In a big upset Pongsaklek Wonjongkam lost his WBC flyweight title to Daisuke Naito in his challenger’s home country of Japan. Daisuke was declared the unanimous decision victor by scores of 116-113, 116-113 and 115-113.
On his 19th defense and having beaten Naito twice before, it was a heartbreaker for Thailand’s Pongsaklek at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo today.
Even more heartbreaking given that the Thai’s team were in talks for big bouts against rival WBA holder Takefumi Sakata and Japanese megastar Koki Kameda, who gave up his junior flyweight belt to campaign as a 112-pounder.
Most likely, Sakata and Kameda will fight one another instead, in what would be the biggest Asian fight since the WBC super flyweight trilogy between Masamori Tokuyama and Katushige Kawashima.
Wonjongkam – boxing’s second longest reigning champion until a few hours ago – has a clause for a rematch in Thailand, which could get him a shortcut back to his crown.
Despite hurting his man in the ninth, he couldn’t find that extra gear and wound up losing a close one.
There will be little sympathy for Wonjongkam, 29, who put off the meaningful fights, preferring instead to make dubious alphabet defenses even though he has faced very few mandatory challengers.
If you leave the big fights long enough, they won’t happen. Let that be a lesson. Though he’s not what he used to be, Wonjongkam would appear to have enough to bounce back – he’s not taken much punishment over his long reign, which featured many a soft defense.
Naito, also 29, landed with some good right hands on his southpaw foe, and was a lot better than in previous bouts with the Thai, who beat him via first round KO and seventh round TD in previous encounters.
As with countryman Sakata, Naito won a world title on his third attempt in a revenge match (Sakata overwhelmed a weight weakened Lorenzo Parra, who’d edged him twice, before defending against Roberto Vasquez, another man who’d bested him, this year).
Like the Russians at heavyweight, Japan are just about dominating the flyweight division – although Argentina’s Omar Narvaes holds the WBO belt and Filipino Nonito Donaire carries the IBF version after an upset of his own against Vic Darchinyan (neither titles recognised in the far East).
The lighter weights have been no stranger to upsets this year – in an outstanding battle, Edgar Sosa beat Brian Viloria for the WBC junior flyweight title, Cristian Mijares made mincemeat out of Jorge Arce for the WBC super flyweight belt, and Florante ‘Little Pacquiao’ Condes ended the reign of IBF strawweight king Muhammad Rachman – the latter only a couple of weeks ago.
