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Takehara Shinji | |
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| Date of Birth | 25 January 1972 |
| Place of Birth | Hiroshima |
Takehara Shinji joined the boxing community in 1989. He won five matches---five victories and he acquired East Japan rookie-of-the-year in the same year. He fought for the Japanese middleweight class championship, against Saijou Taketo in November, 1991. He won and he got the champion's belt. He defended the Middleweight Class title four times.
He fought for the OPBF middleweight class championship, against I Sunchun in May, 1993. He won and he got the champion's belt. He defended the OPBF Middleweight Class title six times.
He challenged Jorge Castro, the WBA world middleweight class championship in December, 1995. He won and he became the first Japanese world middleweight class champion.
Unfortunately, He lost the WBA world middleweight class championship to William Joppi in June 1996. This was his first loss. He retired on October 30 in the same year.
It was said that it was absolutely impossible for a Japanese to win the WBA world middleweight class championship. However he did it. He achived a big accomplishment for the boxing community in Japan.
References: Takehara Shinji Official Site http://www.overrecord.com/take/
Reported by: Tetsuya Kobayashi
Data verified by: Masafumi Nakano
Date of Report: November 2001