Akinobu Hiranaka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Akinobu Hiranaka |
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|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Nobuaki Hiranaka |
| Rated at | Light welterweight |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in |
| Reach | 70 in |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Born | November 14, 1963 Yaese, Okinawa, Japan |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 22 |
| Wins | 20 |
| Wins by KO | 18 |
| Losses | 2 |
Akinobu Hiranaka (平仲 明信) was born Nobuaki Hiranaka on November 14, 1963. He is a former world champion boxer from Japan. He competed in the Light welterweight division, also known as Super lightweight or Junior welterweight. In 1992, he won the WBA Junior Welterweight championship. He also represented Japan at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Akinobu Hiranaka is special because he became a champion without a lot of money or support from big boxing gyms or TV companies. He had to talk directly with other boxers to get a chance to fight for a world title.
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Akinobu Hiranaka's Amateur Boxing Journey
Akinobu Hiranaka started boxing in high school. He trained at a local gym in Ryukyu. He continued boxing when he went to Nippon University. In 1984, he competed in the Los Angeles Olympics. He lost in the second round of the competition.
Hiranaka had a very good amateur career. He won 37 of his 43 fights by knockout. This means he was very powerful even when he was just starting out.
Olympic Boxing Results
At the 1984 Olympics, Hiranaka competed in the Welterweight category (up to 67 kg).
- He had a bye in the first round, meaning he didn't have to fight.
- He then lost to Genaro Leon from Mexico with a score of 0-5.
Akinobu Hiranaka's Professional Boxing Career
Because of his success as an amateur, Akinobu Hiranaka was seen as one of Japan's most promising boxers in the light welterweight division. He quickly won the Japanese light welterweight title in only his fourth professional fight. He knocked out his opponent in the 6th round.
Hiranaka became the top-ranked fighter in his division by the WBA. However, he didn't have much money or support. This made it hard for him to get a chance to fight for the world title. He had to defend his Japanese light welterweight title 9 times before he finally got a shot at the world stage.
First World Title Challenge
On April 29, 1989, Hiranaka challenged Juan Martin Coggi from Argentina for the WBA title. The fight took place in Italy. Hiranaka knocked Coggi down twice in the third round. Even so, Hiranaka lost the fight by a decision. This was the first loss of his career. Many people thought the decision was unfair because Hiranaka had knocked Coggi down.
Waiting for Another Chance
Even after his loss, Hiranaka remained highly ranked in the world. He waited for another chance to fight for the world title. However, he spent three years without a title match. He didn't even fight at all in 1990.
Winning the World Title
Hiranaka finally got his second chance in April 1992. He traveled to Mexico City to fight the Puerto Rican world champion, Edwin Rosario. Hiranaka surprised everyone by knocking out the champion in just 92 seconds of the first round! He quickly pushed Rosario against the ropes and landed many powerful punches. The referee stopped the fight when he saw that Rosario was knocked out while still standing. This fight is still known as the shortest world title match in the light welterweight division.
Losing the Title and Retirement
Even though he made an amazing entrance as a world champion, Hiranaka lost his title just five months later. He fought Morris East from the Philippines. Hiranaka was winning the fight going into the 11th round. But then, he was knocked out by an unexpected punch from East. This knockout was even named the 1992 Ring Magazine Knockout of the Year.
After the fight, doctors found that Hiranaka had a serious injury called an intracranial hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain). Because of this, he had to stop boxing and retire. His final record was 20 wins, 2 losses, and 0 draws, with 18 knockouts. He also has the highest knockout percentage of any Japanese world champion boxer, at 90%.
Akinobu Hiranaka's Boxing Record
| 22 fights | 20 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 18 | 1 |
| By decision | 2 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Loss | 20–2 | Morris East | TKO | 11 (12) | 1992-09-09 | Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan | Lost WBA super lightweight title |
| 21 | Win | 20–1 | Edwin Rosario | TKO | 1 (12) | 1992-04-10 | Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Mexico | Won WBA super lightweight title |
| 20 | Win | 19–1 | Kwon Shik Kim | KO | 5 (10) | 1991-01-29 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 19 | Win | 18–1 | Boy Masuay | TKO | 8 (10) | 1989-11-23 | City Gymnasium, Urasoe, Japan | |
| 18 | Loss | 17–1 | Martín Coggi | UD | 12 (12) | 1989-04-29 | Palazzo Dello Sport, Vasto, Italy | For WBA super lightweight title |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Yoshihiro Yamamoto | PTS | 10 (10) | 1989-03-07 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Tricky Kawaguchi | TKO | 5 (10) | 1988-07-21 | General Exhibition Arena, Kitakyushu, Japan | Retained Japanese super lightweight title |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Seiji Nagasawa | KO | 1 (10) | 1988-05-31 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Retained Japanese super lightweight title |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Tadafumi Miura | KO | 1 (10) | 1988-04-24 | Daini Junior High School Gym, Ishigaki, Japan | Retained Japanese super lightweight title |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Eiji Kikuzaki | KO | 2 (10) | 1988-01-26 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Retained Japanese super lightweight title |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Tetsuya Manaka | TKO | 8 (10) | 1987-10-13 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Retained Japanese super lightweight title |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Naoki Ito | KO | 1 (10) | 1987-08-11 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Retained Japanese super lightweight title |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Archie Garcia | TKO | 5 (10) | 1987-06-16 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Yoshifumi Kitajima | PTS | 10 (10) | 1987-03-15 | City Gymnasium, Naha, Japan | Retained Japanese super lightweight title |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Nilo Acido | TKO | 7 (10) | 1986-12-14 | Gushito Gym, Okinawa, Japan | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Makoto Ito | KO | 2 (10) | 1986-08-17 | City Gymnasium, Ginowan, Japan | Retained Japanese super lightweight title |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Masahiro Tanabu | KO | 5 (10) | 1986-05-01 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Retained Japanese super lightweight title |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Teruhide Nishida | KO | 1 (10) | 1986-04-06 | City Gymnasium, Okinawa, Japan | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Masahiro Tanabu | KO | 6 (10) | 1986-01-09 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Won Japanese super lightweight title |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Thai Suracharern | KO | 2 (10) | 1985-10-02 | Onoyama Gym, Naha, Okinawa, Japan | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Naomi To | KO | 4 (6) | 1985-06-30 | Sakuranomiya Skating Rink, Osaka, Osaka, Japan | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Kazumi Yokoi | KO | 1 (8) | 1985-03-24 | Konan High School Gym, Naha, Japan |
Life After Boxing
After retiring from boxing, Akinobu Hiranaka opened his own gym. It's called the Hiranaka Boxing School Gym and is located in Okinawa. He has also taught boxing at Seido Kaikan. A famous K-1 champion named Andy Hug even trained at Hiranaka's gym in Okinawa before a big tournament.
More About Boxing
- Boxing in Japan
- List of Japanese boxing world champions
- List of world light-welterweight boxing champions
