Former Japanese and Asian super lightweight and welterweight champion Keita Obara of Misako Boxing Gym will hang up his gloves after a 13-year professional career, the gym said on Dec. 9.

  The 37-year-old Obara made a profession debut in 2010 after fighting as an amateur boxer in his high-school and university days, captured the Japanese super lightweight title in 2013 and successfully defended the belt twice before relinquishing the crown.

  He captured the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation super lightweight title in 2014 and retained the title twice. Obara challenged the then International Boxing Federation super lightweight champion Eduard Troyanovsky of Russia for the latter’s title in Moscow in 2016 only to lose by technical knockout.

  After moving up to the welterweight division, Obara became the World Boxing Organization’s Asia-Pacific welterweight champion in 2017, although he lost in an elimination bout for the IBF welterweight title with Kudratillo Abdukakhorov of Uzbekistan in 2019 in the United States.

  Obara then won the Japanese welterweight title in 2020 and successfully defended the crown three times.

  Obara was stopped in the third round by Jin Sasaki of Hachioji Nakaya Boxing Gym in his challenge to the latter’s WBO’s Asia-Pacific welterweight title in this past April, which will prove to be his last fight.

  Obara has a record of 26 wins, including 23 KOs, against five losses and a draw. He once attained the KO victories 13 times in a row.

  Obara issued a retirement statement to the effect that he felt his limitations when he lost to a Japanese (Sasaki) on Apr. 8 this year for his first defeat to a Japanese in about 13 years. Though he could not become a world champion, he said he was able to lead a happy life as a professional boxer thanks to his trainers at the gym and supporters.

  Obara’s official retirement ceremony will be held on Feb. 13 next year at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall, according to the gym.