## JAPAN'S PROMINENT PROMOTER KAWARAGI PASSES AWAY

February 16, 2000
TOKYO, JAPAN-MUNEKATSU KAWARAGI, one of the most prominent and influential promoters, passed away because of heart attack at his home at 8:05 pm yesterday (Feb. 15). He was 72 years of age. It is said that he died while he was taking a bath.

Kawaragi was formerly a professional boxer at Kakushin Boxing Club. After his retirement, he was employed by Iwao Kodaka, president of Kyokuto Boxing Club, who presented great many shows to TBS TV and produced many champions including world junior light champ Yoshiaki Numata, Orient light and junior light ruler Hiroshi Okawa, et al. Kawaragi served as his business manager and matchmaker for many years.

After Kodaka passed away, Kawaragi succeeded his business operations and kept presenting good cards to TBS TV. Kawaragi was the man who booked a legendary Mexican boxer Jose Medel who scored stunning KO wins over Fighting Harada and Mitsunori Seki and became the most popular foreign ringman here in Japan. This uncrowned champ Medel's popularity and reputation was beyond description. Kawaragi's Mexican Connections with the late manager/promoter Lupe Sanchez (who handled Jose Medel, Pipino Cuevas, Humberto Chiquita Gonzalez, etc.) as well as the WBC president started and lasted long for more than three decades.

Kawaragi moved to another TV station, NET (Nippon Educational TV), which later changed its name to TV Asashi, and served as exclusive matchmaker thereof. Through his close and tight relationship with outstanding manager Kenji Yonekura (who once fought Pascual Perez and Jose Becera for the world fly and bantam titles in 1959 and 1960 respectively) and others, Kawaragi helped TV Asahi broadcast hot battles of so many world or Orient champs as Kuniaki Shibata, Shoji Oguma, Masashi Kudo, Shigeo Nakajima, Hideyuki Ohashi, Hiroshi Kawashima, et al. He has been presenting the monthly boxing program titled "Excite Boxing" for TV Asahi.

Kawaragi had been very intimate with historically most influential Korean impresario Hoyun Chun, who passed away years before. They called each other "Brother." Thanks to his partnership with Chun, Kawaragi booked Korean world champs like Soohwang Hong (who won a couple of world titles by beating Arnold Taylor in South Africa and Hector Carrasquilla in Panama), Jungkoo Chang (who registered no less than 15 defenses to his credit), Sungjun Kim (who dethroned Thai lefty Netrnoi Sow Vorasingh), etc. in Japan.

My own acquaintance with him was also not short. When I was being fight scribe writing articles on scientific boxing lessons for Japan Boxing Magazine and also served as correspondent of The Ring Magazine of New York, I was asked by Kenji Yonekura to take care of Shigeo Nakajima as trainer just 40 days before his title shot at the WBC 108-pound diadem on Jan. 3, 1980. Nakajima won the WBC crown by an upset lopsided decision over Sungjun Kim, Hoyun Chun's pet boy, at the Korakuen Hall. As it was shown by TV Asashi, we began our friendship since then. As I turned to be international matchmaker in 1985, I sometimes served as his matchmaker in materializing such world title bouts as Hideyuki Ohashi vs. Heeyong Choi, Juan Martin Coggi vs. Hiroyuki Yoshino, et at. He was a nice person and a strong Bacchus as well, though strict, keen and tight in the business.

We, boxing people here, sincerely mourn Kawaragi's farewell to the ring with our deepest condolence.

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