Takashi Uchiyama defends belt; Tomas Rojas new WBC champ
Takashi Uchiyama and Mexican Tomas Rojas emerged victorious in an action-filled night at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Monday.
The unbeaten Uchiyama showed no mercy as he stopped Indonesian challenger Roy Mukhlis in the fifth round to retain his World Boxing Association super featherweight title. Uchiyama dominated the first four
rounds, connecting with jabs and right crosses. Mukhlis had some success in defending his face from Uchiyama's punches but the hard-hitting champion shifted to the mid-section, slowing down his opponent.
The end came in the fifth when the 30-year-old Uchiyama nailed Mukhlis with a right hook to the face and followed up with powerful punches, sending the hapless Indonesian to the canvas. The referee did
not bother to finish the count after Mukhlis fell unconscious. He was rushed to the nearest hospital after the fight. He sustained a broken cheekbone but is now in stable condition.
Uchiyama improved his record to 16-0 with 13 knockouts while Mukhlis fell to 23-3-2. The Japanese won the WBA super featherweight crown earlier this year after stopping Juan Carlos Salgado in the final
round of their title bout. He stopped Angel Granados in May in his first title defence.
In the undercard, Rojas claimed the vacant World Boxing Council super flyweight title with a unanimous-decision victory over local boy Kohei Kono. The Mexican used his height advantage to keep his opponent
at bay in the early rounds. He also survived a knockdown in the final round to claim his first ever world title. The smaller Kono became more aggressive in the latter rounds after being frustrated in the early stages of the bout. He almost posted a come-from-behind
win when he sent Rojas to his knees in the 12th round. However, the Mexican quickly recovered and remained on his feet until the final bell.
The victory was a timely boost for the 30-year-old Rojas, who has lost to some of the big names in his division in his quest to win a world title. Among his notable conquerors in the past were Vic Darchinyan,
Jorge Arce, Anselmo Moreno, Gerry Penalosa and Cristian Mijares. Rojas improved his record to 34-12-1 with 23 KOs while Kono dropped to 25-5. It was Kono's first defeat after posting wins over Masafumi Tonomura, Marvin Tampus, Daniel Ferreras and Hendry Barongsay.
His last defeat prior to facing Rojas was a split-decision loss to countryman Nobuo Nashiro for the vacant WBA super flyweight title in 2008. The WBC super flyweight title was vacated by Darchinyan, who moved up in weight.
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