By Joe Koizumi

Japanese southpaw Yuko Kuroki unified the WBA and WBO female 102-pound belts when she eked out a hairline majority decision (96-94 twice, 95-95) over Mexican Montserrat Alarcon over ten heats on Saturday in Kobe, Japan. WBA ruler Alarcon kept swinging roundhouse hooks to the midsection, while WBO champ Kuroki occasionally landed accurate overhand southpaw lefts over the onrushing Mexican. Kuroki scored with more effective lefts to the shorter but game Mexican from outside to take the initiative in later rounds. It’s a good fight.

In his fifth attempt to win the regional belt, 37-year-old veteran Toshimasa Ouchi finally acquired the vacant Japanese light-flyweight belt by turning the tables with an impressive come-from-behind stoppage of JBC#1 Rikito Shiba with a couple of knockdowns at 1:55 of the eighth round in a scheduled ten.

Promoter: Shinsei Promotions.