March 24, 2015
TOKYO, JAPAN
Unbeaten OPBF 105-pound champ, 19-year-old prospect Kosei Tanaka (4-0, 2 KOs) will fight for the vacant WBO mini-flyweight belt lately vacated by ex-titlist Katsunari Takayama against Mexican Julian Yedras (24-1, 13 KOs) in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on May 30. Should the youngster be victorious and successful, he will break the current Japanese record of quickest acquisition of a world championship now held by Naoya Inoue who seized the WBC 108-pound belt by demolishing Adrian Hernandez in his sixth bout last year.
Who is Kosei Tanaka? Tanaka, born on June 15, 1995, started to learn karate as a kindergarten student, and entered an amateur boxing gym with his brother when in the fifth grade of elementary school. Tanaka became national high school champ on four occasions and registered an amateur mark of 46-5, 18 stoppages. While he was still a high school student, he entered Hatanaka Gym (presided by ex-WBC super-bantam champ Kiyoshi Hatanka) to turn professional at the age of eighteen.
Tanaka, coached and handled by his father Hitoshi since childhood, made a successful pro debut by dropping WBO#6 Oscar Reknafa in the first round and won a unanimous six-round decision in November 2013. Thanks to his initial triumph Tanaka was quickly rated tenth by Japan Boxing Commission (JBC).
His second pro outing saw Tanaka defeat WBA#12 minimum Ronelle Ferreras by a unanimous nod to be newly rated #14 in the 105-pound category by the WBA in March of the previous year. Tanaka, in April, entered the faculty of economics in Chukyo University.
Last July saw Tanaka quickly polish off Philippine national champ Crison Omayao in the first round to be ranked atop in the OPBF (Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation) minimum ratings.
Tanaka, in October of the previous year, registered a new mark of winning the OPBF belt in the fourth pro outing when he caught and defeated previously unbeaten, WBO#2 Ryuji Hara via tenth round TKO, which was elected one of Fights of the Year.
That’s all. Tanaka, a childish prospect, is going to win the world throne in only his fifth pro bout as he attempts to beat the record of Naoya Inoue that was established last December.
Tanaka is managed by former WBC super-bantam champ Kiyoshi Hatanaka who had dethroned Argentine Pedro Decima and yielded it to Daniel Zaragoza in his first defense, both in 1991. The latter was the last performance of Hatanaka (whose overall ledger was 22-2, 15 KOs) who had to hang up gloves for good due to his optical deterioration caused by his Zaragoza defense.
Hatanaka said, “Nagoya has produced four world champions such as me, Yasuei Yakushiji, Satoshi Iiida and Hideki Todaka, but Tanaka is more excellent than the previous four Nagoya champs.”
Tanaka said, “I wish to win the belt in my fifth bout, unify the belts in my sixth and then move up to win the second world belt in the seventh bout within this year.” If so, Tanaka will again beat Naoya Inoue’s current record of acquiring the second world belt faster in his eighth pro bout.
We, at first, will watch Tanaka attempt to win the first world belt in his fifth bout at Park City Komaki in seventy days. Time will tell.
In this country the meaning of “genius” is a little different from that in other countries, since we have had not a few geniuses such as already two-time world ruler Kazuto Ioka and current champ Naoya Inoue. It is funny that the word of “genius” is going to lose its rarity value here in Japan.
(3-24-2015)