There was time in Seigo Yuri Akui’s life when the thought of competing in Tokyo produced instant anxiety. Growing up in Okoyama, Akui was an eight hour drive or a three hour train ride away from the capital city and nucleus of the Japanese boxing world. Of the many world champions that have been produced in Japan, only a small handful have honed their craft outside of Tokyo.

The 29-yar old Akui is one of those rarities, holding the WBA flyweight title, which he will wager in a highly anticipated unification bout against WBC flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji on March 14. He’ll do so in Tokyo at the iconic Ryōgoku Kokugikan, a city and stage that felt unattainable less than ten years ago.

After pursuing soccer through grade school and the early stages of junior high, Akui ultimately followed his father Kazuhiko into the squared circle. Kazuhiko was the very first boxer to turn pro out of the Kurashiki Moriyasu Gym, and retired with a record of 13-15-2, spending eleven years as a pro on the domestic circuit. Seigo used his New Year’s money to buy a pair of boxing gloves, and one day in junior high decided to knock on the door of his Dad’s old gym to begin training with former Japanese junior welterweight champion Moriyasu Tatsuya.

Akui’s desire to fight was never in question, but he questioned whether he could be more than a solid domestic competitor training in Okoyama, confining himself to very modest dreams.

"I didn't have the confidence to compete in Tokyo. When I was in high school, I fought against Takuma Inoue and Kosei Tanaka (three-time world champion) and lost, but it wasn't to the point where I felt frustrated. I thought, 'ah, this is the kind of fighter who will become a champion,’” Akui told Jun Shibuya of Number Magazine last year.

Akui followed his father into the professional ranks, winning the All-Japan Rookie of the Year tournament at light flyweight in his second attempt in 2015. But upon his move up to flyweight, his fears that he didn’t have the proper resources to hang with other prospects who had honed their craft in Tokyo and abroad were realized when he was knocked out by Junto Nakatani in an eight-rounder. As he walked back to his corner after the fight was waved off, he looked at Tatsuya and said “I’m sorry.”

But the apology wasn’t a resignation, it was a declaration that he would do better. In the build-up to the Nakatani fight, Akui had no southpaw sparring partners, and no world-class talent to learn from. It turned into a transformative moment for him, prompting a wholesale change in his mindset. No longer would he view being from a smaller region as an impediment, but rather as a motivational tool. At the same time, he would no longer simply accept the shortcomings in resources immediately available to him, he would seek help, and take the time to source knowledge and experience elsewhere to bring back home.

Akui used his own money made working at Sanyo Safety, a security company, and began travelling to Tokyo for training and sparring. Kurahashi Moriyasu would still, and continues to be, home base for training camp, but it couldn’t be the only place he trained any longer.

"I didn't have much confidence, but I was determined to become the champion here in Okayama,” Akui told Kansai Monthly Sports last month. "There are boxers who can't leave their hometowns, and want to do their best there. I hope I can be their role model. There are times when you need to ask for help from those around you, and when you're in trouble, it's okay to rely on someone. If you work hard, you'll grab the opportunity."

In January of last year, Akui achieved his dream of becoming the first fighter from his gym, and the first fighter to have trained at a gym in the Okoyama Prefecture, to become world champion when he lifted the WBA flyweight title from Artem Dalakian. It was a landmark moment for his gym, city and region, which hadn’t had a fighter fight for a world title since Wolf Tokimitsu fell to Jose Antonio Aguirre in a bid for the WBC minumumweight title in 2001. Seated ringside smiling ear-to-ear was the last fighter born in Okoyama to hold a world title, Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, perhaps the best pure action fighter the country ever produced. Days after, he donned his old work uniform and brought his title belt to the Tenmaya Kurashiki store where he was once a security guard.

After the win over Dalakian, Akui spoke to reporters, but also spoke directly to Japanese fighters from outside of the central region of Japan. "I think there are many issues in the regional areas, such as lack of experience and not knowing about central boxing,” he said. “I'm not saying you should leave, but I think watching and studying that kind of central boxing is also a form of training. I would also like to say that if you don't get scared and fight in the central areas, opportunities will arise."

Though Akui’s ring name is derived from former flyweight champion Yuri Arbachakov (his high school classmate said he looked like him, and the name stuck), and he grew up idolizing technicians like Alexis Arguello and Juan Manuel Marquez, it is Tatsuyoshi’s fighting spirit that shines through most in Akui’s relentless pressure style. However, true to his word, Akui has gathered intelligence from across the country over the last few years, often sparring over 100 rounds per camp at the Teiken Gym in Tokyo before completing camp back home. In preparing for Teraji, he worked alongside current WBO light flyweight champion Shokichi Iwata, 2021 world amateur champion Tomoya Tsuboi.

He's also managed to turn what was a geographical disadvantage into a major advantage. Akui continues to work outside of boxing, transitioning from his security position to an assistant role at his alma mater Pacific Rim in the physical education department. This means that he has access to the school’s new-age technology, where he can take advantage of high altitude simulators for his treadmill work. But for Akui, the work itself is also a part of a lifestyle he finds most conducive to boxing success. "There's nothing to do if I just box in Okayama, so I went back to work to create my own training rhythm. I went back to work to create a rhythm where I can work, practice, and go home,” Akui told Nikkan Sports last year.

It is the concept of rhythm in the ring that is at the core of his preparation for the unification bout against Teraji, one of the other fighters he has spent a significant amount of time sparring during his ventures across the country.

"I've been practicing so that I won't be distracted by Kenshiro's unpleasant rhythm and distance," Akui said at his recent open media workout at the Teiken Gym. "Teraji is good at both jabbing and counterpunching. I think it will be a test of endurance. I will do my best to win by knockout."

While Akui has been fuelled by regional pride through the years, he’ll have an even deeper motivation heading into the biggest fight of his life. He and his wife Yume are expecting their third child together in June of this year, and he hopes to have not just one, but two world title belts with him as he welcomes his baby boy into the world.

“I want to greet him while still a world champion,” said Akui.