Filipino mandatory challenger Vincent Astrolabio suffered a first-round knockout at the hands of defending champion Junto Nakatani on Saturday in their World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight title fight in Tokyo.
Nakatani, a southpaw, landed a left straight to the body of Astrolabio at ring center, sending his foe crumbling to the deck clutching his ribcage.
He beat the count of referee Thomas Taylor, who was about to reach ten, but took a knee. The time was 2:37.
It was right there and then that the third man on the ring called a halt to the scheduled 12-rounder.
It was the first defense of the WBC 118-lb crown of Nakatani, whose stock grew following his lightning-fast KO victory.
The win raised Nakatani’s record to 28-0 with 21 knockouts while the defeat dropped Astrolabio’s ledger to 19-5 with 14 knockouts.