Japanese boxers win world titles
Boxers Hozumi Hasegawa and Takahiro Ao won their second world titles on Friday after outpointing their respective opponents at the Nihon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya.
Hasegawa posted a unanimous decision win over top contender Juan Carlos Burgos of Mexico to capture the vacant World Boxing Council featherweight title.
It was the Japanese fighter’s second world crown after previously holding the WBC bantamweight belt, which he lost to Mexico's Fernando Montiel in April. Hasegawa, who defended his crown 10 times, broke his jaw in losing to Montiel.
The two fighters went at each other for 12 rounds with neither boxer hitting the canvas. Hasegawa used hooks and uppercuts to keep his opponent at bay throughout the bout. The ploy turned out to be effective as two judges saw it 117-110 and one had it 116-111 in favour of the 29-year-old Hyogo native.
Hasegawa dedicated the victory to his late mother, who died of cancer last month.
"I think she is delighted up there because I've got the belt around me. I'm glad that I won," he told AFP.
The Japanese improved his record to 29 wins and three losses with 13 knockouts while Burgos suffered his first defeat in 26 fights. Hasegawa’s two other losses were dealt by Takashi Taketazu and Masamitsu Arakawa early in his career. Prior to facing Montiel, Hasegawa was unbeaten in his last 25 fights. He also became the ninth Japanese boxer to win world titles in two weight divisions.
The victory was a breakthrough for Hasegawa, who made heads turn when he announced that he will go up in weight to have another shot at a world title.
Ao made it a double victory for Japan when he defeated Vitali Tajbert of Germany to claim the WBC super featherweight crown. The 26-year-old dominated the fight from the start and scored a knock-down in the third round. Tajbert, who was floored for the first time in his career, desperately tried to keep pace with his opponent but was left frustrated.
Ao raised his record to 20-2-1 with nine KOs. He added the WBC super featherweight belt to his collection after previously holding the WBC featherweight crown.
Ao won the WBC featherweight title by beating veteran Mexican fighter Oscar Larios in their re-match in March 2009. However, he lost the title to Elio Rojas in his first defence. Tajbert, who became world champion by defeating Mexican Hector Velasquez in May, dropped to 20-2.
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