Masamichi Yabuki dominates Felix Alvarado with pressure and precision – spectacular knockout in round twelve in Tokoname.
While the boxing world was spellbound by the performances of his compatriots Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani, Masamichi Yabuki delivered a strong performance of his own. The Japanese fighter defended his IBF flyweight world title with a spectacular knockout in the twelfth round against Felix Alvarado.
Yabuki (19-4, 18 knockouts) dominated the fight and sent Alvarado (42-5, 35 knockouts) down twice before the late stoppage. The 33-year-old from nearby Nagoya began with a clear line of attack and put down an exclamation marker in the second round when he landed a heavy left hook. After a calmer fifth round, the champion took command again in the sixth, hitting the chin several times with left hooks and working the body with crisp combinations.
Alvarado, a former world champion in two weight classes (semi-flyweight and flyweight), went down late in round eleven after another left hook. Although Yabuki was clearly ahead on the scorecards at this point, he was determined to win early. It would be his sixth knockout in a row against an opponent who had never been stopped before.
In the final round, Alvarado was in pure survival mode. Yabuki increased the pressure, first scoring with a left hook to the body and then setting up the decisive blow with a left jab: a straight right that forced the Nicaraguan to the floor. The referee counted out so that the Japanese fighter could celebrate his next knockout victory.