Julien Lorcy managed something incredible 24 years ago today that had never been done before in Japan.
The former French boxer turned professional in 1991, going on an impressive winning streak before winning the WBA Lightweight title from Jean Baptiste Mendy.
He quickly lost the title, but would aim to reclaim it two years later in his 53rd career fight.
This fight made history as he took on a Japanese hero in a world title fight in Saitama.
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Julien Lorcy became the first European to win world title gold in Japan
Lorcy made history on July 1, 2001, when he beat WBA Lightweight champion Takanori Hatakeyama in Japan to become the world champion for the second time in his career.
While the Frenchman was a former champion heading into the bout, history was against him. No European fighter had ever won the world title in Japan, making Lorcy a trailblazer in the ring.
The Frenchman had a tough battle with the champion, whom the usually subdued Japanese crowd cheered loudly for throughout the fight.
Neither man could manage to knock down the other, and they contested an even fight for the full 12 rounds.
While Hatakeyama managed to trap Lorcy between the ropes on numerous occasions, he suffered some big hits from the Frenchman, which ultimately swayed the judges’ decision.
They awarded Lorcy the victory and the WBA Lightweight title, making him the first European to win a major boxing title on Japanese soil.
Sadly, this would be Hatakeyama’s final boxing match. Despite being just 25 and a two-weight champion, the Japanese fighter retired after losing to Lorcy, reportedly to preserve his health outside of the ring.
Countless world title fights have wowed fans in Japan outside of Julien Lorcy’s title win
While you may not think of Japan as a hotbed of boxing, the country has hosted some of the biggest fights in history.
As well as Lorcy’s historic title win, Japan has hosted legendary boxers going back decades, including some iconic fights from history.
Muhammad Ali’s controversial bout with wrestler Antonio Inoki, which almost led to Ali having his leg amputated after the fight, took place in Japan in 1976.
However, that was a thoroughly unmemorable fight, especially compared to Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson at the Tokyo Dome.
Japanese fans were treated to one of the biggest upsets of all time, as the undefeated Tyson fell to his challenger in a bout nobody expected him to lose.
With Naoya Inoue being Japanese, a number of his impressive knockouts have occurred in his home country, although he seems unlikely to drop his belts to a European like Lorcy any time soon.