Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on December 2010

This is always a wonderful time of year: peace on Earth, goodwill to all men (and, so I’ve heard, women), and people in Japan are beating each other up. So if festive cheer isn’t your thing, perhaps you’ll prefer one of the following.

K-1 World Grand Prix
2010 Final

Call me sentimental, but I really like K-1, and the World Grand Prix Final is always the highlight of the calendar. This year, once again, it’ll likely come down to who can stop 212cm Semmy Schilt (far left), the defending champion and a four-time title winner. The Dutchman has only three losses in 38 bouts, but two of those were to Peter Aerts (left), and the pair could meet in the semifinals at Ariake. That’s assuming that Schilt can get past Japan’s Kyotaro and that the 40-year-old Aerts can overcome Mighty Mo, a force of nature whose right hand leaves few men standing. On the other side of the draw, the mound of muscle masquerading as Alistair Overeem will probably have too much power for newcomer Tyrone Spong, while Turkey’s Gokhan Saki—who I’ve tipped for glory in the past—will face a tough match against Romania’s Daniel Ghita.

World Grand Prix 2010 Final
Dec 11, 4pm. ¥6,000-¥100,000. Ariake Colosseum. Tel: 0570-064708.

Kameda Matsuri 2010

There was a time when the Kameda brothers were the darlings of Japanese TV. The story of how dad Shiro raised his sons to be fighters had a romantic ring to it: dad loved his boys and the boys loved him back, even when he was throwing baseballs at their heads to improve their reflexes. All the kids had to do was to prove that their boxing skills were genuine, and the world—well, Japan—would shower them with glory. Koki, the eldest, won a world title, but the decision was controversial and public opinion started to turn. To his credit, Koki dominated the rematch against Juan Landaeta, but the bubble had burst. Then Daiki—who is about as charming as an exploding toilet—stepped up to the plate and disgraced the family when he manhandled Daisuke Naito in a world title fight. He was banned from boxing for a year, and Shiro was exiled for good. Daiki returned to win the WBA flyweight title earlier this year, and he’ll be making a second defense of his title against Romania’s Silvio Olteanu this month, with Koki and younger brother Tomoki fighting on the same bill. The criticism of the Kamedas has managed to overshadow their skill—in truth, the jury’s still out on how good they are, but they shouldn’t be dismissed as boxers just because they’re media morons.

Kameda Matsuri 2010
Dec 26. ¥500-¥100,000. Saitama Super Arena. Tel: Kyodo Tokyo 0570-064-708.

New Year Grand Sumo Tournament

So, Hakuho is mortal after all. Or should that read: “Hakuho unable to set record against a bunch of stiffs”? Sumo has been reeling from scandals involving yakuza, drugs, match-fixing and vicious bullying. It could probably survive those, but it’s hard to get past the fact that there’s been little excitement on the dohyo since the forced retirement of yokozuna Asashoryu. News reports quoted Japanese as being disappointed that Hakuho couldn’t beat Futabayama’s 69-match winning streak, but the truth is that most people thought it would be a disgrace if he’d broken the record against a bunch of powder puffs. So sumo gets the New Year tournament under way with the hope that it can recover from its recent past, but don’t be surprised if Hakuho has another uninterrupted run at the history books. Jan 9-23, Ryogoku Kokugikan

New Year Grand Sumo Tournament
Jan 9-23, 9am. ¥2,100-¥14,300. Ryogoku Kokugikan. Tel: 0570-02-9310.