Yoshiki Takei successfully defended his WBO bantamweight title with a destructive 1st-round TKO of Yuttapong Tongdee in Yokohama, Japan.
Takei (11-0, 9 KOs) made up for lost time in the best way possible. Three knockdowns in the first two minutes saw
Tongdee (15-1, 9 KOs) overwhelmed before he had a chance to get going in an emphatic statement showing.
The 28-year-old southpaw, who suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder owing to the second postponement of this latest title defence, bursted out of the blocks and his Bangkok visitor had no answers for the counterpunching brilliance, repeatedly catching him clean.
After another unanswered combination pinned Tongdee to the ropes, referee Chris Young waved off the contest at 2:07 of the first round. Takei's sweeping right hand floored the 31-year-old early and that sequence set the tone, with no chance of no surviving the ensuing onslaught.
Takei's highlight reel finish will have merely enthused onlookers about the future of an exciting bantamweight division, having made an explosive second defence of a strap once held by undisputed junior featherweight king Naoya Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs), who sat ringside.
WBC champion
Junto Nakatani (30-0, 23 KOs) faces IBF titlist Ryosuke Nishida (10-0, 2 KOs) in another battle of unbeaten boxers on June 8, while WBA titleholder Seiya Tsutsumi was made champion-in-recess through injury with Antonio Vargas recently upgraded to full champion.
The 118-pound class is in good hands, and later this year we may find ourselves a step closer to finding an undisputed king.