Earlier this month, Akebono Taro, the 64th yokozuna fighter in Japan, the first non-Japanese yokozuna in Japanese sumo wrestling history, and one of the heaviest fighters in professional martial arts, died of a heart attack at the age of 54.
Born in Hawaii, Akebono was born H.R. Chadwick, 2.03 meters tall, weighs 233 kilograms, and is tall and burly. Originally involved in basketball, he has been the main center of the school's basketball team since his middle school days and won a college scholarship.
Due to his strong interest in sumo wrestling, he began to study sumo in Tokyo in 1988 and became a sumo wrestler, and in 1990 he officially entered the top level of sumo wrestling.
In November 1992 and January 1993, he won two consecutive competitions, eventually becoming the 64th generation and the first foreign Yokozuna player in Japanese history, and later became a Japanese citizen.
After winning 11 Makunaku victories during his sumo career, Akebono moved to K-1 and MMA, making him one of the heaviest fighters in professional martial arts history.
He competed in several high-profile matches in K-1 and caused a sensation in December 2003 with Bob "The Beast" Tharp at the Nagoya Dome Stadium, and although he lost the match, the match between the two reached a terrifying 40% nationwide ratings in Japan.
In 2004, Akebono also lost to mainland sanda player Zhang Qingjun, and in 2006, he came to China to participate in the "Wulin Wind" program, and performed with Tai Chi master Wang Zhanjun.
In MMA, Akebono has faced many high-profile fighters, including his first bout against UFC No. 1 champion Hoyce Gracie, who was submitted in the first round.
While Akebono has a lot of attention in his fights, he has a 1-9 record in kickboxing and a 0-4 record in MMA.
Akebono has been suffering from health in recent years, and earlier this month a hospital in Tokyo confirmed that he had died of heart failure.
His wife, Kristen Rowan, recently informed the media about his death and explained that the announcement was postponed for personal reasons. She said:
"I have to take care of some personal matters before publicly announcing my husband's death, and it is with sadness that we announce that earlier this month, Akebono died of heart failure while being treated at a hospital in the Tokyo area. His family said in a statement.
In fact, sumo wrestlers are too heavy to weigh and their health problems have long been a concern in Japan. There are also many rumors that sumo wrestlers don't live long, so although sumo wrestlers are still highly respected in Japan today, there are very few young people who are willing to take up the job.