ONE X: Stephen Loman boosts title bid, beats Shoko Sato on points

Stephen Loman vs Shoko Sato in their ONE X bantamweight bout. ONE PHOTO

SINGAPORE– Team Lakay’s Stephen Loman defeated Shoko Sato by unanimous decision to kick off the campaign of the Filipinos’ campaign in ONE X at Singapore Indoor Stadium here.

Loman got the nod of all the judges but he admitted that he couldn’t get his range and land his usual punches the taller and lankier Sato. The two fighters were shown the yellow card in the second round for lack of action.

“My punches did not land because I was struggling to get my range, it is what is is. Sato is a tough opponent,” said Loman, who improved to 15-2-0.

Loman, the No. 3 ranked bantamweight contender, leaned heavily on his striking throughout the match but was able to take down his Japanese foe a couple of times.

The victory should boost Loman’s title shot aspirations as he remains undefeated so far in ONE Championship, following up his impressive debut in December.

“I want to climb the rankings and challenge again for those above me in the rankings,” said Loman.