Sho Kimura knocks out Zou Shiming for WBO flyweight belt

Down on two scorecards going into the eleventh round, Japanese challenger Sho Kimura defied ten-to-one odds to knock out Chinese star Zou Shiming in Shanghai today.

Ryan Songalia has a clip of the finish, reportedly the product of relentless infighting from Kimura and poor cardio from Zou, on Twitter:

Zou (9-2, 2 KO), who defeated Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym for the WBO flyweight belt last November, actually promoted the card without either Top Rank or longtime partner Seca and did not train with usual coach Freddie Roach. What was practically a vanity project turned into a disaster thanks to Kimura (15-1-2, 8 KO), who had only five wins over opponents with winning records and was ranked #7 by the WBO.

Japan’s ongoing campaign to conquer the lower weight classes gets an unexpected victory and Zou, now 36 and lacking a world title, is left to pick up the pieces after a backfire of epic proportions.