By Joe Koizumi

Unheralded underdog Masamichi Yabuki (13-3, 12 KOs), 107.75, surprisingly captured the WBC 108-pound belt as he survived a crisis in the ninth and caught up with previously unbeaten defending champ Kenshiro Teraji (18-1, 10 KOs), 107.5, with a flurry of unanswered punches, which prompted the referee’s intervention. Prior to the stoppage, Yabuki was leading on points: 87-84, 86-85, and 88-83.