Menayothin, Fukuhara Well Within WBC 7-Day Weight

By Jake Donovan

Time will tell whether Tatsuya Fukuhara has improved enough since his first fight with Wanheng Menayothin to get it right the second time around.

As far as weight goes, he’s ready for fight night.

Both boxers have remained well within the World Boxing Council (WBC) required limits for each of their pre-fight weight checks ahead of Friday’s strawweight title fight at City Hall in Chachoengsao, Thailand.

Boxers participating in WBC-sanctioned fights cannot weigh more than 3% above the divisional limit seven days ahead of fight night, which for this fight would be rounded up to 109 pounds. Menayothin tipped the scales at 107.8 pounds for the 7-day pre-fight weight check, while Fukuhara was just a shade above the divisional limit, weighing 105.1 pounds.

The 30-day (no more than 10% above the limit) and 14-day (no more than 5% above) checks also saw the pair come well within the required marks.  Fukuhara’s weight (110.2 at 30 days; 108 at 14 days) hasn’t exceeded 5% above the contracted limit since the 30-day point. Menayothin weighed 112.4 pounds on May 1 and 109.1 pounds two weeks out.

Thailand’s Menayothin (52-0, 18KOs) looks to make the 11th defense of the title he claimed more than four years ago in a 9th round knockout of Oswaldo Novoa. Among his lengthy title reign came a 12-round decision win over Japan’s Fukuhara (17-6-6, 8KOs) in Nov. 2017.

Fukuhara has won his last two starts since their first fight. The 30-year old boxer is 1-2 in major title fights, having received an upgrade from interim to full titlist following a 12-round win over Moises Calleros in Feb. 2017. He lost the title in his first defense, dropping a competitive decision to countryman Ryuya Yamanaka one fight prior to his aforementioned loss to Menayothin.

Friday’s bout will finally come after no fewer than four postponements. The two were due to originally rematch this past March, with the bout pushed back to two separate dates in April and one more in May before finally landing on May 31. The delay puts Fukuhara out of the ring for 10 months by the time fight night arrives.

Menayothin has not fought since a stay-busy win last November, one of six lower-level non-title fights he’s taken over the course of his 52-month title reign. Such fights have been roundly criticized considering his place atop the strawweight division but have also helped him remain as boxing’s all-time winningest blemish-free major titlist (no losses or draws), two better than Floyd Mayweather who retired in 2017 at a perfect 50-0.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox