Japan's 14th-ranked challenger Shin Ono lost to WBA minimumweight champion Knockout CP Freshmart of Thailand in a unanimous decision Wednesday.
The 33-year-old Ono, making his second bid for a world boxing title, struggled against Knockout, falling to the floor in the 10th round but managed to fight all 12 scheduled rounds at an outdoor ring in Nakhon Ratchasima in northeastern Thailand.
The powerful 26-year-old Thai champion, whose real name is Thammanoon Niyomtrong, dominated throughout and won a 3-0 decision, improving his undefeated record to 14 wins, including six by knockout. Ono is now 19-8 with three draws.
"The reason I lost is that I was weak," said Ono, who also lost in a decision in his first crack at a world title against IBF minimumweight champion Katsunari Takayama in May 2014. "My opponent was in control of the space. He was good."
Knockout, meanwhile, expressed disappointment that he could not give a memorable performance to local fans with a knockout win. "I will train and work on polishing my strength of delivering continuous punches. I want to fight better next time," he said.