by Ronnie Nathanielsz

Filipino southpaw Czar Amonsot has won the WBO Asia Pacific lightweight title with a 2nd round knockout of Thailand’s Sirichai Ekchumpol at the Flemington racecourse in Victoria.

It was Amonsot’s first fight in just over eleven months having last fought at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City on October 16, 2009 in a ten round bout in which he scored a unanimous decision over another Thai Jesus Singwancha.

With the win the 25 year old Amonsot improved his record to 22-3-1 with 13 knockouts while Sirichai dropped to 10-3 with 4 knockouts.

It was the Thai fighters second KO loss having suffered a a 3rd round knockout at the hands of Nouldy Manakane in a Pan Asia Boxing Association bantamweight title fight on March 27 this year.

In the fight against Manakane who weighed 116 ¼ pounds, Sirichai came in well over the bantamweight weight limit and tipped the scales at 123 ½ pounds.

It means that in six months Sirchai moved up from being over the bantamweight limit to  the 135 pound division or a jump of 11 ½ pounds from his last fight.

Amonsot is best remembered for his bloody brawl with Australia’s Michael Katsidis on July 27, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino in a battle for the WBO Interim title which Katsidis won by a twelve round unanimous decision.

Both fighters were taken to the Las Vegas Medical Center after the fight and when doctors discovered a slight speck   of blood outside Amonsot’s brain he was no longer allowed to fight in Las Vegas.

After his last fight in Cebu the management of ALA Promotions who handled his career decided, much to their regret, not to give him any more fights out of concern for his condition which prompted Amonsot to leave for Australia and fight there.