Last July Thai fans saw Stamp Kiatniwat (15-0, 6) [แสตมป์ กระทิงแดงยิม] claim the WBA "interim" title with a controversial win over Dominican fighter Gregorio Lebron (13-4, 11). That bout saw Stamp twice drop Lebron, securing two 10-8 rounds, but was out fought in a number of other rounds as the gutsy Dominican took the fight to the local favourite. Today the two men faced off again, and again it was Stamp coming out on top as he retained his title, with another close win. The bout, which was supposed to take place last week on Channel 7, was delayed until this morning where it took place on Channel 3 SD, following a dispute over TV money. And like the first it was a really good, solid and competitive match up, that again will lead many top believe that the decision should have gone against Stamp. The action was even early on and really picked up in the middle of the contest with Stamp seemingly getting the better of the action. As with their first fight Lebron was the busier fighter but was often on the receiving end of the more hurtful blows and was made to miss more by the Thai who used some smart movement to make Lebron miss, and make him pay. The final few rounds saw a determined Lebron try to turn the fight around and it seemed like he did enough to win the final couple but he and his team both seemed to think they had fail to do enough to get the win. This proved to be the case with Stamp getting a majority decision with scores of 115-114, 115-113 and 114-114. Despite the win Stamp was a swollen at the end of the bout and the power of Lebron's connects did leave Stamp's face showing the effects of the bout. That swelling will take a will to come down and may keep him out of the ring for some time, however after today's win the 18 year old does deserve a break from the ring anyway. For Lebron this was another bitter pill to swallow, though it's one that he will have to swallow with all three of the judges for this one being completely neutral. (Image courtesy of Thairec.com)
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In Japan we've seen a rise in the super talented youngster with the likes of Naoya Inoue, Daigo Higa, Kosei Tanaka and Takuma Inoue all impressing in recent times. The same can also be said of some Filipinos such as Albert Pagara and Mark Magsayo. Thailand however have been left slightly behind their local rivals with few young Thai's really making their mark near the top of the sport.
Today however we saw that change with teenager Stamp Kiatniwat (14-0, 6) claiming the WBA “interim” Flyweight title courtesy of a decision win over Dominican slugger Gregorio Lebron (13-3, 11). The pattern of the fight was set very early in the contest with Lebron marching forward from the opening bell whilst Stamp moved, looked for counters and tried to use the visitors aggression against him. It worked a charm for the Thai who managed to hurt the Dominican in the opening round before dropping him late in the round. The Dominican got back to his feet, and saw out a Stamp assault late on, but it was clear this was going to be a tough afternoon for Lebron. Lebron's game plan never really changed. His intention through out was to come forward, swinging powerful but wild shots in the general direction of the Thai who often saw them coming a mile off. It was, at times, as if Lebron was hand picked for Stamp to look good against. Through rounds 2,3 and 4 that was the case with Stamp looking like he was having fun countering when he wished and coming forward as chose. In round 5 things began to get a little tricker for the Thai teenager with Lebron seemingly coming on strong late in the round, which seemed to be a short round. Lebron continued his late surge in round 5 with a brilliant round 6 that saw him genuinely having Stamp in trouble with the Thai being given one of the most torrid rounds of his short career. The Thai suddenly appeared in trouble and it was almost as if he was coming undone at the seams, as he compatriot Kongfah CP Freshmart did last week against the aforementioned Daigo Higa. It was fair to say that the bout appeared to be turning in favour of the visitor who had managed to get real momentum in the middle portion of the fight. Sadly for him he let it go as both men had a very quiet 7th round with little offense from either man really worthy of note, in fact if anything the most solid shots were right hand leads from Stamp. By round 8 Stamp had completely resettled however Lebron still looked dangerous and strong as he attempted to walk down the Thai and re-establish his control of the action. Round 9 was a close one and it still seemed unclear if Lebron was going to manage to get to Stamp, the Thai however responded in style in round 10 dropping the Dominican who really struggled to survive the round. Lebron was dropped hard and follow up attacks from Stamp appeared to leave Lebron close to going before the bell eventually came. Given that Lebron looked spent at the end of round 10 it seemed clear that Stamp would hunt the stoppage to begin the 11th round. Lebron however had recovered his senses and managed to make the round one of the most competitive as the two men traded shots and by the end of the penultimate round it was Stamp looking worse for wear. Lebron knew he still had a chance, albeit a slim one, and in round 12 came out swinging. Stamp saw much of Lebron's offense coming and avoided the wildest of it and despite some success from the Dominican he seemed to take more than he gave with Stamp picking some more sharp counters. By the end of the fight it seemed clear that Stamp had won, with two of the judges agreeing, though questions need to be asked of Raul Caiz Jr who amazingly had the bout 113-113. Despite the win though there is a lot for him to develop. He's not a “typical Thai” in the ring, he showed good movement and an intelligent counter-punching style but he often looked a bit too negative and his finishing still needs work. There is however a lot to like about the kid who became Thailand's “youngest world champion” with this win. Sadly we expect his reign to be a relatively poor one with little intention of facing a top contender or challenger. Instead we expect he'll be given developmental fights whilst defending his title. Whilst the win is great for Stamp we don't think he's close to a once in a generation fighter. He is however a very talented young man who appears to have a huge fan base and a real chance to become a star in Thailand, if managed correctly. One of the things that is, unfortunately, universal in boxing are bad decisions. We often see these in high profile fights in the UK, US and Germany who all have a reputation for such things. Sadly however they do happen around the world and today we saw the latest addition to the ever growing list of questionable decisions as Japan's Takuya Kogawa (22-4, 13), pictures, was controversially denied the WBA interim Flyweight title. Kogawa travelled to Thailand, a country that has been less than friendly to championship level Japanese fighters in the past, and gave his all in a thoroughly compelling contest with Thailand's very own Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep (34-2, 20). It was an effort that should have seen Kogawa claim the belt but some how the judges denied him. The Japanese challenger started fast. He used his natural hand speed and movement to simply out work Yodmongkol who plodded along with his guard up and. Whilst much of Kogawa's work was blocked enough had gotten through for him to win the round with out much debate. The same also applied in round 2, even though Yodmongkol did manage to find himself landing more than he had in the opening round. Following the great start of the champion things had began to get interesting and Kogawa was being caught more frequently with some classy punches from Yodmongkol. Whilst the champion was beginning to land the better punches it again seemed to be the work rate of Kogawa that left the lasting impression and not the occasional, albeit heavier, shots of the Thai. It seemed that every time Yodmongkol would land something Kogawa would fire back in a short little flurry of punches that continued to catch the eye. Through the middle rounds the fight began to change slightly. For the first 4 rounds it was all about Kogawa's high out put against Yodmongkol's heavier though less frequent shots. Kogawa was boxing on the move, creating space with his feet and firing off combinations whilst Yodmongkol applied constant though somewhat ineffective pressure. In round 5 though that pressure began to get him closer to the challenger and the crowd began to encourage their man. Although behind at the mid way point Yodmongkol seemed a lot fresher than the challenger and in round 7 he began to force his fight on Kogawa. This saw the two men enjoying several exchanges as the fight began to represent more of a toe-to-toe battle than anything else. It was clear that this was what Yodmongkol was going to prefer and what was going to really help him if he was to turn the fight around. Surprisingly however Kogawa's hand speed kept him very much in these exchanges and on numerous occasions he was the one forcing Yodmongkol on to the back foot. It was clear the pace had increased in round 7 and that Yodmongkol knew he his title was slipping away if things had remained as they were in the first 6 rounds. The Thai continued to up the pace in round 8 and it finally seemed that he was beginning to get the upper hand in the exchanges with the commentators becoming hugely excited at one point with Kogawa forced to take shots. Amazingly though Kogawa recovered and seemed to be on the front foot by the end of the round. Round 7 and 8 had been great though things were just getting better and in round 9 the pace increased again. This round saw Yodmongkol landing 3 flush shots one after the other and it seemed Kogawa was in trouble for a moment though the Japanese fighter recovered swiftly and fired back in an attempt to say “I've still got more fight in me”. It was a brave effort from Kogawa though one that was probably futile in attempting to win the round even though he did more than just see it out. Kogawa's work rate was always going to catch up with him eventually and that seemed to happen in round 10 as Yodmongkol came on really strong and Kogawa began to look weary. The sharp combinations from earlier in the fight were starting to look ragged, the footwork was becoming sloppy and the shots that Yodmongkol was landing seemed to hurt Kogawa for the first time. It was a clear Yodmongkol round and it seemed like the beginning of the end for Kogawa who looked like he was on his last legs. The success of the champion in round 10 was repeated again in round 11 as the Thai continued to come on strong. It was obvious by now that Yodmongkol thought his title was slipping away and that he might even need a stoppage to retain the title. A Japanese fighter's spirit however is hard to break and the round finished with both guys trading shots to the bell as Kogawa summoned up some energy from somewhere. We have no idea how Kogawa had the gas to finish round 11 so well but he found extra reserves in an amazing round 12. From the opening bell to the final bell Kogawa threw relentlessly his combinations just rained down on Yodmongkol who seemed to have his guard pinned up as a result of the relentless, albeit inaccurate, maelstrom of punches coming from the challenger. For the previous 2 rounds Kogawa had looked spent, like he was running on fumes but in round 12 he looked like the energizer bunny. Yodmongkol did attempt to fire back occasionally and landed some solid shots of his own though they were infrequent and seemed to cause Kogawa to bite down on his gum shield and just unload more shots. It was crazy from the Japanese fighter who was showing his will to win was still there as he went all in. By the time the final bell came Kogawa must have thrown well in excess of 100 punches in the final round. Sadly when you fight on foreign soil against the champion you sometimes need a KO for the draw and that seemed to be the case here with Yodmongkol receiving a majority decision win with scores of 114-114, 115-114, 116-113. For purposes of interest, we had it 116-112 Kogawa. The Japanese fighter had every right to be aggrieved though he seemed too exhausted to even think about complaining. He had put everything in to the fight only to have the judges deny him of a belt he had rightfully deserved. As for Yodmongkol he showed his class and seemed to look like a man who was relieved more than happy. There was little celebration from the champion who went through the formalities and probably thanked his lucky stars for a very debatable and controversial decision. We know we thought Yodmongkol would retain and we knew the fight would be exciting but we didn't think that Yodmongkol would be so lucky or that the fight would be THIS good. If you missed it, you missed a thriller. (Picture courtesy of Miyata Gym) Earlier this year Koki Eto (14-3-1, 10) impressed us all as he went to war with Thailand's Kompayak Porpramook and put on one of the most impressive performances of the year. Having traveled from Japan to Thailand for that fight Eto looked like the man who had been able to conquer the harsh Thai conditions. In the process of his victory over Porpramook Eto had claimed the WBA interim Flyweight title and become the first Japanese born fighter to claim a world title in Thailand. Earlier today however Eto got a real wake up call as returned to Thailand to make the first defense of his title and fought Yodmongkol CP Freshmart (33-2, 20). The fight started well for the challenger who applied intelligent pressure and looked like a man with a statement to make. He was forced to take some shots in return, especially to the body, though never looked bothered by them as he kept coming forward and kept landing the cleaner better shots. Despite the great opening round for Yodmongkol it seemed that the champion managed to find his way in to things in the second as his body attack become more notable. Unfortunate for Eto however it seemed that his shots simply couldn't discourage Yodmongkol who was landing heavy shots of his own. The heavy artillery of Yodmongkol rocked Eto hard in round 3 as the Japanese fighter was surprisingly shaken. It didn't take long for him to recuperate but it was still a shock given the fact he took the best shots of Porpramook with out ever looking shaken. By now it was plainly obvious that Yodmongkol hit harder than his record indicated and that Eto wasn't the same fighter who had fought Porpramook. Eto managed to finally have some success in round 5, his first round on my card, as his body shots began to connect on a regular basis. By the end of the round they appeared like they were taking their effect on Yodmongkol who slowed notably in the final minute or so of the round. Just as soon as Eto's fightback began it was over as he was dropped very early in round 6. He didn't appear that hurt but it was a clear knockdown from a hard left hook as Eto left himself open. The Japanese fighter was now in a big hole and he knew it as he attempted to over-come the knockdown and moved up a gear. Unfortunately for Eto much of his work was now becoming sloppy and rushed, missing by a mile and further tiring him out as panic began to set in. Amazingly round 7 saw Eto's work paying off as Yodmongkol did little more than cover up for large portions of the round. It suddenly looked like the Thai was tired and that Eto was about to turn it around. Unfortunately for Eto however his accuracy, or rather lack of, was destroying his own success as he missed time and time again. Eto's failure to really make the most of his opening in round 7 was repeated the following round as Yodmongkol was again conservative. Despite Eto throwing many more shots he was unable to clearly out land the Thai who was picking his spots excellently and landing the crisper and cleaner punches time and time again. Whatever had forced Yodmongkol to cover up in the seventh was no longer an issue. By the end of round 9 what ever mini-crisis Yodmongkol had been in was a distant memory as he took the best shots of Eto and landed his own in return. By now it was a case that Eto would need a knockout to retain but he had never managed to visibly hurt Yodmongkol who had managed to shake and drop Eto earlier in the fight. Although it was Eto needing a stoppage it was Yodmongkol who was looking like the only man likely to score one, as shown in round 11 as he repeatedly shook Eto. By now the only thing keeping the fight going was Eto's heart and toughness. The competitiveness had completely gone from the action and it started to become a beat down by the Thai. Unfortunately for the long term career of Eto he refused to go down and tried to fight back keeping the referee from calling a halt to the proceedings. The twelfth round saw Yodmongkol taking the decision out of the referees hands. The Japanese fighter was rocked again and this time when he tried to fire back he was caught by another shot scrambling his senses, one shot later Eto hard crashed to the canvas face first and out for the count. Having lost both his title, the WBA interim Flyweight title, and his senses it may be a very long time before Eto really recovers from this loss which was painful and career shortner. Against Porpramook Eto had looked like a busy, talented, tough fighter who could take it as well as he could dish it out and like a man who could box when he wanted and brawl when he needed. Today however he looked like a man who has forgotten the basics about the sport, forgot about breaking up his brawling with his boxing and looked like a man feeling over-confident. Whilst we could berate the accuracy and lack of boxing intelligence of Eto it seems much fairer to actually congratulate Yodmongkol. The 22 year old looks like he could b a very difficult man to take the title from. Like many top Thai's he looks very strong at the weight, very tough and has very under-rated technical skills. Sure he looks like he can be out boxed but he also looks like he can grind out many top fighters. This kid could well keep this title for a very longtime if he doesn't burn out. Japanese fighters don't tend to fair well on foreign soil, especially on Thai soil where they have suffered awful luck in world title fights. Of course most recently was Yota Sato's destruction at the hands of Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. Today however the Koki Eto (14-2-1, 10) helped to change that as he became the first ever Japanese fighter to claim a world title on Thai soil, as he defeated Thai warrior Kompayak Porpramook (50-5, 35) in a genuine Fight of the Year contender. The fight was so good in fact that it may well over-shadow the recent war between Nihito Arakawa and Omar Figueroa, a bout some had already crowned the best fight of the year despite it's somewhat one-sided nature. Eto started off using his under-rated boxing ability and using his significant size advantage to fire off his jab and keep Porpramook eating a steady stream of shots as the Thai tried to work his way in. Late in the opening round however Eto turned up the screw and went on an all out offensive dropping Porpramook, although it was ruled a slip Porpramook was certainly down from the shots Eto was throwing rather than anything else. That pace with which Eto had finished the opening round was brilliant and in the second Porpramook matched it as the two men traded shots with little to no regard for defense. Porpramook, who was naturally better suited to the inside war was of course having success but Eto was surprisingly efficient at the inside action himself despite his size, in fact it was Eto's uppercuts that were really the highly of the close action. It was an amazing second round though the same pace and ridiculous action continued through the third and fourth rounds as both men took the best shots their opponent before firing back, almost taking it in terms to try and batter the other into submission. The hectic pace was simply amazing and neither man seemed willing to really take a backwards step. Although the bout was an out and out war in the first half of the bout it was Eto who was showing more to his game than the experienced champion. Eto was able to not only hold his own in the trenches but also box and he tried to mix up the two styles when he wanted to slow the pace. This worked great for him as he got to tag Porpramook coming in, as he did relentlessly. Through the middle rounds it was obvious that the pace was beginning to get to both men, and the body shots of Porpramook, who had really targeted the midsection of Eto, seemed to be slowing the bout. Although the bout was "slower" it was still high paced as both men tried to bomb the other out. It seemed that even the slower rounds were more action packed than the most action packed rounds of many other bouts. The slower action seemed to favour Eto who getting the space he needed to box and use the jab a bit more. Porpramook was unwilling to just give the Japanese fighter space but the Thai was made to pay for his pressure with Eto again having success on the back foot as well as in the head to head exchanges. Unfortunately due to Thai TV issues rounds 9 and 10 were almost completely absent from the TV broadcast. When the fight was back on Channel 7 there was little more than 2 rounds left. Whilst Eto seemed to be in the lead from a neutral's point of view it was clear that he thought the fight was still up for grabs and in round 11 he took the bout by the scruff of the neck and dominated a clearly exhausted, but still teak tough, Porpramook. The Thai, who threw very little through the round had made no argument to try and claim it as the Japanese fighter showed unbelievable energy. Although Eto had clearly won round 11 he again seemed unwilling to just rely on his work and instead set of for round 12 with the intention of stopping Porpramook. The Japanese fighter unloaded form the bell and staggered Eto around the ring with a serious onslaught that would have taken lesser men out. Porpramook somehow survived the attack and actually fired back himself before a second big attack from Eto managed to drop Porpramook in the corner. This time the referee did give a count, unlike in the first round, and it seemed at last that Eto had sealed it. Amazingly the knockdown had quenched Eto's desire to take the title and instead he went on a seek and destroy mission rocking Porpramook around before the bell save the Thai. With the fight being in Thailand there may have been some, including Eto, who expected Porpramook to retain his title. Instead the judges did the right thing and awarded the victory, and the title to Eto who had claimed a well deserved, and action packed, victory against a very game opponent. Courtesy of boxrec.com Former WBC Light Flyweight world champion Kompayak Porpramook (50-4, 35) successfully claimed the WBA "interim" Flyweight title as he stopped former title holder Jean Piero Perez (20-6-1, 14) in the 6th round of a scheduled 12. The fight actually started quite well for much taller Perez who used his jab effectively and maintained a safe distance using his legs. It wouldn't take long however for Porpramook to start cutting the distance and getting in to the pocket where he was able to land his powerful blows. With Porpramook knowing he could walk through the shots of Perez the bout became a matter of time as Perez worked incredibly hard to create distance from the dogged and determined Thai. The intelligent pressure of Porpramook's work was tiring out Perez who started every round well before Porpramook would catch up to him and launch a strong attack late. The attack of the Thai in round 5 really did seem to spell the end for Perez who saw out the round but was starting to look like a man losing heart and it showed in the following round. Porpramook started round 6 fast and rocked the Venezuelan early before forcing the referee to come in and save the now badly hurt Perez. With the WBA "interim" title now around his waist Porpramook is the only Thai fighter with a recognised "world" title currently around his waist. Aged 30 and with 54 bouts on his record he's certainly an "old" fighter for the Flyweight division though he's still as determined and as exciting as ever. |
World Title Results
Whether you like them or not World Titles add prestige to any bout as a result we've included the results of world title bouts in this special section. Archives
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