As a rising star among Japanese boxers,
Hatakeyama has always been drawing boxing fans' attention since he obtained the
championship and was awarded the MVP in the annual rookie king tournament of Japan in
1992. With his aggressive style and sharp punches, he stretched a record of consecutive KO
wins to 14, which is the second longest in Japan.
In March 1996, he obtained OPBF super featherweight crown by 2-round TKO, climbing up to be one of the top 10 contenders in the division. With his unblemished record of 19-0 (17), Hatakeyama challenged WBA champ Choi Yong Soo (KOR) in October 1997 in Tokyo, resulting in a draw (1-0).
Terribly disappointed with his performance in the first title shot, he chose to fight national champion Koji Arisawa who was also regarded as one of the prospect for world champion. Hatakeyama defeated Arisawa in a grueling toe-to-toe fight by KO in 9th round. Regaining confident in the bout with Arisawa, Hatakeyama had a rematch with Choi in Tokyo on September 5, 1998. On the contrary to the first bout with Choi, Hatakeyama was behind in early rounds but came back with hit-and-clinch tactic to win with a narraow margin of 2-0 decision.
Married with one child.
As of September 12, 1998