Nihito Arakawa

Nihito Arakawa (荒川 仁人, Arakawa Nihito, born 23 December 1981 in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan) is a professional boxer nicknamed "Japanese Rocky". He made his mark in the twelve-round lightweight slugfest against Omar Figueroa in July 2013,[5] that earned him the nickname after the film Rocky.[2][3] "The Japanese lefty gained a zillion fans with his rumble last year against Figueroa," TheSweetScience.com's Michael Woods said in 2014.[6] He is the former Japanese and OPBF (Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation) lightweight champion.

Nihito Arakawa
Statistics
Real nameNihito Arakawa
Japanese: 荒川 仁人
Nickname(s)The Baby-faced Sniper[1]
Japanese Rocky[2][3]
Weight(s)Lightweight
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Reach71 in (180 cm)
NationalityJapanese
Born (1981-12-23) 23 December 1981[4]
Musashino, Tokyo, Japan[4]
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights41
Wins32
Wins by KO18
Losses7
Draws2

Early life and amateur career

Arakawa was born in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan,[4] and move to Fussa soon after. Fussa is the city well known by U.S. Air Force Base and Ryū Murakami's novel Almost Transparent Blue. He enjoyed basketball with fellow kids while living there from the age of two to thirteen, then relocated to Minamiizu, Shizuoka.[7] He became involved in middle-distance running and tennis during junior high school, and served as the captain and pitcher for the high school's baseball team.[7][8] It was also during high school that he watched the Félix Trinidad fights on WOWOW and was inclined into boxing.[9] He later told that his most favorite fight as of May 2013 was Trinidad vs. Fernando Vargas in December 2000.[10] After five years' stay in Minamiizu, he went back to Fussa[8] and lived there until he moved to Hachioji in March 2012.[11]

He started boxing at the age of nineteen at Hirotaka Nakaya's Hachioji Nakaya Boxing Gym in Hachioji.[8] His amateur record was only 4–1 (3 KOs)[12][13][14] that won him a minor title in the light welterweight class.[15]

Professional career

On February 10, 2004, Arakawa made a start to his professional career with a first round knockout at the Korakuen Hall.[4] He defeated Yoshitaka Katō to be crowned the East Japan Rookie King in November 2005, and won the All-Japan Rookie King Tournament in December of that year.[12] He rematched Katō in September 2006 where he suffered his first loss in a close decision.[16] Issei Nakaya of Hachioji Nakaya Promotions had promoted Arakawa until the end of 2014.[5] after having visited boxing venues around the world over years.[17]

Regional title fights

In September 2008, Arakawa faced Filipino Randy Suico for the OPBF lightweight title, but the fight ended in a majority draw.[18]

Japanese title

Arakawa won the Japanese lightweight title via a majority decision from Akihiro Kondō in April 2010, after being knocked down for the first time in his career in round one.[19] In his second defense in January 2011, he stopped Hiroshi Nakamori in the eighth round after being floored again in round two.[20] In May 2011, he went to Guadalajara, Mexico for a two-week workout at Julian Magdaleno Gym (Spanish: Gimnasio Julián Magdaleno) where Saúl Álvarez has been training.[21] He defended his title three times all by stoppage before vacating it.[22]

OPBF title

Arakawa successively captured the vacant OPBF lightweight title via a split decision over Filipino fighter Jay Solmiano in October 2011. It was a tough-fought close bout with Solmiano scoring a knockdown in round two.[23][24][Video 1] After defending his title against fellow Japanese Ryūji Migaki by a unanimous decision, he travelled to Los Angeles to spar with Miguel Vázquez and others for over a month.[25][26] He stopped compatriot Takehiro Shimada in round eight in his second defense in August 2012[27] while throwing over a hundred punches each in two rounds,[28] and then vacated his title.

Arakawa vs. Daniel Estrada

In November 2012, Arakawa competed with Mexican Pedro Daniel Estrada in Mexico City on the main event of the Gala Ring Telmex 2012. It was a WBC Silver lightweight title bout and was a title eliminator with a shot at Adrien Broner on the line. After eleven rounds, Estrada was called as the winner with a technical decision. Its refereeing processes and outcome caused controversy in Japan,[29][30][31][32] and more in Mexico.[33][34][35][36] The WBC's official Twitter account tweeted as follows: "There was a controversy in that fight where the winner would be fighting for the title, but because there was this problem, the WBC demanded a rematch. That is a fight for all ring officials to look at."[37] A rematch between them never happened.[38]

Arakawa vs. Omar Figueroa

On July 27, 2013, Arakawa made his U.S. debut at the event dubbed Knockout Kings II at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. His opponent fighting out of the blue corner was the undefeated Mexican-American fighter Omar Figueroa, Jr. and the WBC interim lightweight title was at stake. The interim title bout was made when reigning champion Adrien Broner decided to challenge the WBA welterweight title.[39]

The incredibly tough fight that was aired live on Showtime Championship Boxing,[40] and on WOWOW in Japan,[41] ended in Figueroa's victory by a unanimous decision.[Video 2] RingTV.com's Douglass Fischer told as follows:

[Arakawa] epitomized warrior spirit. Watching him throw caution to the wind (and almost 100 punchers per round at Figueroa) was an emotional roller coaster for most of us.
We were entertained, then concerned for his well being, then awed by his fortitude and ultimately humbled by his valor willingness to seemingly sacrifice it all in the spirit of competition.
You know what? Somebody should produce an anime boxing series with Arakawa as the protagonist (or at the very least a Manga book). I'd watch it.

— Douglass Fischer, RingTV.com[42]

"[In 2013,] no fighter raised his stature during the course of one fight as much as Japanese veteran Nihito Arakawa did with the heroic effort he put forth against Omar Figueroa Jr. last July in San Antonio," Fischer later described.[5] At the year's end, MaxBoxing.com's Steve Kim awarded him the Purple Heart.[43]

Arakawa vs. Jorge Linares

On March 8, 2014, Arakawa came back to the ring to face Japan-based Venezuelan Jorge Linares in a ten-round WBC title eliminator, with a mandatory shot against Omar Figueroa on the line. It was featured on the undercard of the fight between Saúl Álvarez and Alfredo Angulo at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Figueroa was to fight in the same event, but a wrist injury forced him to postpone it. That is why Arakawa–Linares was carried live on Showtime pay-per-view.[44] Arakawa was again fighting out of the red corner, but lost in a unanimous decision.[6][45]

In the second half of 2014, he defeated Kondō in their rematch in July,[46] and lost to Katō in their rubber match in December, both by unanimous decision at Korakuen Hall.[47]

Arakawa then transferred to Hitoshi Watanabe's Watanabe Boxing Gym in April 2015.[48] Among his new stable-mates are Takashi Uchiyama, Kōhei Kōno and Ryōichi Taguchi.

Two nicknames

Arakawa's nickname is "The Baby-faced Sniper" because of his quite accurate shots.[1] He is originally a sleek jabbing southpaw.[49][50] Another characteristic is volume punching.[28][51] From time to time, he has waged tough fights. His effort might be unsuccessful in one aspect and successful in another. According to Arakawa, the most tough fight for him was the OPBF title defense against Jay Solmiano in October 2011.[5] Ryūji Migaki said in early 2012 that it would be Arakawa's nature.[52] His style in the Omar Figueroa fight in July 2013 earned him a new nickname "Japanese Rocky".[2][3] During and after the fight, Mauro Ranallo summarize his style as "Bushido".[5]

References
  1. The Boxing Bulletin (September 6, 2010). "Japanese Scene Weekend Recap Ota Decisions Yuba, Arakawa Stops Omura". SB Nation. Archived from the original on September 8, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  2. Dan Rafael (March 6, 2014). "Expect action for Linares-Arakawa". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  3. "CANELO: "Obviously A Knockout Would Be Beautiful"". TheSweetScience.com. March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  4. Boxing Magazine editorial department (with Japan Boxing Commission, Japan Pro Boxing Association), ed. (April 30, 2005). Japan Boxing Year Book 2005 (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Baseball Magazine Sha Co., Ltd. p. 58. ISBN 978-4-583-03849-0.
  5. Doug Fischer (March 5, 2014). "Nihito Arakawa brings his warrior spirit back to the U.S. vs. Jorge Linares". RingTV.com. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  6. Michael Woods (March 8, 2014). "Smoothie Linares Handles Arakawa Easily in Vegas". TheSweetScience.com. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  7. "元高校球児が日本王座に プロボクシング・荒川選手". Chunichi Shimbun. August 12, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  8. "WE LOVE FUSSA - HUMAN WATCH 第四回 荒川仁人インタビュー" (in Japanese). WE LOVE FUSSA. October 4, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  9. Daisuke Sugiura (March 8, 2014). "「常にチャレンジャーでいたい」〜荒川仁人 WBC世界ライト級挑戦者決定戦直前インタヴュー" (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  10. Kondō (May 3, 2013). 【2013/5/4 世界タイトル前哨戦】 (in Japanese). Hachioji Nakaya Boxing Gym. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  11. Kondō (August 13, 2012). インタビュー 【2012/8/13 東洋太平洋タイトル防衛戦】 (in Japanese). Hachioji Nakaya Boxing Gym. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  12. "Arakawa's fight stats" (in Japanese). Hachioji Nakaya Boxing Gym. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  13. 荒川「球児魂」で敵地奪取だ! 国内調整終了. Sports Hochi (in Japanese). July 17, 2013. Archived from the original on July 17, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  14. "荒川、大差判定で敗れる＝WBCライト級暫定王座戦" (in Japanese). Jiji Press. July 28, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  15. Satoshi Watanabe (April 7, 2010). "§全日本実業団アマチュアボクシング大会" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  16. 公式試合結果 - 2006年9月 (in Japanese). Japan Boxing Commission. March 5, 2007. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  17. "プロ選手紹介". Hachioji Nakaya Boxing Gym. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  18. Ronnie Nathanielsz (September 21, 2008). "Randy Suico Battles Nihito Arakawa To a Majority Draw". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  19. 荒川 初ダウンも判定で新王者に. Sports Nippon (in Japanese). April 23, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  20. "荒川V2…ダウン喫すも8回TKO". Daily Sports (in Japanese). January 8, 2011. Archived from the original on January 10, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  21. Boxing Beat editorial department (June 15, 2011). MACC Publications Inc (ed.). 荒川仁人が本場で感じたこと. Ironman. Boxing Beat (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Fitness Sports Co., Ltd. (special issue): 46–47.
  22. "荒川TKO勝ちでV3". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). June 14, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  23. Joe Koizumi (October 5, 2011). "Arakawa wins OPBF 135lb belt". Fightnews.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  24. Hisao Adachi (October 5, 2011). "Nihito Arakawa, Yoshitaka Kato Win Big at Korakuen Hall". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  25. 荒川が世界戦へ前進!. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). February 29, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  26. 荒川仁人が帰ってきた (in Japanese). Hachioji Nakaya Boxing Gym. May 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  27. "OPBFライト級、荒川が2度目の防衛" (in Japanese). Jiji Press. August 13, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  28. David P. Greisman (July 29, 2013). ""Fighting Words" — The Guiltiest of Guilty Pleasures". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  29. Carlos Costa (November 26, 2012). "ESTRADA DEFEATS ARAKAWA IN TOUGH CLASH IN MEXICO; ARAKAWA WANTS REMATCH (PHOTOS)". PhilBoxing.com. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  30. Takao Kanamoto (November 26, 2012). "荒川vsエストラーダ 裏側 不可解裁定". BOXING MASTER. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  31. 「不可解な負け」に泣いた荒川が帰国 (in Japanese). Boxing News. November 28, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  32. Issei Nakaya (December 1, 2012). "荒川仁人の「WBC世界ライト級タイトル指名挑戦者決定戦」について" (in Japanese). Hachioji Nakaya Boxing Gym. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  33. "ZULINA SE CORONÓ" (in Spanish). BoxNoticias.net. November 24, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  34. "Cae lagunero Jairo 'Peligroso' Hernández". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). November 26, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  35. Roberto Badillo (November 29, 2012). "La Gala Telmex de Boxeo fue un éxito" (in Spanish). Contenido. Archived from the original on March 16, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  36. "Protesta formal del equipo japonés; el CMB nombrará un Comité Revisor para decidir" (in Spanish). WBC. November 25, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  37. WBC (February 5, 2013). "Tweet about Arakawa–Estrada". Twitter. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  38. Hisao Adachi (May 21, 2013). "Arakawa-Figueroa por cetro WBC de las 135" (in Spanish). NotiFight.com. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  39. "荒川、米国でホープとWBC暫定戦へ" (in Japanese). Boxing News. May 16, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  40. ""Knockout Kings II" Featuring Andre Berto vs. Jesus Soto Karass & Undefeated Rising Stars Keith Thurman vs. Diego Chaves Lands At The AT&T Center in San Antonio on July 27 Live on SHOWTIME". SAP. Golden Boy Promotions. May 15, 2013. Archived from the original on August 11, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  41. Isao Hara (2013). エキサイトマッチ〜世界プロボクシング対戦カード (in Japanese). WOWOW. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  42. Douglass Fischer (July 29, 2013). "Dougie's Monday mailbag". RingTV.com. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  43. Steve Kim (January 2014). "The 2013 "K9 Awards": Part 1". MaxBoxing UK. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  44. Mark Ortega (March 1, 2014). "Omar Figueroa off Mar. 8 card with left wrist injury". RingTV.com. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  45. Scott Christ (March 8, 2014). "Canelo vs Angulo results: Jorge Linares dominates Nihito Arakawa over 10". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  46. Joe Koizumi (July 27, 2014). "GIANT Japan Update" (in Japanese). Fightnews.com. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  47. Joe Koizumi (December 7, 2014). "Kato, Shibata, Oguni victorious in tripleheader in Japan" (in Japanese). Fightnews.com. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  48. "WBCランキング、荒川仁人がワタナベジムに移籍" (in Japanese). Boxing News. April 5, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  49. Isao Hara (October 5, 2011). エキサイトマッチ〜世界プロボクシング対戦カード (in Japanese). WOWOW. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  50. Shinjirō Funabashi (February 27, 2014). "リナレスvs荒川が本場・ラスベガスで実現 3月のボクシング興行見どころ" (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  51. CompuBox (July 27, 2013). "Figueroa vs. Arakawa - CompuBox Historical Review". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  52. Boxing Beat editorial department (February 15, 2012). MACC Publications Inc (ed.). "舞台は整った 荒川 vs. 三垣". Ironman. Boxing Beat (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Fitness Sports Co., Ltd. (special issue): 45.

Video references
  1. 荒川 vs ソルミアノ (1, 2R) (YouTube video taken by a spectator, showing round 1 to 2 from the fight between Arakawa and Jay Solmiano). October 5, 2011 [October 4, 2011]. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  2. Omar Figueroa vs. Nihito Arakawa - Round 3 - SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (YouTube video). Showtime. August 1, 2013 [July 27, 2013]. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
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