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Klong Luang Prison,
Pathumthanee, Thailand
Late replacement Nananko Kikuchi (6-1-1) of
Japan used an effective body attack to wear down Thailand’s Nongmai Sor
Siriporn (0-1) en route to winning the W.B.C. women’s strawweight
championship via seventh round TKO.
What some thought of as a joke of a title fight was a surprisingly good
scrap with more skill displayed than was expected. Sor Siriporn gave a
valiant effort however was repeatedly turned back by the stronger,
faster and more skilled Kikuchi.
The Japanese fighter controlled the bout from the outset, punishing the
game Thai time and time again with wicked left hooks to the liver and
straight right counters to the head. By the end of the third stanza the
body shots had taken their toll. Sor Siriporn was gasping for air and
ready to collapse when the bell rang to signify the end of round three.
The doctor looked glanced into her corner between rounds however
determined she was capable of fighting on.
Kikuchi picked up her punch output in round four and only the bell was
able to save the withering Sor Siriporn. It became more and more
apparent to those in attendance Sor Siriporn was now fighting on heart
alone and was totally spent.
The gutsy Thai managed to somehow make it through round five and six,
occasionally gathering enough strength to throw a few combinations but
doing little damage and only prolonging the inevitable.
Kikuchi bolted out of her corner in round seven, guns blazing, pummeling
Sor Siriporn with accurate combinations and non-stop punching. The sheer
volume of punches finally overwhelmed the exhausted Thai, who had began
to turn her back as referee Bruce McTavish stepped in to stop the
beating only :50 into the round.
"Nanako was fast and aggressive and that's why I couldn't do anything at
all," Nongmai said dejectedly. “She was better and stronger. Her right
was hard and I need more experience to become a better boxer.”
The fight garnered worldwide attention; with foreign media from the
U.S., Italy, France, Germany and Japan traveling to the Land of Smiles
to witness what Thai promoter Naris Singhawancha billed as the “First
Ever World Championship Held in a Prison” and the “Very First Time in a
Thai Correctional Facility.”
The event was plagued by problems from its inception and was nearly
cancelled when Sor Siriporn’s original opponent, Carina Moreno, withdrew
from the main event due to a respiratory ailment. Enter the #11 ranked
Kikuchi, aka “The Genius Girl,” who stepped in on only a week’s notice
to save the show.
While the fighters did their part in putting on a good show, critics had
been less than kind before the bout, some saying it was politically
motivated, and others saying it was a complete sham. The always
controversial W.B.C. was criticized for sanctioning the bout, as Sor
Siriporn had no verifiable professional fights on her ledger. The W.B.C.
fired back at the allegations, like always, stating the record keepers
were at fault and those searching her records were “wrong.” Her record
is 8 wins without a loss” stated one W.B.C. official. Supposedly all of
these eight wins came inside of Thailand.
Sor Siriporn set the record straight after the fight though, “I didn’t
expect to win the fight but I gave my all and did the best I could.
After all, this was only my first professional fight.”
Apparently the W.B.C. form of record keeping may leave something to be
desired.
The main criticism launched at the W.B.C was the inexplicable manner in
which
a fighter with zero fights manages to ascend the W.B.C. rankings,
attaining a number three position and then getting a title shot. Perhaps
Sor Siriporn was fortunate for throughout the boxing history an untold
number of fighters with thirty, forty or even fifty fights never managed
to get a title shot. They sweat and bleed and give their all for the
chance, only to be denied by politics, money or some other intangible
which leaves them grasping for an explanation.
Sor Siraporn is serving a six-year sentence for drug dealing and is due
to be released in approximately fourteen months. She plans on continuing
her boxing career and hopes to get another shot at the title, possibly
in a rematch with Kikuchi.
Nanako Kikuchi goes back to Japan the new strawweight champion of the
world. It was only a little over a week ago when she was just another
fighter struggling to make a name for herself. Now she’s the “champ.”
Promoted by Naris Boxing Promotions |
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