Sonny Boy Jaro put up one of the best fights in his boxing career with a seventh round technical knockout victory over Shota Kawaguchi, Sunday evening at the Sangyo Shinko Center in Osaka, Japan.
It was a rematch of their April 2015 encounter that had Jaro winning via a close eight round majority decision. This time, the Silay City-born pugilist made sure that the result was decisive, as he unloaded devastating overhands and hooks on his Japanese foe right from the opening bell. Kawaguchi tried to keep the fight competitive with his one-two punch combinations, a contrast to his elusive style in their first fight.
A visibly exhausted Kawaguchi entered the fifth frame winded as an accumulation of body shots by Jaro left him battered and beaten. This opened up things for Jaro to land a well-timed counter uppercut that sent the Osaka-based fighter face first to the canvas. Kawaguchi, though, was able to get up at the waning seconds of the round.
Like a shark sensing blood, Jaro continued to pummel the dazed Kawaguchi in the seventh round. He punctuated a masterful performance with a devastating right hook. The referee had no other choice but to save the latter from further harm and ended the fight in seven rounds.
“Tinitignan ko kung anong gagawin na bago nung Hapon ngayon dahil nung una tumatakbo siya,” Jaro told Tiebreaker Times after winning the fight. “So nung nakapagadjust na ako nung round five, nakuha ko na kung ano ang gagawin.”
Jaro also added that fighting in The Land of the Rising Sun motivated him to worked extra hard in preparation for this bout.
“Talagang napakahirap manalo sa Japan dahil nung una, sa tingin ko, lamang na lamang ako sa scorecards pero paglabas ng scorecards napakadikit. Ngayon, di ko na hinayaan na umabot sa judges’ decision, dahil mahirap na,” he said.
Jaro Promotions head Aljoe Jaro revealed after the fight that he is currently negotiating a potential title fight for his ward. The matchup they are eyeing is against WBA Superflyweight king Kohei Kono, possibly sometime next year if negotiations push through.
“May plano na lumaban sa world title kapag nanalo, possibly against Kohei Kono. Hopefully, kapag naayos ang negosasyon. Pero kahit anong title fight pa man yan, paghahandaan parin namin,” the elder Jaro disclosed.
The win now gives Jaro his 42nd victory and puts him on an eight fight win streak, while Kawaguchi dropped his seventh defeat in 25 fights.
