By Jim Dower:: In a surprise upset, #1 WBA challenger Jezreel Corrales (20-1-1, 8 KOs) of Panama, scored a 2nd round knockout win over long-standing WBA World super featherweight champion Takashi Uchiyama (24-1-1, 20 KOs) on Wednesday night at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
The 24-year-old southpaw Corrales knocked the 36-year-old Uchiyama down three times in the 2nd round to get the stoppage. The fight was halted by referee Robert Hoyle after the third knockdown.
The official time of the stoppage was at 2:59 of the 2nd. Uchiyama was knocked down hard by a left hand to the head for the first knockdown of the 2nd round. Uchiyama was badly hurt from the shot and stayed down for a long time.
When he got up, he was knocked down from a quick flurry of shots. After that, Corrales lost his form completely and got sloppy with him throwing a lot of wild shots that missed badly. Uchiyama was able to land some hard shots to the head of Corrales while he was trying to finish him off. However, with the round almost over, Corrales landed a fast left hand that put Uchiyama down for the third and final time. The fight was then stopped despite the fact that Uchiyama didn’t look particularly hurt by the shot.
Corrales’ fast hand speed and southpaw stance seemed to bother Uchiyama, who kept getting hit with looping right hands that were landing at times behind his head.
Late in the 1st round, Corrales hurt Uchiyama with a left to the head. Corrales then flurried in the final seconds of the round in attempting to get a knockout. Uchiyama was able to keep his composure to make it out of the round.
Uchiyama would have had a better chance of surviving the 2nd round if he had elected to clinch so he could clear his head. Instead of doing that, Uchiyama chose to punch with Corrales. In hindsight, that was a foolish move because there was little chance that he was going to survive the round trying to trade with the Panamanian fighter at that point.
For Uchiyama, this was his first loss of his 11-year pro career. He had held the WBA super featherweight title for six years, and there had been talk of him fighting Nicholas Walters. Now that fight is not going to happen. Walters vs. Corrales would be a good fight. Corrales is kind of a sloppy fighter and he might have problems with Walter’s power if he gets wild like he was tonight.
It might be a good idea for Uchiyama to go in another direction and choose another fighter to face for a world title rather than fighting the southpaw Corrales a second time. Uchiyama does not seem comfortable with Corrales’ southpaw stance and his hand speed. I don’t think that would change in a rematch. Uchiyama would be better off looking to fight IBF champ Jose Pedraza or WBC champion Francisco Vargas.
Other boxing results on the Uchiyama vs. Corrales card:
Kohei Kono UD 12 Inthanon Sithchamuang