## UCHIYAMA MAKES A LECTURE TO STUDENTS

January 18, 2012

TOKYO, JAPAN

When Fighting Harada was our one and only world champion, everyone knew him. Haraada was a household name. The world championship had a special rarity value. But now we, in Japan, have had eight male champs and six female titlists. Even boxing fans sometimes fail to remember all names, missing some. Whether you like it or not, almost every month there are world title bouts, boxing losing the said rarity value here. The number of our world titlists might increase more should we count interim champ, champion in recess, champ emeritus etc. in addition. Japan has affiliated with only the WBC and the WBA for quality control or for anti-proliferation, but should we recognize the WBO and the IBF, our world champs would easily become more than twenty in total. Such a phenomenon may occur that even hardcore fight fans wonft be able to mention all our world champs in the future.

It's a hard time for our world champs in Japan. People severely compare our champs, saying, "Champ A is stronger than Champ B; Champ C is inferior to Champ D." We used to simply admire a world champion upon his coronation, but now strictly assess his performance in his title-winning and defenses thereafter. People watch whom he fight and how he win.

Out of eight male champs, there are a couple of titlists in two same classes. WBA super-feather ruler Takashi Uchiyama and WBC titleholder Takahiro Aoh. WBA minimum champ Akira Yaegashi and WBC kingpin Kazuto Ioka. They are literally forced to face each other by public opinion among boxing fans and sports aficionados.

Uchiyama (18-0, 15 KOs), 32, may be the best speaker of them all. The WBA 130-pound champ made a lecture as one-day guest professor before three hundred students at Tokyo International University on Monday. The champ vastly encouraged and impressed the students with his positive attitude in life. He said, "I'd like to keep fighting until 36 years of age since I'm still improving physically and mentally." Good, you may go on fighting, but people strongly wish to watch your confrontation with WBC champ Aoh rather than listen to your excellent lecture.

(1-18-2012)

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