Shokichi Iwata TKO11 Erik Badillo… Shokichi Iwata (17-2, 14 KOs) retained the WBC minimumweight championship with an eleventh-round technical knockout of Erik Badillo (19-1, 8 KOs) on a Teiken Promotions card at Kokugikan in Tokyo. Iwata successfully defended his title for the first time, overcoming a fourth-round knockdown to stop the previously unbeaten Mexican challenger. The opening rounds were competitive as Badillo pressed the action while Iwata used his jab and straight right hand to keep the challenger at range. Badillo enjoyed his best moment in the fourth round, dropping Iwata with a left hook late in the round. The champion rose quickly and survived the remainder of the round. Iwata gradually regained control beginning in the sixth, increasing his punch output while targeting Badillo's body. By the seventh and eighth rounds, the champion's combinations were beginning to wear down the challenger, who continued to press forward despite absorbing sustained punishment.

 

Iwata took command over the next two rounds, landing repeated right hands against a tiring Badillo before forcing the stoppage in the eleventh. After Badillo slipped under pressure, referee Laurence Cole halted the bout as Iwata continued to land unanswered punches. The victory marked Iwata's first successful defense of the WBC minimumweight title (this is his second reign) and handed Badillo the first defeat of his professional career.