Shozo Saijo
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| Shozo Saijo | |
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| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Shozo Saijo |
| Nickname(s) | Cinderella Boy |
| Rated at | Featherweight |
| Nationality |  Japanese |
| Birth date | January 28, 1947 |
| Birth place | Saitama, Japan |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 38 |
| Wins | 29 |
| Wins by KO | 8 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 2 |
| No contests | 0 |
Shozo Saijo (西城 正三, born January 28, 1947) is a former professional boxer from Saitama, Japan. He is a former WBA featherweight champion.
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[edit] Biography
Saijo made his professional debut in August, 1964, but did not show immediate promise in the ring, losing or drawing against several lowly regarded fighters. He traveled to the United States, where he fought three times before meeting WBA featherweight champion Raul Rojas in a non-title match. Saijo won by decision, and challenged Rojas for the title on September 27, 1968 in Los Angeles. He defeated Rojas for the second time, becoming the seventh Japanese boxer to win a world title, and the first Japanese boxer to win a title fighting outside of Japan.
He defended the title a total of six times before losing to Antonio Gomez in 1971. He also fought in numerous non-title matches in between his defenses, including a bout against WBA super featherweight champion, Hiroshi Kobayashi, where Saijo lost by decision over 10 rounds. This was the first fight between two Japanese boxers that had possession of the world title.
Saijo retired from boxing after losing his world title, but made an ill-fated debut in the kickboxing world, where he fought muay thai champion Toshio Fujiwara. Saijo disappointed fans by turning his back towards Fujiwara at one point in their match, and he retired from all sports activities shortly afterwards. His professional boxing record was 29-7-2 (8KOs).
| Preceded by N/A |
Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize Winner 1968 |
Succeeded by Yomiuri Giants |
| Preceded by Raul Rojas |
WBA Featherweight Champion September 27, 1968 - September 2, 1971 |
Succeeded by Antonio Gomez |
[edit] Honors
Named The Ring magazine Progress of the Year fighter for 1968.
