After a somewhat frustrating year following Thailand’s boxers, fans have got a ”fantastic four” of world title fights to look forward to in the next two-and-a-half months. While the Barcelona strikeforce of Samuel Eto’o, Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry have failed to live up to the same nickname so far this season, these fights look certain to fulfill their top billing.
All the major sanctioning bodies are involved with Thais contesting WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO titles. All four will be televised live.
The first big fight on the horizon is a trip to the Philippines for unbeaten Sakaew strawweight Pornsawan Porpramook a week on Sunday.
Hard-hitting Pornsawan (20-0, 15KOs) heads to Cebu City to tackle Donnie Nietes on September 30 for the vacant WBO title.
Nietes has won 21 fights (13KOs) with just one defeat and I doubt this bout will go the distance.
Pornsawan has knocked out some decent opponents and he has to be the favourite to do the same here as well.
It’s a surprise move for the 29-year-old because he has spent almost his entire career defending the WBA-affiliated PABA belt.
Japan’s Yutaka Niida is the WBA champion but he said he wanted to unify after outpointing Filipino Eriberto Gejon in Tokyo earlier this month.
While the WBO belt is not as respected as the others, Nietes is an excellent opponent and this fight could be a cracker.
Style-wise, this could be the best of the lot.
The next Thai jetting off for a foreign challenge is Fahsan Por Thawatchai, who travels to Canada in a bid for Steve Molitor’s IBF super-bantam crown.
The pair clash on October 27 in Ontario.
Twenty-seven-year-old Molitor has won 24 fights without defeat but has only scored 10 stoppages.
Ubon Ratchathani’s Fahsan is aged 33 and has racked up 58 wins (35KOs) against eight defeats and a draw.
He has come a long way since losing his first four professional bouts and has a decent chance of victory if he is at his best.
Detractors will point to the fact he was stopped in four rounds by Manny Pacquiao in 2004, but Molitor is no Pacquiao and Fahsan’s experience could serve him well.
The third match of the mouth-watering quartet sees Denkaosan Singwangcha travel to Japan to face WBA flyweight champion Takefumi Sakata on Sunday November 4.
Once again, this is a top-class match-up between quality operators.
Samui’s Denkaosan has won 40 (16KOs) against a sole defeat to former WBA fly champ Eric Morel in the USA five years ago.
The 31-year-old has won 20 fights since then and is in with a chance against Sakata who has won 31 (15KOs) with four defeats and a draw.
Sakata secured the belt earlier this year with a shock victory over Lorenzo Parra and has since outpointed Roberto Vasquez.
This is a chance for Thailand to regain a slice of the world flyweight crown after Pongsaklek Wonjongkam lost his WBC mantle in Japan in July to Daisuke Naito.
The ”fantastic four” is rounded off with the all-Thai WBC strawweight clash between champion Eagle Den Janlaphan and Oledong Sithsamerchai in Bangkok on December 5.
Eagle is based in Japan but will want to impress in his home country while Oledong takes his first step into world class.
There is a first-class aperitif this afternoon with the WBC super-bantam final eliminator between Napapol Kiatisakchokchai and Saenghiran Lookbanyai (Channel 3, 3pm) before the ”Fantastic Four” starts.
The year was in danger of fizzling out but could now finish with a real bang with several new genuine champions.
