Juan Carlos Salgado of Mexico flattened Venezuela champion Jorge Linares in a surprise one-round technical knockout to win the WBA super featherweight title Saturday. Shortly after the bell rang at Tokyo's Yoyogi gymnasium, Salgado aggressively attacked Linares and downed the pre-match favorite with a splendid left hook. The 24-year-old WBA number-six contender repeatedly hit the champion with right and left jabs and then sent him to the canvas at a corner. The referee stopped the fight at 1:13 in the first round. “I have never thought I could knock him out easily,” Salgado said after the match. “I think I was able to fight by highly maintaining my motivation.” Salgado's undefeated record stretched to 22 wins, 16 of them by knockout, and one draw. Linares, 24, suffered his first ever loss against 27 wins, 18 of them by knockout. Linares won the title with a fifth round knockout of Panama's Whyber Garcia in November last year. He retained it in June against Mexican Josafat Perez. Nishioka retains title Japan's Toshiaki Nishioka stopped Mexican challenger Ivan Hernandez in the third round to retain his World Boxing Council super bantamweight title with a technical knockout here Saturday. The 33-year-old champion led the fight with right jabs and left straights, forcing WBC fifth contender Hernandez to withdraw at the end of the third round with a suspected broken jaw. Nishioka, as the interim champion, won the title in January when Israel Vazquez of Mexico gave it up for health reasons. Later that month, Nishioka retained the title against Mexican Genaro Garcia with a 12th-round technical knockout in Yokohama. Nishioka traveled to Monterrey, Mexico, in May to knock out another Mexican, Jhonny Gonzalez, in the third round. “I'm so glad to retain the title. But the match ended in an unclear manner,” Nishioka said. “My right was good. I'm ready to fight anybody from now on. “I will continue working hard day by day and I will fight against much stronger opponents to become much stronger myself,” he added. The champion's record improved to 35 wins, 22 of them by knockout, against four defeats and three draws. For 26-year-old Hernandez, it was his fourth defeat against 25 wins, 15 of them inside the distance, and one draw.
