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Philippines, 23 Feb 2026 |
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Miel Fajardo Set to Defend His OPBF Belt Against KO Artist Thanongsak Simsri in Japan (Analysis) By Carlos Costa PhilBoxing.com Wed, 03 Jan 2024  Do you remember the quick and thrilling fight of world-ranked Filipino Miel Fajardo over compatriot John Paul Gabunilas last August in Cebu? Miel "The Silent Assassin" Fajardo won that rumble in exciting fashion, smashing Gabunilas three times onto the canvas to claim the vacant OPBF Light Flyweight Belt. That quick action war happened at the LapuLapu Hoops Dome supervised by OPBF man of action Arnie Najera. That was August. Now it's the time for Fajardo (11-1-2, 10 KO's) to defend the belt. The first defense will happen in "The Land of the Rising Sun" - Japan. Against who? When? Where? We all know from experience that in professional boxing things could change in a blink of an eye, BUT if nothing unpredictable happens, Fajardo will fight Thailand world ranked "super slugger" Thanongsak Simsri (31-1, 30 KO's). Awesome. Because Miel Fajardo is a super slugger too. So, the hot 12-rounder -- with Fajardo's OPBF title on the line -- will unfold in the famous coastal City of Osaka in Central Japan on Saturday, April 13. The thrilling war will be part of the boxing show produced by Osaka promoter Masaya Motoishi of Green Tsuda Promotions, staged with the matchmaking effort of Brico Santig of Highland Boxing. Giving the explosive KO power for both warriors – with the Filipino's 90% knockout ratio and the Thai's 94% ratio – fans could expect the war might end by way of KO? Sure yes. Highly probable. Interestingly, Miel Fajardo has knocked out 10 of his 14 opponents while the Thai Simsri has scalped 30 of his 33 foes, how about that??? Furthermore, Fajardo has scored one of the fastest knockouts in recorded boxing history.  Miel Fajardo. Listen to this: In December of 2022, Miel brutalized and flattened his opponent Sarawut Jiamthong (11-4, 10 KO's) with one HUGE solid punch, getting him into black out, short-circuiting him out into sleep in only 8 seconds! For that fight, which I luckily witnessed (I did not blink, fortunately), Boxrec recorded that the knockout was in 10 seconds; however, videos of the fight clearly show 8 seconds from the sound of the bell for the first round, till the moment referee Kris Sanyadej waved the fight off. ocho segundos! Therefore, for the coming battle of Fajardo vs Simsri, would you dare to blink? In a fight so exciting like this one, a clash of two young world-ranked fighters... in Japan, with so much at stake, including the possibility for the winner to go on to challenge for the light flyweight world title, would you dare to blink? Not me. Serious and focused in all his fights (five of them in Japan), Thanongsak Simsri has been promoted by Thai promoter Manop Iamthuam and Japanese man of boxing Masaya Motoishi. Miel Fajardo of Agusan del Sur, meanwhile is handled by promoter Brico Santig of Highland Boxing Promotions, and guided by his manager Jose Monte Flores. PREPARATION For preparations, Simsri will train in Thailand before traveling to Osaka for the April 13th war. He will arrive there on April 9, same as Miel. As for Miel Fajardo, he will train in his native Philippines until late February. Then, in early March, Fajardo will intensify training at the Highland Boxing Gym in Bangkok, Thailand, under the supervision of coach Erixon Asilo. Both young boxers are expected to arrive in Japan on April 9 on weight, strong, fast and in the best shape of their lives. Well, the mission they will face demands that, right?  Thanongsak Simsri. Worth noting is that both fighters battle from the orthodox stance, and as we know, both packed a lot of dynamite power in their deliveries, both young: Simsri is 23 year-old, Fajardo one year older. RANKINGS Regarding their ranks in the world of boxing, as of now, Simsri is rated as the WBO #4 (very high), in light flyweight division, while Fajardo is ranked by all four major sanctioning bodies. The Filipino is WBO #12 and IBF #6 in the light flyweight division. The Pinoy is also WBC #9 and WBA #14 in Flyweights. Not bad at all. BELTS CONQUERED About belts earned, Simsri has been Thailand Professional Boxing Association (PAT) National Light Flyweight Champion, while Fajardo is the reigning, defending OPBF Champion. At the same time, Fajardo has also been the ABF Flyweight Champion, as well as OPBF Light Flyweight Champ, which is the title that he will be defending. WHO WILL WIN? Will the hard-hitting Thanongsak Simsri from Sisaket in northeaster Thailand dominate the Pinoy when they collide hard in Osaka, shattering his dreams of glory? Or will it be "The Silent Assassin" Miel Fajardo will be the one to emerge victorious, retaining his OPBF belt, improving his place in the world rankings, and advancing his chances to fight for the world title? May the Best Man Win..!!! The author, Carlos Costa of Panama, resides in Cebu can be reached at carlos@philboxing.com and whatsapp +639184538152. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Carlos Costa.  |
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