An advocate for peace and international understanding, Eiji Yoshikawa is a motivational speaker and philanthropist who spreads his message via an unexpected platform — boxing. His efforts earned him the nickname of the "Compassionate Pugilist" from Japan Inc. magazine in 2004, and this moniker has since become his byline.
Growing up in Kagawa, Yoshikawa loved sports as a boy but admits he never dreamed he would end up pursuing boxing. Things changed when he left home to attend university in Tokyo.
Yoshikawa quickly became disillusioned with the drinking and partying student culture he saw around him. "I wanted to try something that none of my classmates would ever choose, and so I settled on boxing," he says. He subsequently joined the Kyoei Boxing Gym, which has trained many champions, including Yoko Gushiken, one of Japan's best-known boxers.
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