Munoz Decisions Kawashima

World Boxing Association super flyweight champion Alexander Munoz (32-2, 27 KOs) won a narrow 12-round unanimous decision against Japanese challenger Katsushige Kawashima (32-7, 21 KOs) on Monday night at the Bunka Gym, in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The final judges’ scores were 115-114, 115-113 and 117-111, giving Munoz the win. Munoz, 28, built up an early lead in the first half of the fight, tagging Kawashima, the former WBC champion, with big left hooks and right hands to the head, looking to take him out. However, when the knockout didn’t come like it has in most of Munoz’s fights, he found himself in a real dog fight in the second half of the fight, as Kawashima, who never stopped comping forward, started to get into the fight.

However, Kawashima missed far too many shots, as he seemed too over-eager in the 2nd half of the fight, thus giving up valuable rounds in the 7th-9th rounds. In the 11th and 12th rounds, Munoz was exhausted, pushing punches, seemingly unable to get any power in his shots.

I had Kawashimaw winning the last two rounds, but that wasn’t enough to make up for the rounds he’d lost to Munoz in the first half of the fight, during time which he’d been unable to match Munoz’s power. After the bout was over, the 33 year-old Kawashima announced that he was retiring from boxing.