"READY STEADY TOKYO" Boxing Held at Kokugikan

The boxing competition for the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee's test event "READY STEADY TOKYO" was held from October 29 to 31 at the Kokugikan in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, which will serve as the venue for the actual Games.
Approximately 50 male and female athletes from eight countries participated in the event, with matches held in various weight classes including flyweight and middleweight.
Among the Japanese athletes, Seon Okazawa (Welterweight) defeated an Indian opponent by decision in the final, becoming the sole Japanese champion. Additionally, Tohsho Kashiwazaki (Flyweight), Yuto Moriwaki (Middleweight), and Sana Kono (Women's Flyweight) advanced to their respective finals but all finished as runners-up.
(Image = © Fort Kishimoto)

The history of boxing at the Olympics dates back to the ancient Games, but due to the dangerous nature of the rules at that time, its history as a sport was interrupted until the 18th century.
In 1876, safety-conscious rules, including the mandatory use of gloves, were established in England, laying the foundation for modern boxing.
In the modern Olympics, boxing has been held at every Games since St. Louis 1904, except for Stockholm 1912. Women's boxing became an official event starting with London 2012.
For a long time, only amateurs could participate, but the ban on professional boxers was lifted starting with the 2016 Rio Games.
At the Tokyo Games, men will compete for medals in 8 weight classes from Flyweight (48–52 kg) to Super Heavyweight (over 91 kg), while women will compete in 5 weight classes from Flyweight (48–51 kg) to Middleweight (69–75 kg). Matches for both men and women are short, decisive bouts consisting of 3 rounds of 3 minutes each, requiring aggressive fighting.

The top two nations by all-time gold medals are the United States and Cuba, together holding about one-third of all gold medals. In women's boxing, athletes from Europe and the Americas swept all three gold medals in every weight class at both the London and Rio Games.
Japan's gold medalists include Takao Sakurai in the 56kg class at the 1964 Tokyo Games and Eiji Morioka, who won bronze in the same weight class at the 1968 Mexico City Games. More recently, Ryota Murata won gold in the 75kg class and Satoshi Shimizu took bronze in the 56kg class at the 2012 London Games, drawing significant attention.
At the 2020 Tokyo Games, Japan is also expected to field its first female boxers.