Japanese boxer Yutaka Niida successfully defended his WBA minimumweight title for the fourth time Saturday with a unanimous decision over Colombian challenger Ronald Barrera.
Niida, who was fighting with the effects of a cold, struggled early on but managed to hold off his eighth-ranked opponent by landing a flurry of lefts in the late rounds at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
Judges scored the match 116-112, 115-113, 117-111, all in favor of the 27-year-old champion.
"I caught a cold a week ago and I came into the fight in pretty bad shape. I'm surprised that I held on to the end with such terrible conditions," said Niida, who improved his record to 20 wins, including eight knockouts, against one defeat and three draws.
Barrera showed frustration after being outboxed by Niida and failing to make the bout a slugfest.
"I just wanted to slug it out and I think the winner was me. At least I think I was able to blind him with good footwork," he said.
With Niida's victory, the number of Japan-based world champions in boxing remains at five, including Masamori Tokuyama who retained the WBC super flyweight title last Monday.