Eiji Date
, 伊達 英二
At 29 years old, Date is considered an experienced boxer despite being older than many of his peers. He lost his World Title Match against Ricardo Martinez in the past, who was defending his title for a second time and knocked out Date in the second round. This fight resulted in injuries such as a scar on the bridge of his fractured nose. After retiring from boxing to settle down with his wife Aiko (from a wealthy family) and raise their children, Date found that he could not suppress his competitive nature for long. His son Yuuji wanted to see him fight again, so he resumed his career and rose back up to the top. Despite being strong in every aspect, Date's greatest weapon is the Heartbreak Shot, a powerful blow to the heart that immobilizes opponents.
He is the first boxer to have defeated Ippo in the ring, making Kamogawa throw the towel.After this fateful match, Date went after the WBA title—a rematch with Ricardo Martinez, who was making his 18th title defense—but lost by K.O. in the 10th round. The injuries he received in this fight included broken hands and a fractured jaw, and seriously limited Date's chances of making a return to the ring. He has, however, passed on his dream to Ippo.
Currently, he trains other boxers at the Nakadai Gym. Morikawa Jouji stated in an interview that Date was modeled after former OPBF Champion Ozaki Fujio.At the time of his retirement, Date held a record of 23-2-0 with 17 KO's. He was the former OPBF Featherweight Champion as well as a two-time JBC Featherweight Champion and has twice been the #1 contender to Ricardo Martinez's WBA Featherweight Title.
