the number one boxer in the world - kenya oshikiri's dream
as of currently, the number one boxer in the world is naoya inoue! i believe kenya oshikiri was based on him (at least to some extent). i will showcase some parallels below 🤩
also, this similarity is very interesting to kenya's characterization. in the stuff that i write (esp. related to kenya's future), having naoya as a benchmark/goal is a pattern that comes back often.
given each of their skills and fighting style, it is not out the ordinary to imagine kenya have the same amount of success.
the best boxer in the world is naoya inoue
pound-for-pound, naoya is the best boxer in the world right now. looking at his stats on the ring magazine website, we can see how he won all of his fights out his pro career with a very high KO percentage:
currently he is the undisputed champion in two weight classes, the means he hold all the world titles from all four major boxing organizations (WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF). know that only three boxers in history were able to achieve this.
looking at his stats, he has won more rounds where he completely dominated his opponent (he gets 10 points while his opponent gets 8) compared to rounds where he lost with one point deducted when compared to his opponent (10 points for him and 9 points for his opponent).
it is to note that his KO-to-win rate is very very high at almost 90%. looking at the stats of other number one ranked boxers (by the ring magazine) in other weight classes, it puts the number in perspective:
when it comes to his boxing style, many describe him as a boxer with textbook and perfect technique with a unique explosiveness. they note high mastery of the fundamentals, fast reflexes, lethal jabs (note the KO to win ratio) that overwhelms his opponents every time. someone even described him as a boxer with cat reflexes and i think it illustrates well the type of dexterity he possesses.
side note: i think technicality is a weakness for kenya. he has a lot of raw power and a foundation for good technique but most likely needs to work on his footwork and timing. sure, the weight class kenya is in plays different (less speed since heavier i think?), but still.
out of all the boxing styles, naoya is a boxer-puncher and excels at it since he has speed and high mobility.
all combined: style, skill and technique, naoya earned the following nickname:
"the monster": naoya's nickname
because of his overwhelming punching power and fighting style, he was called the monster. i am no boxing expert, but after watching some of his fights, he surely knows how to overwhelms his opponents.
as it relates to kenya, they technically share the same nickname " monster". naoya gained that nickname in 2015 after going pro in 2012. they call him "怪物” (kaibutsu). the funny thing is how people thought his looks were too refreshing at the time to be called that, but his fighting style said otherwise lmao
(naoya in 2015. it kind of makes sense that people would be not too keen to call him a monster, he was a 5'5" kind of cheerful looking newbie on the pro scene.)
is it to note that kenya was called a monster (by onidake, todoroki and yagami) more than once during LJ.
i don't speak japanese so take the following statement with a gain of salt. in japanese, the word to describe kenya is "化け物” (bakemono) instead of "怪物” (kaibutsu). in general use, these two words mean the same thing (i.e people use is synonymously) and there is a subtle difference between the two.
kaibutsu -> non-human creatures
bakemono -> human (?) that transformed/mutated into creatures
following this and given kenya's surge of power manifests, i think bakemono is suitable to use. also, naoya directly adopts the word "Monster" (in english) and it's translated the same way in the subs of LJ so i think it's a same assumption to say, the two words are used the same way.
something particular about what yagami says above is that the meaning a bit quite different in the original japanese text.
轟木も言ってたな。 押切は天才という言葉さえ生易しい。 化け物みたいな奴だって。
which loosely translates to:
"Todoroki said the same thing (about Mikimoto and Kenya's match). Kenya is past being called a genius, he's more like a monster."
interestingly enough, in an interview with EPSN in 2020, naoya says the following:
sure, at that time, naoya had just started in the unites states and LJ had yet to come out, but i believe discussions about him (not) being a genius were common in japan prior. for example, the phrase "僕は天才ではない" (i'm not a genius) is highlighted in his 2019 book "Switches to Win".
it's worth noting that fudo says this in the english subs:
the original japanese text differs quite a bit. "us, monsters" is simply an interpolation of "ワシら", which simply translates to "us". however, it think the distinction made in the english text is worth noting.
short with refreshing looks
this is very anecdotal, but given the weight classes naoya participated in throughout his career (light flyweight to super bantamweight - which is an effective 105-122lb weight range) and a height of 5'5", it's needless to say that he's a small guy with explosive power.
on the contrary, kenya is described as super lightweight via the boxing mini-game. SLW is the weight class of 140 to 147 lbs, making him heavier than naoya by default with an height of 5'9".
despite the game explicitly describing him as tall (of course he would be from amasawa's vanish point since she is 5'3"), it is to note that kenya is still a tad shorter than kento (6'1"). like sure, it doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things.
though, when talking about kenya and kento, kenya being the abnormally stronger and shorter one of the two remains a description that fits naoya. being 6'0" myself, i'm leaning towards this opinion, haha!
kenya's path to the top of the world or rock bottom
as mentioned earlier, given naoya's progress and skills, i think it would be reasonable for kenya to have him as a goal and/or have a similar progression. todoroki most likely thinks the same:
then, it becomes interesting to explore how kenya (and by extent, yua too) would deal with sudden fame, the pressure of being a prodigy that rode the wave all the way to the top of the boxing scene nationally (and most likely internationally too) almost overnight.
not to forget that he's so skilled that went from a nobody to a pro with little "legit" amateur experience - which is not the case with naoya. his professional debut was in 2012 while he started boxing in junior high-school (prior to 2009).
in comparison, the dissolution of the omi alliance was in 2019, marking the moment when kenya and his mom fled osaka. it happened two years before LJ, meaning kenya was 14 at the time. a safe assumption can be made that he started boxing after leaving the karate club. it means with less than a year at todoroki's gym and fights in the genbukai (after getting banned at the gym), kenya was able to show a high level of skill in a much shorter amount of time.
i mention this because as he's about to become pro with this amount of skills and just proved to himself to be stronger than his dad (which marks the first moment he's able to let go of fudo's shackles), it's likely that his progression will be even faster.
ok, but what about the speed of his progression?
this is me being extremely realistic about it:
the thing is, post LJ, it would be unrealistic to think he was able to heal from and unpack all of the trauma and abuse with solely the power of friendship as quickly - despite what yagami says:
i just think the chances of having to unpack and heal from his past trauma all while rising all the way up to the top of the boxing world might be tough to handle.
i'm not saying i don't agree with what yagami said - because i do think kenya will be okay in the grand scheme of things. all things considered, he has a good support system (yua, yagami, todoroki, sakuma, mikimoto even, his mom and a therapist), he has the will to be better as person and a renewed perspective on what it means to be a real boxer:
no doubt kenya will take this very seriously.
i could expand on how things could go wrong with these conditions (his career, his relationship with yua, etc.), but i doubt it's very necessary. no matter what again, i still think at the end of it all, kenya will alway beat the odds no matter what. it's kind of funny how i (kind of) refuted yagami's statement earlier only to echo back on the same sentiment. still, it's important to highlight that the odds he's beating here are (not impossible) but very tough.
i highlight this because the impression one can be left with after the end of his side story (and the fact didn't took immediate action against fudo), is how everything has been resolved - as simple as that. almost like a happily ever after.
however ,after giving it some thought, the truth about the road kenya still has to walk before reaching his dream - finally living a normal life for the first time, healing (mentally) and becoming the best boxer he could ever become (as strong, if not stronger than naoya) is not going to be easy at all, dealing with public exposure to a high degree, and so on. it's hard to imagine it without sadness, resentment and anger; without mistakes, words and actions he might regret. but also, with triumph, love, pride.
despite all, he'll succeed and i'm not the only one to believe so.
turnnoffyourmind
dailybridgerton