By Cliff Rold

During the 1980s, with manufacturing jobs drying up and American automakers struggling to keep pace with increasingly popular Japanese models, the clarion call went out:

Buy American.

When it comes to boxing, parochial thinking is always easy to come by.  It’s not that foreign born fighters don’t catch on; Roberto Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez, and now Manny Pacquiao make mince meat of such thinking.  However, when fistic stars are “Made in the USA,” attention in the States is easier to come by.

It’s not unique to the U.S. 

Heavyweight David Haye is a superstar in the U.K. but currently only a hardcore fight fan favorite in the States.  Flyweight Koki Kameda pulls as many as half the television sets in Japan when he fights; he elicits “Kameda?  Did Cokie Roberts get married?” in the States.   

It’s a big world.  The health of the sport is well spoken for when diverse nations can create their own thriving markets.  That doesn’t mean America shouldn’t be exploring the import market.

Saturday night in Las Vegas, a Superfight is set to take place between Welterweights Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather.  It will be the weekend’s richest affair anywhere but it is only an “a,” rather than “the,” Superfight on tap. 

Friday night in Tokyo at the Nihon Budokan, Japanese fight fans will be cheering on national son Hozumi Hasegawa in what will be the biggest fight of his career and one of the biggest Bantamweight fights of the last thirty years.

Already a cult favorite amongst boxing’s diehards, should Hasegawa win this week it might be time for the American fight market to “Buy Japanese.” 

The 29-year old Hasegawa (28-2, 12 KO) is the reigning WBC Bantamweight (118 lb.) beltholder, defending ten times going back to April 16, 2005.  That was the day Hasegawa ended the six-year plus, fourteen defense run of Thai standout Veeraphol Sahaprom.  Hasegawa hasn’t looked back since. 

Reached for comment on Wednesday, Hasegawa stated surprise at his increasingly lengthy run.  “I did not imagine that I would defend the title for so long.”  Hasegawa remarked.  “I felt that this is a sport where only the strong survive.”  Hasegawa’s statement alludes to him not realizing how strong he could be.

He is not alone in the boxing world considering his recent performances. 

Hasegawa had scored only seven stoppages through his first twenty five contests.  During his reign, Hasegawa’s successes and accessibility through contemporary media outlets like YouTube has allowed him to be seen worldwide in ways Asian standouts of previous decades couldn’t hope for.  A southpaw boxer-puncher with exceptional hand speed, great balance, and tenacity, five consecutive knockouts, all inside four rounds, since 2008 have garnered him creeping recognition as one of the sport’s best, pound-for-pound. 

This publication has had Hasegawa in the top ten since 2009.  The March 2010 issue of Ring Magazine sites HBO’s ringside judge, Harold Lederman, as having Hasegawa in his top five.  Hasegawa wouldn’t pinpoint where he thinks he belongs but believes he does.  “I think I am in the top ten somewhere.”

The pleasant surprise of five straight early endings is chalked up to old fashioned work ethic by Hasegawa.  “I have not been doing anything different. It is just years of hard training paying off.” 

Those years of hard training began as a kid influenced to give the sport a try through familial ties.  “My father, who was a boxer himself, had suggested it.”  Learning his way towards what has become a fruitful career, Hasegawa credited 1990s Japanese standout as a figure of admiration. 

Kawashima was a lineal and WBC 115 lb. champion from 1994-97, posting six defenses before retiring after a split decision loss to the still-active Gerry Penalosa.  

Hasegawa has a chance to do something even his idol couldn’t do this week.

Mexico’s 31-year old Fernando Montiel (40-2-2, 30) is a beltholder in his third weight class after a WBO run at Flyweight and two runs at Jr. Bantamweight.  While only the WBC and WBA are recognized as valid governing bodies in Japan, the WBO is recognized in most of the rest of the world and it is from their pool of titlists that Hasegawa draws his latest challenge.  It will be a little bit of history at the opening bell.

This fight marks the first time two reigning, largely recognized Bantamweight titlists have faced off since April 23, 1977.  That was the date of the storied Battle of the Z-Boys, Carlos Zarate and Alfonso Zamora, a clash of WBC and WBA titlists which ultimately was contested over the weight limit to eliminate sanctioning fees.

Barring anyone missing weight, this fight will be at Bantamweight.  Given the politics, if Hasegawa wins, the WBO title will fall vacant.  Should Montiel win, he leaves with two belts.  That stipulation makes this the first even pseudo-unification of any kind at Bantamweight since the title first split, back when the WBC and WBA were the only sanctioning bodies, in 1972. 

Hasegawa recognizes the significance of the fight and his opponent.  “It is very important to me to fighting in such prominent match. This is a step to find out who is the best fighter out of all the world champions at this weight class.”   

It’s a good time to find out.  With four quality fighters holding belts, also including WBA titlist Anselmo Moreno (29-1-1, 10 KO) and IBF titlist Yonnhy Perez (20-0, 14 KO), peaking contenders like Abner Mares, former titlist Joseph Agbeko, and stars Vic Darchinyan and Nonito Donaire one class below, Bantamweight is having a thrilling run on talent. 

Fights like Hasegawa-Montiel make the talent matter. 

Even given the stakes, and the accomplishments of a Montiel who has gone 8-0-1 since a split decision loss in 2006 to former Bantamweight titlist Jhonny Gonzalez, Hasegawa isn’t ready to coronate Montiel his toughest foe just yet.  “Montiel is the most highly regarded fighter I have been matched up (with) so far.”  Hasegawa concedes.  “I will not know if he is the best fighter I have faced until I fight him.” 

Despite questions going into the fight about whether Montiel, a championship-level fighter for more than a decade, might have begun his inevitable slide, it’s likely he’ll be motivated for this one.  A motivated Montiel can definitely be the best fighter Hasegawa has ever seen.  A motivated Montiel can win.

If that does not happen, if Hasegawa secures his eleventh title defense, then speculation about what comes next will be heated.  Prior to signing to face Montiel, Hasegawa was expected by many to leave the Bantamweight division and chase bigger game.  Despite staying, possible struggles in making 118 lbs. generate logical questions.

Hasegawa dismisses any serious difficulties after what he described as “about eight weeks” in camp.  “I had a no problems making the weight for this fight,” he stated before adding tellingly, “but 122 lbs. would be easier to make.”  Asked if he would be staying at Bantamweight beyond the Montiel clash, Hasegawa added, “I can fight at 118lbs again if I can get a big fight at that weight. If I move up, I prefer to go up to Featherweight (126 lbs.) since there is not much of difference between 118 to 122 lbs.”

Featherweight would offer the chance of another Asian-Pacific rim mega-fight with that division’s best fighter, long reigning WBA titlist Chris John (43-0-2, 22 KO), based in Indonesia. 

No matter the division, it’s worth wondering if the ultra talented Hasegawa can be kept to Japan alone if he can get by Montiel this weekend.  “Yes I would like to fight abroad. I can see myself fighting for at least another 5 years,” Hasegawa stated. 

The implication is clear.  There is time for both travel and more accomplishment.  For now, Hasegawa prepares for arguably the most accomplished opponent of his career.  The chance to take his building underground buzz outside Japan to the next level is there.  Whether he can seize the opportunity, and what he can or will be able to do with it, remain to be seen.

He has to win to keep the import market open. 

Weekly Ledger

Cliff’s Notes…Report cards and predictions for both Hasegawa-Montiel and Mayweather-Mosley to come…staying on the latter, if Golden Boy’s prognostications of as many as 4 million pay-per-view buys is realistic, well, wow.  Some dead sport we have here…With these two fights on tap this week, what else is there to say.  Enjoy the action.

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com