For a lot of boxing fans they don’t hear about rising Japanese fighters until they reach the level of a Naoya Inoue or a Kosei Tanaka which is a shame as Japan has a vast variety of exciting fighters to watch. I’m going to focus on one of their brightest prospects in my opinion and one that few outside of the extreme hardcores of the sport would have heard of. If you haven’t yet heard the name Jin Sasaki then your missing out on a bright prospect and i’m here to fill that gap in your knowledge. While hes not known now I assure you that in the future he’ll be one of the biggest names to come out of Japan.
Jin Sasaki is a 19 year old fighter who has been pro for a little over two years and in that time has amassed a record of 9-0 with 8 knockouts. His early competition wasn’t the best but thats to be expected of a prospect who turns pro so young. In his recent bouts hes started going the traditional Japanese route where they test their prospects ruthlessly by throwing them in with other young hungry fighters who are all competing to get regional title shots and eventually make it to world level.
Sasaki is a very confident fighter and person in general who clearly believes in himself which is a good sign for the future. He has a lot of power combined with good timing and punch selection which has led to him knocking out eight of his nine opponents. He uses the jab well to set up his punches which is impressive for someone just starting their career. You won’t find many prospects who are more ferocious finishers than Sasaki who really goes for it when he hurts his opponents.
At this stage of his career he always pushes forward and goes for the knockout which does lead to him loading up on punches. With his aggressive style comes a cost to his defence which isn’t horrible but hes certainly hittable and I imagine fighters at a higher level will try to exploit his over eagerness. These aren’t major concerns however and with him being 19 years old he has a long time to work on his craft and improve.
I think his combination of punching power and confidence gives him the real possibility of being a future star as long as he stays dedicated and keeps improving. He has a exciting fight lined up with Aso Ishiwaki who is a major step up. I imagine that fight will be competitive and I can’t wait too see it especially because it will be streamed free on youtube on December the 26th at the A-Sign boxing channel.
Boxing Fulcrum 