Shinsuke Yamanaka re-retires following latest loss to Luis Nery

Former 118lb champion Shinsuke Yamanaka (27-2-2, 19 KOs) has announced his retirement from the sport once again. The 34-year-old fighter first called it quits last summer when Luis Nery pounded him in four rounds. But when it turned out that Nery had tested positive for banned substances leading into that fight, Yamanaka decided to follow through with a mandated rematch so he could right that wrong.

He couldn’t.

Nery would miss weight by a good margin for the rematch, causing him to be stripped of the WBC title that he had previously won from Yamanaka, but the fight would go through and would end up being even worse for Yamanaka — this time getting blitzed in only two rounds.

But despite the dubious circumstances surrounding the rematch, Yamanaka acknowledged yesterday in a press conference that he understands his time is up in this sport, and that he’s leaving it for good.

Via RingTV:

“I’m really grateful to everyone,” Yamanaka, 35, said after the fight this month. “This is it. This is the end.

“There were only about 20 people who bought tickets for my debut fight, but so many people came tonight even though it was a weekday. I was really happy, it made me feel great. I really appreciate it.”

Yamanaka was one of the best Japanese champions of all time and we all wish him well in his life after boxing.