Yafai Outpoints Jimenez To Retain Super Flyweight Title

Los Angeles, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jun, 2019 ) :Britain's Khalid Yafai retained his WBA super flyweight crown with a lopsided unanimous decision victory over Dominican Norbelto Jimenez on Saturday night.

Yafai, who as coming off a hand injury, outpointed Jimenez on all the judges' scorecards, winning 119-107, 118-108, 117-109 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center arena in Providence, Rhode Island.

Yafai -- 26-0 with 15 knockouts -- dominated the fight, chasing his underdog opponent around the ring -- but he was also booed several times by the crowd for throwing low blows.

The British boxer, whose parents are from Yemen, needed this victory over mandatory challenger Jimenez to put himself in position for bigger fights.

Japan's Kazuto Ioka won the WBO superfly crown a week ago and Mexico's Juan Francisco Estrada took the World Boxing Council crown in April, but Yafai could be looking at a unification bout against Filipino star Jerwin Ancajas, who defended his International Boxing Federation crown for the seventh time last month by beating Japan's Ryuichi Funai.

Jimenez failed in his second attempt at the WBA crown after missing out in a draw against Japan's Kohei Kono in 2014.

He was making his first appearance in the United States and now has a career record of 29-9 with four draws.

Yafai fought on a card that also featured hometown hero Demetrius Andrade.

Andrade retained his 160-pound belt for the second time as he knocked Maciej Sulecki down in the first round and eventually outpointed him in a dazzling performance to stay on track for a potential fight with Canelo Alvarez or Gennady Golovkin.

All three judges scored it 120-107 for southpaw Andrade, who improved to 28-0 with 17 KOs.

The 31-year-old Andrade gave hometown fans a thrill in the opening round when he wobbled Poland's Sulecki with a left hand and then floored him with another left on top of the head moments later.