Japanese Scene: The Dawn of Hachioji Nakaya’s Second Golden Age

Sidney Boquiren of RingwalkNippon profiles the current crop of talent at the Hachioji Nakaya Boxing Gym.  For more Japanese boxing news and updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Nine years ago, a small gym on the western edge of Tokyo experienced its first golden age as it reared three champions holding a national or regional title. Established in 1995 in a rural suburb of the capital, Hachioji Nakaya Boxing Gym saw its first titleholder, light flyweight Koki Tanaka, crowned in January 2000. Middleweight Satoru Suzuki and featherweight Yuji Gomez followed Tanaka’s example, claiming belts within the next 14 months. For a family-run outfit not blessed with an advantage in location, boasting a trio of champions was an accomplishment of which to be proud.

The little-gym-that-could is now amidst a second era of success led by OPBF and Japanese junior middleweight strapholder Charlie Ota and national lightweight champ Nihito Arakawa. With JBC rated #1 middleweight contender Makoto Fuchigami, the new three amigos make up the core of an exciting stable of pugs that have been raised by gym owner and chief trainer Hirotaka Nakaya.

While the trio has already reached the top of their respective weight classes in Japan, they are still very much works in progress.

Like many Japanese prizefighters, the group from Hachioji has been learning the trade on the job. The middleweight is the only one of the three to have any significant amateur experience. Arakawa has been with the gym for nine years, Fuchigami joined the following year, and Ota in 2005. As Nakaya had a blank canvas with which to work, he has developed his charges strictly on the fundamentals, only making additions to the basic training regiment to incorporate each fighter’s strengths.

The growth that can be seen in the past two years has been commendable. Arakawa, a slick southpaw and probably the most well-rounded of the three, fought former world title challenger and three-division OPBF champ Randy Suico in September 2008. Known primarily as a boxer who works from the outside, the 28-year old ventured inside the taller heavy-hitting Filipino’s range and decided to trade. While scores came out even, proving to himself that he could hang in with a higher tier fighter was quite a confidence booster.

Arakawa (right) attempts to dig a left hand into Ota’s tight guard. Both strapholders defend their crowns this weekend.

In a recent sparring session in preparation for the first defense of his title on September 4, Arakawa looked impressive, showing excellent balance between offense and defense. Every move he made was effortless – from the economy of motion in his punches to the smooth footwork that allowed him to glide around the ring. With fairly good accuracy, the lefty throws in combinations, often remembering to finish with a right hook or an extra straight left. Having to handle the much stronger and physically gifted Ota on a regular basis must have helped Arakawa develop poise in the ring as he appears to be a calm and focused fighter at all times.

His title-winning effort in April was not without incident, as Arakawa was dropped in the first round. But living up to his role as the challenger, the southpaw picked himself off the canvas and proved to be the more accurate and quicker fighter in earning a majority decision. For his fight on Saturday, he faces a very live opponent in Mitsuya Omura, a hard-hitting 13-4 fighter with nine stoppages. While Arakawa will have to be careful of Omura’s strong left hook, the champ’s ability to seamlessly transition between aggressor and defender should be key to successfully defending his crown.

Appearing in the main event this weekend is Charlie Ota in what will likely be a barnburner with the venerable Tadashi Yuba. The 33-year old challenger will be attempting to become the first man to earn national titles in four weight classes. While that distinction could only have become possible due to the sheer length of his 14-year career, the 44-bout veteran still seems to be packing dynamite in his left hand. Ota himself believes that this is one fight that definitely will not end in a decision.

While a power-punching lefty would concern most boxers, the titleholder has been in the unique situation where the majority of his opponents and his teammates are southpaws. Yuba’s height advantage should not be much of an issue either, as the stout Ota is accustomed to being the smaller man. Over the years, the challenger has become more susceptible to his less than granite chin and tends to rely on his left, points that the champ feels confident he can expose.

Going four rounds with Fuchigami, Ota started from a distance and gradually worked his way inside. His body attack – which worked well against King Davidson in June – seemed to have been even more polished. Against his taller teammate, Ota found ways to deliver nice, accurate right hands from mid-range. Then in two rounds with Arakawa (Ota’s seventh and eighth all together), while his level of energy seemed to taper, he would find opportunities to unleash ferocious combinations reminiscent of Jean Pascal in his recent fight against Chad Dawson.

Ota shadowboxes as Arakawa does his jump rope routine. Training at Hachioji Nakaya is very basic and its fighters are all well-grounded in the fundamentals.

Though without a title, Fuchigami is much better than his record (13-6, 4KO) would suggest. The southpaw has a busy style that can frustrate opponents as he constantly moves in and out of range. Deceivingly big and long inside the ring, Fuchigami worked behind an active jab against Ota, showing a sneaky right hand and good accuracy with his left.

The 27-year old has had two chances at the domestic crown, and while he was outclassed in his first attempt in 2007, many thought he had done enough against Tetsuya Suzuki in April last year to win a decision. He will have an opportunity to exact his revenge on October 3, when he takes on Suzuki again in Osaka.

Underneath the big three, Nakaya has a few prospects developing in the fold that look promising. Masamichi Nozaki, a super flyweight, probably has been with the trainer the longest out of the gym’s current roster having worked with Nakaya as a youth. Though he dropped his first two pro bouts by decision, Nozaki has reeled off nine straight and is currently the #11 rated 115-pounder in the nation.

The most dynamic fighter in the gym during the session was undefeated lightweight Kazuki Hayashi (4-0-1, 4KO). The 24-year old has excellent hand speed and overall quickness, but what stands out about Hayashi is his explosiveness and raw power. If he can learn to establish his jab better in order to set up his power punches, then he could mature to be a very interesting player in the division in a few years.

In a previous interview with Ota, the champ revealed that his progress in the past few years coincided with the improvement of his gymmates. The impression that the group is a tight knit unit that feeds off each other was strong. That teamwork, in addition to the sound fundamental teaching of its leader, has been a key ingredient to the success of its core trio. As they have just begun to find their stride in facing the top tier fighters in the country, the best is still to come for Hachioji Nakaya in what looks to be the start of the gym’s second golden age.

e-mail Sidney Boquiren

For more coverage of Japanese boxing, follow Sidney on Twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter