The “JAPAN BOXING AWARDS 2025” was held on the 17th at the Tokyo Dome Hotel, where the award-winning fighters of the past year were officially announced. Each award recipient took to the stage to deliver their respective acceptance speeches.
Here is the translation of the 2025 Professional and Amateur Award winners
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Most Valuable Player (MVP): Naoya Inoue (Ohashi)
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Technique Award: Takuma Inoue (Ohashi), Junto Nakatani (M.T)
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Outstanding Performance Award: Seiya Tsutsumi (Kadoebi Hoseki)
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Effort & Fighting Spirit Award: Tomoya Tsuboi (Teiken)
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KO of the Year: Masamichi Yabuki (Midori) – vs. Alvarado
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Rookie of the Year: Ryosuke Takami (Teiken)
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Fight of the Year: Kenshiro Teraji (BMB) vs. Seigo Yuri Akui (Kurashiki Moriyasu)
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Fight of the Year (Non-World Title): Ryosuke Takami (Teiken) vs. Toshiki Kawamitsu (Misako); Reo Saito (Teiken) vs. Kai Watanabe (Lions)
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Women’s Most Valuable Player: Mizuki Hiruta (Misako)
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Women’s Fight of the Year: Yuko Kuroki (Shinsei) vs. Nanako Suzuki (Yokohama Hikari)
Inoue Delivers Acceptance Speech
Naoya Inoue has been named MVP for the eighth consecutive year, marking his ninth time receiving the honor. During his highly anticipated acceptance speech, he stated clearly, “This May, I will go head-to-head with Junto Nakatani at the Tokyo Dome with everything I have.” He then appealed to the fans, saying, “Please come and witness our courage in the ring.”
In a press scrum following the ceremony, Inoue revealed that he has been eyeing Nakatani as his next opponent ever since his recent bout in Saudi Arabia. He also noted that, unlike last year’s ceremony, there was no conversation between the two fighters today. It is clear that both men are already in “fight mode,” with Nakatani echoing the sentiment in his own interview, stating, “Now, all that’s left is to fight.”
Regarding Nakatani‘s recent hard-fought battle, Inoue viewed it as something that “will only make him grow.” Nakatani himself offered a profound take on the experience, saying, “It allowed me to understand the sport of boxing even more deeply.” The official announcement of this super-fight cannot come soon enough.