# Akira Yaegashi

Akira Yaegashi (八重樫 東, Yaegashi Akira, born February 25, 1983) is a Japanese former professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2019. He was a three-weight world champion, having held the WBA mini-flyweight title from 2011 to 2012, the WBC and The Ring flyweight titles from 2013 to 2014, and the IBF light-flyweight title from 2015 to 2016. He is an alumnus of the Takushoku University.

## Professional career

Yaegashi finished his amateur career with a record of 56–14 after winning the Inter-High School Championship and the National Sports Festival of Japan. His professional debut was at the Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in March 2005. He won the vacant OPBF mini-flyweight title there via a fifth-round technical knockout in April 2006 and defended the title once before vacating it.
In his first world title shot against the WBC mini-flyweight champion Eagle Kyowa at the Pacifico Yokohama in June 2007, Yaegashi lost for the first time by a wide points margin after suffering a broken TMJ in two places due to an accidental headbutt in the second round.
After a nearly eleven-month absence from the ring, Yaegashi restarted his career, but lost in the semi-final match of the annual Japanese title elimination tournament nicknamed "The Strongest in Korakuen" at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo in July 2008. It was in June 2009 that Yaegashi won the vacant Japanese mini-flyweight title at the IMP Hall in Osaka. He defended the title three times before returning it.
Yaegashi won the WBA mini-flyweight title in his second world title shot against Thai's Pornsawan Porpramook via a tenth-round technical knockout at the Korakuen Hall on October 24, 2011. It was a very tough fight. Before the final round began, Yaegashi's manager Ohashi said to him "Come back for your son". The fight earned accolades from international media, winning Fight of the Year honors from ESPN.com and BoxingScene.com, as well as the WBA's award for Most Dramatic Fight of 2011.
On June 20, 2012, in a match that marked the first time two Japanese fighters had met to unify world titles, he lost to the WBC champion Kazuto Ioka via a unanimous decision at the Bodymaker Colosseum. When asked whether the result would have been different unless he got swollen eyes, Yaegashi said "We should not think about it. There is no if's in boxing". The day after the fight, Ioka decided to move up a weight division. So, Yaegashi's team hope the rematch with Ioka in a higher division as their second unification bout. First, Yaegashi aims to win a world championship again.
Yaegashi returned to the ring in a light-flyweight bout at the Korakuen Hall on January 5, 2013, to knock out Saenmuangloei Kokietgym in the ninth round.
Yaegashi became a two-weight class champion when he defeated defending WBC and The Ring flyweight champion, Toshiyuki Igarashi in a unanimous decision on April 8, 2013, in Tokyo, Japan. On 12 August 2013, Yaegashi successfully defended his title by defeating Mexican fighter Oscar Blanquet. Yaegashi floored Blanquet in the 8th round on his way to a points victory.
Yaegashi became a three-weight world champion after defeating IBF light-flyweight champion Javier Mendoza via unanimous decision.

## Professional boxing record

| 35 fights | 28 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 16 | 4 |
| By decision | 12 | 3 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 35 | Loss | 28–7 | Moruti Mthalane | TKO | 9 (12), 2:54 | Dec 23, 2019 | Yokohama Arena, Japan | For IBF flyweight title |
| 34 | Win | 28–6 | Sahaphap Bunop | TKO | 2 (10), 2:25 | Apr 8, 2019 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 33 | Win | 27–6 | Hirofumi Mukai | TKO | 7 (10), 2:55 | Aug 17, 2018 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 32 | Win | 26–6 | Frans Damur Palue | TKO | 2 (10), 2:24 | Mar 26, 2018 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 31 | Loss | 25–6 | Milan Melindo | TKO | 1 (12), 2:45 | May 21, 2017 | Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan | Lost IBF light-flyweight title |
| 30 | Win | 25–5 | Wittawas Basapean | TKO | 12 (12), 2:13 | Dec 30, 2016 | Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan | Retained IBF light-flyweight title |
| 29 | Win | 24–5 | Martin Tecuapetla | SD | 12 | May 8, 2016 | Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan | Retained IBF light-flyweight title |
| 28 | Win | 23–5 | Javier Mendoza | UD | 12 | Dec 29, 2015 | Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan | Won IBF light-flyweight title |
| 27 | Win | 22–5 | Said Fahdafi | KO | 3 (10), 1:10 | Aug 20, 2015 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 26 | Win | 21–5 | Songseanglek Phosuwangym | TKO | 2 (8), 2:05 | May 1, 2015 | Ota-City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 25 | Loss | 20–5 | Pedro Guevara | KO | 7 (12), 2:45 | Dec 30, 2014 | Metropolitan Gym, Tokyo, Japan | For vacant WBC light-flyweight title |
| 24 | Loss | 20–4 | Román González | TKO | 9 (12), 2:24 | Sep 5, 2014 | Yoyogi #2 Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Lost WBC and The Ring flyweight titles |
| 23 | Win | 20–3 | Odilon Zaleta | KO | 9 (12), 2:14 | Apr 6, 2014 | Ota-City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles |
| 22 | Win | 19–3 | Édgar Sosa | UD | 12 | Dec 6, 2013 | Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles |
| 21 | Win | 18–3 | Oscar Blanquet | UD | 12 | Aug 12, 2013 | Ota-City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles |
| 20 | Win | 17–3 | Toshiyuki Igarashi | UD | 12 | Apr 8, 2013 | Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan | Won WBC and The Ring flyweight titles |
| 19 | Win | 16–3 | Saenmuangloei Kokietgym | KO | 9 (10), 2:52 | Jan 5, 2013 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 18 | Loss | 15–3 | Kazuto Ioka | UD | 12 | Jun 20, 2012 | Bodymaker Colosseum, Osaka, Japan | Lost WBA mini-flyweight title; For WBC mini-flyweight title |
| 17 | Win | 15–2 | Pornsawan Porpramook | TKO | 10 (12), 2:38 | Oct 24, 2011 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Won WBA mini-flyweight title |
| 16 | Win | 14–2 | Norihito Tanaka | UD | 10 | Apr 2, 2011 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Retained Japanese mini-flyweight title |
| 15 | Win | 13–2 | Kosuke Takeichi | UD | 10 | May 1, 2010 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Retained Japanese mini-flyweight title |
| 14 | Win | 12–2 | Junichiro Kaneda | UD | 10 | Sep 5, 2009 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Retained Japanese mini-flyweight title |
| 13 | Win | 11–2 | Kenichi Horikawa | UD | 10 | Jun 21, 2009 | IMP Hall, Osaka, Japan | Won vacant Japanese mini-flyweight title |
| 12 | Win | 10–2 | Srisaket Sor Rungvisai | TKO | 3 (8), 2:11 | Mar 17, 2009 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 11 | Win | 9–2 | Takumi Suda | UD | 8 | Oct 18, 2008 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 10 | Win | 8–2 | Thongthailek Sor Tanapinyo | TKO | 2 (8), 2:35 | Sep 15, 2008 | Pacifico, Yokohama, Japan | |
| 8 | Loss | 7–2 | Masatate Tsuji | MD | 6 | Jul 1, 2008 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Yasuhiro Hisada | UD | 10 | Apr 30, 2008 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 7 | Loss | 6–1 | Eagle Den Junlaphan | UD | 12 | Jun 4, 2007 | Pacifico, Yokohama, Japan | For WBC mini-flyweight title |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Liempetch Sor Veerapol | KO | 1 (12), 2:55 | Sep 18, 2006 | Pacifico, Yokohama, Japan | Retained WBC-OPBF mini-flyweight title |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Weerasak Chuwatana | KO | 5 (12), 2:19 | Apr 3, 2006 | Bunka Gym, Yokohama, Japan | Won vacant WBC-OPBF mini-flyweight title |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Elmer Gejon | UD | 10 | Dec 5, 2005 | Bunka Gym, Yokohama, Japan | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Danchai Sithsaithong | KO | 2 (8), 1:38 | Aug 22, 2005 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Poonsawat Eausampan | KO | 1 (8), 2:50 | May 18, 2005 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Omoyoshi Nakayama | KO | 1 (6), 1:20 | Mar 26, 2005 | Bunka Gym, Yokohama, Japan | |

## Exhibition boxing record

| 3 fights | 0 wins | 0 losses |
| Non-scored | 3 | 3 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 3 | — | 0–0 (3) | Taku Kuwahara | — | 2 | 28 Nov 2020 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Non-scored bout |
| 2 | — | 0–0 (2) | Katsuki Mori | — | 2 | 1 Jul 2019 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Non-scored bout |
| 1 | — | 0–0 (1) | Naoya Inoue | — | 2 | 19 May 2014 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Non-scored bout |

## Titles in boxing
### Major world titles

* WBA minimumweight champion (105 lbs)
* IBF light flyweight champion (108 lbs)
* WBC flyweight champion (112 lbs)

### The Ring magazine titles

* The Ring flyweight champion (112 lbs)

### Regional/International titles

* OPBF minimumweight champion (105 lbs)
* Japanese minimumweight champion (105 lbs)

## Recognitions

* 2011 ESPN.com Fight of the Year
* 2011 BoxingScene.com Fight of the Year
* 2011 WBA Most Dramatic Fight