Joichiro Tatsuyoshi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joichiro Tatsuyoshi
Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, in 2015
Statistics
Real name	辰吉丈一郎
Nickname(s)	Naniwa no Joe
Rated at	Bantamweight Super bantamweight
Height	5 ft 5 in
Reach	65 in
Nationality	Japanese
Born	(1970-05-15) May 15, 1970 (age 55) Kurashiki, Japan
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	28
Wins	20
Wins by KO	14
Losses	7
Draws	1

Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (辰吉丈一郎, Tatsuyoshi Jōichirō, born May 15, 1970) is a famous former World Boxing Council (WBC) world bantamweight boxing champion from Kurashiki, Japan. He won 20 fights, lost 7, and had 1 draw, with 14 of his wins coming by knockout.

People know him for his exciting boxing style and his unique personality. He has even appeared on many TV shows. His nickname is "Naniwa no Joe."

He was named after Joe Yabuki, a main character from the boxing anime called Ashita no Joe (which means Tomorrow's Joe). It's a fun coincidence that he fought in the same weight class (bantamweight) as the character he was named after.

Tatsuyoshi is 164 centimeters (about 5 feet 5 inches) tall, but he has a long reach of 178 centimeters (about 70 inches). He is also known for keeping his hands low, often in front of his chest, which is different from most boxers who keep their hands closer to their head for defense.

His boxing career was managed by the Teiken Boxing Gym in Osaka.

Joichiro Tatsuyoshi's Early Life and Training

Tatsuyoshi's father loved boxing and started training him when he was very young. After finishing middle school, Joichiro moved to Osaka to train more seriously. He worked part-time at restaurants to support himself.

At age 17, Tatsuyoshi won the Japanese amateur bantamweight championship. This made him a possible candidate for the Seoul Olympics. A local newspaper in Kansai even featured him as one of Japan's best young boxers. His amateur record was impressive, with 18 wins and only 1 loss.

Becoming a Professional Boxer

Tatsuyoshi became a professional boxer in 1989. He quickly won the Japanese Bantamweight title in only his fourth professional fight. In 1991, he won the WBC World Bantamweight Title in his eighth professional fight. This was the fastest any Japanese boxer had won a world title at that time.

However, while training for his first title defense, doctors found that he had a torn retina in his eye. This injury meant he had to stop boxing and recover.

Challenges and Comebacks

Almost a year after winning his first world title, Tatsuyoshi fought Victor Rabanales. Rabanales had become the WBC Interim Champion while Tatsuyoshi was recovering. Tatsuyoshi lost this fight, but he promised to get revenge.

He fought Rabanales again on July 22, 1993, for the WBC World Bantamweight Interim Title. This time, Tatsuyoshi won by decision after 12 rounds. But in September of the same year, he had another eye injury, a detached retina in his left eye. This forced him to give up his interim title and almost made him retire from boxing completely.

Despite these serious injuries, Tatsuyoshi managed to continue his career. He made a comeback in July 1994 in Hawaii, winning his fight by knockout in three rounds. After this win, the WBC gave him back his interim title.

In December 1994, Tatsuyoshi fought another Japanese boxer, Yasuei Yakushiji, for the WBC Bantamweight Championship. This fight was very popular and got a lot of media attention. Tatsuyoshi was expected to win, but he lost the fight by decision after 12 rounds, losing his interim title again.

Reclaiming the World Title

Tatsuyoshi tried to win the WBC Super Bantamweight title twice in 1996 and 1997, but he lost both times. Many people started to think he could no longer fight at a world-class level.

However, in November 1997, Tatsuyoshi challenged the undefeated WBC Bantamweight Champion, Sirimongkol Singwangcha. Tatsuyoshi said he would retire if he didn't win this fight. Against what many expected, he won by knockout in the seventh round, becoming a world champion again after three years!

He successfully defended his title two times before losing to Veeraphol Sahaprom in December 1998. He challenged Sahaprom again in August 1999 but lost once more. After this second loss, he announced his retirement.

Later Career and Personal Life

Tatsuyoshi changed his mind about retiring shortly after his announcement and started training again. He made a comeback fight on December 15, 2002, winning by knockout after more than three years away from the ring. He won again in September 2003, but then faced another period of inactivity due to a left knee injury.

As of July 2025, he continues to train with his son, Jukiya, who hopes to become a professional boxer like his father.

Life Outside the Ring

Tatsuyoshi has shared that he was bullied when he was a child. He believes boxing helped him overcome these challenges. He says he never used his fists in street fights during his teenage years because he didn't want to seriously hurt anyone. Instead, he used open-handed slaps or elbows. Because of his own experiences, Tatsuyoshi has appeared in public messages that speak out against bullying.

He is known for training incredibly hard. Trainers sometimes kept younger boxers away from him. This wasn't because he might hurt them, but because they might get discouraged after seeing how much time Tatsuyoshi spent training.

After losing an amateur fight, he left his gym for about six months and was without a home for a while. During this time, he met his future wife at a cafe. Tatsuyoshi says his wife gave him the strength to return to his gym and continue his boxing career.

He is friends with famous comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto and has appeared on his TV show Downtown DX. He is also friends with baseball star Ichiro Suzuki, who has watched many of Tatsuyoshi's fights.

Tatsuyoshi has also been featured many times in the popular Japanese boxing manga Hajime no Ippo.

Professional Boxing Record

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
28	Loss	20–7–1	Sakai Jockygym	TKO	7 (10), 1:03	8 Mar 2009	Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok
27	Win	20–6–1	Parakorn Charoendee	TKO	2 (10), 2:47	26 Oct 2008	Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok
26	Win	19–6–1	Julio Cesar Avila	UD	10	26 Sep 2003	Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka
25	Win	18–6–1	Saen Sor Ploenchit	TKO	6 (10), 1:10	15 Dec 2002	Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka
24	Loss	17–6–1	Veeraphol Sahaprom	TKO	7 (12), 0:44	29 Aug 1999	Kyocera Dome, Osaka	For WBC bantamweight title
23	Loss	17–5–1	Veeraphol Sahaprom	TKO	6 (12), 2:52	29 Dec 1998	Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium, Osaka	Lost WBC bantamweight title
22	Win	17–4–1	Paulie Ayala	TD	6 (12), 3:00	23 Aug 1998	Yokohama Arena, Yokohama	Retained WBC bantamweight title; Unanimous TD after Tatsuyoshi cut from accidental head clash
21	Win	16–4–1	Jose Rafael Sosa	UD	12	8 Mar 1998	Yokohama Arena, Yokohama	Retained WBC bantamweight title
20	Win	15–4–1	Sirimongkol Singwancha	TKO	7 (12), 1:54	22 Nov 1997	Osaka-jō Hall, Osaka	Won WBC bantamweight title
19	Win	14–4–1	Ricardo Medina	UD	10	26 Jul 1997	Yokohama Arena, Yokohama
18	Loss	13–4–1	Daniel Zaragoza	UD	12	14 Apr 1997	Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka	For WBC super bantamweight title
17	Win	13–3–1	Fernando Alanis	TKO	10 (10), 1:02	21 Dec 1996	Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas
16	Loss	12–3–1	Daniel Zaragoza	TKO	11 (12), 2:47	3 Mar 1996	Yokohama Arena, Yokohama	For WBC super bantamweight title
15	Win	12–2–1	Geronimo Cardoz	TKO	8 (10), 2:55	25 Nov 1995	Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
14	Win	11–2–1	Noe Santillana	TKO	9 (10), 2:59	26 Aug 1995	Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas
13	Loss	10–2–1	Yasuei Yakushiji	MD	12	4 Dec 1994	Nippon Gaishi Hall, Nagoya	For WBC bantamweight title
12	Win	10–1–1	Josefino Suarez	KO	3 (10), 2:48	2 Jul 1994	Blaisdell Center Arena, Honolulu
11	Win	9–1–1	Victor Rabanales	SD	12	22 Jul 1993	Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka	Won interim WBC bantamweight title
10	Win	8–1–1	Jose Luis Vegagil	KO	2 (10), 1:55	11 Feb 1993	Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka
9	Loss	7–1–1	Victor Rabanales	TKO	9 (12), 1:19	17 Sep 1992	Osaka-jō Hall, Osaka	Lost WBC bantamweight title
8	Win	7–0–1	Greg Richardson	RTD	10 (12), 3:00	19 Sep 1991	City Gymnasium, Moriguchi	Won WBC bantamweight title
7	Win	6–0–1	Rey Paciones	UD	10	19 May 1991	Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka
6	Draw	5–0–1	Abraham Torres	PTS	10	17 Feb 1991	Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
5	Win	5–0	Jun Cardinal	KO	2 (10), 3:04	18 Dec 1990	Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka
4	Win	4–0	Shigeru Okabe	KO	4 (10), 2:51	11 Sep 1990	Korakuen Hall, Tokyo	Won Japanese bantamweight title
3	Win	3–0	Samuel Duran	KO	7 (10), 2:10	28 Jun 1990	Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka
2	Win	2–0	Somsak Srichan	KO	2 (10), 2:18	11 Feb 1990	Tokyo Dome, Tokyo
1	Win	1–0	Sang Myon Choi	KO	2 (6), 0:47	29 Sep 1989	Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka

Retirement and Health Concerns

Joichiro Tatsuyoshi turned 37 in May 2007. He had suffered several serious injuries during his career. His management team wanted to protect him from further harm, which made it hard for him to fight in Japan.

In 2008, Tatsuyoshi went to Thailand to continue his boxing career there. When he has appeared as a commentator for televised boxing matches, some fans have noticed that his speech is sometimes unclear and he might forget things. This has caused some worry among his supporters.

See also

• List of bantamweight boxing champions
• List of Japanese boxing world champions
• Boxing in Japan