When I got the offer, I thought, “They’re making a fool of me.”

After the 12 rounds of the world title match held in January 2024, Akui went to greet his opponent’s corner with a bright and cheerful expression. He had a good feeling. After that, he let out a roar when the winner was announced, but his excitement quickly subsided. A sense of relief spread.

“It’s not like, ‘I did it!’ I really felt like, ‘I did it!'” (Akui, same below)

In February, after a busy schedule of media appearances and greetings, the president of the gym greeted him when he entered the gym, looking a little nervous. He said that his first title defense would be at the Tokyo Dome, against Taku Kuwabara, a fellow athlete at Ohashi Gym, where Naoya Inoue is also a member, and whom he had previously fought.

“When I heard the offer, I thought they were making a fool of me. I mean, I beat him last time.”

The Akui vs. Kuwabara fight in July 2021 ended in a KO. Akui, who came to the ring in Tokyo, away from Okayama, knocked Kuwabara out with a powerful right straight in the final round, and the match ended. Kuwabara was so injured that he was unable to stand and had to be carried off on a stretcher. I was watching the match at the venue that day, and I still remember how the cheering squad on Kuwabara’s side fell silent in an instant.

Kuwabara once considered retiring, but later returned and won many games to become the Oriental champion. Akui was cheering on Kuwabara as he made his comeback.

“However, at his level, opponents tend to avoid him, so it was difficult to arrange a match,” Akui began, and continued:

“After our match, it’s not like he’s won any domestic competition. He’s kind of on his own terms. So I wonder if it’s okay to give him such an easy chance to challenge the world.”