Reito Tsutsumi admires Naoya Inoue and all that he has achieved for Japan.
The 22-year-old Tsutsumi will be cheering for Inoue on Sunday night when Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) defends his IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring titles against Ramon Cardenas (26-1, 14 KOs) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN).
Even though Tsutsumi has great respect for Inoue, he says that Vasiliy Lomachenko, a Ukrainian southpaw, has been his biggest inspiration.
Tsutsumi, who is set to make his pro debut Friday night in Times Square, told The Ring that he has modeled his boxing style on Lomachenko’s. He especially admires Lomachenko’s footwork and ring control.
“My style is kind of like his now,” Tsutsumi said. “He’s really the fighter I look up to. His footwork is something special that I don’t see from other boxers, and I’ve tried to learn that from him.”
Tsutsumi, a sharp and quick southpaw, is excited to show off his skills against Levale Whittington (1-2-1, 1 KO) from Chicago. Their six-round junior lightweight fight will be part of the “FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves” event, streamed live on DAZN from Manhattan. Tsutsumi’s fight is the second bout on a five-fight pay-per-view card starting at 5 p.m. ET ($59.99 in the U.S.).
Tsutsumi said, “I want more people to know me—what kind of person and fighter I am, and how I fight. Of course, I want to win, but more importantly, I want to show everyone my potential.”
Turki Alalshikh, the owner of The Ring, saw great promise in Tsutsumi after watching his amateur fights. He made Tsutsumi a Ring ambassador and gave him the chance to make his pro debut on a big stage.
With an amateur record of 58 wins and 2 losses, Tsutsumi understands how important the U.S. boxing scene is. But he’s also excited to go back to Japan, where Naoya Inoue packs arenas and earns huge paydays.
“Inoue is probably the top fighter in Japan,” Tsutsumi said. “I want to be like him—not just a great fighter but also a leader. That’s my goal for the future.”
