Edwin Valero was extended beyond round two for only the third time in his 22-fight career as he successfully defended his WBA super-featherweight title with an eighth-round stoppage of Nobuhito Honmo at Tokyo’s Ariake Colosseum.
The big-punching Venezuelan, 22-0 (22), moved closer to a projected clash with Manny Pacquiao when the referee stepped in to halt brave Honmo on his feet midway through the round. Honmo fell to 29-5-2 (5).
The 25-year-old Valero, who is banned from fighting in the United States on medical grounds, won his first 18 fights in round one before being extended to the second by Genaro Trazancos in March last year.
Last August, Valero knocked down Vicente Mosquera twice in the first round of his title challenge, but could not finish the job and was floored himself before finally knocking out his opponent in round 10.
Another Venezuelan, Alexander Munoz, regained the WBA super-flyweight title and extended his record to 30-2 (27) with a unanimous points victory over Osaka’s Nobuo Nashiro.
Judges voted 118-109, 117-111, 117-112 in favour of Munoz, who had lost the title to Martin Castillo in December 2004.
Nashiro, who lost for the first time and fell to 9-1 (5), won the title in only his eighth professional contest last year, and defended it once.
He hurt Munoz in round three, but was himself staggered in a lop-sided seventh.
Japan’s Hozumi Hasegawa delighted the home crowd with a unanimous decision victory to retain his WBC bantamweight title over previously unbeaten South African Simpiwe Vetyika.
The 26-year-old Hasegawa (now 22-2 (7)) found it tough against the dangerous Vetyika (16-1 (9)) before edging 116-112 (twice), 115-113 verdicts on the judges’ cards.
