Career
He got his ring name, "Celes," from a company he used to work foreign "Celes" means "sky" in Portuguese. Kobayashi made his debut in April 1992 in the bantamweight division, losing by 4th round decision.
He dropped down two weight classes to challenge the Japanese flyweight title in 1997, but sustained an injury in the 3rd round, and was unable to capture the title.
In August 2000, Kobayashi made his first attempt at the world title against Malcolm Tunacao for the WBC Flyweight title. Kobayashi made his second try for the world title in March 2001, challenging Leo Gamez for the WBA Super flyweight title.
Kobayashi made his first defense in September 2001, winning by split decision. After his loss to Munoz, Kobayashi declined an offer to challenge Masamori Tokuyama for the WBC Super flyweight title, and retired from boxing.
Kobayashi worked briefly as a trainer for his former gym before creating the "Celes Kobayashi Boxing Gym" in Chiba, Japan.
He frequently appears as a commentator in Japan for boxing title matches.
