By Rey Danseco

A headbutt that caused a nasty cut above challenger Eriberto Gejon’s right eye prevented him from dethroning World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight champion Yutaka Niida Sunday night at Yokohama Arena in Japan.

The 5-foot-2 Niida initiated the clash of heads with the four-inch taller Gejon. It was a tactic which proved effective after his second ranked and third challenger suffered a cut that forced the 38-year old Puerto Rican referee Luis Pabon to comply with the ring physician’s advise to stop the fight at two minutes, one second of the 10th round.

The traditionally anti-Filipino judge Wan Soo Yuh of Korea and Pinit Prayadsab identically scored it a questionable 96-95 decision in favor of Niida.

While Panamanian Medardo Villalobos, the most veteran and competitive of the three ringside officials had it a 97-93 verdict in favor of the skillful Gejon.

Gejon, who earned $20,000 in his first world title bout, was in the upper hand in the first six rounds as he was able to prevent the Yokohama-native champ to chase him. Gejon effectively landed his jab and straight punches.

Niida improved to 19-1-1 with eight knockouts in his third straight title defense. Gejon dropped to 21-1-1 with 13 KOs.

On the undercard, former Philippine super bantam title challenger Ayon Naranjo (13-6, 5 KOs) from Bukidnon’s Leonil Lazarito Stable lost to undefeated WBA fedecentro featherweight champion and WBA rated No. 4 Jorge Linares (17-0, 10 KOs) of Venezuela in a six-round non-title fight.

Winless in three fights this year, Naranjo visited the canvass from Linares’ flash overhand right hand punch to his head in the fifth round. He went in a full distance only to loss on a shutout unanimous decision as the scorecards of the three judges penned identical 60-53.

As Niida and Gejon entered the ring and doing their job, Naranjo complained of dizziness and intense headaches in his dressing room.

The three year pro fighter was rushed to the Yokohama Hospital where Computed Tomography (CT) imaging showed that there was something wrong in his brain. He immediately had brain surgery.

In the main event,  Japan's Hozumi Hasegawa successfully defended his WBC bantamweight title for the first time with a seventh-round TKO of Gerardo Martinez of Mexico.