By Jake Donovan

Jerwin Anacjas successfully registered the first defense of his super flyweigh title reign, scoring a 7th round injury stoppage over Jose Rodriguez in their headlining bout Sunday evening in Macao, China. 

The title fight was stopped after seven rounds, with Mexico's Rodriguez unable to continue over what was believed to be a dislocated right shoulder. 

Ancajas (26-1-1, 15KOs) was a sizable betting favorite entering the contest and justified those odds with a solid boxing performance in outclassing his overmatched opponent. The 25-year old southpaw from Cavite, Philippines has drastically improved in recent years, a lesson learned the hard way by McJoe Arroyo, whom Ancajas soundly outpointed to win the title last September.

Rodriguez - who did absolutely nothing to earn this title shot as he's fallen miserably short on this stage in recent past - was forced to accept that reality as he had little in what is amazingly his third career shot at a major (or interim) title.

The 27-year old was outclassed by Alberto Rossel in their April '12 interim title fight and - without winning or even fighting his way back into contention - then dispatched to Japan eight months later, where he served as cannon fodder for Kazuto Ioka in their vacant 108 lb. title fight later that year on New Year's Eve. 

A record of just 4-2 since that time - and all four wins coming versus pedestrian opposition - somehow qualified Rodriguez to return to the title picture. Justice was served in the ring, however, as Ancajas was well on his way to a dominant victory, only to have to settle for one in anti-climactic fashion. Upon the conclusion of round seven, it was determined that Rodriguez was no longer fit for combat on this particular evening.

The official time was 3:00 of round seven.

Ancajas has now won 13 straight since suffering a heartbreaking loss to countryman Mark Geraldo way back in March '12. While his resurgence is to be celebrated, his performance on Sunday was overshadowed by the highlight reel knockout that came from the evening's chief support.

Carlos Takam continues to hover around the Top 10 of the heavyweight division, even if forever a gatekeeper. The 36-year old France-based Cameroonian found the win column for the first time in 14 months, doing so in violent fashion with a vicious 4th round knockout of Poland's Marcin Rekowski.

Takam power punched his way to an early lead before closing the show in frightening fashion, A right hand left the 39-year old Rekowski on rubber legs and virtually defenseless, allowing Takam to uncork several unanswered blows. The finishing touch was a beauty of a left hook that put Rekowski (17-5, 14KOs) down and out, crashing to the canvas face first in prompting an immediate ending to the heavyweight clash in round four.

With the win, Takam moves to 34-3-1 (26KOs). There was no shame in the 14 months that preceded his last victory, as the loss suffered in between came in giving New Zealand's Joseph Parker all that he could handle in their heavyweight title eliminator last May. 

Parker has since gone on to capture heavyweight hardware, outpointing Andy Ruiz in their vacant title fight last December. Whether or not Takam is ever make it to the title scene, he showed on Sunday that's going to be more than a handful for any boxer in the world along the way.

Twitter: @JakeNDaBox_v2