Hozumi Hasegawa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hozumi Hasegawa |
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Hasegawa in 2018
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| Statistics | |
| Rated at |
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| Height | 5 ft 6 in |
| Reach | 67+1/2 in |
| Born | 16 December 1980 Nishiwaki, Hyōgo, Japan |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 41 |
| Wins | 36 |
| Wins by KO | 16 |
| Losses | 5 |
Hozumi Hasegawa (born December 16, 1980) is a famous Japanese former professional boxer. He competed in boxing from 1999 to 2016. Hasegawa is known for winning world titles in three different weight classes.
He held the World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight title from 2005 to 2010. Later, he won the WBC featherweight title (2010–2011). In 2016, he became the WBC super bantamweight champion. Hasegawa also received "Most Valuable Player" awards from the Japan Boxing Commission multiple times. He was the first Japanese boxer to defend a bantamweight world title more than four times.
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Becoming a Professional Boxer
Hozumi Hasegawa was born in Nishiwaki, Hyōgo, Japan. He was the second of five children. He started his professional boxing career in 1999. Early in his career, he lost two four-round fights.
However, Hasegawa didn't give up. In 2003, he defeated Jesse Maca. This win earned him the OPBF bantamweight title. He successfully defended this title three times.
Bantamweight Champion
On April 16, 2005, Hasegawa faced the long-time champion, Veeraphol Sahaprom. Sahaprom had defended his WBC bantamweight title ten times over six years. He hadn't lost a fight in almost ten years. The fight took place at Nippon Budokan in Japan.
Hasegawa started strong, winning the first few rounds. Sahaprom fought back in the middle rounds. But Hasegawa became more aggressive as Sahaprom tired. In the end, Hasegawa won by a unanimous decision (3-0). This victory ended Sahaprom's long reign as champion.
First Title Defenses
Hasegawa's first title defense was on September 25, 2005. His original opponent got injured. So, he fought Geraldo Martinez instead. Hasegawa knocked Martinez down several times. He won the fight by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the 7th round. This win was special because it was also his wedding anniversary.
On March 25, 2006, Hasegawa fought Veeraphol Sahaprom again in his hometown of Kobe. Many people thought Sahaprom wasn't at his best in their first fight. This time, Hasegawa landed powerful punches. He knocked Sahaprom out in the 9th round with a strong right hook. After this fight, Hasegawa had to postpone his next defense. He suffered a sternal fracture (a broken chest bone).
More Title Defenses
Hasegawa's third title defense was on November 13, 2006. He fought Mexican boxer Genaro Garcia. Hasegawa knocked Garcia down in the 4th and 8th rounds. Garcia was tough and landed some good body shots. Hasegawa won by a unanimous decision after 12 rounds.
On May 3, 2007, Hasegawa defended his title for the fourth time. His opponent was Simpiwe Vetyeka from South Africa. Vetyeka was undefeated at the time. The fight was slow at first, as both boxers waited for the other to attack. Hasegawa won by a unanimous decision. This was his first title defense where he didn't knock down his opponent.
Hasegawa defended his title for the fifth time on January 10, 2008. He won against Simone Maludrottu by unanimous decision. This made him the first Japanese boxer to defend a bantamweight world title more than four times. He continued to defend his title successfully. He defeated Cristian Faccio, Alejandro Valdez, Vusi Malinga, Nestor Rocha, and Alvaro Perez. He won many of these fights by TKO or KO.
Losing the Bantamweight Title
On April 30, 2010, Hasegawa faced Fernando Montiel of Mexico. Montiel was a WBO champion. Hasegawa won the first three rounds. But in the fourth round, Montiel landed a powerful attack. The referee stopped the fight. This was Hasegawa's first knockout loss. He also suffered a shattered jaw during the fight.
Featherweight Champion
After losing his bantamweight title, Hasegawa moved up two weight divisions. On November 26, 2010, he fought Juan Carlos Burgos for the vacant WBC featherweight title. Hasegawa won the fight and became a two-division world champion.
In April 2011, Hasegawa lost his featherweight title to Jhonny González. After this, he started training with a new coach, Frankie Liles, along with his long-time trainer Yamashita. He had to postpone a fight in 2011 due to a broken rib. But he returned to the ring on April 6, 2012, winning his comeback fight in the seventh round.
Super-Bantamweight Champion
In October 2012, Hasegawa decided to move down one weight division. He moved to the super-bantamweight class. On December 22, 2012, he defeated Arturo Santos Reyes by unanimous decision. Hasegawa shared that he had struggled with motivation after his mother's death and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake.
He continued to fight, winning against Genaro Camargo in the first round by TKO in August 2013. On April 23, 2014, Hasegawa fought for the IBF super-bantamweight title against Kiko Martinez. Martinez won the fight by TKO in the 7th round. Many thought this might be the end of Hasegawa's career.
However, Hasegawa returned to the ring on May 9, 2015. He fought Horacio Garcia and won by unanimous decision. This showed he still had what it takes.
On September 15, 2016, Hasegawa defeated Hugo Ruiz by technical knockout. This made him the WBC super-bantamweight champion. He became a three-division world champion! Later that year, on December 9, Hasegawa announced his retirement from boxing. He ended his career as a world champion.
See also
- List of boxing triple champions
- List of WBC world champions
- List of Japanese boxing world champions
- Boxing in Japan
Images for kids
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Hasegawa in 2018
