(Kyodo) _ Thai boxer Eagle Kyowa retained his WBC minimumweight crown after beating previously undefeated Filipino challenger Rodel Mayol by a unanimous decision on Saturday. In a match between Japan-based boxers, Kyowa struggled to cope with Mayol’s hard lefts early on but gradually found his rhythm and took him down in the final round of the scheduled 12-rounder at Korakuen Hall.
“He landed good punches in the second and third rounds, giving me a wake-up call,” said Kyowa, who successfully defended his title for the second time and improved his record to 16-1 with six knockouts.
“I’d like to fight the WBA champion if there is an offer for a unification bout,” the 27-year-old added after handing Mayol his first loss in 23 bouts.
