JAPANESE boxing is thriving, currently holding 11 male world titles and boasting pound-for-pound superstars Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani, who are expected to meet in what could be the most captivating clash in the country’s proud boxing history.
However, Japan’s success on the global stage is not a fleeting moment but a sign of greater things to come, with numerous Japanese prodigies emerging from the amateur circuit.
Now, one of Japan’s most highly touted amateurs is set to make his professional debut in the United States on one of the biggest cards of the year, aiming to become a global superstar in the years ahead.
Reito Tsutsumi, brother of super-featherweight contender Hayato Tsutsumi, 6-0 (3 KOs), won five high school national titles, the gold medal at the 2021 World Youth Championships in Poland, and the All-Japanese University Championships in 2023.
Thanks to this pedigree, Tsutsumi will do what Inoue and Nakatani did not—debut with an A-class license, becoming only the third fighter in Japanese boxing history to do so, following Ryota Murata and Tomoya Tsuboi.
This license allows the 23-year-old southpaw to compete in eight-round contests immediately, but that has not stopped the world title hopeful, who leaves the amateur ranks with a 59-2 record, from agreeing to a six-round bout for his professional debut.
On social media, boxing reporter Mike Coppinger revealed that Tsutsumi will debut on the unique Times Square card in New York, facing Chicago’s Levale Whittington, 1-2-1 (1 KO), in a six-round super-featherweight contest that will be watched around the world.
Speaking at a press conference following news of his switch to the professional ranks, Tsutsumi outlined his goal to become a world champion within 10 professional bouts and to dominate multiple weight-classes, starting with the featherweight division despite fighting at 130lbs for his debut.
“There are no Japanese world champions in this weight class. I understand that it will be a tough road. My ideal would be to become world champion in my 10th fight. I want to keep challenging strong fighters and aim to win multiple weight classes and become a unified champion.”
