Mizuki “MIMI” Hiruta didn’t even have to think about her answer when asked of the legacy she hopes to one day leave behind.
“Shohei Ohtani,” the unbeaten lineal and WBO super flyweight champion told Uncrowned. “When I’m done, I want to be known as boxing’s biggest star in Japan.
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“I would love for the fans in the U.S. to one day embrace me the way they have Shohei Ohtani.”
It’s not exactly a newsflash that she realizes there is a very long road ahead to enter that conversation. Fittingly to her goals, though, Hiruta (8-0, 2 KOs) now trains in Southern California, where the Los Angeles Dodgers’ superstar is shining bright.
The primary task now is to deliver her ninth career win. That opportunity comes Friday, when Hiruta faces unbeaten challenger Naomy Cardenas. Their scheduled 10-round championship affair serves as the UFC Fight Pass co-feature from Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California.
It will mark Hiruta’s third straight fight in the U.S., where the 29-year-old southpaw has trained for more than 18 months under the tutelage of renowned cornerman Manny Robles. The decision to train — and essentially fight — stateside came after the sense that her career was growing stale in Japan.
Mizuki Hiruta (Ring Magazine)
Hiruta turned pro in October 2021 but lodged just six pro bouts through her first three years, all at Korakuen Hall in her hometown of Tokyo. She won the WBO 115-pound title in just her fourth pro fight, a December 2022 10-round, unanimous decision over Kanako Taniyama, but managed just two title defenses spread out over 13 months.
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The lack of activity came in stark contrast to her loud persona — the pink hair and theatrical entrances as Sailor Moon come to life — as well as the accolades she quickly scooped up along the way.
Boxing has always been the easy part for the well-disciplined Hiruta, who took up the sport while attending high school in her childhood hometown of Okayama City, Japan. A member of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, Hiruta quickly excelled in the amateur ranks, earning a gold or silver medal in four consecutive All Japan’s Women’s Championships.
Hiruta earned her pro boxing license in 2021 after she completed her JSDF tour. A member of the Misato Gym, she didn’t waste any time in making her mark at super flyweight. The proof was in her first title fight, which came just 14 months into her pro journey.
By the time she halted Ji Hyun Park in the sixth round of their January 2024 title fight, Hiruta knew she needed to quickly make a move.
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“Coming to the United States to fight professionally has been the biggest challenge of my life so far,” Hiruta said. “But it’s a good challenge and I am very happy with the decision my team and I made.
“Women’s boxing isn’t recognized by many people in Japan. The moment I began fighting here, I immediately felt the appreciation from the fans. It justified my decision to come here.”
The first step was finding the right trainer. It led to her bringing on Robles as her head coach after an extended search.
The other main candidate was Rudy Hernandez, who has produced several world champions from Japan over the years, including three-division champ Junto Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs), Uncrowned’s No. 7 pound-for-pound fighter, and WBO flyweight titlist Anthony Olascuaga (9-1, 6 KOs). In the end, it came down to the best style fit and the ability to improve.
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“I helped MIMI with that decision,” noted sportswriter Yuriko Miyata told Uncrowned while also pulling double duty as Hiruta’s translator. “She is very good at boxing from the outside but also needed to improve her infighting skills. That is Manny’s area of expertise.
“Manny Robles and Rudy Hernandez are good friends. Rudy, of course, has the great reputation for all of the fighters from Japan he has helped become world champion. But for MIMI, I felt like Manny was the right choice.”
Hiruta’s first fight with Robles came in a Jan. 17 technical decision over Maribel Ramirez at Commerce Casino in Commerce, California. She was well on her way to a stoppage victory — or at least a 10-round shutout — when the fight was stopped after eight rounds due to a cut suffered by Ramirez from a clash of heads.
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Hiruta is already fighting for the third time this year and has shown her improved technique at close range in her battering of Ramirez and decisive handling of the highly ranked Carla Merino in their battle between Ring’s top two super flyweights.
For all the expectations she set out for her boxing career even as a teenager, this was one of the few that actually felt like a dream.
“I never imagined the day that I could win the Ring Magazine championship, because it wasn’t a thing for women when I first began to box,” Hiruta said. “Being crowned Ring champion gave me goosebumps. It was a very honorable moment in my career, one that I will never forget.”
Yet, it was just the latest achievement in a long list of goals she plans to accomplish when all is said and done.
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Next up is taking down her first unbeaten opponent. Mexico’s Cardenas proved her worth in her most recent bout, an eight-round, split decision win over undefeated Bree Howling just two months ago on a June 7 DAZN show from Orlando, Florida.
“She appears to be a very aggressive fighter and a hungry challenger,” observed Hiruta. “But I plan to control everything in the ring. It motivates me to have challengers like this, which bring out the best in me.”
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