Former Japanese featherweight champion Ryo Sagawa of Misako Boxing Gym, connecting with a hard right, knocked out former World Boxing Association super bantamweight kingpin Shun Kubo of Shinsei Boxing Gym in the third round in a nontitle bout at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on Apr. 12.
The end of the scheduled eight-rounder came 1 minute and 3 seconds into the round when the 28-year-old Sagawa landed a hard straight right to the head, putting southpaw Kubo on the seat of his pants. While Kubo, 32, attempted to struggle to his feet, the referee’s count tolled 10.
After the fight, Sagawa said, ‘’I am happy because I was able to land my straight right which I had practiced during my training. Since Mr. Kubo is a former world champion and has a lot of experience, I am satisfied with the victory.’’
With the win, Sagawa, currently the International Boxing Federation’s ninth-ranked featherweight, improved his record to 12 wins, including seven KOs, against three losses. Kubo, the fourth-ranked Japanese featherweight, impaired to a 15-3 win-loss tally with 10 KOs.
