Tokyo – Japan's Kohei Kono knocked out title-holder Tepparith Kokietgym of Thailand to win the World Boxing Association (WBA) super-flyweight title on Monday.
The eighth-ranked Japanese fighter finished off the Thai champ two minutes and eight seconds into the fourth round, after sending him to the floor three times.
It 32-year-old Kono's third attempt at a world title, stretching his record to 28 wins, including 11 KOs, against seven defeats.
Tepparith, who has beaten champions Drian Francisco of the Philippines, and Japan's Daiki Kameda, Tomonobu Shimizu and Nobuo Nashiro previously, sees his record now stand at 21 wins, including 13 KOs, against three defeats. – Sapa-AFP