Tsuyoshi Hamada
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is a retired
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 ...
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 is a former WBC world
junior 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.


Biography

Hamada was born in
Nakagusuku, Okinawa is a List of villages in Japan, village located in Nakagami District, Okinawa, Nakagami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 August 2024, the village has an estimated population of 22,647 and a population density, density of 1,465 person ...
, and began boxing at the age of fifteen. He won the Japan's inter-high school championship in the
featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...
division in 1978. He had an amateur record of 37–6 (28 KOs).


Professional boxing career

Having turned professional in 1979, he made his debut under his real name Tsuyoshi Hamada, written as 浜田 剛, in
Tokyo 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 May 21. His
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
was changed into 浜田 剛史, pronounced the same, in 1983. Hamada fractured his left hand four times since 1981, and received
bone grafting Bone grafting is a type of transplantation used to replace missing bone tissue or stimulate the healing of fractures. This surgical procedure is useful for repairing bone fractures that are extremely complex, pose a significant health risk to the ...
twice. Then, he was not able to fight for two years. Hanging his left arm with a
triangular bandage A bandage is a piece of material used either to support a medical device such as a dressing or splint, or on its own to provide support for the movement of a part of the body. When used with a dressing, the dressing is applied directly on ...
, he hit a
punching bag A punching bag (or British English punchbag) is a sturdy bag designed to be repeatedly punched. A punching bag is usually cylindrical and filled with various materials of suitable hardness. History Punching bags have been used in martial arts ...
only with his right fist. In 1984, after two away matches in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, Hamada fought against the former WBA world
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...
champion Claude Noel to knock him out in the fourth round at the
Korakuen Hall is a sports arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, which has hosted boxing, professional wrestling, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and Lethwei matches. History On April 16, 1962, the Korakuen Hall was officially opened with a capacity of approximat ...
on September 9. He gained the Japanese lightweight title on December 2 of that year. In 1985, after setting a Japanese record of fifteen consecutive knockout wins, he also captured the
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 ...
lightweight title in
Naha, Okinawa is the Cities of Japan, capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 people per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). ...
, in the next fight on July 7. However, as he had damaged the
meniscus Meniscus may refer to: *Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity *Meniscus (liquid) In physics (particularly liquid statics), the meniscus (: menisci, ) is the curve in the upper sur ...
of his right knee before that match, his boxing career was interrupted again. Originally Hamada excelled in the left
cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...
, but during a long period that he underwent medical treatment for his fist injury, he intensively practiced the right
hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...
which brought him a
championship belt A championship belt is a large, extravagantly designed belt used primarily in combat sports as an award, similarly to trophies in other sports. There are several companies in the business of constructing championship belts. The first belt given ...
. On July 24, 1986, Hamada moved up in weight division and knocked out
René Arredondo René Arredondo (born 15 June 1961) is a Mexican former WBC Jr. Welterweight champion. Early life Arredondo was born 15 June 1961 in Apatzingan, Mexico. He is the younger brother of former World Champion Ricardo Arredondo, and Roberto Arredond ...
who exceeded him four inches respectively in height and reach, in the first round to gain the WBC world junior welterweight title. In his first defense on December 2 of that year, he beat
Ronnie Shields Ronnie Shields (born June 6, 1958 in Port Arthur, Texas) is a former professional boxer in the featherweight division and is currently a boxing trainer. Amateur career Shields had a stellar amateur career. In 1974 he was the National Junior Ol ...
who had 270 amateur fights including a victory over
Thomas Hearns Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Nicknamed the "Detroit, Motor City Cobra", and more famously "the Hitman", Hearns's tall, slender build and long arms and shoulders al ...
, by a split decision. On July 22, 1987, he rematched Arredondo in his second defense where he lost the title via a sixth-round technical knockout. Those three world title matches were all held at the
Ryōgoku Kokugikan , also known as Ryōgoku Sumo Hall or Kokugikan Arena, is the name bestowed to two different indoor sporting arenas located in Tokyo. The first ''Ryōgoku Kokugikan'' opened its doors in 1909 and was located on the premises of the Ekōin temple i ...
in Tokyo, and one million spectators altogether attended them. He aimed at the recapture of the title, but opted for retirement, because his right knee injury did not recover and because Arredondo had been no longer a champion after losing to
Roger Mayweather Roger L. Mayweather (April 24, 1961 – March 17, 2020) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1999 and later on a boxing trainer. He was a two-division world champion, having held the WBA and ''The Ring'' super featherwe ...
in his first defense.


Personal life and post-retirement

The following anecdote shows the strength of his intention. Three months before the fight for the world title in 1986, a meniscus injury which requires a surgery was discovered as a result of the
arthroscopy Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the j ...
of his right knee. Although Hamada was aware that the
anesthetic An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia ⁠— ⁠in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into t ...
effect would not persist, he asked a doctor to do it immediately and had surgery without complaining of a pain. As of twenty years after retirement, his knee still aches. "My body is always painful. I recognize being painful is my body, so I am all right," Hamada says with smile. Currently Hamada is a commentator of the boxing broadcast on
Nippon Television JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...
and WOWOW. He monthly writes a review which analyzes the world's leading boxers for the Japanese boxing magazine ''Boxing Beat'', and is also the representative director of the company that manufactures and sells health foods and supplements. Since March 14, 2007, he is the representative of the Teiken Promotions that is a relevant organization to the
Teiken Boxing Gym is a Japanese traditional boxing club based in the Kagurazaka neighborhood of Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Dating back to 1926, Teiken Boxing Gym manages professional boxers as a member of the , a subsidiary body of . Its president is the Internation ...
to which he had belonged during his career as a boxer. The main protagonist of the manga
Hajime no Ippo is a Japanese boxing-themed manga series written and illustrated by George Morikawa. It has been serialized by Kodansha in the manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' since October 1989, with its chapters collected in 143 volum ...
, Makunouchi Ippo is loosely based on Hamada.


See also

*
List of WBC world champions This is a list of WBC world champions, showing every world champion certificated by the World Boxing Council (WBC). The WBC is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and certifies world champions in 18 different weight cla ...
*
List of super lightweight boxing champions A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


References


Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamada, Tsuyoshi World Boxing Council champions World light-welterweight boxing champions Boxing commentators Okinawan martial artists 1960 births Living people Japanese male boxers 20th-century Japanese sportsmen