clarinews@clarinet.com (01/14/90)
SEOUL (UPI) -- South Korea's Yoo Myung-woo retained his World Boxing Association junior flyweight crown Sunday, stopping Japanese challenger Hisashi Tokushima in the seventh round of a scheduled 12-round title fight. Yoo, 26, held the upper hand throughout the fight which was staged at a gymnasium in Inchon 25 miles west of Seoul and televised live over a nationwide hookup. Yoo floored Tokushima once in the fourth round, three times in the fifth round, and twice in the sixth round. In the seventh round Yoo kept on punishing Tokushima who was helpless and referee Ruddy Battle of the United States stopped the fight at 1:29 of the round and declared Yoo the winner. It was Yoo's 14th successful title defense since he became the champion in December 1985. He now had 33 wins against no setback in his professional career. It was the fourth defeat against 16 wins and one draw for the 21-year-old Japanese fighter. Both fighters weighed in at 108 pounds.