Kenji Yonekura
| Kenji Yonekura 米倉 健司 |
|
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Kenji Yonekura Japanese: 米倉 健治 |
| Weight(s) |
flyweight bantamweight |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Born |
25 May 1934 Nōgata, Fukuoka, Japan |
| Stance | orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 24 |
| Wins | 13 |
| Wins by KO | 1 |
| Losses | 10 |
| Draws | 1 |
Kenji Yonekura (米倉 健司 Yonekura Kenji, born May 25, 1934) is a retired Japanese boxer who competed at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games in the flyweight division, and is a former two-time world title challenger in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions. Currently he is the president of Yonekura Boxing Gym.
Yonekura saw the United States Armed Forces' boxing fights in Itazuke Air Base, that was his first encounter with boxing. Yonekura began boxing at the age of a high school student. He was training and sparring with Yoshio Shirai under Alvin Rober Cahn's guidance.
Yonekura won the All-Japan Amateur Boxing Championships in the flyweight division in 1956, and represented Japan at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, while studying at Meiji University. He won on points over Phachon Muangson in the second round match, and lost on points to René Libeer in the quarterfinals. He also participated in the Seattle Golden Gloves in 1957, and compiled an amateur record of 71–7 (19 KOs) before turning professional.
Yonekura made his professional debut under his real name Kenji Yonekura, written as 米倉 健治, in an eight-round bout in June 1958. Before his official debut, he made an exhibition match against the Japanese flyweight champion Sadao Yaoita as a welcome bout for the NBA's public relations manager. He was awarded with Japan's Fight of the Year and Technical Award in his debut year. His ring name was changed into 米倉 健志, pronounced the same, during his professional career. He captured the vacant Japanese flyweight title in January 1959.
His first world title shot against Pascual Pérez in the flyweight division, which was postponed three days due to rain, ended in a unanimous decision loss after being knocked down in the second round, in front of 9,000 spectators at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in August 1959. However, as Yonekura had been highly expected to be the winner of it as a former Olympian, its audience rating was 88.0 percent. Yonekura was featured on the front covers of not only boxing-related such as (Japan's) Boxing Gazette, Puroresu & Boxing and Weekly Sports: Fight, but also various magazines such as Weekly Shōnen Magazine, Weekly Yomiuri Sports, Weekly Sankei Sports and Olympic Gahō, as a handsome superstar.
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