Often boxing fans and writers alike view a single loss early in a fighters career as the end or as proof that they aren't able to cut it at a top level. What boxing fans often forget is that current top fighters like Bernard Hopkins, Juan Manuel Maruqez and Manny Pacquiao all lost early in their careers and as a result I'm happy to often ignore a single loss, just like I'm doing with Japanese Bantamweight Ryosuke Iwasa (12-1, 9).
The 22 year old Iwasa of Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan is a fighter who came to the boxing worlds attention last year in one of the stand out Eastern battle of last year as Iwasa was outlasted by current WBC Bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka. Whilst Iwasa was stopped in the 10th round of that bout against Yamanaka he showed real glimpses of talent and the sort of potential that boxing fans need to get excited.
Even before the Yamanaka performance many had high hopes for Iwasa who had impressively come through the Japanese amateur ranks having been a former High School champion and as a result when Iwasa turned professional in 2008 aged just 18 the expectations were high. On his debut Iwasa stopped Shinya Takahashi a tough Japanese journeyman in 5 rounds, Takahashi had never been stopped before the bout and this just boosted the expectations of Iwasa.
Rather than fighting a host of easy fights Iwasa was some what fast tracked up the levels and in just 7 fights he had stepped up to facing Kinshiro Usui (who was 19-2 going into their bout) a man who had been unlucky not to have won the Japanese Bantamweight title just a few fights earlier. Impressively Iwasa would stop Usui in 4 rounds becoming the first man to stop him.
After the win over Usui Iwasa would then face Yamanaka in their thrilling 10 round battle for the Japanese Bantamweight title. Whilst Iwasa was eventually stopped by his older and more experienced foe he showed enough for boxing fans to remain excited about him, he had proven his determination, he had shown his heart and skills.The loss to Yamanaka looked even better just months later as Yamanaka won the WBC Bantamweight title stopping Christian Esquivel in 11 rounds.
Iwasa would bounce back from the loss to Yamanaka by quickly blowing out Rasmanudin (a former IIndonesian champion at Bantamweight who had entered the bout with a record of 13-1-2) in just 2 rounds. Then, just weeks after Yamanaka had won the world title, Iwasa managed to get his second chance at winning the Japanese Bantamweight title when he faced Zerofit Jerope Zuiyama (who was 24-2-3 entering the bout). Iwasa would out point the Filipino born Japanese based Zuiyama over the 10 round distance to claim the national title that he's now defended twice beating both Yuki Murai (KO1) and Kentaro Masuda (TKO7).
Next time out Iwasa faces former 2-time title challenger David de la Mora (24-2, 17) who is well known in Japan following a razor thin title bout with 3-weight world champion Koki Kameda, however last time out de la Mora was easily stopped by Anselmo Moreno. Iwasa will go in to the bout as the small favourite, though a win here should seriously boost him up the world rankings.
Iwasa's record of 12-1 (7) may not on paper look mind blowing but when you consider his only loss is to a current world champion and in a toe-to-toe war it's easy to excuse it. It's also worth noting that Yamanaka has since defeated Australian based Armenian Vic Darchinyan in just a few weeks.
