Japan's Hozumi Hasegawa defeated American challenger Nestor Rocha by a technical knockout to retain his World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight title on Tuesday. The knockout came just two minutes and 28 seconds into the first round. It was Hasegawa's ninth straight defense of the title he wrested from 14-time champion Veeraphol Nakhonluang of Thailand in 2005. He improved his record to 27 wins, including 11 KOs, against two defeats. Hasegawa also knocked out Vusi Malinga of South Africa in the first round in his previous title defense in March. Challenger Elio Rojas of the Dominican Republic, meanwhile, defeated Takahiro Aoh of Japan in a unanimous decision to become the new WBC featherweight champion. The three judges scored it 116-113, 117-111, 118-110 for Rojas. World titles at stake European world champions and top US fighters will meet in opening bouts of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, a round-robin super middleweight tournament that starts in October, organizers said in New York Monday. World Boxing Council champion Carl Froch of England, 25-0 with 20 knockouts, and World Boxing Association champion Mikkel Kessler of Denmark, 41-1 with 31 knockouts, will defend their titles at the start of the event. The tournament format features each fighter facing three foes from among the field over the next 12 months with wins worth two points, early stoppages worth an extra point, draws worth one point and losses worth none. The four men with the top totals meet late next year in semifinal fights, with the semifinal winners meeting for the overall crown in early 2011.
