Japan’s Shinsuke Yamanaka floored Belgian challenger Stephane Jamoye four times with his killer left hand on Wednesday to retain his WBC bantamweight title with a fifth straight knockout win.
Panamanian referee Hector Afu stopped the fight 11 seconds into the ninth round, when southpaw Yamanaka’s straight left to the body sent Jamoye to the canvas.
It was Yamanaka’s sixth defense of the 53.5kg-class title, which he won by beating Mexico’s Christian Esquivel with a technical knockout in Tokyo in November 2011.
Photo: AFP
His unscathed professional record improved to 21 wins, 16 of them inside the distance, and two draws. He has triumphed in five title bouts in a row by a knockout or technical knockout.
It was the fifth loss for European bantamweight champion Jamoye, the No. 3 WBC contender, who has 25 wins to his name, 15 of them by knockout.
“It was great that I could finish the fight with a knockout,” said Yamanaka, 31. “I relied too much on my left hand to throw combinations. I want to fight abroad and fight in a bout to unify world titles.”
Right-handed Jamoye, 24, said Yamanaka’s punches were “very strong.”
“I knew it would be a tough fight. I am still young and I will think about [another world challenge] after developing my skills further,” the Belgian said.
Yamanaka dominated throughout against Jamoye, who was seeking to become the first Belgian world boxing champion in his first shot at a world title.
Yamanaka’s first knockdown of the night came in the second round, when his straight left caught the Belgian’s face.
In the eighth round, the champion floored Jamoye with a straight left to the body and again with a blow to the face. The Belgian managed to tough it out, but the end finally came only seconds into the ninth round, when Yamanaka’s left body blow sent Jamoye down for the fourth time at the Osaka Castle Hall in the western city.
On the undercard, Spain’s Kiko Martinez retained his IBF super-bantamweight title by beating Japanese challenger Hozumi Hasegawa on a technical knockout.
US referee Robert Byrd stopped the fight 1 minute, 20 seconds into the seventh round, when Hasegawa was floored for the third time by the Spanish champion, who remained the aggressor throughout with one-two combinations.
It was the 28-year-old’s second defense of the title he won by knocking out Jonathan “Momo” Romero of Colombia last August in the 55.3kg division.
The right-handed fighter now has 31 wins to his name, 23 of them inside the distance, against four losses.
Hasegawa, 33, who has previously held the WBC bantamweight and featherweight titles, failed to claim a championship belt in his first world title bout in three years.
His record slipped to 33 wins, 15 inside the distance, against five losses.
Martinez chased Hasegawa, the 13th IBF contender, and punished him with both hands at close range. His onslaught started from the first round at the Osaka Castle Hall.
The Japanese southpaw fought back with counter-punches led by right jabs.
“Hasegawa could withstand my punches and was a very tough boxer,” Martinez said. “I thought my power would prevail if I fought on at close range.”
The tattooed Spaniard forced Hasegawa against the ropes early in the second round and sent him to the canvas with a flurry of left and right blows for a count of eight.
In the fourth round, Hasegawa started bleeding from a cut on his right eyebrow and the fight was briefly stopped for first aid.
In the middle of the sixth round, the rampant Martinez was slapped with a one-point deduction for punching Hasegawa’s face when the referee tried to break them apart.
Hasegawa, his face swollen, slowed down in the seventh round and buckled after taking a left hook in a flurry of blows.
After a count of eight, another left hook knocked him down again and prompted the referee to stop the fight.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Shohei Ohtani on Thursday delivered his first two-homer game of the season and had six RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers poured it on with five long balls in a 19-2 victory over the visiting Athletics. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who left no doubt by taking a 13-2 lead following a seven-run third inning. Muncy and Kim Hye-seong each had three hits for Los Angeles. Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer led off a bullpen game by allowing two runs in four innings. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (1-1) finished with four scoreless innings after he
RSS