South African boxer Lerato Dlamini defeated Japanese opponent Tomoki Kameda by a split decision at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday.
Judges Mike Fitzgerald and Fernando Villareal had Dlamini winning by 116-112 while Kameda won by 115-113 on Michiaki Someya’s score card.
This shootout was an eliminator for the number two position on the International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight ratings.
Dlamini was down in the 10th round, but fight referee Koji Tanaka ruled it as a slip after watching television replays.
Dlamini, who weighed 56,90kg, improved his record to 20 victories (11 knockouts) and two losses while Kameda dropped to 40 wins (22 stoppages) and four defeats.
