The World Boxing Organization’s fourth-ranked Asia-Pacific minimumweight Goki Kobayashi of Shinsei Boxing Gym stopped sixth-ranked Yuri Kanaya of Kaneko Boxing Gym in the third round to win the vacant title in Tokyo on Feb. 3.

  It was the second time for the 25-year-old Kobayashi to capture the title as he was wrested the title by Jake Amparo of the Philippines last August.

  The technical knockout of the scheduled 10-rounder at Korakuen Hall came 2 minutes and 27 seconds into the round when the referee called a halt to the fight when Kobayashi floored Kanaya for the second time in the round with a hard right.

  Kobayashi also scored a knockdown late in the second round with a left hook to the head.

  Kobayashi, ranked eighth in the division by the World Boxing Council and ninth by the International Boxing Federation, said after the fight, ‘’I became panicky last night (as his stablemate Kazuki Anaguchi passed away on Feb. 2 due to subdural hematoma in his fight last December). I felt as if I had lost part of my body.’’ He picked himself up by himself to climb through ropes.

  With the win, Kobayashi improved his record to seven wins, including five KOs, against a loss, while Kanaya fell to a 5-2 win-loss record with one KO.