Female boxer and Itoshima, Fukuoka native Mako Yamada returned from South Korea after dethroning the reigning champ, Su-Yun Hong, in the WBO Female Minimum weight title match on Feb. 9. At age 19, she is the first female Japanese teenager to win a world title. Upon arriving at Fukuoka Airport on Feb. 10, she declared, “I want to keep winning.” Yamada won her match by a 2-1 decision after 10 rounds against Hong. She switched from kickboxing to boxing in 2012 and managed to grab the world title in only her seventh pro fight, tying Kazuto Ioka for the quickest rise to champion among professional Japanese male and female boxers. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 2/12
