Masao Ohba

Masao Ohba (大場政夫) was a professional boxer.

Ohba was born on October 21, 1949.

Ohba's father was a factory worker and a compulsive gambler, causing him to know poverty from an early age.

His father followed professional boxing as an avid fan which influenced Ohba's childhood aspirations and dreams.

By the time Ohba was in elementary school, he dreamt of becoming a world champion, and bringing himself and his family out of poverty.

After completing middle school, he took a job in a candy shop to help support his family and trained as a boxer in the evening.

He joined the Teiken Boxing Gym in 1965.

Because Ohba weighed only about 105 pounds and barely stood five feet when he entered the gym, the trainers doubted that he would be successful as a professional boxer.

He trained hard, putting on the seven pounds of muscle he needed to box within the flyweight range by the time he made his debut.

He later had trouble making the strict flyweight limit later in his career, and at nearly five feet six inches was somewhat tall for a flyweight.

Ohba made his professional debut on November 7, 1966, at the age of 17 against Kazuyoshi Watanabe in Tokyo.

Between November 1966 and August 1968, he won all but one of his first eighteen bouts, with one draw.

He fought all of these matches in his hometown of Tokyo.

On December 14, 1969, he defeated Bernabe Villacampo in a non-title fight by way of a ten-round Unanimous Decision on points in Tokyo.

Villicampo was Flyweight Champion at the time, making Oba's clear win an important victory, as well as an upset.

He became the WBA flyweight World Champion on October 22, 1970, defeating the reigning champion Berkrerk Chartvanchai in Tokyo and retained the championship for an impressive five title defenses.

He died in a car accident at 23, still holding his world title.

He was trained by Isamu Kuwata.

He got his first world title shot on October 22, 1970, at Nichidi Auditorium, Nihon University, in Tokyo, against Berkrerk Chartvanchai, who was the WBA World flyweight champion.

He won by TKO in the 13th round before a crowd of 7000, becoming the eighth Japanese boxer to capture a world title.

According to one source, the bout was postponed from its initial date when Chartvanchai took ill with a high fever.

Chartvanchai was down three times before finally being called out for the full count.

Enrique Jimenez refereed.

Oba finished off Chartvanchai with a volley of punches to the head at 2:16 into the thirteenth round.

Charvantchai had trouble making the weight limit, even after doing light exercise and taking a steam bath, which may have weakened him for the bout.

Oba gained a considerable lead in points throughout the match.

Chartvanchai was weakened both by a cut to his eye he received in the fourth round which gave him trouble and the efforts he took to make weight.

On January 21, 1971, he defeated Swiss boxer Fritz Chervet in a non-title fight technical knockout at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

The bout was ended after 1:31 into the eighth round.

His first defense was against the great champion Betulio González on April 1, 1971, in Tokyo in a very significant fifteen round Unanimous Decision.

González would hold the Venezuelan Flyweight Title, and at one time hold both the WBC and WBA World Flyweight Championships.

On August 19, 1971, he won a Unanimous Decision over Tony Moreno of San Antonio in a non-title ten round bout.

His second defense of the World Flyweight Title was also a fifteen-round Unanimous Decision on October 23, 1971, against Filipino boxer Fernando Cabanela.

His third defense was against Japanese boxer Susumu Hanagata on March 4, 1972, in a fifteen-round mixed decision in Tokyo.

His fourth WBA World Flyweight defense was against Orlando "Yango" Amores from Colón, Republic of Panamá, on June 20, 1972, in Tokyo.

Ohba impressively won on a fifth-round knockout.

Hanagata, an accomplished flyweight, would briefly take the WBA World Flyweight Title in October 1974.

The audience of 2000 were somewhat disappointed as Ohba was unable to score a knockdown against his opponent.

Ohba made his first three WBA World Flyweight Championship defenses by 15-round decisions, and his 4th defense by 5th-round KO, all at Nihon University Stadium in Tokyo.

He also fought four non-title matches in between his defenses, winning all of them as well.