Real name Kosei Tanaka Total fights 5 Number of contests 0 Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) Losses 0 Rated at Minimumweight | Nationality Japanese Name Kosei Tanaka Wins by ko 2 Stance Orthodox Role Boxer | |
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Born June 15, 1995 (age 28)
Tajimi, Gifu, Japan ( 1995-06-15 ) | ||
Kosei Tanaka
Kosei Tanaka (田中 恒成, Tanaka Kōsei) is a Japanese professional boxer. He is a two-weight world champion, having held the WBO junior-flyweight title since 2016 and previously the WBO minimumweight title from 2015 to 2016.
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Kosei tanaka highlights knockouts
Career
Tanaka won several national championships at the amateur level in the light flyweight weight class. He progressed to the quarter-finals of the 2012 AIBA Youth World Championships before losing to Lalitha Prasad Pollipalli. Tanaka turned pro at the age of 18 in 2013. In November 2014, Tanaka defeated previously unbeaten Ryuji Hara by round 10 TKO to win the OPBF minimumweight title. In his next fight, Tanaka decisioned Julian Yedras (117-111, 117-111, 115-113) to win the WBO minimumweight title. Tanaka holds the Japanese record for winning a world title in the fewest number of fights, at 5 fights. Tanaka's only title defense at minimumweight came against Vic Saludar, whom he knocked out in round 6 after a left hook to the body. Saludar knocked down Tanaka in round 6, and had won every round on all scorecards prior to the stoppage.
Junior-flyweight
In December 2016, Tanaka challenged former minimumweight title holder Moisés Fuentes for the WBO junior-flyweight title. Tanaka dominated Fuentes, dropping him in round 5 before referee Raul Caiz Jr stopped the fight, giving Tanaka a TKO victory. With the win, Tanaka became a two-weight world champion in just 8 fights. Tanaka's first defense came against prospect Ángel Acosta. The former won a wide unanimous decision (117-110, 117-110, 116-111) and dropped Acosta once. Acosta had won all 16 of his previous fights by knockout.
Tanaka's second defense took place in September 2017 against little-known fighter Palangpol CP Freshmart. Tanaka was a huge favorite going into the fight, but Palangpol would prove to be Tanaka's toughest challenger so far, dropping the defending champion once in the first round and trading back-and-forth combinations for the rest of the bout. After a thrilling fight, Tanaka would finally gain the upper hand in round 9, as he knocked down Palangpol and continued to land big combinations as the challenger struggled to connect. Eventually, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight at 1:52 in round 9.
Tanaka had previously sought a unification bout against WBA titleholder Ryoichi Taguchi on December, but the injuries he sustained during the fight against Palangpol will prevent him from fighting on that date.