By Joe Koizumi

Unbeaten WBC light-flyweight champ Ken Shiro (12-0, 6 KOs), 107.25, retained his belt as he easily demolished WBC#11 Panamanian Gilberto Pedroza (18-4-2, 8 KOs), 107.75, en route to a fine TKO victory at 1:12 of the fourth session on Saturday in Yokohama, Japan. Ken, making his second defense since dethroning Ganigan Lopez this May, took the initiative from the second round on thanks to his superior speed and physical power to the shorter footworker. The fleet-footed champ, 25, kept moving to and fro and connected with a solid shot at a time and gradually hurt the onrushing challenger. The fourth witnessed Ken swam over Pedroza, also 25, with a flurry of punches to drop him near the ropes. Pedroza barely resumed fighting, but Shiro turned loose to have him on the deck again, which eventually prompted the third man’s intervention. The referee was Laurence Cole (US). The judges were Hubert Minn (US), Timothy Cheatham (US) and Ed Pearson (Canada), all of whom had the champ leading on points prior to the stoppage.

(More to come)