Daisuke Naito: Unraveling the Life of Japan’s Boxing Prodigy
Daisuke Naito was born in Toyoura, Hokkaido, on August 30, 1974. He boxed as a flyweight, won Japan’s national flyweight championship in 2004, and later became WBC world champion. Nikkan Sports’ profile records his birthplace and early career.
Boxing career and major results
Naito first challenged WBC flyweight champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam in 2002 and was stopped 34 seconds into the opening round. He met the Thai champion again in October 2005; an injury ended that bout in round seven. The Japan Times’ report covers the 2005 rematch and recalls the rapid first-round defeat.
On July 18, 2007, Naito beat Wonjongkam on points in their third meeting to win the WBC and lineal flyweight championships. The WBC’s retrospective describes the title change as Naito’s third attempt against the champion.
Naito defended the WBC belt against Daiki Kameda in October 2007. Koki Kameda took the title from him by unanimous decision on November 29, 2009, according to the Associated Press report. Naito continued fighting after the loss and announced his retirement in 2011. BoxingScene reported a final professional record of 36 wins, three losses and three draws, with 23 knockouts.
Sources
Career records and reporting: boxrec.com.
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
