World Boxing Association female flyweight champion Naoko Fujioka of Shinji Takehara and Takanori Hatakeyama Boxer Fitness Gym dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to World Boxing Council female flyweight champion Marlen Esparza of the United States in the title unification fight on Apr. 9 (10 Japan time) in San Antonio, Texas.
While both fighters exchanged fierce blows from the opening bell at Alamodome, the 32-year-old Esparza got the better of it and captured the WBA title too, as two of the three judges scored the fight 100-90, respectively, and the remaining one had it 97-93, all in favor of the American. There were no knockdowns in the fight.
It was the 46-year-old Fujioka’s first defeat in four years and a half. Fujioka, who had won the world titles in five different weight divisions for the first time in Japan, dropped to 19 wins, including seven knockouts, against three losses and a draw.
With the victory, Esparza, 32, made her second successful defense of the WBC title and improved her record to a 12-1 win-loss tally with one KO. She is the 2012 London Olympics flyweight bronze medalist. Photo by GBP
