Sho Kimura
Japanese boxer
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Biography
Sho Kimura (Japanese: 木村翔; born November 24, 1988) is a Japanese professional boxer who currently holds the WBO flyweight title. Sho Kimura gained international recognition after a shocking upset against WBO World flyweight defending champion and 2- time Olympics champion Zou Shiming from China.
Professional Career
WBO Asia Pacific Title
on Nov 23, 2016, Kimura defeated Masahiro Sakamoto to win the WBO Asia Pacific flyweight title.
WBO World Title
On Jul 28, 2017, Sho Kimura defeated Zou Shiming by 11th round knockout to win the title in Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, Shanghai, China. Kimura entered the fight ranked number 7 by the WBO. He entered the fight as a 10-1 underdog. The fight was promoted by Zou with an entirely new training and management team.
Kimura stopped the two-time Olympic champion with a flurry of punches late in the 11th round of the 12-round contest. Zou collapsed flat on his back under the onslaught and waved no more to a stunned capacity crowd at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 28-year-old Kimura suffered a cut eye as early as the third round – from an accidental head butt – and needed medical attention in the sixth but he fought on doggedly, delivering his payload late in the 11th round. Kimura had Zou backed up against the ropes before he went for the kill, landing a good right hook before a furious left-right combination staggered Zou. The Chinese star then crumbled with exhaustion. Zou failed to get up and Filipino referee Danrex Tapdasan didn’t bother even to count as the audience stood in stunned silence.
Officially, the bout was marked as a technical knockout victory with the stoppage coming two minutes and 28 seconds into the 11th round. The 36-year-old Zunyi-born Chinese fighter eventually got up – after a full minute – and after Kimura rushed to his corner to offer his help. A tearful Zou hugged his wife, Ying Ying Ran, who stood in shock disbelief. He grabbed the microphone before making what could be the longest post-fight speech in history.
Professional Boxing Record
| Professional record summary | |||
| 18 fights | 15 wins | 1 losses | 2 draws |
| By knockout | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Opponent | Record | Type | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Win | Shiming Zou | 9 1 0 | TKO | Jul 28, 2017 | Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, Shanghai, China |
| 17 | Win | Wisitsak Saiwaew | 4 4 0 | KO | May 13, 2017 | Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, Hong Kong S.A.R., China |
| 16 | Win | Masahiro Sakamoto | 8 0 0 | MD | Nov 23, 2016 | Sumiyoshi SportsCenter, Osaka, Osaka, Japan |
| 15 | Win | Thiraphong Phaepho | Debut | KO | Jul 6, 2016 | Meenayothin Camp, Bangkok, Thailand |
| 14 | Win | Yamato Uchinono | 6 5 5 | TKO | May 12, 2016 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan |
| 13 | Win | Takayuki Teraji | 6 9 1 | TKO | Feb 29, 2016 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan |
| 12 | Win | Naoki Shoda | 4 10 1 | TKO | Nov 30, 2015 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan |
| 11 | Win | Ryo Narizuka | 7 5 0 | RTD | Sep 17, 2015 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan |
| 10 | Win | Kamon Singram | 0 23 0 | TKO | Jul 25, 2015 | Meenayothin Camp, Bangkok, Thailand |
| 9 | Win | Tomoyuki Kaneko | 7 4 1 | UD | May 26, 2015 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan |
| 8 | Draw | Isao Aoyama | 5 3 0 | MD | Feb 18, 2015 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan |
| 7 | Draw | Akira Kokubo | 1 3 2 | MD | Sep 26, 2014 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan |
| 6 | Win | Yuma Kudo | 3 0 1 | UD | Jul 1, 2014 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan |
| 5 | Win | Katsunori Shimooki | 3 3 1 | UD | Apr 4, 2014 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan |
| 4 | Win | Rungkeat Sithsaithong | Debut | PTS | Jan 29, 2014 | Suranaree Army Camp Stadium, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand |
| 3 | Win | Ryo Irie | 1 2 0 | UD | Nov 24, 2013 | Hero's Boxing Gym, Fukaya, Saitama, Japan |
| 2 | Win | Akira Kokubo | 1 2 0 | SD | Jul 24, 2013 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan |
| 1 | Loss | Shosuke Oji | Debut | KO | Apr 22, 2013 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan |
Personal life
Sho Kimura was born in Kumagaya, Saitama, Japan. And currently resides in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Kimura has one brother and his mother died at the age of 44. At the press conference after the WBO flyweight title fight, Kimura admitted that the big driving factor was his mother. The fighter stated that he was determined to take the title to his mother's grave, as he did with the WBO Asia Pacific title when he won that last year. It's clear that this is a personal mission for him and something that really is a driving factor with his career going forward.
Before winning the WBO flyweight title, Kimura had been working as a deliveryman in Tokyo and was under extreme financial pressure - a hardship experienced by many boxers in the early stages of their career. During this period, Kimura only had time for training in the evenings.