Martinez retains IBF super-bantam title in Japan

Spain's Kiko Martinez retained his International BoxingFederation super-bantamweight title Wednesday by beating Japanese challengerHozumi Hasegawa on a technical knockout.American referee Robert Byrd stopped the fight one minute and 20 seconds into theseventh round when Hasegawa was floored for the third time by the Spanishchampion, who remained the aggressor throughout with one-two combinations.It was the 28-year-old's second defence of the title he won by knocking out Jonathan"Momo" Romero of Colombia last August in the 55.3-kilogramme division.The right-handed fighter now has 31 wins to his name, 23 of them inside the distance, against four losses.Hasegawa, 33, who has previously held the World Boxing Council bantamweight and featherweight titles, failed to claim a championship belt in his first world title boutin three years.His record slipped to 33 wins, 15 inside the distance, against five losses.Martinez chased Hasegawa, the 13th IBF contender, and punished him with bothhands at close range. His onslaught started from the first round at the Osaka Castle Hall in the western city.The Japanese southpaw fought back with counter-punches led by right jabs."Hasegawa could withstand my punches and was a very tough boxer," Martinez said."I thought my power would prevail if I fought on at close range."The tattooed Spaniard forced Hasegawa against the ropes early in the second roundand sent him to the canvas with a flurry of left and right blows for a count of eight.In the fourth round, Hasegawa started bleeding from a cut on his right eyebrow andthe fight was briefly stopped for first aid.In the middle of the sixth round, the rampant Martinez was slapped with a one-pointdeduction for punching Hasegawa's face when the referee tried to break them apart.Hasegawa, his face swollen, slowed down in the seventh round and buckled aftertaking a left hook in a flurry of blows.After a count of eight, another left hook knocked him down again and prompted thereferee to stop the fight. Source: AFP