Nobuo Nashiro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nobuo Nashiro 名城 信男
Nashiro in 2012
Statistics
Rated at	Super flyweight
Height	5 ft 4+1/2 in
Reach	65+1/2 in
Nationality	Japanese
Born	(1981-10-12) October 12, 1981 (age 43) Nara, Nara, Japan
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	26
Wins	19
Wins by KO	13
Losses	6
Draws	1

Nobuo Nashiro (名城 信男, Nashiro Nobuo, born October 12, 1981) is a famous Japanese professional boxer. He competed in the super flyweight division, which is for boxers weighing around 115 pounds. Nashiro was also a champion, holding the WBA super flyweight title.

Nobuo Nashiro's Early Life

Nobuo Nashiro became interested in boxing when he was in elementary school. His father took him to a boxing match, and he was hooked! He especially admired Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, a famous boxing champion.

To get ready for boxing, Nashiro joined his school's track team. This helped him build up his strength and stamina. He started boxing in high school and even went to Kinki University. However, he decided to leave college early to become a professional boxer. Interestingly, his brother, Yuji Nashiro, is also a professional kickboxer.

Starting His Boxing Career

Nashiro began his professional boxing journey in Osaka in July 2003. His first fight was amazing: he knocked out his opponent in just 32 seconds! He quickly won three more fights.

In August 2004, he faced Hidenobu Honda. Honda was a highly ranked boxer who had challenged for world titles before. Nashiro won this tough fight by a unanimous decision after 10 rounds. This victory made him a "world ranker" after only five professional fights. Boxing fans in Japan saw him as a rising star.

A Difficult Time

On April 3, 2005, Nashiro fought Seiji Tanaka for the Japanese Super flyweight title. They knew each other well, having trained together many times. Nashiro won the fight in the 10th round.

Sadly, after the fight, Tanaka became very ill and passed away two weeks later. Nashiro was deeply affected by this tragedy. He felt a lot of guilt and thought about quitting boxing. He stayed away from the sport for over a month.

However, he later met Tanaka's father, who encouraged him to continue his boxing career. Tanaka's father told Nashiro not to worry about what happened. This meeting helped Nashiro decide to keep fighting. He visited Tanaka's grave in Tottori, Japan, to pay his respects. Nashiro's story was even featured on a Japanese TV show.

Becoming a World Champion

After this difficult period, Nashiro defended his Japanese title in November 2005. He won by decision and became the top challenger in the WBA Super flyweight division. He then gave up his Japanese title to focus on a world championship.

In July 2006, Nashiro fought Martín Castillo for the WBA Super flyweight title. Nashiro won the fight in the 10th round, becoming a world champion in only his eighth professional fight! This tied the record set by his idol, Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, for the fastest Japanese boxer to win a world title. Nashiro could have challenged for the world title even earlier, but he chose to defend his Japanese title once to honor Tanaka.

Nashiro successfully defended his world title in December 2006 against Eduardo Garcia from Mexico. He won by a unanimous decision after 12 rounds. Garcia had even been Nashiro's sparring partner before.

However, on May 3, 2007, Nashiro lost his title to former champion Alexander Muñoz. This was Nashiro's first loss in his professional career.

Winning Back the Title

On September 15, 2008, Nobuo Nashiro fought Kohei Kono and won back the WBA super flyweight title! He won by a split decision. The title had become empty because Muñoz had lost it to another champion, Cristian Mijares, who then combined the titles.

Nashiro defended his title again on April 11, 2009, against Konosuke Tomiyama. He won by knockout in the 8th round, even though he was knocked down twice during the fight.

Later, on September 30, 2009, Nashiro had a tough fight against Hugo Cázares, which ended in a draw. In their rematch on May 8, 2010, Nashiro lost his WBA super flyweight title to Cázares.

Boxing Career Summary

Nobuo Nashiro had an exciting professional boxing career. He fought 26 times in total. He won 19 of those fights, with 13 of his wins coming by knockout. He had 6 losses and 1 draw.

See also

• Boxing in Japan
• List of Japanese boxing world champions
• List of world super-flyweight boxing champions