Takao Sakurai
Encyclopedia
was a former professional
boxer
who won the gold
medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics
.
, and captured the Olympic boxing gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics
in his senior year. In the finals, he knocked down his opponent 3 times in 2 rounds, capturing the win by RSC, and becoming the only Japanese boxer ever to win Olympic gold. His record in the amateurs was 138-13.
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.
division.
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who won the gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1964 Summer Olympics:It was held October 11 to 23.-Medal table:-Medal summary:Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1964 Summer Olympics:It was held October 11 to 23....
.
Amateur career
Sakurai began boxing in high school, keeping his training secret to his parents. He entered Chuo UniversityChuo University
Chuo University is a one of the Japanese leading universities. Thus it is competitive in several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university has been ranked 27th, 25th, 34th during 2008-2010 respectively in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai.-Research...
, and captured the Olympic boxing gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics
Boxing at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1964 Summer Olympics:It was held October 11 to 23.-Medal table:-Medal summary:Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1964 Summer Olympics:It was held October 11 to 23....
in his senior year. In the finals, he knocked down his opponent 3 times in 2 rounds, capturing the win by RSC, and becoming the only Japanese boxer ever to win Olympic gold. His record in the amateurs was 138-13.
Olympic Results
- Defeated Brian Packer (Great Britain) 4-1
- Defeated Cassis Aryee (Ghana) 5-0
- Defeated Nicolae Puiu (Romania) 5-0
- Defeated Washington RodríguezWashington RodríguezWashington Rodríguez Medina is a former Uruguayan boxer, who won the bronze medal in the men's bantamweight category at the 1964 Summer Olympics.-References:*...
(Uruguay) 5-0 - Defeated Chung Shin-ChoChung Shin-ChoChung Shin-Cho is a former amateur boxer from South Korea.He competed for South Korea in the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan in the bantamweight event where he finished in second place.- Results :-References:*...
(South Korea) RSC
Professional career
Sakurai's feat in the Olympics heightened hopes for his professional career, and he made his professional debut in March, 1965. He won 21 straight fights, but was unable to make a full transition from his cautious, amateur boxing style to a more aggressive, professional style. He would win only 4 fights by knockout out of his 32 professional fights.Sakurai challenged Lionel Rose
Lionel Rose
Lionel Edmund Rose MBE was an Australian bantamweight boxer, the first Indigenous Australian to win a world title.-Early life:...
for the world bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including 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
Rubén Olivares
Rubén Olivares is a former Mexican boxer and current member of the Boxing Hall of Fame. A native of Mexico City, Olivares was a world champion multiple times, and considered by many as the greatest bantamweight champion of all time. He was very popular among Mexicans, many of whom considered him...
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.
Post Retirement
He founded his own sports club and boxing gym in Tokyo, and currently works as a trainer there. His eldest son has also had a successful amateur boxing career, winning a national tournament in the featherweightFeatherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
division.