Actor Kisetsu Fujiwara made his professional boxing debut on September 1 in a four-round super bantamweight (up to 55.3kg) bout at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, losing by first-round TKO to fellow debutant Kō Matsumura. Sports Hochi reported that “it’s unusual for an active actor to step into a pro sanctioned ring.” On 5ch’s Geinou/Sports Breaking News+ (Geisoku) thread, some praised him for taking on the challenge, while others questioned his skill with comments like “4-round bouts are for guys just doing it for fun” and “how did he even get a license?” The thread also lit up comparing him to other actors who’ve tried combat sports, such as Koichi Iwaki, Ken Kaneko, and Ryusei Yokohama.
Sports Hochi
September 1, 2026, 8:30 PM
Actor Kisetsu Fujiwara (Shakujii Sports) competed in a four-round super bantamweight (up to 55.3kg) bout at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on the 1st, marking his professional debut. He faced fellow debutant Kō Matsumura (FUNABASHI) and suffered a first-round TKO loss.
He looked like a loser the moment he stepped into the ring in his trunks.
10AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:13
He doesn't have a short-hair image at all, so it took me a second to even recognize him in the photo.
13AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:15
Fight
Those who don't fight
will laugh at you who do
Fight
(a nod to the lyrics of Miyuki Nakajima's song "Fight!")
16AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:17
In boxing you don't really feel 'pro' until you win a world title. This level is just a hobby.
17AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:17
Is he just really weak, or is his opponent gonna turn out to be the next Naoya Inoue?
23AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:19
Re: #17
Someone on that level would debut straight in Class A, they wouldn't be doing 4-round bouts.
18AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:17
4-round bouts are basically for guys doing this just for fun these days.
19AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:18
Getting TKO'd in round 1 of a 4-round bout is way too weak — how did he even get a license?
21AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:19
Robert Yamamoto's debut fight was actually pretty solid.
22AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:19
Might be for publicity, but compared to something like a 'food meister' certificate, a boxing license is way harder to get — and actually stepping into the ring is impressive too.
24AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:20
4-round bouts are basically Breaking Down level. (a reference to Breaking Down, a Japanese amateur fight show)
29AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:24
Nothing but skinny little statues out there. Isn't there anyone built like Butterbean?
30AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:25
Koichi Iwaki tried boxing back in the day too and ended up in the hospital, didn't he?
36AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:29
Re: #30
Yeah, the guy from "From the North Country" (Kita no Kuni Kara).
31AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:26
The bar is whether he's more legit than Mickey Rourke.
32AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:28
Right, I really want a Japanese heavyweight to show up.
34AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:28
Getting TKO'd in round 1 of a 4-round bout means he's got zero talent for it — he should quit before he takes real brain damage.
35AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:29
Wasn't he the leader of the bike gang that attacks foreigners in that episode of Aibou where a foreign beef-bowl shop worker gets killed?
37AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:29
I think Ken Kaneko was the first case in Japan of an actor competing in a pro combat sports match.
38AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:30
Re: #37
That one was pretty pathetic too.
39AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:31
For an actor, I'd think a combat sport without face strikes would be the smarter choice — guys like Junichi Okada and Hiroshi Tamaki compete in jiu-jitsu matches.
40AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:31
Ryusei Yokohama only got his license (Class C, which has an 80% pass rate) and has zero match experience, but he keeps hyping himself up as a 'pro boxer, pro boxer' — it's grating. I've got more respect for this guy than for Yokohama, who just uses his license as a prop to look tough and disciplined.
55AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:43
Re: #40
Wasn't he already a national karate champion or something to begin with?
43AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:33
Re: #36
And this is the guy who said "I don't need a stunt double, I'll do it myself" lol
44AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:34
If he lost that fast, he probably never trained defense at all — just did mitt work, got praised by everyone around him, and started believing the hype.
46AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:37
Well, his opponent might turn out to be a future Inoue…
47AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:38
Losing by TKO in round 1? Even I could do that.
48AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:38
Turning this into an article — is the media that desperate for content? (mocking "masugomi," slang for trashy mass media)
49AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:39
Well, the opponent can't afford to lose to some actor treating this as a side gig.
50AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:39
173cm and under 55kg? That's skin and bones.
51AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:41
By the way, he showed up in today's episode of Kaze Kaoru after a while — and Tomoya Nakamura made a comeback appearance too.
52AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:41
There are quite a few world champions out there who lost their debut fight.
53AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:42
Getting TKO'd in round 1 by an opponent who was also making his debut — zero talent lol. Did he just want to say he'd fought a match?
58AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:46
Get famous as an actor first, then come back and get treated as 'exceptional' lol
59AnonymousSep 2, 2026 08:47
Re: #55
Here it comes — riding way too hard on some tournament limited to 2nd/3rd-year junior high schoolers in one specific style.
77AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:10
He's currently in the morning drama (asadora) right now — why doesn't the article mention that?
80AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:18
Re: #77
It's mentioned in full detail in a different article.
Background and Talking Points
In pro boxing, a “4-round bout” is a category for less experienced fighters, which is why the thread saw comments like “4-round bouts are for guys just doing it for fun.” At the same time, quite a few world champions failed to win their debut fights, so judging his ability off a single loss may be premature. Getting a boxing license is far from easy, and pulling off a match while juggling an acting career takes real preparation. The thread drew on a lineage of “actors who take on combat sports,” including Koichi Iwaki’s boxing foray alongside his acting career, Ken Kaneko’s combat sports appearances, and Ryusei Yokohama’s Class C license — with Fujiwara’s case treated as an extension of that tradition for comparison. Notably, the original article doesn’t mention that Fujiwara is currently appearing in an NHK morning drama (asadora), a point also raised on the thread, where one user noted “it’s mentioned in full detail in a different article.”
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