Pradabsri Drops, Stops Tanaka In Eight
There was title action in Thailand as reigning WBC minimumweight champion Panya Pradabsri (40-1, 24 KOs) won via eighth round stoppage against Japan’s Norihito Tanaka (20-10, 10 KOs). The fight was a rematch of a bout that took place nearly ten months prior, also in Thailand. That bout ended in unanimous decision with Pradabsri (also known as Petchmanee CP Freshmart) winning on scores of 119-109, 116-112, 118-110. Having won the rematch, he is expected to defend his title later this year against WBC interim champion Yudai Shigeoka.
Pradabsri vs. Tanaka fight recap
Both men fought at an aggressive pace for the entirety of the fight. Tanaka pressed forward while Pradabsri was generally content with staying on the back foot and picking his opponent apart. Within the very first minute of the contest, Tanaka was dropped by a left hook. Despite the knockdown, Tanaka continued to exchange blows with Pradabsri.
Throughout the second round, Tanaka would have occasional success but Pradabsri landed cleaner and more frequently. In round three, Tanaka was clearly stunned and nearly stopped. However, he held on to see out the round despite the barrage of punches thrown by Pradabsri, who temporarily slowed down his attack in the fourth round.
The WBC employs open scoring in some parts of the world, including Thailand. At the end of round four, Pradabsri was ahead with scores of 39-36 (x2) and 40-35. Although Tanaka showed an incredible level of toughness, he was unable to overcome the work of Pradabsri. In the fifth round, a cut emerged by the right eye of Tanaka and blood began to pour.
Pradabsri continued to pick apart Tanaka from the outside until the eighth round. Sometime after the halfway point of the round, a member of Tanaka’s corner entered the ring and waved a towel to signal the end of the bout.
With the win, Pradabsri has now successfully defended his title four times after winning the WBC belt against Chayaphon Moonsri in 2020. For Tanaka, it was his third unsuccessful attempt at becoming world champion.
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.
