Masataka Taniguchi made it 2-for-2 against Kai Ishizawa, defeating his Japanese compatriot by 11th round stoppage Friday to retain the WBO strawweight title at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Taniguchi (16-3, 11 knockouts) overwhelmed Ishizawa (10-2, 9 KOs) with a barrage of punches to force the referee to stop the fight at the 2:29 mark. Ishizawa, who lost an eight round decision to Taniguchi in 2019, was ineligible to win the title after wildly missing the 105-pound weight limit, coming in five pounds heavy at 110 pounds.

Taniguchi made a statement against his heavier opponent, dominating the action for most of the way. All three judges had him comfortably ahead at the time of stoppage, 99-91.

The win was the first defense of the title that Taniguchi won last December with an 11th round stoppage of Wilfredo Mendez. The 28-year-old southpaw has now won five straight since dropping a decision to Vic Saludar in 2019 in his first attempt to lift the title he now holds.

Taniguchi is rated no. 4 by The Ring at 105 pounds

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