Sting in the tale: Hong Kong’s ‘Wonder Kid’ Rex Tso could fight for WBO world title
A series of events have opened the way for a possible world champion fight for the Hong Kong star after Naoya Inoue pummelled Kohei Kono in Tokyo on Friday night
Rex Tso Sing-yu’s hopes of getting into the ring with Kohei Kono evaporated before his eyes in Tokyo after the veteran was flattened by fellow Japanese and WBO super flyweight champion Naoya Inoue on Friday night – but the resulting cloud could have a silver lining.
Tso was at ringside in Tokyo, hoping former WBA champion Kono – coming off a world title loss to Panama’s Luis Concepcion four months earlier – would somehow make a comeback against the highly rated Inoue and lift the WBO title, but the 36-year-old “Tough Boy” suffered the first stoppage of his career in a devastating TKO defeat by the boxer nicknamed “Monster”.
As Tso and Kono had made a verbal agreement in mid 2016 that Tso would fight Kono (32-10-1) if he was world champion, Hong Kong’s “Wonder Kid” was hopeful of getting his first world title shot in his next scheduled fight on March 11 at Wan Chai’s Convention and Exhibition Centre.
However, Tso’s hopes were blown away after Inoue knocked Kono down twice in the sixth round before the referee called a halt to the fight after the second knockdown with Kono still flat on his back at Tokyo’s Ariake Coliseum.
One of the top-rated pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Inoue easily retained his WBO title, raising his unbeaten record to 12-0-0, with Kono now contemplating retirement after suffering his second straight defeat in a world title bout.
