Teruaki Murakami retired around 10 years before the events of Ashita no Joe. Nowadays he runs a Yakitori stand near Chinatown in Tokyo accompanied by his dog he named "Jose".
Before Joe, Murakami was the only Japanese boxer to have fought Jose Mendoza. Murakami had traveled to Mexico to train, and during that trip he had an unofficial underground bout against Mendoza. Mendoza at the time was only 16 years old and still just an amateur.
Murakami describes Jose as having been smaller than a flyweight, but punched harder than a bantamweight. Despite being at his physical peak, Murakami could barely land a punch and was knocked out before he even heard the bell to end the first round.
Murakami defended his national title twice after that crushing defeat, but unable to get over the loss to Mendoza he grew depressed and disillusioned with boxing and retired. Two years later after hearing Mendoza had become the bantamweight world champion, Murakami was so happy he drank all night. He opened his Yakitori stand soon after.
