In his second fight since losing 2015?s Fight of the Year to tonight?s main event fighter Francisco Vargas, super featherweight contender Takashi Miura, (31-3-2, 24 KOs), rode an amazing second wind to score three late knockdowns en route to a twelfth round knockout of Mickey Roman, (56-12, 43 KOs) in a WBC eliminator at Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio, California.
It was an all-action affair in which both fighters never stepped off the gas after a couple of feeling out rounds.
Roman, whose win-loss record was somewhat deceiving as he had won 18 fights in a row since 2012, looked to be in control heading into the championship rounds. However, before that both men started cautiously, with neither man ready to throw more than a probing jab while sizing each other up. The fight really started in round three when both fighters started letting their hands go, with Muira trying to work behind his jab while Roman focused on the body, applying non-stop pressure.
Roman appeared to take control over the middle rounds, landing the stronger punches while Muira seemed to wear down round by round under the relentless pressure. By the end of round eight, Muira looked completely spent, missing wildly several times near the end of the round from sheer exhaustion.
But then, similar to the huge swings in momentum in his fight against Vargas, Muira caught a second wind, and started to increase his punch output as Roman appeared to be tiring. The fight swung completely in Muira?s favor when he dug a left hook to Roman?s body right before the bell to end round ten that dropped Roman in pain, clutching his midsection. Roman was able to get to his feet and use the minute between rounds to try and recover. However, Muira, who seemed energized by his success, dropped Roman again in round eleven with a flurry of punches that forced Roman to his knees. Muira closed the show 53 seconds into the final round with a compact straight left hand that put Roman down for the full count.
An amazing performance and undoubtedly one that will put Muira in line for a rematch with the Vargas-Berchelt winner.
