Champion Hideki Todaka dug deep into his reserves of stamina Sunday to retain his World Boxing Association super-flyweight title with an 11th-round technical knockout against Thailand's Yokthai Sith Oar.
Yokthai, the former champion and ranked No. 3 by the WBA, controlled the first half of the scheduled 12-rounder at Nagoya's Rainbow Hall, but Todaka stormed back into the fight from the seventh round to successfully complete his second title defense.
Todaka, who won the belt on a unanimous decision over Venezuelan Jesus Rojas last July, floored Yokthai with a clubbing right at the end of the eighth round and kept the pressure on until South African referee Stanley Christdolou intervened 38 seconds into the 11th.
Still Japan's only current world champion, the 27-year-old Todaka improved his record to 17 wins, including eight by knockout, two defeats and one draw.
Yokthai, who lost the WBA super-flyweight title to Japan's Satoshi Iida in December 1997, left the ring with a record of 23 wins, including 13 by KO, two losses and a draw.