MANILA – Filipino boxer Lito Dante claimed the OPBF minimumweight championship after a 12th round technical knockout win over the heavily-favored Tsubasa Koura at the Osanbashi Hall in Yokohama, Japan.
It was the third boxing title of the Sierra Bullones, Bohol native in the minimumweight division after previously handling the belts from WBC and Philippine Luzon Professional Boxing Association.
From a back and forth action in the previous rounds, Dante up the ante of the match in the final round as he unleashed a series of violent unanswered right hooks over Koura that send the latter wounded and groggy against the ropes.
With his opponent pinned in the ropes, Dante intensified his attack, hurting Koura even further with more damaging head blows forcing referee Tetsuya Iida to stop the match at the 1:18 mark of round 12.
With the victory, the 29-year-old Dante improved his boxing record to 16-10-4 win-loss-draw with eight stoppage wins, while the 24-year-old Koura suffered his first loss to drop to 14-1-0 (9 KOs).
Dante’s fellow Filipino fighter Renerio Arizala, meanwhile, was not as fortunate as he collapsed after suffering a sixth round stoppage defeat at the hands of Tsuyoshi Tameda.
Arizala was immediately rushed to the hospital and underwent a craniotomy (brain operation). The remains under observation but have already regained his consciousness./PN
