Fighting Harada Conquered Flyweight
Masahiko “Fighting” Harada became world bantamweight champion by outpointing Éder Jofre in Nagoya, Japan, on May 17, 1965. The victory added a second division’s championship to his earlier flyweight reign.
The flyweight breakthrough
Born in Tokyo on April 5, 1943, Harada turned professional at sixteen. He knocked out Pone Kingpetch in the eleventh round in October 1962 to win the world flyweight title.
Kingpetch regained the belt by decision three months later. Harada then moved to bantamweight, where he defeated Jofre over fifteen rounds and won their June 1966 rematch by another decision.
The featherweight pursuit
Harada made four successful bantamweight defenses before Lionel Rose took the championship by decision in February 1968. He next challenged featherweight champion Johnny Famechon in Sydney in July 1969, losing a disputed decision.
Famechon stopped him in the fourteenth round of their Tokyo rematch six months later. Harada retired with fifty-five wins and seven defeats and entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995.
Harada won his first twenty-five professional bouts. During his later bantamweight campaign, José Medel stopped him in six rounds, a defeat he subsequently avenged. Against Famechon in Sydney, Harada scored three knockdowns but also went down himself, making the disputed verdict particularly memorable for spectators.
