Takeshi Fuji (藤猛, born Paul Takeshi Fujii on July 6, 1940) is a Hawaiian-born Japanese former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

. He is a former Undisputed, WBA and WBC

super lightweight 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, ...

(

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, ...

) champion.

Early life and education

Born in 1940, Paul Fujii was a third-generation Japanese-Hawaiian. He was raised in the

Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territories of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from Apri ...

, graduated from

Farrington High School Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School is a public secondary school (grades 9-12) located in the Kalihi district of Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The school is part of the Farrington-Kaiser-Kalani Complex Area of the Honolulu ...

, and served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

Amateur career

During his amateur boxing career, Fujii had a record of 116 wins and 16 losses over a total of 132 fights.

Professional career

Fujii started boxing professionally in April 1964. He traveled to

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 ...

, where he became known as Fuji Takeshi, and joined the boxing gym run by former professional wrestler

Rikidōzan (born Kim Sin-rak; ; November 14, 1924 – December 15, 1963), better known as Rikidōzan (), was a Korean-born Japanese wrestler who competed in sumo and professional wrestling. He was known as The Father of Puroresu (professional wrestling ...

. Though he fought in

for most of his career, he could not speak Japanese. His trainer, Eddie Townsend, was also a

Japanese-American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in ranking to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

. He made his professional debut in April, 1964 with a 2nd-round KO. In June, 1965, Fuji challenged the Japanese

title, and won by KO only 45 seconds into the first round. This was his 11th professional fight, and he defended the title once before returning it. Fuji won the OPBF

title in 1966.

World title

In April 1967, Fujii challenged Lineal, WBA and WBC

champion

Sandro Lopopolo Alessandro "Sandro" Lopopolo (18 December 1939 – 26 April 2014) was an Italian 1959 amateur featherweight and 1960 amateur lightweight boxing champion, and also world boxing champion in the light welterweight division afterwards, when he turn ...

. Fujii won in an upset victory by KO in the second round to become the new world champion. The match was declared a knockout victory for Fujii after he had knocked down Lopopolo three times in the same round, according to pre-agreed rules. In October 1967, ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' noted that at the time, Fujii was one of only two world champions recognized by the WBA who was a native of the United States; the other nine were from other countries. Fujii successfully defended his world junior welterweight title in November 1967, after knocking out Willy Quatuor of West Germany. In December, 1968, he faced

Nicolino Locche Nicolino Locche (September 2, 1939 – September 7, 2005) was an Argentine professional boxer who held the World Junior Welterweight title from 1968 to 1972. Born in Mendoza, Locche turned professional at the age of 19 and amassed a record o ...

to defend his WBA

title, but gave up in the 10th round.

Later career and legacy

In June, 1970, Fujii was scheduled to face former world champion Eddie Perkins in a non-title match, but suddenly withdrew from the fight claiming to have an injury. The Japan Boxing Commission penalized Fujii with a suspension, and he retired shortly afterwards. His record was 34-3-1 (29KOs). In 1999, Fujii was inducted into the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame. Fujii's record as the undisputed world champion in the 140-pound (63.5 kg) class in 1968 was not repeated until 2001, when Russian Australian

Kostya Tszyu Konstantin Borisovich "Kostya" Tszyu ( ; rus, Константин Борисович «Костя» Цзю, , kənstɐnʲˈtʲin bɐˈrisəvʲɪtɕ ˈkosʲtʲə ˈdzːʲu; born 19 September 1969) is a Russian-Australian former professional b ...

claimed the IBF, WBA, and WBC titles.

Professional boxing record

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

* WBA light welterweight champion (140 lbs) * WBC light welterweight champion (140 lbs)

''The Ring'' magazine titles

* ''The Ring'' light welterweight champion (140 lbs)

Regional/International titles

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

champion (140 lbs) *

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. Whi ...

light welterweight champion (140 lbs)

Undisputed titles

* Undisputed light welterweight champion

Film

Paul Fujii starred in a feature-length film playing himself called ''The Story of Paul Fujii'', which was released in 1968.

Personal life

After retiring as a professional boxer, Fujii returned to Hawaii. In 1996, he moved back to Japan, briefly serving as chairman of the Iwaki Kyōei Gym. He went on to teach boxing mainly to children in

Mito, Ibaraki is the capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 268,036 in 126,055 households and a population density of 1,233 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged ...

, until the gym went bankrupt in June 2015. In August 2015, Fujii registered as a special trainer at a gym in

Ōta, Tokyo is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself in English as Ōta City. It was formed in 1947 as a merger of Ōmori, Ōta, Tokyo, Ōmori and Kamata, Ōta, Tokyo, Kamata following Tokyo C ...

. At the time, his wife and two of his children were living in Hawaii, while his eldest son's family lived in Japan.

References

External links

*
Takeshi Fuji - CBZ ProfilePaul Takeshi Fuji vs. Sandro Lopopolo
(video clip) , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fuji, Takeshi 1940 births Living people American male boxers Boxers from Hawaii Martial artists from Honolulu American expatriates in Japan American sportspeople of Japanese descent United States Marines World Boxing Association champions World Boxing Council champions The Ring (magazine) champions World light-welterweight boxing champions 20th-century American sportsmen