OSAKA, Japan — Japan's Nobuo Nashiro stopped compatriot Konosuke Tomiyama in the eighth round Saturday to retain his WBA super flyweight title.

Tomiyama knocked Nashiro to the canvas in the first and sixth rounds but the champion recovered and the referee stopped the bout 1 minute, 22 seconds into the eighth round after a flurry of punches overwhelmed the 25-year-old challenger.

The 27-year-old Nashiro improved to 13-1 with eight knockouts while Tomiyama dropped to 18-2 with six KOs.

Nashiro first won the title in 2006 with a TKO win over Martin Casillo, but lost it in his second defense to Alexander Munoz in a unanimous decision. He reclaimed the belt in September last year with a split decision win over compatriot Kohei Kono.