Sidney Boquiren of RingwalkNippon takes a look at Japanese light-flyweight prospect Ryo Miyazaki.  The promising 21 year old Japanese champion defends his title against Suguru Takizawa in Osaka this Sunday as part of Japan's continuing Champion Carnival.

Youths with troubled upbringings - broken families, run-ins with the law, social and/or academic problems – that find refuge within the squared circle are certainly not rare. Even in Japan, which boasts the second biggest economy in the world and relatively low crime rates, pugilists with less than stellar pasts are not uncommon.

The current star of Japanese boxing, WBC Bantamweight king Hozumi Hasegawa, dropped out of high school and ran away from home. Former WBC Flyweight belt holder Daisuke Naito released an autobiographical book in 2008 that detailed his passage from bullied schoolboy to world champion. Both men were able to overcome their pasts to find glory in the ring.

Japanese Light Flyweight champ Ryo Miyazaki is another case of a problem child going straight by lacing up the gloves. After doing a stint in a juvenile correctional facility, Miyazaki began training under the tutelage of former two-weight world title holder Hiroki Ioka through the introduction of a teacher. While Miyazaki had exposure to boxing as a child (his father was an amateur boxer), it was not until making his way to Ioka Gym that he flourished as a pugilist, eventually becoming a national high school champion and compiling a 30-4, 17 RSC record.

Though it appears that his commitment to boxing and the passage of time have made him more of a humble person outside the ring, inside it, Miyazaki is a radioactive atom.

Measuring in at a diminutive 5’1", Miyazaki, who calls himself the "Real (life) Donkey Kong," is literally a head-first brawler, as four of his 12 pro fights, including the two draws on his 10-0-2 record, have been stopped early due to cuts as a result of accidental head butts (not all being Miyazaki’s fault). A wild puncher in many of his early fights, Miyazaki shows good hand speed and a nice right hand. However, his biggest weapon is his quickness, which allows him to get in position to land sharp, hard combinations.

The Osaka native’s best fight was his most recent one – the title-winning effort against Munetsugu Kayo. The now former champion had defended his strap five times and had been ranked #8 by the WBC and #9 by the WBA at the time he and Miyazaki squared off last October. The slick southpaw’s career record includes victories over current OPBF champion Katsuhiko Iezumi, former Japanese belt holder Nobuaki Masuda, and world title challenger Takahisa Masuda.

Surprisingly, it was Miyazaki that showed superior boxing skills, at least on this night, as he relied less on wild swinging, and instead capitalized on his advantage in speed to move in and out, land the cleaner punches, and work in some counter punching. The title match ended early as the bout was stopped due to a cut suffered by Kayo from an accidental head butt, with Miyazaki crowned the new champion by scores of 99-94, 98-94, 97-94.

The new champion’s first defense takes place Sunday as a part of this year’s Champion Carnival. He will be taking on Suguru Takizawa, another prospect who boasts a record of 19-1 with 8KO. Miyazaki has his work cut out for him, as the challenger will have a 5 ½ inch height advantage.

Still only 21-years old, Miyazaki is evolving into more of a balanced boxer-puncher and should provide us with some exciting battles before hanging up the gloves years from now. As his footwork continues to improve, look for his offensive output to become even more punishing. Should he be able to control the distance of the action (and keep his head away from his opponent’s), his ability to dart in and out of range will serve him well to unload his powerful assault.

The January and March 2010 issues of the Japan's Boxing Magazine were consulted in writing this post.

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After the final bell… Miscellaneous notes, tidbits, and updates in Japanese boxing as well as the occasional random thought from yours truly…

Rather than Donkey Kong, I was thinking Miyazaki should be called Mighty Mouse. Remember him?… Hasegawa’s time as a runaway did not last long and returned home eventually. He also went back to get his high school diploma as well… Speaking of Hasegawa, no update on discussions on the proposed fight with WBO champion Fernando Montiel. Japanese media have been quiet on the issue since Monday… Former WBA Flyweight champion Takefumi Sakata (35-5-2, 16KO), who is current champion Daiki Kameda’s mandatory, takes on Eric Diaz Siregar (9-9-3, 1KO) tomorrow in a tune-up fight. Siregar is the Indonesian national champion.

e-mail Sidney Boquiren

For more coverage of Japanese boxing, make sure to check out Sidney's blog, RingwalkNippon.  You can also follow RingwalkNippon on Twitter.