Rewind to December 26th, Boxing Day of last year, and fans witnessed both a great fight and a truly terrible decision. In a 108 pound battle that took place in Bangkok, Thailand and contested the vacant WBC title, some serious home cooking was served up to local fighter Panya Pradabsri, this after 12 rounds of war with Venezuela’s Carlos Canizales. The fight saw co-challenger Canizales take the action to Pradabsri in a relentless manner, with him rocking his rival numerous times and busting him up around the face.
It was a terrific battle, but the scorecards at the end were met with boos, this saying something considering it was a pro-Pradabsri crowd. Incredibly, not one judge awarded the fight to the ever so deserving Canizales, the scores being 116-112 and 115-113 for Pradabsri, with the third judge having it level at 114-114.
Justice Denied in Thailand—Sulaiman Promises a Rematch
Not too long after the fight that took place during the holidays, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman promised a return fight would be ordered, so controversial was the decision. Now, as The Ring has reported, the rematch will take place on August 1, and this time it will be Canizales who will enjoy home country advantage.
“Both sides were negotiating and exchanging offers,” Sulaiman told The Ring. “Suddenly, neither side found support from their sponsors to promote. The time kept running and eventually Venezuela made an offer, and [the] champion Panya agreed. Canizales lost by majority decision in a sensational fight. The first match was in Thailand and now the second will be in Venezuela. That in itself makes a great story.”
Venezuela Advantage—Canizales Seeks Redemption at Home
And the sequel should make for another great action fight. The December war was indeed awesome to watch unfold, with both men really digging deep in order to try and win. But the big talking point afterwards was, unfortunately, the bad scoring of the judges. Hopefully, justice will be done this time, with the right man getting his hand raised with nobody screaming robbery.
Canizales is currently 27-3-1(19) and he is the younger man here by two years at age 32. Pradabsri, also known as Petchmanee CP Freshmart, is currently 44-2(27).