He was a skilled fighter. He definitely highlighted defensive Boxing styles to the Japanese, a style that most gyms didn't want their fighters to use (Kawashima himself was originally brought along as an infighter). Interestingly, his brother also challenged for a world title. Also has a popular manga character named after him .
An interview translated with Google Translate. The grammar is noticeably very choppy (it sometimes says 'I' instead of 'you' due to translation difficulty etc.), but you can understand all the main, good parts. 4 part series (this is part 2). 川島郭志（ボクシングWBC世界スーパーフライ級元王者／徳島県海陽町出身）×二宮清純 第３回「エリートではなく“雑草”」 – SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS Ninomiya : I have won three consecutive KOs since my professional debut, but I will lose KO to Puma Tokuchi in the flyweight East Japan rookie of the year deciding match. Wasn't it a shock to stumble first? Kawashima : That's right. I came out of the country and wasn't used to living in the city, so I wasn't in good physical and mental condition. Then the weight loss was tough. It's all an excuse, but I went to the match in a bad state. If you make an excuse and go up to the ring, you will definitely lose. Ninomiya : How much weight loss did you need? Kawashima : It's about 10 kilometers at most. It was a growing season, so if you take a little care, you will gain weight. I had to prepare meals until now, but it was difficult because I had to cook for myself and eat out. From defense to attack at the opponent's distance Ninomiya : After that, even in the sixth professional race, Mitsuo Kawashima suffered a KO defeat and frustration. Kawashima : It was a shock. The screen in front of me disappeared for a moment after eating the opponent's right hook. The screen bounced back and I heard a voice later. You were defeated at that time. When I watched the video later, it wasn't a punch that the other party also aimed at. The right hook that went down and the timing that came out in front of me matched perfectly ... Ninomiya : While boasting a track record of winning the Inter-High for amateurs, he lost twice early for professionals. Have you ever thought about quitting boxing? Kawajima: To be honest, I felt that I was "finished" (bitter smile). I was feeling very depressed. However, even if I quit boxing, I have nothing. I was strongly scolded by Chairman Kenji Yonekura and began to think about how to crawl up and practice. Ninomiya : I wonder if there was a part where the defense technique was further refined due to the continued loss of KO. Kawashima : Originally, I liked brilliant boxers like Sugar Ray Leonard. But when I got into the pros, I realized that I was avoiding punches within the distance of the opponent. It's not good at getting time, but it doesn't have a long reach. It's not a type that connects straight at a distance. So I was conscious of working hard within the distance of the opponent, avoiding punches, and quickly switching from defense to attack. As I pursued that, I think I became a style that I could handle well with my upper body. Ninomiya : Did you think that you had to strengthen your infight to aim for the world? Kawashima : Of course, that's right. If you move in the opponent's area, you will miss it. A player who is really good at defense will keep the distance and hit it so that the opponent does not hit it, but I had to get into the distance of the opponent and desperately avoid it by using a sway or the like. That was boxing that fit my body. Ninomiya : Jim's senior Hideyuki Ohashi (former WBC, WBA world minimum class champion) was also an infighter and had a strong bang. Were there any parts that were affected? Kawajima: I was a senior at the beginning of my career, so I was influenced by some of them. Chairman Yonekura said, "If I could use my legs for Ohashi, I would be a better boxer." However, if I could use my legs, I wouldn't have had that bang. From the middle, I noticed that the type was different from mine, but until then there was a time when I imitated it. Ninomiya : Even in the same southpaw, for example, the type is quite different from the current WBC world bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka. Kawashima : Yes. In his case, he takes a wide stance and hits Dawn and the left with a slightly prominent feeling. Uchiyama (Takashi) (WBA world super featherweight champion) is also a close type. It is a style that holds down with a strong punch while keeping a distance. Onizuka's success when he felt impatient Ninomiya : It was the 12th professional race that he gained strength and won the Japanese title. It's been four years since I made my debut. Kawashima : Since we started with 4 wins and 2 losses, we have no choice but to win. At that time, I had no choice but to increase the number of wins. Mr. Ohashi often said that. "You look like an elite, but it's actually a weed." Ninomiya : Certainly, it's a career that can be called a start-up. Now, it's no wonder that you can challenge the world in 12 professional races. Kawashima : At that time, it was a time when people were said to be veterans when they were over 25 years old. I was 22 years old when I won the Japanese title, so I was impatient in terms of age. Ninomiya: At that time, Katsuya Onizuka of the same age was already the WBA world super flyweight champion. There was another Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, so I think he was more impatient. Kawashima : You definitely felt that you were late. In particular, Onizuka defeated Jim's senior Shunichi Nakajima to become the Japanese champion and climbed the stairs to the world. I also sparred with Mr. Nakajima, but he was strong enough to be killed. I defeated that senior twice. However, I couldn't help rushing, so I had no choice but to catch up. Ninomiya : Even after winning the Japanese throne, the defense battle continued with Tatsuya Sugi, Tetsuya Matsuo, Kenichi Matsumura and tough boxers. Kawashima : I didn't like it because there were a lot of reluctant players. There were people like Mr. Matsumura who had a track record of challenging the world four times, and each Japanese boxer at this time had a taste.
I'll make sure to post some thoughts on a Kawashima bout tomorrow. I've had a bit of interest in him after seeing your thread.
Kawashima vs Boy Aruan Title defense for Kawashima. From the start, it is immediately apparent that Kawashima is a skilled operator. Well schooled movement, sharp and practised. However, he's in against another southpaw here, and he's an aggressive one. Kawashima struggles to adapt to the streams of aggressive southpaw leads from Aruan, and land his own, but they are much too infrequent in this short bout. Multiple protestations from Kawashima about head clashing. Not justified in my opinion, as he frequently look to hold or swerve Aruan's head when he is in the danger zone. There is more controversy over a punch after the break which knocks Kawashima down, in which Aruan is not deducted a point, with commentators complaining. Justified, in my opinion, as Kawashima had again been holding the head down. Aruan could not see what he was occurring and throws a left inside as was his game plan. In any case, Kawashima seems to recover pretty quickly. Aruan also lands some good body shots early, but the flash comes when Kawashima, angered, starts laying out flurries of hard shots, which accurately find the mark. Repeatedly Aruan is hurt and staggered by fast screw shots and uppercuts, until an especially energetic pounding is stopped by referee Padilla in the 3rd round. A decent showcase for Kawashima.
Hiroshi Kawashima vs Cecilio Espino Title defence for Kawashima. 115lbs. 12 rounds. The action starts immediately, with Espino, orthodox, going at it with bullish enthusiasm. Kawashima, southpaw, is slow on the uptake, taking his time to adjust to Espino's rhythm and pace. Even still, I gave him the first two, with a beautiful slide-cum-left hand counter being the highlight. Espino, for his nasty intent, is well schooled, and approaches the third round with clever dips and some thudding body shots. Despite his style, Kawashima is spiteful when struck, and an exchange is initiated. Even round in my book, but only because of Kawashima's early work, so it could easily go to the rugged Mexican. The fourth comes in a similar fashion, with Espino trying to bait with dips and throwing lead bombs to head and body, taking everything thrown at him, which earns him the round in my view. This man is tough. The fifth round, however, is where the man known as 'Untouchable' starts to shine. Slipping, sliding, baiting and expertly aggressive counters suddenly shift the rhythm for the Japanese. A little doubt creeps in on Espino, and his Boxing shows it ever so slightly. The sixth round, however, is where this bout turns into what can only be classed as a beautiful exhibition of the sweet science. Boxing expertly, Kawashima lands a left which staggers Espino, which shifts the momentum for the Japanese, a momentum which lasts until the end of the fight. Highlight reel displays of slippery, sliding defence and left handed counters ensue, with major moments being seen in the eighth and tenth rounds, with exchanges coming out entirely in favour of Kawashima. There is a practised, hard earned edge to Kawashima's skill and capability, and I found it very entertaining to watch. Even still, the Mexican Espino never stops trying through the pounding he is receiving, and is gutsy enough to still keep rounds close and try to give as good as he is getting. The eleventh and twelfth see a lull for Kawashima, who correctly assumes he has it in the bag. Only his flurries and sharp footwork are enough to give these to him. All in all, this was an excellent display of Boxing and defensive flair, with both providing spirit and entertainment, though with one proving much better than the other. Another bout to add to the underrated 'Mexico vs Japan' rivalry. Kawashima - Espino 1: 10 - 9 2: 10 - 9 3: 10 - 10 (Top round!) 4: 9 - 10 (Close) 5: 10 - 9 (Sharp from K) 6: 10 - 9 (E staggered) 7: 10 - 9 8: 10 - 9 (E hurt) 9: 10 - 9 10: 10 - 9 (Exchange!) 11: 10 - 9 (Slow) 12: 10 - 9 TOTAL: 119 - 110 KAWASHIMA
