Shiming dominated the fight from the early rounds even as Cuantinho tried to build up his confidence in the ring by taunting the former Chinese Olympic gold medalist in the opening round.
Shiming gave Countinho a boxing lesson as he piled up points halfway to the 12-round fight, scoring at will as the unbeaten challenger ran for safety early in the eighth round when he pinned Coutinho on the ring ropes as Shiming threw as series of power punches that were unanswered, giving the referee no choice but to stop the fight at 2:17 of the eighth round.
The fight was in contrast to Shiming’s first attempt to snatch Ruenroeng’s IBF title, where he looked tentative and unable to launch a massive attack. Shiming expressed his regrets for losing a career-defining fight but humbly admitted his loss to Ruenroeng.
Shiming fought Ruenroeng in a trilogy during their amateur encounters and each time, Shiming got the judges’ verdict in his favor.
With the win, Shiming captured the the vacant WBO International Flyweight title and improved his career record to 7-1-0 with two knockouts.
Shiming, who is being handled by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions, hopes to return to the ring in a few months for another title fight.
After his first career loss, Countinho’s record dropped to 12-1-0 with 10 knockouts.
