Unbeaten Japanese who won the belt in his fifth pro bout, WBO minimumweight champ Kosei Tanaka (6-0, 3 KOs), 104.75, barely retained his belt as he came off the canvas in the fifth and sank Filipino challenger Vic Saludar (11-2, 9 KOs) for the count at 2:15 of the sixth round in Nagoya, Japan, on New Year Eve. It?s a dramatic come-from-behind knockout as Tanaka was behind on points: 50-44 twice and 49-45, all in favor of the game Filipino who had the champ on the deck with a straight right midway in the fifth. The 20-year-old university student Tanaka, however, dug a vicious shot to the side of the belly and had him down in agony for the count. The referee was Mike Ortega (US). (More to come)
