Former ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion Masaaki Noiri of Japan has lost fights before. The defeat to Superbon at ONE 173 last November hurt differently, and the reason had nothing to do with the belt.
Noiri entered the world title unification bout against the now-undisputed ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion carrying more than personal ambition.
His family had invested every bit of hope in him, watching from ringside as he looked to complete one of the most remarkable career resurgences in Japanese kickboxing history.
However, he suffered an orbital fracture in the opening round that cost him his vision in the right eye. Noiri valiantly competed for four more rounds through the pain, but ultimately fell short on the scorecards.
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“I put everything I had into that fight, and my family was just as invested as I was. They believed in me. A big reason I fight is for my family. I wanted to be the strongest dad in the world,” he told ONE Championship
Noiri gets his chance to respond at ONE SAMURAI 2 on Saturday, August 8, at EBARA WAVE Arena Ota in Tokyo, where he faces “Spirit Dragon” Liu Mengyang in the quarterfinal of the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament.
Masaaki Noiri watches his son take his first steps in kickboxing
The sport that shaped Masaaki Noiri’s life is beginning to captivate his young son Minato, who has started training at home and in the gym.
For the Japanese star, watching his offspring take up the sport brings both pride and a clear-eyed understanding of what lies ahead for any young competitor.
He told ONE Championship:
“Once he begins fighting, I’m sure there will be wins and losses because he’ll be competing as a junior fighter. What I really want to see is how he responds when he loses. If one loss breaks his spirit, then that may be as far as he goes. But I hope that losing only makes him more determined. That is the mindset I want him to develop.”
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda and ONE Championship for the latest on ONE SAMURAI 2.
Edited by Steffi
