MANILA – Negrense boxer Jay-r Raquinel retained his OPBF featherweight title after an eighth-round knockout victory over Japan’s Takuya Kogawa at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
It was the second successful title defense of the Bacolod City, Negros Occidental native who captured the diadem by beating the heavily-favored Keisuke Nakayama in March 2018.
Raquinel had an aggressive start in the match. He caught Kogawa with numerous left and right combinations.
The Japanese tried to retaliate with his own shots but could only hit the Filipino’s defense.
Raquinel heightened his aggression in the second half of the 10-round bout with a solid left before he floored the Japanese fighter for good with a solid hit midway in the eighth round.
With the victory, the 22-year-old Raquinel improved his record of 11-1-1 win-loss-draw, including eight stoppage wins.
Kogawa dropped his slate to 30-6-1, with 13 knockout wins.
In the undercard, Filipino fighter Alphoe Dagayloan was unsuccessful in his first fight in Japan following a close split decision defeat in the hands of Japanese fighter Ryota Yamauchi.
With the loss, the 27-year-old Dagayloan saw his record slid down to 13-3-5, with five knockout wins, while Yamauchi improved his slate to 5-1-0, with four wins by stoppages./PN
