Results: Rex Tso beats Kohei Kono by technical decision

Hong Kong’s Rex Tso retained his WBO international super flyweight title today in his hometown, defeating Japan’s Kohei Kono by technical decision in a fight that was stopped in the seventh round.

Tso (22-0, 13 KO) won on three scores of 68-66, handing veteran Kono (33-11-1, 14 KO) his third loss in his last four fights.

The fight was stopped due to an injury suffered by Tso from an accidental headbutt in the second round, with Tso fighting on valiantly as the swelling on and over his left eye worsened during the fight.

Here’s a screenshot of Tso in round four, from BLH user S_J_G:

And here’s one of him after the fight, also from S_J_G:

The injury is clearly severe enough that the fight should have been stopped, and Tso was rushed to the hospital as a precaution after it was over, but not before he made a few brief comments, one apologizing to his wife for getting hurt, and another crediting Kono and his punching power.

With the win, the 30-year-old Tso is right in the mix at 115 pounds, a strong division currently ruled by Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, who holds the WBC and RING titles, plus Naoya Inoue (WBO), Kal Yafai (WBA), and Jerwin Ancajas (IBF) holding the other major titles. The division also still boasts Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman Gonzalez, Carlos Cuadras, and a lot of other quality fighters.