Kenichi Ogawa of Teiken Boxing Gym was knocked out by third-ranked challenger Joe Cordina of Britain in the second round and lost his International Boxing Federation super featherweight title on June 4 (5 Japan time) in Cardiff, the capital of Wales.

The Knockout of the scheduled 12-rounder at the city’s Motorpoint Arena came 1 minute and 15 seconds into the round when undefeated Cordina landed a strong right to the head when Ogawa attempted to throw a left jab, sending the Japanese flat on his back.

Though the gutsy Ogawa tried to wobble up, he toppled down again for the count.
With the defeat, Ogawa failed in his first defense of the title he captured last November by beating Azinga Fuzile of South Africa for the vacant title at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The 30-year-old Cordina got off to a good start by sticking out his favorite left jabs while landing a counter right. Ogawa, 34, also rallied by landing left jabs and connecting with a left hook to the head in the first round.

With the victory, Cordina, who entered the 2016 Summer Olympics, extended his unbeaten streak to 15, including nine KOs, after making his professional debut in April 2017.

Ogawa now has a record to 26 wins, including 18 KOs, against two losses and a draw with one no contest.　Photos by SUMIO YAMADA