Akinobu Hiranaka
| Akinobu Hiranaka | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Nobuaki Hiranaka |
| Nickname(s) | none |
| Rated at | Light welterweight |
| Nationality |
 Japanese
|
| Born | November 14, 1963 Okinawa, Japan |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 22 |
| Wins | 20 |
| Wins by KO | 18 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Akinobu Hiranaka (平仲 明信, born Nobuaki Hiranaka, on November 14, 1963 in Okinawa, Japan) is a former world champion boxer in the Light welterweight (Super lightweight or former Junior welterweight) division. He won the WBA Junior Welterweight championship of the world in 1992, and competed at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
He is one of the few Japanese champions that lacked financial backing from large gyms or television companies, and he had to personally negotiate with opponents to land a shot at the world title.
Hiranaka won an amateur boxing tournament in high school, training at the local Ryukyu boxing gym. He continued boxing at Nippon University, and fought in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics while attending (he lost in the second round). He had a successful amateur career, making 37 of his 43 wins by knockout.
Hiranaka's success in the amateur ring made him one of Japan's best prospects in the light welterweight division. He won the Japanese light welterweight title in only his fourth professional fight, knocking out his opponent in the 6th round. Hiranaka became the WBA's top-ranked fighter in the light welterweight division, but lack of financial support made it difficult for him to challenge the world title. He had to defend the Japanese light welterweight title 9 times before finally getting a fight at the world stage.
Hiranaka challenged Juan Martin Coggi of Argentina in Italy on April 29, 1989, for the WBA title. Hiranaka knocked Coggi down twice in the third round. However, Hiranaka lost by a decision for the first loss of his career. This match was controversial for the decision with excessive favor to the Italian-Argentine boxer Coggi, while Coggi was knocked down by Hiranaka twice and has been inferior to Hiranaka at performance throughout 12 rounds. Among many boxing fans, there have been the strong voice that the victory should have been given to Hiranaka, since the match was owned by him.
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