My Town Inagi 2016 Yota Shigemori, Kenji Watanabe
Updated: October 13, 2016
The secret of strength Kickboxing to the top
The two who sweat every day at the Ibara Dojo Inagi Kickboxing Gym are Japanese kickboxing champions. We asked him about his story from childhood, which is the starting point, until he grabbed the belt.
Yota Shigemori Japan Featherweight Champion
Kenji Watanabe Japan Welterweight Champion
Both of you currently live in Inagi City, but where are you from? Have you played sports since you were little?
Shigemori : Born and raised in Inagi. I started kickboxing at the age of 5, and other activities included soccer, swimming, and gymnastics.
Watanabe : I am originally from Tochigi Prefecture. I have loved sports since I was a child, running track and field in middle school and playing rugby in high school.
Please tell us why you started kickboxing and how it has evolved to this point.
Shigemori : I started kickboxing when my parents took me when I was five years old, and two months later I fought in my first fight. The reason I was able to continue was that I was able to win from the beginning, and that I was more intuitive than in other sports. After that, he transferred to this Ihara dojo when he was in the fifth grade of elementary school, and practiced repeatedly, and became the bantamweight champion in the third year of high school.
Watanabe : I started rugby in high school and didn't get good results, but I learned about the world of kickboxing, which allows you to compete on your own. After becoming a student champion in college, he started working as a professional and in July 2014 won the welterweight championship belt.
How did you feel when you got the championship belt for the first time?
Shigemori : In my first title fight, I fought like crazy and won in the second round by KO. When I got the belt, I didn't really feel it at first, but now that I'm in a position where I'm targeted as a champion, I've started to realize that I'm a champion.
Watanabe : I'm relieved to have the belt in my hand. Actually, I challenged the title match three times and was able to win the third time. I thought that if I didn't get the belt, I would regret it for the rest of my life, so it was worth the effort.
Please give a message to those who are going to challenge from now on.
Shigemori : Many people think that it takes time for a person to change, but through kickboxing, I feel that it doesn't take that long. In kickboxing, the practice menu before the match is different from usual, and I will build my body and motivation in the three weeks before the match. People can change even in a short period of time.
Watanabe : I like the phrase, "If you do it, you can do it." I believe that if you try, you can do it. Don't give up easily, take up the challenge. I made many sacrifices to pursue my dream of becoming a champion. If you put your all into the challenge, you can definitely make your dreams come true.
Inquiries regarding this page
Inagi City Planning Department Secretary Public Relations Division
2111 Higashi-Naganuma, Inagi-shi, Tokyo
Phone: 042-378-2111 Fax: 042-377-4781
