By Joe Koizumi
Another new champion was born in Japan. Former WBC 108-pound champ Masamichi Yabuki (17-4, 16 KOs), 107.5, very impressively wrested the IBF junior flyweight belt when he took the initiative, dropped defending titlist Sivenathi Nontshinga (13-2, 10 KOs), 107.5, from South Africa, three times and finally halted him at 1:50 of the ninth round in a scheduled twelve on Saturday in Tokoname, Japan.
Yabuki, 32, controlled the fight with sharp jabs and left-right combinations from the outset, though Nontshinga, 25, responded with fewer jabs and occasional rights. Steadily piling up points, Masamichi exploded a vicious right to the head of the champ, who fell down in the closing seconds of the eighth to have a narrow escape. The eighth saw Yabuki turn very pugnacious with a fusillade of punches, badly decking the champ twice more. The ref Mark Calo-oy, US, then called a well-timed halt over the crestfallen ex-champ who couldn’t show any of his usual zip this night.
Promoter: Kameda Promotions.
IBF supervisor: Ben Keilty (Australia).
Wasn’t surprised by the result. I don’t think Nontshinga takes the greatest shot, but all of the knockdowns in this fight looked like just decided to go down. He never REALLY looked concussed, but full credit to Yabuki and Nont. Was a decent fight.
They mentioned something about South African fighters: Said some news service had calculated that when SA fighters fight away from home, they lose 85% of the time.