By Joe Koizumi

Japanese southpaw Masataka Taniguchi (15-3, 10 KOs), 105, impressively captured the WBO 105-pound belt as he dropped southpaw defending champ Wilfredo “Bimbito” Mendez (16-2, 6 KOs), 105, in the second round, pressed the action and finally caught up with him with a flurry of punches to prompt the referee’s intervention at 1:08 of the eleventh session on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan.

(More to come)