January 13, 2013
TOKYO, JAPAN
The Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) and Sports Writers Club have elected the following awardees by evaluating their performance in the previous year:

Boxer of the Year: Kazuto Ioka (WBA light-fly champ)

Technique award: Shinsuke Yamanaka (WBC bantam titlist)

Valuable Victory award: Takashi Uchiyama (WBA super-feather kingpin)

Fighting Spirit award: Yota Sato (WBC super-fly ruler)

Effort award: Kohei Kono (WBA super-fly champ)

Knockout award: Shinsuke Yamanaka

Rookie award: Toshiyuki Igarashi (WBC fly titlist) and Naoya Inoue (a nineteen-year-old 108-pound sensation who easily demolished Filipino and Thai champs in his first pro two outings after winning seven national high school championships)

Fight of the Year: WBC/WBA light-fly unification bout between Kazuto Ioka and Akira Yaegashi on June 20

Female Boxer of the Year: Momo Koseki (WBC atom champ)

Female Fight of the Year: WBA super-fly title bout between Tsunami Tenkai and Naoko Yamaguchi on July 9

Best Amateur Boxer of the Year: Ryota Murata (the Olympic gold medalist in the middleweight category in Lodon)

Their good achievements will be highly expected also this year.
(1-13-2013)