By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda
Unbeaten Hamed-stylist WBO#13 Andy Hiraoka (21-0, 16 KOs), 140, retained his WBO Asia Pacific 140-pound belt with ease when he demolished Filipino lefty Alvin Lagumbay (13-6-1, 11 KOs), 139.75, with a solid left at 2:27 of the second session of a scheduled twelve rounder on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan. In a confrontation of southpaws, the taller and more flexible Andy, 26, kept outjabbing the hard-punching but slower Alvin, 27, and finally caught up with him with a single devastating left, which had him unconscious while standing. The ref Nakamura promptly held the loser at the ropes and called a halt to save him from further punishment.
Lagumbay once dethroned WBO AP welter champ Keita Obara with an upset second-round knockout after a double knockdown but yielded the belt to Obara in a direct rematch in 2018. Andy was simply too much for Alvin.
Promoter: Ohashi Promotions.
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I think Hiraoka is the goods, he’s been very impressive. Hopefully he gets back to this side of the world and gets in there with better fighters next year.