Panya Pradabsri has reached a point where he feels there is nothing else to add to his impressive career.
The former two-division titleholder announced his retirement, just weeks after his recent stoppage defeat by Carlos Canizales to end his WBC 108lbs title reign. The 34 year old from Bangkok, Thailand decided that after having dedicated nearly his entire life to the sport, it was finally time to walk away.
“Thank you to everyone who supported me in my 25-year journey in the ring,” Pradabsri said. “Now it’s time to take care of my family.”
Pradabsri leaves the sport with a record of 44-3 (27 KOs), along with a 6-2 mark in major title fights at strawweight and junior flyweight, over a very respectable 11-year career. He will go down as the first fighter to take down Wanheng “TBE” Menayothin, when defeating his unbeaten countryman to take the WBC strawweight title in their meeting in 2020 meeting.
Menayothin – birth name Chayaphon Moonsri – was 54-0 at the time of their first meeting but Pradabsri was able to remain a step ahead and prevail via scores of 115-113 on all three cards. Their rematch in 2022 involved Pradabsri overcoming a slow start to pull away and earn a more decisive victory over Menayothin to retain his title.
Two more successful defenses followed for Pradabsri before he lost the belt to then-unbeaten Yudai Shigeoka. Their battle in 2023 took place in Osaka, Japan – the first career road trip for Pradabsri, and also his final fight at strawweight.
He welcomed Venezuela’s Carlos Canizales to his home country for their vacant WBC junior-flyweight title fight in December in Bangkok. Their entertaining 12-round battle was awarded to Pradabsri via majority decision, though it represented a horrific decision that left many in disgust – among them was the WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, leading to an internal investigation and, ultimately, an immediate rematch.
That time it was Pradabsri’s turn to travel as he risked his belt against Canizales on August 1 in Caracas. The end result was his first – and lone – stoppage defeat, though he managed to floor the locally-based Canizales in the fourth round before he was beaten into submission one round later.
There was loose talk of a possible third fight. But the rematch seemed decisive enough to where such a fight was unnecessary, outside of the handsome payday that would have come with a rubber match.
It’s regardless a moot point, as Pradabsri seemed to agree with those who didn’t need to see a trilogy.
“I end my boxing journey here,” he said.
