Shozo Saijo
Encyclopedia
Shozo Saijo is a former professional boxer from Saitama
, Japan
. He is a former WBA
featherweight
champion.
, where he fought three times before meeting WBA
featherweight
champion Raul Rojas
in a non-title match. Saijo won by decision, and challenged Rojas for the title on September 27, 1968 in Los Angeles
. He defeated Rojas for the second time, becoming the seventh Japanese boxer to win a world title, and the first Japanese boxer to win a title fighting outside of Japan.
He defended the title a total of six times before losing to Antonio Gomez
in 1971. He also fought in numerous non-title matches in between his defenses, including a bout against WBA
super featherweight
champion, Hiroshi Kobayashi
, where Saijo lost by decision over 10 rounds. This was the first fight between two Japanese boxers that had possession of the world title.
Saijo retired from boxing after losing his world title, but made an ill-fated debut in the kickboxing
world, where he fought muay thai
champion Toshio Fujiwara
. Saijo disappointed fans by turning his back towards Fujiwara at one point in their match, and he retired from all sports activities shortly afterwards. His professional boxing record was 29-7-2 (8KOs).
Saitama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He is a former WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
champion.
Biography
Saijo made his professional debut in August, 1964, but did not show immediate promise in the ring, losing or drawing against several lowly regarded fighters. He traveled to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he fought three times before meeting WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
champion Raul Rojas
Raul Rojas
Raul Rojas is a retired Mexican American featherweight boxer.He accumulated a record of 38 wins , 7 losses and 2 draws. On March 28, 1968, Rojas defeated Enrique Higgins to win the WBA Featherweight title, which Vicente Saldivar had vacated after announcing his retirement. He lost the title on...
in a non-title match. Saijo won by decision, and challenged Rojas for the title on September 27, 1968 in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He defeated Rojas for the second time, becoming the seventh Japanese boxer to win a world title, and the first Japanese boxer to win a title fighting outside of Japan.
He defended the title a total of six times before losing to Antonio Gomez
Antonio Gomez
Antonio Gomez is a former professional boxer who fought in the featherweight division. Gomez won the WBA world featherweight title in 1971.-Professional career:...
in 1971. He also fought in numerous non-title matches in between his defenses, including a bout against WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
super featherweight
Super Featherweight
Super featherweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 130 pounds or 59 kilograms....
champion, Hiroshi Kobayashi
Hiroshi Kobayashi
Hiroshi Kobayashi, , is a former professional boxer.Kobayashi turned pro in 1962 and won the WBC and WBA Super Featherweight Title in 1967 by defeating Yoshiaki Numata by 12th round KO, in a bout where Numata was down once in the 6th and three times in the 12th roundand so becoming the undisputed...
, where Saijo lost by decision over 10 rounds. This was the first fight between two Japanese boxers that had possession of the world title.
Saijo retired from boxing after losing his world title, but made an ill-fated debut in the kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
world, where he fought muay thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
champion Toshio Fujiwara
Toshio Fujiwara
Toshio Fujiwara is a well known Japanese former kickboxer who teaches at his own gym, TOSHIO FUJIWARA SPORTS GYM, in Tokyo...
. Saijo disappointed fans by turning his back towards Fujiwara at one point in their match, and he retired from all sports activities shortly afterwards. His professional boxing record was 29-7-2 (8KOs).