Filmmaker Peter Michael Dowd has revealed that production is underway on his new feature documentary about Japanese world champion boxer Mizuki Hiruta, titled “I Want to Be a Superstar.”
Hiruta has been making waves in women’s boxing. In 2025, she was named Female Fighter of the Year at the Ring Magazine Awards, held at Cipriani in New York City. Early in her professional career, she captured the WBO Super Flyweight title and has remained undefeated since.
“Women’s boxing in Japan still struggles for attention and recognition. There are times when it feels like we are invisible,” said Hiruta in a statement. “That is why this documentary means so much to me. It feels like a gentle light during difficult moments. It feels like someone is walking beside me – not trying to change me, but simply seeing me. Through this film, I don’t feel alone. I feel like we are chasing this dream together.”
Hiruta discovered the sport in her mid-teens after stepping into a boxing gym at her high school. She later joined the Japan Self-Defense Forces – Japan’s de facto military – to continue training, and in 2021 began representing Japan in amateur competitions. She turned pro and in 2023, she began training in Los Angeles with renowned coach Manny Robles.
Los Angeles-based producer and director Dowd is best known for his SXSW-premiering documentary “Mr. Jimmy,” which follows the life of a Japanese salesman obsessed with anything related to Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.
“I’ve spent the past half-decade immersed in the boxing world shooting pieces for ‘Top Rank Boxing’ on ESPN,” Dowd said in a statement. “This film draws on that knowledge combined with my experiences with Japanese culture to make something as authentic as possible. Mizuki is an iconic superstar in the making. She’s an incredibly strong woman making her way in the rough and tumble ‘man’s world’ of boxing, and this film offers an unflinching look into everything she’s overcome to achieve stardom.”
English (US) ·