TOKYO, October 1 – Novosti. One of the most famous Japanese wrestlers and mixed martial arts fighters, member of the Japanese Parliament Antonio Inoki, has died at the age of 80, the Kyodo news agency reported .
The cause of death of the former politician is not specified, however, in the summer of 2020, Inoki stated that doctors diagnosed him with a disease of the cardiovascular system, without giving details.
Antonio Inoki, whose real name is Kanji Inoki, was born on February 20, 1943 in the Japanese city of Yokohama. During high school, the future wrestler and his family moved to Brazil , where at the age of 17 he was noticed by one of the most influential people in the history of Japanese and world wrestling, Mitsuhiro Momota, better known as Rikidozan. It was he who gave Inoki the name Antonio in honor of another famous wrestler, Antonino Rocky.
One of Antonio Inoki’s most famous fights was in 1976 against world boxing champion Muhammad Ali . In addition, the Japanese wrestler took part in a duel against Ric Flair during a two-day show organized in North Korean Pyongyang .
After, already being a member of the Japanese parliament, Inoki repeatedly visited the DPRK through sports exchanges. During the trips, he tried to contribute to the settlement of the problem of the Japanese abducted by the North Korean special services.
Three years before his death, in 2019, Inoki announced his retirement from politics.
