OSAKA – Shun Kubo won his first world title fight on Sunday, defeating WBA super bantamweight champion Nehomar Cermeno in an 11th-round technical knockout.
Kubo, who turned 27 the day before, was knocked down in the seventh round, but using his reach advantage, hung in to deliver a steady supply of effective punches in the fight at Edion Arena Osaka. Five seconds into the 11th round, the champ indicated he could go no further and the fight was stopped.
“Although I was knocked down in the seventh, I wasn’t suffering much damage,” said Kubo, the eighth-ranked contender. “I was determined to go for it in the 11th round, but he didn’t come out.”
Kubo improved to 12-0 with nine knockouts.
Cermeno, who said he had reached the limit of his strength and was bothered by a cut under his right eye that Kubo opened in the fourth round, saw his record fall to 26-6 with one draw and 15 wins by knockout.
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