Kosei Tanaka ended his 2019 campaign with a bang.
The unbeaten record-sharing three-division titlist successfully defended his version of the flyweight crown for the third time, knocking out China's Wulan Tuolehazi in three rounds Tuesday evening at the famed Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
A three-punch combination punctuated by a left uppercut put Tuolehazi down and out at 2:29 of round three.
Traffic was all one way in the second-to-last title fight of 2019. Tanaka boxed behind a steady jab in the early going, jumping out a much stronger start than was the case in his last title defense, when he was forced to rally from behind in stopping Puerto Rico's Jonathan Gonzalez in seven rounds this past August.
No such drama would come of Tuesday's bout, as Tuolehazi quickly found himself well in over his head in his first career title fight.
He would eventually find himself flat on his back.
Tanaka closed the show in style—and with it, picking up the earliest of his three New Year's Eve wins. A right uppercut froze Tuolehazi in place along the ropes, leaving him defenseless for the final knockout blows. Tanaka followed with a left hook to the body and a left uppercut, the latter which put Tuolehazi down and out for the full count.
The loss snaps a 12-fight unbeaten streak for Tuolehazi, having stumbled out to a 2-3 career start before turning things around and working his way to title contention. Tuesday's bout proved too much, as he falls to 13-4-1 (6KOs)) with the defeat.
Meanwhile, Tanaka racks up his third successful title defense, all coming in 2019 as he moves to 15-0 (9KOs). His reign began with the BoxingScene.com pick for 2018 Fight of the Year, outpointing coutnryman Sho Kimura to collect a third divisional title in just his 12th pro fight, sharing the record for the fewest wins to such status with the mark established just four months prior by Vasiliy Lomachenko in his off-the-canvas kncokout win over Jorge Linares to win a lightweight title after holding belts at 126 and 130 pounds.
The paths of Tanaka and Lomachenko will never cross, but there is a chance for the former to create history of his own. His fight came in chief support to countryman Kazuto Ioka's junior bantamweight title defense of Puerto Rico's Jeyvier Cintron.
Ioka became the first -ever male boxer from Japan to become a four-division titlist after knocking out Aston Palicte in June. As the 24-year old Tanaka—who also held titles at strawweight and junior flyweight—continues to grow, there remains a strong chance his 2020 campaign includes a climb up the scale in pursuit of becoming a four-division titlist quicker than any other boxer—male or female—in history.
For now, Tanaka will settle for once again adding to his pound-for-pound credentials, while ending 2019 and ringing in the New Year in fitting style.
The bout aired live on TBS-Japan.