Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. In the main event of the show, the local WBC minimum weight champion (up to 47.6 kg) Panya Pradabsri (39-1, 23 KOs) beat the age-old Japanese ex-challenger Norihito Tanaka (20-9, 10 KOs) who had not entered the ring for a long time.
The guest immediately made it clear that he had come to Thailand for the title. He fought with an aggressive first number, strove to turn the fight into a power confrontation at medium and close distances.
The champion moved well. From time to time Tanaka failed, but much more often he went to the exchange, punching hard on the body (he is very good at this), often connecting the right cross and even uppercuts, which had not been observed before.
The veteran looked good in the 3rd round, but he picked up blows a few seconds before the gong. Further in his performance there were attempts to go for broke: he fought desperately bravely, but without ideas. Pradabsri briefly managed to keep the opponent at a distance – he disturbed with twos, countered attempts to get closer with powerful hooks to the body.
Tanaka, in response, also tried to load the opponent’s body, but was inferior both in accuracy and in power. However, his pressure began to bear fruit. After the equator, the battle leveled off. Score after 8 rounds: 79-73, 77-74 and 77-75 in favor of the favorite.
At the end of the 9th round, Tanaka shook the champion, but the gong sounded. Pradabsri began to demonstrate to the camera that he did not miss anything weighty. In the 10th three-minute period, the challenger already flew solidly. Cool fight!
The veteran continued to put pressure on Panya even in the championship rounds. He definitely didn’t win, but he showed how to box with Pradabsri – constant pressure, a lot of body shots, a bet on the second half of the fight (the champion sags after a break almost every fight).
Judges score: 119-109, 118-110 and 116-112 in favor of the defending champion.
Pradabsri UD 12.
