After two failed attempts, Milan “El Metodico” Melindo finally won a world title after he stunned Akira Yaegashi to snatch IBF world light flyweight belt last night at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan.
It was a swift win for Melindo as he stole Yaegashi’s belt by scoring a first-round technical knockout (TKO) win.
Melindo dropped his Japanese opponent thrice in the first round. American referee Edward Hernandez Sr. waved off the fight at the 2:45 mark of first round.
Melindo scored the first knockdown when he hit Yaegashi with a counter left hook. The second knockdown came when Melindo connected on a well-timed left hook followed by a jab-straight combo and a left uppercut.
Yaegashi initially beat the referee’s count but when action resumed, Melindo pummeled him anew with another jab-straight combination that sent the dethroned defending champion down for good.
Melindo, who joined current Filipino world champion Manny Pacquiao, Donnie Nietes and Jerwin Ancajas, improved to 36W-2L-0D-13KOS.
Yaegashi, a former three-division world champion, suffered his sixth loss to go with 25 wins, 13 by knockouts.
Melindo first shot at a world crown came in 2013 but he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada for the WBO and WBA world flyweight titles in Macau, China.
He got another crack at world title in 2015 against another Mexican Javier Mendoza for the latter’s IBF world light flyweight belt in Baja California, Mexico.
Mendoza won the fight via a sixth-round technical decision. The fight was stopped in the sixth round after Mendoza suffered a huge cut in the left eyelid. All three judges scored the bout for Mendoza.
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