Waikato boxer Floyd Masson defeated in world title bout

Te Awamutu-born boxer Floyd Masson. Photo / Combat Analytics

Te Awamutu-born boxer Floyd Masson has lost the first defence of his IBO World Cruiserweight title after a TKO delivered by Belgium boxer Yves Ngabu in Brisbane.

Masson, who said he was in the best shape of his life, locked horns with the Belgium boxer Yves Ngabu, and the first round saw an even start to the fight.

But the southpaw boxer Ngabu started punishing Masson from that point onwards.

In the fourth round, Masson sustained a nasty cut, but in an unusual move, the doctor let the fight continue.

The referee said the cut was caused by a punch, and if the fight was stopped because of it, it would mean a TKO loss.

By the sixth round, Ngabu was getting too much for Masson, sending him to the canvas.

Masson got on his feet at the count of eight, but referee Will Soulos decided enough was enough, with Ngabu winning by TKO.

It is unknown what is next for Masson, but he will need to take some time over the next few months for the cut to heal.

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On the undercard, Auckland boxer Benjamin Kelleher lost thanks to a second-round KO from Australian Luke Modini and so lost his Australian National title, also in his first defence.

Kelleher said at the end of the fight that if this was not the last fight, his career would soon be coming to a close.

When Masson does eventually return to boxing, Modini will be an excellent boxer to compete against. This would be a good fight for a major regional title to cement the winner in the top 15 rankings.

If you want to see the IBO World Cruiserweight title fight between Floyd Masson and Yve Ngabu, promoter Ace Boxing Group have released footage of the event on YouTube.