by Hisao Adachi

At the Municipal Gym in Kobe, Japan, the Shinsei Boxing Gym staged a show headlined by a popular local star. In the 10-round main event, former bantamweight and featherweight champion and current WBC #5/WBO #2 featherweight Hozumi Hasegawa (32-4, 14KOs) scored a knockout victory at 2:51 of the third round against Sor Veeraphol Chantasith (8-3, 2KOs) of Bangkok. After boxing for the first two rounds, Hasegawa let his hands go in the third and scored three knockdowns before the fight was waved off. After the match, Hasegawa said that he was focused on landing a fight with WBO/WBA champion Guillermo Rigondeaux.