Former World Boxing Council light flyweight champion Masamichi Yabuki of Lush Midori Gym stopped Kevin Vivas of Nicaragua in the fourth round in a flyweight nontitle fight on March 16 in Nagoya, central Japan.

  The technical knockout of the scheduled 10-rounder at Port Messe Nagoya came 2 minutes and 41 seconds into the round when the 31-year-old Yabuki landed a barrage of left-and-right combinations by putting Vivas against a corner. The referee stopped the contest just when the Nicaraguan fell to the canvas. They fought at the catchweight of 50.3 kg (111 lbs).

  It was Yabuki’s first fight in one year and two months as he suffered Achilles tendon rupture during training last May.

  Yabuki, currently ranked second in the light flyweight division by the International Boxing Federation, also put the 28-year-old Vivas on the seat of his pants in the third round with a counter left to the head.

  It was also Yabuki’s third straight victory since losing his world title to Kenshiro Teraji of B.M.B. Boxing Gym with a devastating knockout in their direct rematch in March 2022.

  With the victory, Yabuki improved his record to 16 wins, including 15 KOs, against four losses. For his part, Vivas fell to a 7-2 win-loss tally with two KOs.