Exclusive Check-In With WBO SuperFly Champ Mizuki Hiruta

Hiruta was born and raised in Okayama City, Japan, which she describes as a “typical provincial city.” As a child, Hiruta participated in gymnastics from age five to twelve and played basketball in middle school.

It was on the high school boxing team that her boxing journey began, but she didn’t fully appreciate the sport until much later in life. Hiruta told FightsATW, “I had no idea what boxing was until I saw boxers working out at the open-air gym in school. I would then become a team member at Okayama Tech High School. I was the only female boxer there and the first female competitor in the school’s boxing history. Although I started in high school, I never really liked the sport until I became a world champion as a professional.”

Hiruta’s amateur career of seven years, from 2012-2019, resulted in a record of (26-19, 13 KOs), which she isn’t necessarily proud of. During that time, she could have joined Nippon College of Physical Education, but there was no scholarship system for female fighters at the time, so she joined Japan’s Self Defense Forces (Japanese Armed Forces).

“I joined Japan’s Self-Defense Force to continue my amateur career after high school,” said Hiruta. “I was a silver medalist both domestically and internationally, winning my first gold medal at the 2018 National Championship at flyweight. My dream was to make the Tokyo Olympic team, so I decided to move up to featherweight to make it, but I lost to Sena Irie, who ended up winning Gold at the Tokyo Games.”   

During the Pandemic in 2020, Hiruta decided to turn pro and prove to herself and those she cares for that she could be successful. She debuted in October 2021 when the world started returning to a somewhat normal state. Hiruta admits that she enjoys it much more now because of the attention and cheering that comes with fighting in front of a full live crowd.

Fourteen months after going pro, Hiruta earned the WBO super flyweight title by beating Kanako Taniyama by unanimous decision. It was a moment that she still remembers vividly. “Of course, I was happy when I won the world title, but when I was waiting for the announcement, I was already certain that I had won the fight. I just thought it was the start of a new chapter in my career. Being a world champion does not mean I am the strongest woman in the world. I just want to be a better fighter.”

While in Japan, Hiruta gets top-quality sparring from a unified junior flyweight champion, Kenshiro Teraji. Sharing the ring with a potential future hall of famer like Teraji is the type of work Hiruta cherishes. “I learned a lot from him. He is a very positive person and capable of anything. He just says ‘Okay’ to any change or condition during training. I wanna be like that.”

Hiruta is temporarily living in Southern California and training with Manny Robles at his gym in South Gate, CA. Hiruta goes from gym to gym to spar, but when working with Robles, there are specific objectives they focus on. “I was good at fighting from a distance, but Manny (Robles) is teaching me to sit down on my punches and work on the inside. I did not have a knockout in the pros until my first training camp here last year.”

Outside the ring, Hiruta has a fun personality and takes everything SoCal has to offer. When you see Hiruta on Instagram, you notice her pink hair and creative outfits, which are all part of her personality. Although she keeps her followers on Instagram entertained, she admits to being shy. “I’ve always liked girly fashion and vintage dresses, but I did not like to show them off. When I turned pro, I figured I had to entertain and impress people with my performances and looks, so I dyed my hair pink.” 

Hiruta is staying ready so if she can land a fight soon, she won’t be caught out of shape. Her goals this year are to fight abroad and be part of a big show in an arena. Ultimately, she is focused on making history in more ways than one. “I want another world title, unify the titles, and do something Japanese female boxers haven’t done yet.”