
Akihiro Kaneko (Japanese: 金子晃大, Kaneko Akihiro, born January 29, 1997) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super bantamweight division of K-1. A professional competitor since 2016, Kaneko is the current K-1 Super Bantamweight champion, having held the title since 2022, and the former Krush Bantamweight champion, having held the title from June to December 2018.
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K-1 WORLD MAX 2025 takes place on February 8, 2025, at Yoyogi 2nd National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. This kickboxing event features Takumi Terada defending his Featherweight title against Takahito Niimi in the main event. Akihiro Kaneko faces Manolis Kallistis for the Super Bantamweight title, while a Women’s Atomweight Grand Prix includes fighters like Kira Matsutani and Miyuu Sugawara. Additional bouts showcase Yodkhunpon Sitmonchai vs. Hayato Suzuki and Shintaro Matsukura vs. Choong Il Park. It’s a landmark night for K-1 in 2025, kicking off the year with high-stakes action.

K-1 WORLD MAX 2025 -70kg World Championship Tournament Opening Round will be held in Tokyo, Yoyogi! 16 elite fighters from 15 countries battle for supremacy! All eyes are on the showdown between reigning K-1 WORLD GP Super Welterweight Champion Ouyan Feng and the 'Relentless Last Man', Kacper Muszyński. In addition to the tournament, "HERO'S" will be making a comeback for the first time in nearly 20 years! Be sure to keep an eye out to see what kind of impact these two MMA matches will make in the K-1 ring.

The K-1 WORLD MAX 2024 takes place on July 7, 2024, at Yoyogi National Gymnasium No. 2 in Tokyo, Japan. This kickboxing event features an eight-man -70kg World Championship Tournament with fighters like Stoyan Koprivlenski, Buakaw Banchamek, Dengue Silva, and Viktor Akimov. Additional bouts showcase Yuki Yoza vs. Gonnapar Weerasakreck and K-Jee vs. Mahmoud Sattari. It’s a defining night for K-1 in 2024, marking the return of the MAX brand.

The K-1 WORLD MAX 2024 Super Lightweight Championship Tournament occurred on September 29, 2024, at Yoyogi National Gymnasium No. 2 in Tokyo, Japan. This kickboxing event features Liu Ce defending his Cruiserweight title against Mahmoud Sattari in the main event. Taito Gunji faces Takumi Terada for the Featherweight title. A Super Bantamweight Tournament semifinal round also highlights the card with Akihiro Kaneko and Masashi Kumura.

The K-1 WORLD GP 2024 in TOKYO FINAL takes place on December 14, 2024, at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. This kickboxing event features an eight-man Openweight Grand Prix with fighters like Ariel Machado, Errol Zimmerman, Feng Rui, and Mattia Faraoni. Additional bouts include Hiromi Wajima vs. Stoyan Koprivlenski for the Super Welterweight title and Akihiro Kaneko vs. Aslanbek Zikreev in super bantamweight. Regional qualifiers from Sarajevo, Sicily, Brasília, and Osaka lead to this final showdown. It’s K-1’s climactic event of 2024, crowning the openweight king.

ABEMA presents RISE ELDORADO 2024 takes place on March 17, 2024, at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. This kickboxing event features Shiro defending his Bantamweight (-55kg) title against Toki Tamaru in the main event. Other fighters include Akihiro Kaneko vs. Masahiko Suzuki, Chadd Collins vs. Miguel Trindade, and Kazuki Osaki vs. Djillali Kharroubi across the card. Five RISE vs. K-1 matchups also highlight the night. It’s RISE’s first major event of 2024, broadcast live on ABEMA.

The K-1 WORLD GP 2023 ~K’FESTA.6~ takes place on March 12, 2023, at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. This kickboxing event features Tetsuya Yamato defending his Super Lightweight title against Kenta Hayashi in the main event. Other title fights include Taio Asahisa vs. Yuki Yoza for Lightweight, Hiromi Wajima vs. Jomthong Chuwattana for Super Welterweight, and Akihiro Kaneko vs. Kompetch Sitsarawatsuer for Super Bantamweight. Additional competitors like Masaaki Noiri, Jordann Pikeur, and Gunji Taito appear across the card. It’s K-1’s marquee event of early 2023, showcasing seven championship bouts.

The K-1 WORLD GP 2023 1st Middleweight Championship Tournament takes place on June 3, 2023, at Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama, Japan. This kickboxing event features an eight-man Middleweight Championship Tournament with fighters like Hassan Toy, Shintaro Matsukura, Igor Silva, and Hiromi Wajima. The tournament concludes with Hassan Toy facing Shintaro Matsukura in the final to crown the inaugural champion. Additional bouts include K-Jee vs. Viktor Hugo and Kana Morimoto vs. Funda Alkayis on the card. It’s a historic night for K-1, marking its 30th anniversary with the first middleweight title.

The ReBOOT K-1 ReBIRTH event takes place on September 10, 2023, at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. This kickboxing spectacle features an eight-man Openweight Grand Prix with fighters like Liu Ce, Claudiu Istrate, Sina Karimian, and Ariel Machado. Akihiro Kaneko defends his Super Bantamweight title against Masashi Kumura in a trilogy bout co-headlining the night. Additional matchups include Taito Gunji vs. Angelos Martinos and Mikio Ueda vs. K-Jee. It marks K-1’s 30th anniversary and a bold relaunch with global aspirations for 2023.

The K-1 ReBIRTH 2 event takes place on December 9, 2023, at Edion Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan. This kickboxing spectacle features Hiromi Wajima defending his Super Welterweight title against Ouyang Feng in the main event. Other title fights include Toma Kuroda vs. Issei Ishii for the Bantamweight belt and Hasan Toy vs. Shintaro Matsukura for the Middleweight crown. Additional competitors like Akihiro Kaneko, Leona Pettas, and Kana Morimoto face off across the card. It’s K-1’s final major event of 2023, closing the year with high-stakes action.
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