Valero keeps WBA 130lb belt!

June 12, 2008 - WBA super-feather champ Edwin Valero (24-0, 24 KOs), 129.75, kept his belt as he collected another victim and extended his KO streak by demolishing Japanese challenger Takehiro Shimada (22-4-1, 15 KOs), 129.75, at 1:55 of the seventh round on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.

Valero had swept all rounds with his aggression against the defensive challenger. In the seventh, Valero finally caught the footworker and floored him with a southpaw right hook following a strong left to the face. Referee Guillermo Perez Pineda, Panama, made a well-timed halt to the onslaught, though Shimada barely stood up with rubbery legs.

PHOTO GALLERY BY SUMIO YAMADA