Today in Thailand, reigning WBA strawweight champion Knockout CP Freshmart (real name Thammanoon Niyomtrong) won a wide 12 round unanimous decision in his fight with fellow Thai, Wanheng Menayothin (AKA Chayaphon Moonsri). This battle of little giants, really something of a super-fight in Thailand (one that would have been even bigger had the two men met when they were both unbeaten), saw younger man Freshmart retain his title for the 11th time.
Scores were 119-109, 117-111, and 116-112 and Freshmart advanced to 24-0(9). Former WBC champ Menayothin, who is five years the older man at age 36, falls to 55-3(19).
These two men have a ton of respect for one another, and it showed in today’s fight, with the two friends touching gloves between rounds and even hugging each other. Today’s fight was no classic war, yet the two engaged in a pretty engrossing boxing match all the same. Freshmart was the busier fighter, the more consistent fighter, and his left jab was a key weapon for him.
Today’s fight got better in the later rounds, with Menayothin looking to up the pace. There was a nasty clash of heads in round seven, but fortunately, neither 105-pounder suffered a serious injury that affected the fight or its outcome. The crowd enjoyed the fight, seeming to be cheering mostly for former champ Menayothin.
Freshmart is the longest-reigning male world champion in boxing today, having held the WBA title since 2014. Next up, it could be a unification fight with the unbeaten Erick Rosa, who holds the WBA “world” title, with Freshmart being the “super” champ. Rosa, aged just 21, is 5-0(1), and he very much wants to fight Freshmart. It will be interesting to see where Menayothin goes from here. The 36-year-old ruled as WBC champ from 2014 to 2020 before losing in an upset to Panya Pradabsri, and he has now won just one of his last five bouts.
Menayothin, who was once an amazing 54-0, and was getting plenty of press, as a result, has seemingly enjoyed his best days.