15th-round KO over Yuh. Wajima lost to Jose Manuel Duran in his first defense, losing the world title for the third time in his career. He fought his final match In June, 1977, challenging Eddie Gazo for the WBA super welterweight title, but lost by 11th-round KO. This was the last fight of his career. His record was 31-6-1 (25KOs). Professional boxing record Post retirement Like many other Japanese boxers, Wajima became a successful television personality after retiring, and has appeared on game shows and television dramas. He became the head of the Eastern Japan Boxing Council, and has founded his own boxing gym in Tokyo. His brother-in-law also runs a successful dumpling store in Kokubunji, Tokyo. He also claims that condemned prisoner Iwao Hakamada is innocent. Hakamada was later released after 45 years in prison, due to new evidence and discovery of the prosecution's reliance on falsified evidence. See also List of world light-middleweight boxing champions List of Japanese boxing world champions Boxing in Japan References External links Koichi Wajima boxing gym official (Japanese) Koichi Wajima - CBZ Profile 1943 births Living people Sportspeople from Hokkaido World Boxing Association champions World Boxing Council champions The Ring (magazine) champions Light-middleweight boxers World light-middleweight boxing champions Boxing commentators Japanese male boxers