Title Fights From Around the World: Lightweight KO Involving Stephanie Han

Today, boxing world title fights take place around the globe and are more accessible to watch than ever before. Sometimes, championship bouts do not receive as much attention and go underreported. Big Fight Weekend commits to writing about boxing news, previews and recaps. As such, the site now has a recurring segment on championship bouts – from around the world from the past week.

The focus of these pieces will be on clashes ranging from atomweight to heavyweight that had the WBA, WBC, IBF, and/or WBO titles on the line. This week’s edition of “Title Fights From Around the World” comprises two recaps. In the United States, a new lightweight WBA world champion was crowned. Big Fight Weekend also recaps a bout that was missed from back in January in Japan where a new WBA minimumweight champion was also crowned.

Title Fights From Around the World: Stephanie Han and Yuko Kuroki Triumph

Stephanie Han Becomes Champion Following Quick KO

Stephanie Han (10-0, 3 KOs) needed less than two minutes to score a knockout of Hannah Terlep (5-2, 2 KOs).

The official time of stoppage was 1:59. With the victory, Han is now the WBA lightweight champion. The title was previously held by Katie Taylor who is now the undisputed super lightweight champion. With a vacancy at 135 lbs, the WBA ordered Han and Terlep to face each other for the belt.

Read More: Five Lightweight Fighters to Watch in 2025

The fight headlined a February 22 King’s Promotions card at the County Coliseum in El Paso, TX. There does not appear to have been an official broadcaster for the event. However, highlights are available on YouTube.

Late in the opening round, Han landed an overhand right that clearly rocked her opponent. Terlep was then hit with several right hooks before hitting the canvas. Referee Mark Calo-oy immediately waved off the fight the moment she hit the canvas, giving Han the victory via knockout.

Yuko Kuroki Once Again a Champion at Minimumweight

Note: This title fight took place on January 21. However, Big Fight Weekend did not report on it at the time. As such, it is part of this edition of “Title Fights From Around the World.” Credit to Asian Boxing for reporting on it at the time.

Yuko Kuroki (24-8-2, 10 KOs) is once more a world champion after winning a unanimous decision against Ye Kyeng Seo (7-1-3, 5 KOs).

Scores for their bout were 96-94 across the board. With the win, Kuroki is now the WBA minimumweight champion. The title was previously held by Seniesa Estrada who recently announced her retirement from the sport. With a vacancy at 105 lbs, the WBA ordered Kuroki and Seo to fight for the belt.

The fight headlined a Shinsei Promotions card at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Boxing fans in Japan could catch the action live on Lemino. Those outside the country would have needed a VPN to view the fight.

Kuroki had some struggles initially with her timing and struggled to land. She eventually figured her opponent out but also had to deal with a number of head clashes. Seo had some success against her opponent but was also getting outworked, particularly in the middle rounds. In the end, the three judges deemed Kuroki to have done the better work over 10 and awarded her the unanimous decision win.

Previously, Kuroki was a WBC minimumweight champion for just over three years. After losing the title in late 2017, she moved down to atomweight and eventually became a unified WBA and WBO champion. Following a split decision loss to Eri Matsuda in January last year, she moved back up to minimumweight and is now the WBA titlist at the weight.