World Boxing Association bantamweight champion Takuma Inoue of Ohashi Boxing Gym knocked out ninth-ranked challenger Jerwin Ancajas of the Philippines in the ninth round to retain the title on Feb. 24 in Tokyo.

It was the 28-year-old Inoue’s first successful defense of the vacant title he won last April by decisioning Liborio Solis of Venezuela.

The KO of the scheduled 12-rounder at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena came 44 seconds into the round when Inoue dropped the 32-year-old Ancajas with a right hook to the body. Ancajas could not beat the referee’s count.

The fight served as the main event of the evening called ‘’Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 7.’’

Up until the KO, otherwise fleet-footed Inoue, a younger brother of Naoya ‘’the Monster’’ Inoue, was slightly ahead on points although they mostly fought at close range.

After the fight, Inoue said, ‘’I knew my opponent would be the strongest in my career. I have always wanted to show a KO victory and am happy that I was able to attain that. The fact that I knocked out the strong opponent at close quarters would turn my anxiety into confidence. I want to continue to show another aspect of myself. I will show Takuma Inoue will be on top of the Japanese bantamweight division which is picking up stream.’’

With the victory, Inoue improved his record to 19 wins, including five KOs, against a loss. Ancajas, who was a former International Boxing Federation’s world super flyweight champion and successfully defended the title nine times, fell to a 34-4-2 win-loss-draw tally with 23 KOs.

Inoue is supposed to next take on mandatory challenger Sho Ishida of Hiroki Ioka Gym. Ohashi gym’s head Hideyuki Ohashi hinted at the fight with Ishida being included in Naoya Inoue’s title defense planned in May.