A long-awaited real red-colored championship belt of the International Boxing Federation finally reached newly crowned IBF super featherweight champion Kenichi Ogawa of Teiken Boxing Gym on Dec. 21, following his win over Azinga Fuzile of South Africa in New York on Nov. 27 for the vacant world title.

While the 33-year-old Ogawa could not return to Japan wearing the championship belt due to the IBF’s careless mistake, he was happy because he was tested negative for doping. He has been waiting eagerly for the belt, though.

Although the 33-year-old Ogawa won the vacant IBF title four years ago by beating Tevin Farmer of the U.S., it was later declared a no contest since Ogawa tested positive in a doping test for an illegal substance used to cure his cold and atopic dermatitis.

The gym quoted Ogawa as saying, ‘’Three weeks and a little have passed after the fight, and I have been spending my time fairly relaxed. Though my championship belt reached me at long last, I am relatively calm. But people around me, including my manager, trainers and my stablemates are happy for me having the belt, which has made myself that I really became the champion. It’s an inexpressibly good feeling. But this is only the start (as the champion).   Photo by Teiken Boxing Gym