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Nicaragua’s Felix Alvarado won the IBF junior flyweight title last October, traveling to the Philippines to stop Randy Petalcorin to take the vacant belt, and was on the road again today, heading to Kobe, Japan, to defend against Reiya Konishi.
Alvarado made a successful first defense of his belt, beating Konishi by unanimous decision on scores of 116-112, 117-118, and 118-110.
Alvarado (35-2, 30 KO) is a hard hitter at 108, and despite a spirited effort from Konishi (17-2, 7 KO), was simply the better man in this one. The 30-year-old Alvarado has now won 17 straight fights, 15 of them inside the distance, since back-to-back losses to Kazuto Ioka and Juan Carlos Reveco in 2013-14, both of which were world title fights, one at 108 and the other at 112.
Konishi, 25, has now lost two of his last four outings, both in title bouts. He was beaten by Carlos Canizales in March 2018, also by decision at the same venue (Portopia Hotel) in Kobe. He’s 0-2 there. Maybe he shouldn’t fight there anymore.