Other Days, Other Times (6)

(Cho-san continues his story of becoming a boxer. See Other Days, Other Times (5) for his introduction to the sport.) I heard cheers as I checked the map near Otakibashi Driving School. They came from Kyokuto Boxing Gym. People were crowded around an open window, watching a fierce sparring session going on inside. Kyokuto was …

Those Days, Those Times, Those Guys (13)

I was standing in front of the Yujiku movie theater looking at the schedule when I heard someone call out, “Master!” I turned around to see a man about my age. “How’s it going?” he asked, approaching. He’d been a Champion regular. I remembered he was a movie buff, but I couldn’t recall his name. …

Those Days, Those Times (10)

ORIENTAL AND PACIFIC BOXING FEDERATION (OPBF) LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE MATCH was the headline of an article splashed across the front page of a sports newspaper announcing the fight on May 11, 1992, at Korakuen Hall. Champion Iwao Otomo would face Orzubek Nazarov. Otomo had successfully defended his Japan lightweight title nine times; in 1989 he gained …