Champion Goki Kobayashi of Shinsei Boxing Gym stopped the previously undefeated
Roslan Eco of the Philippines in the fourth round to retain his World Boxing Organization’s Asia-Pacific minimumweight title for the first time on May 6 in Tokyo.

The technical knockout of the scheduled 10-rounder at Korakuen Hall came 34 seconds into the round when the 24-year-old Kobayashi landed left and right hooks to the body, prompting Eco’s handler to surrender.

While the 22-year-old Eco got off to a good start by landing a left hook to the head, Kobayashi hung tough and retaliated by connecting with his favored left hooks to the body in the second round.
Kobayashi increased his pace in the third round by chiefly working Eco’s body, which led to the fourth-round stoppage.

After the fight, Kobayashi, who is ranked by all the four major world sanctioning organizations, said, ‘’Though I was surprised at the punching power of my opponent in the first round, I fought in a calm way at the advice of my cornerman. I want to take a crack at a world title either next year or the year after the next.’’

With the victory, Kobayashi, who won the vacant title last December, extended his unbeaten streak to six, including four KOs, while Eco, ranked eighth in the division, fell to a 10-1 win-loss tally with seven KOs.

The fight served as the chief support card for the day’s vacant WBO Asia-Pacific light flyweight championship bout between Kobayashi’s stablemate and top-ranked Ryuya Yamanaka and third-ranked Kosuke Ando of KG Yamato Boxing Gym.