‘Bud’ Crawford is on his bike all the way in Asia at the moment and the Terence Crawford Ren Hiramoto shadow boxing face off has grabbed interest.
From fans in the East and West.
This comes ahead of the big fight between Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani in Japan this weekend — a big fight in the US and everywhere as well.
Ren Hiramoto is a combat sports star from Asia and here’s some of the reaction to the above so far:
Here are the key facts on Ren Hiramoto for those in boxing not aware of him:
Basic Info
- Born: June 27, 1998 in Adachi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Age: 27 years old (as of 2026)
- Height: 5 ft 8 in / 173 cm
- Weight: 145 lb / 66 kg – Featherweight
- Style: Kickboxing base, orthodox stance
- Team: K-1 Gym Team Pegasus, GEN Sports Palace, Roufusport 2021–present
- MBTI: ENTP – described as spontaneous, strategic, “fun is important” mindset
Fight Record
- Kickboxing: 11-4, 6 KOs
- MMA: 4-3, 1 KO, 3 decisions
- Promotion: Currently fights in RIZIN FF
- Notable: 2016 Krush and 2017 K-1 lightweight tournament runner-up
Career Highlights
- K-1 background: Former K-1 world title challenger vs Wei Rui, lost split decision
- Youngest K-1 champion: Became youngest champion in K-1 history at age 22
- MMA transition: Switched from kickboxing to MMA in 2020
- Biggest win: 1st round KO of Mikuru Asakura at Super RIZIN 3
- Called “The Problem Child of Combat Sports”
Recent Activity 2025-2026
- Injury: Pulled out of “THE MATCH 2” rematch vs Mikuru Asakura May 4, 2025 due to shoulder dislocation requiring 6-month recovery
- Upcoming: Headlining RIZIN.53 vs Kouzi, May 10, 2026 at Glion Arena Kobe
- Rules: Special standing-bout, 3 rounds x 3 minutes, 10-oz gloves
- Comeback: RIZIN promoting it as “浪速の超復活祭り” / Osaka super comeback festival
Persona & Popularity
- Huge star in Japan: One of RIZIN’s biggest draws alongside Mikuru Asakura
- Look: Platinum/silver hair, purple-tinted sunglasses, skull tie, heavily tattooed
- Backstory: Says he was bullied in elementary school, fights for people who faced oppression
- UFC talk: Called himself heir to Conor McGregor’s legacy, said he’ll make UFC great
- Instagram: @ren___k1, 539k followers
On a boxing note, here were the Inoue vs Nakatani weigh in results a short time ago in Japan.
