Japan’s Hozumi Hasegawa defeated US challenger Nestor Rocha by a technical knockout to retain his World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight title yesterday.
The knockout came just two minutes and 28 seconds into the first round.
It was Hasegawa’s ninth straight defense of the title he wrested from 14-time champion Veeraphol Nakhonluang of Thailand in April 2005. He improved his record to 27 wins, including 11 KOs, against two defeats.
Hasegawa also knocked out Vusi Malinga of South Africa in the first round in his previous title defense in March.
For the 26-year-old American, ranked fourth in the WBC, it was his second defeat against 21 wins, including seven KOs.
Also, Roman Gonzalez of Nicaragua pounded out a unanimous decision over Japan’s Katsunari Takayama to defend the World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight title yesterday.
All three judges scored it 118-110 overwhelmingly in favor of Gonzalez.
The 22-year-old champion, who used a combination of heavy left hooks and straight rights to overcome the Japanese, stretched his unbeaten record to 24 wins, including 20 KOs.
Takayama, former WBC strawweight champion, became the WBA “interim” champion by defeating Carlos Melo of Panama in November 2006, but lost the title to his compatriot Yutaka Niida in July 2007.
Takayama, who cut his left eyelid in the sixth round receiving a right hook, has now 23 wins, including nine KOs, against four defeats.
Meanwhile, Elio Rojas of the Dominican Republic scored a resounding points victory over Takahiro Aoh of Japan to become the new WBC featherweight champion yesterday.
The three judges scored it 116-113, 117-111, 118-110, all in favor of Rojas.
It was Rojas’ first attempt at a world title, stretching his record to 21 wins, including 13 KOs, against one defeat.
It was also Aoh’s first defense of the title he took from Oscar Larios of Mexico in March.
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