Takao Sakurai boxer
- bouts
- 32
- won
- 30
- lost
- 2
- draw
- 0
- Status
- inactive
- Division
- bantamweight
- Debut
- 1965-06-03
- Height
- 5′ 4½″/164cm
- Reach
- -
- Age
- 70
- Born
- 1941-09-25
- Death
- 2012-01-10
- Nationality
- Japan
Takao Sakurai (桜井 孝雄, Sakurai Takao, September 25, 1941 – January 10, 2012) was a Japanese boxer who won a gold medal at the 1964 Olympics.Born in Sawara, Chiba, Sakurai began boxing in high school, keeping his training secret to his parents. Although there was no trainer in his high school, Sakurai won the Japan's inter-high school championship in the bantamweight division in 1960. Then he entered Chuo University, and won the All-Japan Amateur Boxing Championships in the bantamweight division in 1963. Sakurai captured the Olympic boxing gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in his senior year. In the final versus Chung Shin-Cho of South Korea, he knocked down his opponent three times in less than two rounds. The referee stopped the contest. Sakurai became the first Japanese boxer to win Olympic gold, with Ryōta Murata winning the second Olympic gold in boxing for Japan in the middleweight division in the 2012 London Olympics. His career record in amateur competition was 138-13.Below are the results of Takao Sakurai, a Japanese bantamweight boxer, who competed at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics:Sakurai's feat in the Olympics heightened hopes for his professional career, and he made his professional debut from Misako Boxing Gym in March, 1965. He won 22 straight fights, but was unable to make a full transition from his cautious, amateur boxing style to a more aggressive, professional style. He could win only 4 fights by knockout out of his 32 professional fights.Sakurai challenged Lionel Rose for the world bantamweight title on July 2, 1968. He got a knockdown in the 2nd round, but ended up losing by decision in 15 rounds. He suffered the first knockout loss of his career against Rubén Olivares in May, 1969 in a non-title match. Later that year, he won the OPBF bantamweight title, which he defended twice before announcing his retirement in 1970. His professional record was 30-2-0 (4KOs), and he was the top-ranked world bantamweight contender when he retired.Sakurai founded his own boxing gym One Two Sports Club, in Tsukiji, Chūō, Tokyo, and worked as a trainer there. He was the first man to practice Koichi Wajima's "Frog Jump" punch under the guidance of Hitoshi Misako who is the president of Misako Boxing Gym where he trained during his career as a boxer. His eldest son has also had a successful amateur boxing career, winning a national tournament in the featherweight division.
Date | Opponent | Last Opponents' Results | Place | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1970-11-28 | Joe Malonso | LWLLLL | WIN Points |
|
1970-05-23 | Alberto Jangalay | WWDLLW | Sapporo | WIN Unanimous decision |
1970-02-26 | Koichi Okada | WWWWWW | Utsunomiya | WIN Points |
1969-10-23 | Won-Suk Lee | LLLWWW | WIN Unanimous decision |
|
1969-09-18 | Katsuyoshi Takayama | DDWWLW | Korakuen Hall | WIN Unanimous decision |
1969-05-23 | Ruben Olivares | WWWWWW | Forum, Inglewood | LOST Technical knockout |
1969-03-27 | Won-Suk Lee | WWWWDL | WIN Unanimous decision |
|
1969-01-02 | Ushiwakamaru Harada | LWDDDW | WIN Unanimous decision |
|
1968-10-03 | Romy Guelas | LLDLWL | WIN Unanimous decision |
|
1968-07-02 | Lionel Rose | WWWWWW | Nippon Budokan | LOST Majority decision |
1968-05-23 | Ramiro Nides | WLLWLW | WIN Unanimous decision |
|
1968-04-18 | Yoshimoto Suda | LWWLLW | WIN Unanimous decision |
|
1968-02-08 | Akihide Tamaoka | WLLLWW | WIN Unanimous decision |
|
1967-11-30 | Chang Soo Yun | LLLL | WIN KO |
|
1967-09-21 | Chang Soo Moon | LLLLLL | WIN Points |
|
1967-07-27 | Soo Kang Suh | LWWWLL | WIN Points |
|
1967-06-01 | Chang Soo Kim | L | Niigata | WIN KO |
1967-04-12 | Tetsuya Yamagami | LWDLLL | Osaka | WIN Points |
1967-02-16 | Yoshio Nakane | WWWWWW | WIN Points |
|
1966-12-08 | Toyoharu Mizuta | LWWDWD | WIN Points |
|
1966-10-06 | Katsutoshi Aoki | LLLLWL | WIN Points |
|
1966-07-11 | Un Mo Oh | LLL | Miyagi Sports Center, Sendai | WIN Points |
1966-05-26 | Dong Chun Lee | WLLDLW | WIN Points |
|
1966-04-18 | Pat Gonzales | LLWWWL | Sapporo | WIN Points |
1966-03-17 | Chung Hwan Chang | L | Okayama City | WIN Points |
1966-02-15 | Bonny Boromeo | WWLLLL | Shizuoka | WIN KO |
1966-02-03 | Tatsuya Takami | LDWLLL | WIN Points |
|
1965-12-30 | Toyoharu Mizuta | WWWLWW | WIN Points |
|
1965-11-18 | Takeo Bando | WWLDLD | WIN Points |
|
1965-09-30 | Segmundo Macalalad | WLLLLD | WIN KO |
|
1965-08-05 | Akio Furuki | WWLLLL | WIN Points |
|
1965-06-03 | Atom Hatai | WWWLLL | WIN Points |