‘The Strongest Dad’ – Masaaki Noiri Turns World Title Heartbreak Into A Powerful Lesson For His Kids
Masaaki Noiri has endured his share of setbacks throughout his decorated career, but few have cut quite as deeply as his five-round defeat to reigning ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon.
The 33-year-old entered their World Title unification bout at ONE 173 last November determined to complete a remarkable career comeback and leave with undisputed gold. Instead, the former interim featherweight kickboxing king suffered an unfortunate orbital injury in the opening round, temporarily lost vision in his right eye, and ultimately fell short on the judges’ scorecards.
Superbon earned the unanimous decision to unify the featherweight kickboxing crown.
The Team Vasileus representative gracefully accepted that his rival had been the better fighter on the night. However, the most painful part of the result was knowing that his family had shared every single ounce of hope he carried into the contest.
Noiri is a proud father of two, with an older daughter named Riona and a younger son named Minato. Now, as the former two-division K-1 Champion prepares to rematch “Spirit Dragon” Liu Mengyang in the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament at ONE SAMURAI 2 on Saturday, August 8, at Tokyo’s EBARA WAVE Arena Ota, he is drawing profound motivation from the very people who felt his latest defeat almost as deeply as he did.
The Loss He Never Wanted His Children To See
Noiri’s children have grown up around the demanding realities of professional combat sports. They have proudly watched their father win prestigious championships, endure taxing training camps, and diligently recover from difficult nights. They have also seen him lose before.
But the Superbon fight carried an entirely different emotional weight.
Noiri had brilliantly rebounded from a difficult start in ONE Championship to stop Tawanchai PK Saenchai and claim the ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Title. Beating Superbon would have perfectly completed that career resurgence and allowed him to bring the undisputed belt home to his family.
Noiri said:
“I put everything I had into that fight, and my family was just as invested as I was. They believed in me. A big reason I fight is for my family. I wanted to be the strongest dad in the world.”
The Japanese veteran discovered early in the contest that his path to victory would be even more difficult than expected.
According to Noiri, his orbital bone was fractured in the first round, leaving him unable to clearly see through his right eye. Despite the severe injury and the initial panic it naturally caused, he showed immense heart to complete all five rounds against the Thai icon.
Still, Noiri’s first thoughts after the final bell were not about his own physical pain. They were solely focused on the children who had wholeheartedly believed he would return with the gold.
He said:
“My kids have seen me lose more than once before, but this was one loss I really didn’t want them to see. All I could think was, ‘I’m so sorry.’
“I was simply heartbroken, and I felt sorry for them.”
His Son Begins His Own Kickboxing Journey
The sport of kickboxing is now beginning to genuinely captivate Noiri’s young son. Minato has happily started training at home and in the gym. The growing interest was certainly not forced on him by his father, but rather developed naturally through time spent around Noiri’s teammates and the positive training environment.
Takeru “Natural Born Krusher” Segawa played a particularly important role in that development. During busy fight weeks, the Japanese icon spends quality time with Noiri’s children and helps look after them. That inspiring relationship prompted Minato to tell his father that he wanted to become a strong fighter just like Takeru.
Noiri explained:
“As a parent, I’d honestly rather they didn’t fight. Whenever I’m about to compete or staying at the hotel during fight week, everyone on the team is there with us from the beginning. Takeru spends a lot of time with my children and helps look after them.
“Because of that, my child started saying, ‘I want to become a strong fighter like Takeru.’ It wasn’t something I pushed him to do. He decided on his own that he wanted to take up kickboxing.”
Minato’s growing interest in the sport has already become a rewarding part of Noiri’s daily life.
Even during the final and most exhausting stages of his own grueling training camps, the former interim ONE World Champion always makes time to hold pads for his son. When he returns home tired and sees Minato eagerly shadowboxing, resting simply no longer feels like an option.
Those playful sessions require extra energy from an already fatigued athlete, but they also beautifully restore his motivation.
Noiri said:
“I’m in the final push of training right now, so I’m exhausted at times. But when I see my child shadowboxing at home, I feel like I need to hold the pads for him, no matter how tired I am. So I do.
“It’s actually a great way for me to recharge. Holding pads can be tiring, but when I see someone so young working that hard, it makes me think, ‘I’ve got to keep pushing myself too.’”
Teaching His Children How To Respond To Defeat
Noiri does not yet know exactly how far Minato will take his newfound interest in kickboxing.
His son has trained enthusiastically at home and in the gym but has not yet begun formally competing. If that day ever arrives, the 33-year-old understands that thrilling victories will eventually be accompanied by disappointment.
For Noiri, the most revealing moment will not necessarily come after his son’s first win. He wants to see exactly how the youngster responds when a result inevitably goes against him.
He said:
“Once he begins fighting, I’m sure there will be wins and losses because he’ll be competing as a junior fighter. What I really want to see is how he responds when he loses. If one loss breaks his spirit, then that may be as far as he goes. But I hope that losing only makes him more determined. That is the mindset I want him to develop.
“I’ve lost plenty of fights myself, even as an amateur. Those painful losses are what made me stronger. That is something I hope my children experience and learn from as well.”
That exact same valuable lesson now shapes Noiri’s own professional response to his setback against Superbon.
At ONE SAMURAI 2, he will meet Liu in a high-stakes tournament quarterfinal after losing their first encounter in December 2024. The winner will advance in a stacked eight-man bracket whose eventual champion receives a guaranteed opportunity to challenge Superbon for the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title.
For Noiri, that arduous tournament journey represents another perfect chance to show his children that a defeat does not ever have to mark the end of a dream.
He concluded:
“No matter what you’re chasing, if you never give up on your goal, good things will eventually happen. I want to show people that if you truly believe in something and continue saying it out loud, you can make it happen.
“The people who support me most, and my biggest fans, are my children. I want to show them that dreams really can come true.”
