On March 1, the final matches of the “Box-Off” selection tournament were held at the Ajinomoto National Training Center in Itabashi, Tokyo. The tournament determined the Japan national team representatives for the 20th Asian Games, scheduled to be held this September in Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture, and other venues.
ボックスオフの勝者たち。左から山口瑠、北本隼輔、田口綾華、岡澤セオン、鳥谷部魁
The women’s portion of the “Box-Off” selection tournament featured a single bout in the 60kg / Lightweight division at the Ajinomoto National Training Center. Ayaka Taguchi (JSDF Physical Training School) defeated her teammate Saki Yoshizawa (JSDF Physical Training School) to earn her place on the national team for the upcoming Asian Games in September.
山口瑠（左）は駒大の後輩・熊本風真に５－０判定勝ち
In the Men’s 55kg / Bantamweight final, Rui Yamaguchi (Komazawa Univ.) faced his university teammate Kazuma Kumamoto (Komazawa Univ.). Yamaguchi, who previously gained significant attention by defeating Paris Olympian Shudai Harada, utilized his physical strength to secure a unanimous 5-0 decision victory. His opponent, the skilled southpaw Kumamoto, had advanced to the final after an impressive victory over Soshi Makino (JSDF Physical Training School) in the semifinals, but was unable to overcome Yamaguchi’s power.
In the Men’s 60kg / Lightweight division, Shudai Harada (Ohashi Gym), who represented Japan at the Paris Olympics, sought to reclaim a national team spot after moving up in weight. However, he suffered a narrow 1-4 split decision loss to Shunsuke Kitamoto (JSDF Physical Training School). With this defeat, Harada failed to secure his ticket to the Asian Games.
岡澤セオンは負傷した右目上を押さえながら勝ち名乗りを受けた
In the final round, an accidental clash of heads left Okazawa with a cut above his right eyebrow. As he held the wound, Okazawa was heard muttering, “This is bad…” After a medical inspection, the bout was halted. The scores were taken from the completed rounds, including the final partial frame, resulting in a unanimous 5-0 decision victory for Okazawa.
Reflecting on the upcoming Asian Games, Okazawa stated with confidence, “Winning is a given; I’d prefer to win with a clean face if possible.” The self-described “Amateur Professional” currently trains at the Ohashi Gym. He revealed that he is deeply motivated by his childhood friend Andy Hiraoka, who recently fell short in a world title challenge in February. “In the pros, they fight with the resolve that one loss could be the end. Training alongside them, I truly understand that mindset. I am grateful to Ohashi Gym,” Okazawa remarked.
In the Men’s 80kg / Light Heavyweight division, Kai Toyabe (JSDF Physical Training School) was awarded the representative spot via walkover. For the women’s divisions where no Box-Off was required, the representatives had already been determined: Yuina Nishinaka (Toyo Univ.) at 51kg / Flyweight, Tsukimi Namiki (MatsukiyoCocokara & Co.) at 54kg / Bantamweight, and Mai Kito (Kaneyoshi Co., Ltd.) at 66kg / Welterweight. These selected athletes will represent Japan not only at the Asian Games but also in various World Boxing (WB) sanctioned international tournaments.
