Former WBA super flyweight champion Nobuo Nashiro came up short in his bid to claim the WBC title in that weight class on Saturday, losing a unanimous decision to Tomas Rojas of Mexico.
The three judges scored the fight 114-113, 116-113 and 116-111, all for Rojas at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium.
Nashiro landed clean rights in the second, seventh and ninth rounds, but Rojas used his footwork to great effect against the seventh-ranked challenger.
The Mexican successfully defended the title he won last September against Kohei Kono while improving his record to 35 wins, 23 of them by knockout, against 12 losses with one draw and one no contest.
Nashiro dropped to 14-3 with nine KOs and one draw.
"My opponent became more defensive later in the match," Nashiro said. "I put a lot of pressure on him in the last four rounds, but I just couldn't get enough points. Under the current boxing rules, it might be difficult for me to win with my style of boxing."
The number of world champions belonging to boxing gyms in Japan remained at six.
"I was determined to retain my title," Rojas said. "Nashiro is a boxer who fights aggressively. I'm a tall guy, so I tried to use my height advantage against him."
Nashiro first won the WBA super flyweight title from Mexico's Martin Castillo in July 2006 and regained the crown in September 2008 after losing it.