Wednesday afternoon in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, WBA World minimumweight champion Knockout CP Freshmart (14-0, 6 KOs), from Surin, Thailand, retained his title by outpointing Shin Ono (19-8-3, 3 KOs), the southpaw from Tokyo, Japan.

The final scores were 117-111 (Silvestre Abainza) and 118-109 twice (Ignacio Robles and Oliver Brien) after 12 rounds.

The fight was the first defense of the 105-pound title Freshmart won in his last fight, a unanimous decision victory over reigning and defending champion Byron Rojas.

Freshmart controlled the action from the opening bell. Using his speed and the ring, he was happy to stick and move, holding his power in reserve for later in the fight.

As the rounds progressed the champ began letting his hands go.

Midway through the fight, the Thai began breaking down the challenger, landing straight rights and left hooks upstairs and down.

Freshmart dropped Ono for the first time in his career in round 10 with another straight right followed by a hook. He beat the count but appeared hurt yet made it through the round. The fight was, for all intents and purposes, over by then, and the final scores reflected the one-sided nature of the bout.

Despite the victory, Freshmart was dissatisfied.

“My performance today may not impress the fans,” he said after the fight. “I will try to do better next time.”

Freshmart’s manager, Wirat Wachirarattanawong, agreed with that assessment.

“His performance was not impressive,” said Wirat. “He lacked accuracy and his defense was quite poor. He needs more experience to become a better boxer.”

This article was penned by the author who is not related to the WBA and the statements, expressions or opinions referenced herein are that of the author alone and not the WBA.