Shinsuke Yamanaka escaped a wild WBC world bantamweight title fight against Venezuelan Liborio Solis on Friday in Kyoto, extending his unbeaten streak to 27 fights with a unanimous decision.
The 33-year-old southpaw from nearby Konan, Shiga Prefecture, survived two knockdowns to take the win 117-107 on all three judge's scorecards.
"I was down twice and couldn't show you my best and I'm sorry," Yamanaka, who made his 10th title defense, told the crowd after the fight.