Who do you think is or was the most beloved boxer from abroad in Japan?

The answer is former No. 1-ranked world bantamweight Jose Medel of Mexico. There is no room for argument.

Medel, who died in 2001 at the age of 62, visited Japan many times to face Japan’s top boxers, including world bantamweight champion Masahiko ‘’Fighting’’ Harada and hard-hitting southpaw Mitsunori Seki, and made a strong impression on the Japanese fans that boxing is not a mere fistfight.
Unlike the stereotyped image that Mexican boxers tend to like hitting each other in a fight, Medel’s style of boxing was completely different.

When he first came to Japan in August 1961 to face Seki, who moved up to the bantamweight division after failing to capture a world flyweight title, Japanese fans expected Seki to dispose of the skinny Mexican without much ado.

In fact, Seki forced Medel move back to the ropes in the fifth round and threw a big left punch. Most fans watching the fight thought the fight would be over. But it was Seki who hit the canvas due to Medel’s counter right.

The fans were left dumb founded. It was like watching a sword fight scene in a traditional ‘’samurai’’ movie, in which the one who swung his sward at his foe was actually the one who was slain. It was Medel’s knockout victory. That was the origin of his nickname ‘’the wizard near the ropes.’’

Medel’s counter so impressed the Japanese boxing world as a whole that many boxers who appeared in the all-Japan rooky tournaments in that year moved back to the ropes on purpose to wait for their opponents to throw their punches, imitating Medel’s fighting style.

With this bout as a launch pad, Medel, who was not the kind of boxer what aims at a knockout win at all costs, came to Japan regularly.

In March 1962, Medel, then the world No.1-ranked bantamweight contender, faced the equally world No. 1-ranked flyweight Sadao Yaoita in a highly touted nontitle bout and emerged victorious with both having displayed tremendous techniques worthy of the world’s No. 1-ranked boxers.

An unfortunate thing about Medel was at that time undefeated Eder Jofre of Brazil, nicknamed ‘’the Golden Bantam,’’ was the reigning world champion. In those days, there was only one sanctioning body in the world. He challenged Jofre in September that year only to suffer a sixth-round KO loss.

Had he lived today, there is no doubt that he would have won a world title or titles of some alphabet boys (the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO) as these organizations (particularly the WBA and WBC) tend to have more than one world champions to one degree or another.

Medel returned to Japan in September 1963 to take on Fighting Harada, known for his incessant attacks. While Medel appeared to be hit many times, he also connected with counter blows as the round went by, gradually sapping Harada’s strength and finally scored three knockdowns to earn a KO victory in the sixth round.

In May 1965, Medel pounded out a 10-round unanimous decision over Katsuo Saito, who was known for his skillful boxing, eventually setting the stage for his title challenge against Harada, who won the world bantamweight title with a close decision over Jofre also in 1965.

Medel’s challenge against Harada materialized in January 1967. While Medel aimed at Harada with his vaunted counter punches, Harada was not the same Harada Medel fought three years and a half ago. Harada mixed his footwork with his attacks at short range and managed earn a 15-round unanimous decision victory.

After dropping a 10-round decision to highly touted Kazuyoshi Kanazawa in August 1969, the 36-year-old Medel fought hard-punching Kazuo ‘’Royal’’ Kobayashi in June 1974 at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall.

Although Kobayashi, who passed away last November at the age of 71, overpowered Medel, and the fight ended at the end of the sixth round, the Mexican gave a glimpse of his being an excellent counter puncher as he landed a left hook to the head in the third round, greatly wobbling Kobayashi’s legs.

After Medel could not leave his corner for the seventh stanza due to an eye injury, a formal retirement ceremony for Medel was held on the same ring, the first such ceremony for a boxer from abroad, which attested to how much he was loved by Japanese fans.

Many boxing writers attended a reunion with Medel at the Korakuen when the latter visited Japan some 30 years ago.  Written by Masaya Kokubu (free writer)