By Joe Koizumi
Serving as a bridge between Japan and US for six decades, Norihiko “Nori” Takatani, 84, a long-time residing Japanese in Los Angeles, passed away of kidney disease there on Thursday. Nori, while managing his Anzen Hardware shop, at first got involved in boxing business in association with Japanese promoter Masaki Kanehira who handled such world champions as Hiroyuki Ebihara and Shozo Saijo in 1960’s. Ebihara defeated Alacran Efren Torres twice and Saijo beat Raul Rojas twice to wrest his WBA featherweight belt—all in Los Angeles. Nori Takatani assisted their campaigns as a US agent communicating with Aileen Eaton and George Parnassus.
Nori more deeply participated in boxing business, and became the manager of WBA junior middleweight champ Oscar “Shotgun” Alvarado and WBA, WBC super feather kingpin Genaro Hernandez. Genaro’s brother Rudy, who also used be Nori’s boxer under his wing, has been handling WBC bantam titlist Junto Nakatani from the beginning of his unblemished career. Nori closed his Anzen shop last year and was recently hospitalized at a nursing institution. He was a nice guy loved by everybody. May his soul rest in peace.
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