By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Boxing Beat

Game Chinese puncher Wulan Tuolehazi (11-3-1, 5 KOs) acquired the vacant WBA international flyweight belt by defeating previously unbeaten Japanese ex-amateur star Ryota Yamauchi (4-1, 4 KOs) by a unanimous decision (115-112, 117-109 twice) over twelve hard-fought rounds on Saturday in Shanghai, China.

It was a very exciting give-and-take affair with Wulan dropping Yamauchi with a vicious right uppercut in the third and the Japanese decking the Chinese with a wicked left hook to the belly in the sixth. Since then, Wulan outpunched the winning mixer with more accurate countering shots down the stretch.

In the main event, we saw a dramatic come-from-behind affair. Japanese underdog Yusuke Konno (15-4, 7 KOs) floored the defending titlist Baishanbo Nasiyiwula (15-3-1, 6 KOs) with an over hand right in the first session, but was losing following rounds before he turned the tables by knocking out the Chinese defending champ with a well-timed left hook at 1:47 of the eleventh round.

Prior to the tick happening, the official tallies were so identical as 96-93, all for Baishanbo.

Former WBO flyweight champion Sho Kimura (18-2-2, 11 KOs) seized the OPBF silver 112-pound belt by halting Thailander Wicha Phulaikhao (60-11-2, 24 KOs) at 2:20 of the third round in a supporting ten.

Kimura, very popular in China thanks to his previous coronation over Zou Shiming in 2017, decked the veteran opponent three times in the fatal session.

Promoter: Liu Gang’s Max Power Promotions.

(3-30-2019)