Kira Stops Canizales In Seventh For WBA Title

Daiya Kira knocked out Carlos Canizales in the seventh round Tuesday morning to claim the WBA flyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light flyweight title in Yokohama, stopping the Venezuelan veteran in just his fifth professional bout.

Kira floored Canizales in the third round before landing what Bad Left Hook described as "one of the loudest left hooks" in recent memory to finish the fight in the seventh. Canizales rose but stumbled, prompting the referee to wave it off. The 23-year-old Japanese phenom improved to 5-0 with four knockouts in a performance that had him controlling the middle rounds before the decisive blow.

Kira's Fifth-Fight Knockout Of Division Stalwart

Canizales entered the ring at 28-3-1 with 20 knockouts, and his only prior stoppage loss came after a long layoff. His other defeats were a narrow decision to Kenshiro Teraji and a disputed verdict against Panya Pradabsri that he later avenged. Kira had gone past the second round just once before Tuesday's title fight, making the dominant showing all the more striking.

On the undercard, Takeshi Ishii needed 65 seconds to stop former titlist Wilfredo Mendez for the secondary WBA minimumweight belt. That strap is expected to be upgraded once Oscar Collazo completes his move to junior flyweight.

Kira has now logged 19 professional rounds total in his career. The WBA light flyweight division next figures to see him face a mandatory challenger or voluntary defense date sometime in early 2027.

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• Bad Left Hook — Daiya Kira knocks out Carlos Canizales for WBA light flyweight title