TOKYO DRIFT
Daisuke and I used Tokyo’s subway network to venture out to the Misako Gym to interview Teraji. The trip took approximately 40 minutes, including one transfer, and it was relatively painless. Providing you disregard my frequent fights with the ticket machines, that is. On the way, we were joined by
Daisuke. “As for whether it ends in a knockout, I’m not sure. When it’s two Japanese fighters, the intensity tends to be higher, and they can fight it out on grit and make it to the end. So I’d lean toward Inoue by decision.” Following our conversation, Teraji made his way onto the gym floor and
began tying his boxing shoes. Several of the children bowed in reverence after finishing up their workouts. A true gentleman, Teraji paused his hand- wrapping and came to the top of the stairs to wave us off with a big smile. His main goal is to become a three- weight world champion.
venue was already electric. Later that day, I was interviewed by Nippon TV, Japan’s premier broadcaster, at the Tokyo Dome entrance. The segment would air just before the fight. The one question that stuck out was, “What global event from another sport could be compared to Inoue vs. Nakatani?” Luckily, I’d given this some thought before leaving the U.K. “This is the equivalent of a tennis Grand Slam final, a World Cup final or the Super Bowl. It’s the best of the best in boxing,” was my response. I meant every word. Fast-forward to the main event, which more than lived up to its billing. At the opening bell, southpaw Nakatani took a wider-than-normal, side-on stance, placing the majority of his weight on the back foot and presenting Inoue with a larger distance to the target. The message from Nakatani was clear: “If you close the gap, I’ll be ready to counter!” Inoue, aggressive by nature, recognized the tactic and carefully settled into the fight by pot-shotting, particularly with the jab and a strong right to the body. Nakatani probed with his right jab but rarely threw it in anger, meaning that Inoue edged most of the early rounds. It was in the second half of the fight that both men displayed their quality. Sensing urgency, Nakatani opened up in the sixth, landing multi-punch combinations – a rarity from any Inoue opponent – and taking the initiative offensively. A warrior to his core, Inoue battled back with some excellent work of his own, but I had him losing rounds eight through 10. An accidental clash of heads in the 10th produced a nasty cut over Junto’s left eye and dulled his momentum. Sensing his moment, the great Inoue went through the gears in the penultimate round, nailing Nakatani with a rocket right uppercut and stunning him late in the round with a left. While I had Nakatani just edging the final three minutes, the result was never in doubt. Inoue earned a
award-winning boxing photographer Naoki Fukuda, who is also a good friend and the finest of professionals. We got to the gym mid-afternoon, removed our shoes per Japanese custom, replacing them with indoor slippers (known as uwabaki), and went upstairs to the gym floor. Dozens of young kids, presumably straight from school, were training … hard. It was a clear indication of just how healthy boxing is at a grassroots level in Japan, which was great to see. Teraji arrived, greeted everyone cordially, and was happy to discuss the Inoue vs. Nakatani matchup. It should be
noted that “The Amazing Boy” is not a fight fan. In fact, he was still debating whether or not to purchase the pay-per-view broadcast being distributed by Lemino, the Japanese streaming network. On fight day, the former champ’s only plan was to take his cats to a grooming salon. You might need to read that last sentence twice. “I think there’s a chance Inoue could get dropped early on, but overall I still see him winning,” said Teraji, who was being translated by
THE DAY On the morning of the superfight, which was scorching hot, I headed to the Tokyo Dome in search of merchandise. There were three huge lines: one for Inoue items, another for Nakatani, and a third for merchandise featuring both pound-for-pound stars. It took about
Huge lines for merchandise. ... Nakatani tested Inoue in a classic battle.
The warriors trade. ... Kenshiro Teraji with Managing Editor Tom Gray.
20 minutes just to get inside one of the display marquees. With the fight still 10 hours away, the atmosphere around the
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