Ono beats WBO #9 Hirai, wins vacant Japanese 105lb belt

By Joe Koizumi

35-year-old southpaw veteran Shin Ono (22-9-3, 5 KOs) surprisingly acquired the vacant Japanese 105-pound belt when he outhustled WBO#9 Ryoki Hirai (10-5-1, 4 KOs) to earn a unanimous decision (97-92, 97-94, 96-95) over ten hard-fought rounds on Sunday in Kobe, Japan.

In a twilight of his long career Ono, formerly two-time world challenger and OPBF minimum ruler, displayed his ringwise performance in outworking the less experienced local favorite, earning a valuable victory. Ono was penalized a point because of headbuts in round eight, but remained aggressive to keep his early accumulations on points, scoring his second coronation after five years.