March
29
Friday

Boxing News|Boxing beat

share

15°C Clouds
Tokyo

Boxing News | Boxing Fights,Results

Home > Match Information > Taniguchi batters Mendez into submission, grabs WBO minimumweight title

Taniguchi batters Mendez into submission, grabs WBO minimumweight title

Dec 15, 2021 17:52 pm

Top-ranked World Boxing Organization minimumweight challenger Masataka Taniguchi of Watanabe Boxing Gym stopped champion Wilfredo Mendez of Puerto Rico in the 11th round to wrest the title on Dec. 14 in Tokyo.

The technical knockout of the scheduled 12-rounder at Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena came 1 minute and 8 seconds into the round when the 27-year-old Taniguchi uncorked a barrage of right-left combinations to the head and body of Mendez from his southpaw style, prompting the referee to step in to call off the fight.

Taniguchi sent the champion on the seat of his pants with a straight left in the second round. While Mendez, also a southpaw, who was making his third defense of the title he captured from Victorio Saludar of the Philippines in August 2019, fought back occasionally, he could not get into his rhythm and gave in to Taniguchi’s desperate offense.

With the victory, Taniguchi became Japan’s eighth current world champion. Taniguchi, who was making his second crack at a world title since dropping a lopsided decision to Saludar in February 2019, said after the fight, ‘’I feel like my dream coming true. I fought like a challenger with only victory in mind no matter what, which finally paid off.’’

For his part, Mendez said through an interpreter, ‘’I had had a high opinion of him (Taniguchi). But he was stronger that what I had expected.

With the victory, Taniguchi improved his record to 15 wins, including 10 KOs, against three losses. For his part, Mendez fell to a 16-2 win-loss tally with six KOs.

The fight was staged as the chief supporting card of the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation bantamweight title match between champion Naoya Inoue of Ohashi Boxing Gym and Aran Dipaen of Thailand.

Related article