This Sunday, women’s only kickboxing returns to the famed Korakuen Hall for the first time in 26 years. As part of this historic card, top kickboxers and champions Manazo Kobayashi and Hinata Terayama will face each other in the main event. Aside from taking place on this card and being a bout between two champions, this fight is also unique because the two will both be wearing 4oz gloves, a recent modification in Rise, where all fights under 50kg will now use these smaller gloves. As part of the lead-up to this fight, Manazo held an open workout and answered questions from the media. (photo is (c) of Rise)
Beating phenoms Phetjee Jaa and Saya Ito
Near the end of 2015, the 19 year old Manazo Kobayashi made her pro-debut for BOM, a Japanese Muay Thai promotion, that also promotes fighters like Saya Ito and Nadaka Yoshinari. While her pro-debut may not have gotten a lot of attention, her second fight did. On February 7, 2016, she faced the popular and highly regarded Thai fighter, Phetjee Jaa. While only 14 years old at the time, Phetjee had already amassed a record of 71-9-3 and was famous for and eventually barred from fighting boys in her native Thailand. In defeating her, Manazo garnered a lot of media attention and became considered a rising prospect.
After awhile, she made her way to KNOCK OUT, where Panchan Rina fought, and eventually fought the highly touted and regarded Saya Ito. Like Phetjee Jaa, Ito boasted an impressive record, had gained notoriety for fighting boys, like Tenshin Nasukawa, and had numerous achievements with muay thai. When Manazo defeated Ito, it was the first time Ito had lost in over 4 years. This victory, cemented Manazo as one of the top fighters in Japan. Since then, she won the WPMF (muay thai) and Rise (kickboxing) flyweight championships, both of which she still holds.
Champion vs Champion
In 2019, Manazo was scheduled to take place in Rise’s mini-flyweight tournament. However, she was unable to make weight and was disqualified. Had she participated, it is likely that she would have faced the now mini-flyweight champion Hinata Terayama in the finals. When asked about this missed meeting, she commented, “I’ve had a few chances to fight her, but a lot of things have happened, and now we’re going to fight each other, when we both have belts. I really feel that now is the time for this fight. I want to seize this chance.”
When asked about her opponent, Manazo focused on Terayama’s long limbs and how she uses them to skillfully to control distance. She even said that she’s think they’ll be a problem, “Yes, I’m sure they will [cause me problems]. They are amazing (lol).” Outside of her opponent’s physique, she also seems impressed with her skills, commenting that whoever wins this fight, will be the best kickboxer in Japan.
The Art of War
In the lead up to this fight, Manazo tweeted a quote from the Art of War, “If you know him and know yourself, you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.” This tweet didn’t go unnoticed and she was asked about it. It turns out, she learned the quote from her father and had to google which kanji to use in order to write it. Despite not knowing the kanji, it seems that she does take these principles to heart, and when was asked to talk about her opponent, she stated, “I think Terayama is very strong because she knows herself…” Manazo then added that she personally works to strengthen her own weaknesses and build upon her strong points.
Cutting down to 49.5kg (109lbs)
As mentioned above, Manazo had some issues making mini-flyweight a couple years ago and has since moved up to flyweight. As a result, some people in the media expressed interest in her weight cut and how it’s going. Having changed her diet, eating primarily unprocessed foods, the weight cut appears to be going well. She still has 2kg (4.4lbs) to lose, but she doesn’t feel drained and she’s still moving well in training, so she seems confident. If this is accurate, it looks like her weight problems may be a thing of the past.
Rise Girls Power 5
Rise Girls Power 5 will take place on September 12th at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The event will stream on Abema TV and Fite TV.
Full Card
- 49kg Champion Hinata Terayama vs 52kg Champion Manazo Kobayashi (49.5kg, 109lbs)
- Koyuki Miyazaki vs Saya Ito (46.5kg, 102.5lbs)
- Koto Hiraoka vs Nana Okuwaki (46kg, 101.5lbs)
- King Reina vs Yuka Murakami (Special Exhibition Match)
- Yaya Weerasakreck vs Akari (52kg, 115lbs)
- Haruka Asai vs Yuka Murakami (57.5kg, 127lbs)
- Misaki Shimada vs Ayaka Nishihara (43kg, 95lbs)
- Tomomi Yamamoto vs Wakana Tsuji (52kg, 115lbs)
You can follow Sogo-Kaku on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Japanese 
English