Education
Igarashi amassed an amateur record of 77 wins (16 KOs) 18 losses, and graduated from the Tokyo University of Agriculture.
五十嵐 俊幸
Igarashi amassed an amateur record of 77 wins (16 KOs) 18 losses, and graduated from the Tokyo University of Agriculture.
He competed for his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, where he was stopped in the first round of the men"s light flyweight division (– 48 kg) by Ethiopia"s Endalkachew Kebede (21:26). Igarashi replaced Noman Karim (PAK) as a lucky loser, because the Pakistani fighter dropped "due to technical reasons". After turning professional in 2006, he made his professional debut with a third-round knockout on August 13 of that year.
Fighting out of Teiken Boxing Gym in Tokyo under Yūichi Kasai"s instruction, Igarashi gained the Japanese flyweight interim title via a split decision on August 2, 2008.
Igarashi defeated Mexico"s Wilbert Uicab in the WBC flyweight title eliminator via a unanimous decision at the Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium on November 6, 2011. Igarashi and his team had initially planned the fight against Edgar Sosa.
However, when it turned out that it would not be signed, Igarashi made a direct appeal to his promoter for the fight against Yaegashi. Igarashi mentioned that while his championship belt would be at stake, Yaegashi"s popularity and recognition also would be on the line for that fight.
Their trainers, Kasai (mentioned above) and Kōji Matsumoto (for Yaegashi) are high school alumni.
Both are former OPBF champions and three-time world title challengers. Igarashi lost to Yaegashi in a unanimous decision.
He defended it once, until June of the same year. He defended his both titles against previously undefeated Nestor Daniel Narvaes via a majority decision in Sendai, Miyagi on November 3 of that year.