HERO'S parent company Fight Entertainment Group has announced that upon review, the verdict of the Dec. 31 bout between Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto and Rani Yahya (Pictures) will remain the same.

In the bout Yamamoto knocked out Yahya in the second round, dropping the Brazilian with a left hook, before delivering two soccer kicks, and another right hand to the turtled Yahya before referee Minoru Toyonaga (Pictures) stopped the fight.

On the heels of successful protest by Yoshihiro Akiyama (Pictures) in regards to having his bout with Dec. 31 bout with Kazuo Misaki (Pictures) overturned, the Yahya camp launched a protest late last month. Because soccer kicks are prohibited by HERO'S rules, Yahya contended that the stoppage was produced by illegal blows, and should be grounds for a No Contest, or a disqualification.

In judgement, HERO'S rules director Gen Isono explained that referee Minoru Toyonaga (Pictures)'s choice to stop the fight was prompted by seeing Yahya's reaction following the left hook which dropped him to the mat. As the soccer kicks were therefore judged to be subsequent to the referee's choice to stop the fight, they were ruled to have no bearing on the outcome of the bout.