Olympic Boxing Profile: Sewon Okazawa

In the ninth of a series of profiles leading up to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, we are taking a look at some of the world’s elite boxers who will be competing at the biggest sporting event of the world this month. Here is Japan’s Sewon Okazawa of Yamagata, the gold medalist in then men’s welterweight division from the 2021 World Championships in Belgrade, and the gold medal favourite in the Olympic men’s welterweight division.

World Champion

Okazawa became only the fifth Japanese boxer ever to win a medal at the World Men’s Boxing Championships when he won gold in the welterweight division in 2021 in Belgrade. He followed Ishii Koki of Sapporo (won bronze in the flyweight division at the 1978 World Championships in Belgrade), Tomoya Tsuboi of Hamamatsu (won gold in the bantamweight division at the 2021 World Championships in Belgrade), Masatsugu Kawachi of Kashima (won bronze in the light welterweight division at the 2007 World Championship in Chicago), and Ryota Murata of Nara (won silver in the middleweight division at the 2011 World Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan).

At the 2021 World Championships in Belgrade, Okazawa beat Miguel Ferrin of Ecuador 3-2 in the first round, Dmitri Galagot of Moldova 5-0 in the second round, Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev of Uzbekistan 5-0 in the third round, Vakhid Abbasov of Serbia 4-1 in the quarterfinals, Ablaikhan Zhussupov of Kazakhstan 4-1 in the semifinals, and Omari Jones of the United States 3-2 in the gold medal bout.

Family Background

Okazawa is of mixed race. He has a Ghana father and Japanese mother.

Asian Games Gold Medalist

Okazawa won the gold medal in the men’s light middleweight division at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. In the gold medal match, Okazawa beat Chia-wei Kan of Chinese Taipei.

Japan’s Olympic Boxing History

Japan has won eight medals all-time in Olympic boxing (three gold medals and five bronze medalists). The three gold medalists have been Takao Sakurai of Sawara (men’s bantamweight division at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo), Murata (men’s middleweight division at the 2012 Olympic Games in London), and Sena Irie of Yonago (women’s featherweight division at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021).