A “Professional Boxer Pep Rally” for former WBA World Super Featherweight Champion Takashi Uchiyama‘s (46) KOD LAB Gym was held in Yotsuya, Tokyo, on the 29th. Approximately 70 people, including his mentor from his amateur days, Kosuke Koba, and former WBO World Super Featherweight Champion Masayuki Ito, gathered to encourage the KOD Gym following its official professional affiliation.
内山会長を挟んでKODジムの選手たち（左から田口、安藤、栗原、一人おいて小田切、大嶋、英豪）
KOD, which the great champion Uchiyama opened in Yotsuya after retiring from active competition, operated as a fitness-exclusive gym for about seven years. Although Uchiyama initially did not consider professional boxing, his desire to “train strong professional boxers” grew, leading the gym to join the East Japan Association last July. With five professional fighters already on the roster, the number of athletes is expected to increase. “There were times (during the fitness-only era) when I wouldn’t show my face at the gym for two weeks, but I’ve finally become serious. Now, I’m at the gym teaching every day,” President Uchiyama remarked humorously, vowing for the continued progress of KOD Gym.
あいさつをする内山会長
KOD Gym is home to several professional fighters, led by former OPBF bantamweight champion Keita Kurihara, along with Eigo (ranked 13th in the Japanese super featherweight division), Kenshin Oshima (ranked 10th in the Japanese super bantamweight division), Shumpei Odagiri (Amateur All-Japan Championship runner-up with a pro record of 5-3-2, 3 KOs), and Yusuke Ando, a former heavyweight kickboxer who recently passed his professional test. Also part of the roster is Kokoa Taguchi (a Nippon Taiiku University graduate), who will take the Class B license test in April. Each fighter shared their ambitions to great applause from the attendees, including Oshima—who challenges for the Japanese title on May 12—declaring, “I will bring the first belt back to KOD Gym.”
