RENE Mark Cuarto lost in his bid to regain the IBF minimumweight title, suffering a ninth-round knockout to undefeated Ginjiro Shigeoka in Tokyo, Japan late Sunday night.
The Filipino was knocked down three times, including twice in the decisive round as the Japanese finished him off with 15 seconds to go at the Yoyogi Gymnasium.
Shigeoka claimed the interim IBF title and will get another shot at reigning champion Daniel Valladares for the regular minimumweight crown.
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It was a sorry loss for the 26-year-old Cuarto, who had a strong start after sending Shigeoka to the canvas with a right straight late in the opening round.
But the 23-year-old southpaw Japanese regained his bearing and turned the fight around.
Halfway through, Shigeoka was already in control of the bout and then scored his first official knockdown in the seventh round when he hurt Cuarto with two straight lefts before connecting on a body shot that sent the Filipino down on his knee.
Another left to the body signaled the end for Cuarto, who went down for the second time before Shigeoka swarmed all over him to put him down anew for good.
Shigeoka, who improved to 9-0 (7 KOs), was ahead on all three scorecards when the fight was stopped, 76-74, 78-72, 78-72.
Cuarto lost for the second time in his last three fights, including a split decision to Valladares last July to yield his IBF belt. His record now stands at 21-4 (12 KOs).
Valladares faced Shigeoka in his first title defense last December but their showdown ended in a no-contest after an accidental clash of heads, with all three judges having the match tied at 19-19.
The Mexican was unable to fight for a few months following the match, making him miss an ordered rematch against Cuarto.
The IBF then matched Cuarto with Shigeoka for the interim belt, with the winner facing Valladares.
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