Summary Takashi Uchiyama suffered a shock defeat by Panama's Jezreel Corrales on Wednesday.
TOKYO (AFP) - Japan s Takashi Uchiyama suffered a shock defeat by Panama s Jezreel Corrales on Wednesday, a brutal second-round knockout dashing his hopes of a 12th defence of his WBA super featherweight title.
The 36-year-old Uchiyama, considered Japan s best pound-for-pound boxer in recent years, had never tasted defeat in his professional career -- until Corrales unleashed a violent flurry of punches to flatter the champion.
Uchiyama, who won the belt from Mexican Juan Carlos Salgado in 2010, had been looking to overhaul Yoko Gushiken s Japanese record of 13 title defences between 1976 and 1981.
But the Nagasaki-born tough guy, dubbed "Knockout Dynamite" by Japanese fans and media, was sent crashing to the canvas three times in the second round by top-ranked challenger Corrales, who put Uchiyama out of his misery with a vicious left hook.
Corrales entered the ring with a skeleton mask and the fight quickly turned into a horror story for Uchiyama, who was caught flush on the chin by the southpaw early in the first round.
Corrales knocked Uchiyama down again with a left hook at the start of the second and with the Japanese star still wobbly on his knees, the challenger clinically finished him off.
"I didn t see those punches coming," said a stunned Uchiyama, who refused to comment on his future.
"I hadn t even got warmed up. I tried to stay calm and fight back but then he caught me again. That s what happens in this game."
Corrales, 12 years Uchiyama s junior at 24, improved his professional record to 20 wins against one loss. Uchiyama has a record of 24 wins -- 20 of them by KO -- against one defeat and one draw.
On the undercard, Ryoichi Taguchi defended his WBA light flyweight crown for a third time after battering Venezuela s Juan Landaeta in the 11th round.
Super flyweight champion Kohei Kono followed suit by outpointing Thai challenger Inthanon Sithchamuang for his third title defence.
