Shokichi Iwata knocked out Jairo Noriega on Sunday morning to scoop the WBO light flyweight title.

The Japanese boxer dropped Noreiga with thirty seconds left in the third round and then closed the show with a huge left hook on the bell.

Sky SportsIwata flattened Noreiga in the third round of their world title fight[/caption]

Noreiga was left flat on his face while Iwata drank in the applause from the packed-out Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

As clips of the brutal knockout circulated online, several fans insisted it was the ‘KO of the year’ so far.

One fan wrote: “Amazing punch from Iwata. KO of the year.”

Another tweeted: “Shokichi Iwata just unleashed a massive knockout —truly a fight to remember!”

A third posted: “What an incredible knockout! Iwata really made a statement with that one!”

Meanwhile, somebody else added: “That’s the definition of a KO.”

Iwata is now a world champion at the second time of asking after falling to a unanimous decision loss to Jonathan Gonzalez in 2022 for the same belt.

Gonzalez vacated the red and gold strap in June to return to the flyweight division while the major sanctioning body ordered Iwata and Noreiga to duke it out for the vacant belt.

Speaking via a translator in his post-fight interview, Iwata said: “I was very determined to have a championship belt tonight.

“This is my dream. A dream come true. Thank you for your support…

“I am so thankful to be in the ring with a championship belt around my waist.”

Iwata then proceeded to call for a unification fight with newly crowned IBF light flyweight champion Masamichi Yabuki.

Yabuki snatched the title away from South Africa’s Sivenathi Nontshinga on Saturday with a ninth-round stoppage victory at the Aichi Sky Expo in Aichi, Japan.

At the time of writing, the WBA light flyweight title is vacant while Kenshiro Teraji reclaimed the WBC version with an eleventh-round TKO win over Cristofer Rosales on the same card as Iwata.

Erick Rosa is the WBA gold light flyweight champion and could get elevated to full world champion in the coming days.