Yoko Gushiken

Yoko Gushiken was born on June 26, 1955 in Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan.

The Ryukyuan professional boxer is also known by the alias “fierce eagle”. Gushiken was compared to the eagle which was known for bringing down their prey with frightening intense regularity. Gushiken was famous for his southpaw stance and high stamina which pressured opponents and gave him the advantage to throw unexpected combination of punches instead of waiting for counter punch opportunities.

He gained popularity as an amateur boxer in Japan when he bagged the Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize on 1979-1980. Gushiken stopped schooling to start his professional training, which made him lose the chance to train for the Olympics under a University program. He then went professional and was able to fight for the World Boxing Association (WBA) Light Flyweight title after nine professional fights. This made him the fastest Japanese boxer to reach a world title.

Gushiken won the WBA Light Flyweight Champion from Juan Antonio Guzman on October 10, 1976. His championship reigned for four and a half years, making 13 title defenses until he was succeeded by Pedro Flores of Mexico on March 8, 1981.

Five months after his loss to Flores, Gushiken announced that he would retire. Everyone thought that Gushiken would reconsider since he still holds a future in boxing but Gushiken stayed true to his words and never got into the boxing ring again.

Masaki Kanehira, Japan’s most renowned trainer also known as the maker of Japanese champions, called him "A genius who appears once every 100 years."

Gushiken holds an amazing record of 23-1, 15 wins by KO and was known as a boxer who drew sell-outs wherever he fought. He’s also recognized by the Tokyo Writers Club as fighter of the year in 1976 by a unanimous vote.