1. Fighting Harada is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the NYSAC, WBA, and The Ring undisputed flyweight titles from 1962 to 1963 and the WBA, WBC, and The Ring undisputed bantamweight titles from 1965 and 1968.
13 Facts About Fighting Harada
1. 2.
Fighting Harada is currently the president of the Japanese boxing association.
3.
Harada was arguably one of Japan's most popular boxers; his fame reached international status, and Puerto Rico's Wilfredo Gomez declared that Harada was his idol as a child.
4.
Fighting Harada was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995.
5.
On May 18,1965, Fighting Harada extended his winning streak to eight, when he defeated Lineal, WBA and WBC bantamweight champion Eder Jofre in Nagoya, by a contested fifteen round decision, to win his second world title.
6.
On June 1,1966, he and Jofre had a rematch in Tokyo, and Fighting Harada defeated Jofre in another dobious match, by a fifteen round decision.
7.
On January 3,1967, Fighting Harada retained his world bantamweight title with a fifteen round decision over Medel in Nagoya.
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Johnny Famechon 8.
On July 28,1969, after the WBA and WBC had split the world bantamweight title, Fighting Harada fought Australia's Johnny Famechon for the WBC world featherweight belt.
9.
Fighting Harada's management wanted the fight to be held in Tokyo, and so, on January 6,1970, Fighting Harada and Famechon met , this time at Tokyo's Metropolitan Gym.
10.
Fighting Harada dropped the champion in round ten, but Famechon recovered, knocking Fighting Harada off the ring in round fourteen and retaining the title by knockout in that round.
11.
Eder Jofre, one of the boxers Fighting Harada beat to win world titles, is enshrined at the IBHOF.
12.
Masahiko Fighting Harada became president of the Japanese Boxing Commission in 2002.
13.
On January 28,2004, as he was driving home from his office, Fighting Harada experienced a headache and he was found to have a brain hemorrhage which required hospitalisation.