-10-28 , , Win, , align=left, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto , , BRIDGE one match challenge 6th , ,

Tōkai, Aichi is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 113,698 in 51,035 households, and a population density of 2,618 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Geography Tōkai is located in the far n ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

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Professional boxing record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kusakabe, Ryuya 1992 births Living people Japanese male kickboxers Super Bantamweight kickboxers Japanese male boxers Japanese male karateka Kyokushin kaikan practitioners Japanese male Muay Thai practitioners Martial artists from Aichi Prefecture Sportspeople from Toyota, Aichi 21st-century Japanese sportsmen