Pongsaklek Wonjongkam Eyes Naito After Latest Win
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Thai veteran Pongsaklek Wonjongkam has retained his WBC flyweight interim title with a sixth round technical knockout of Japanese challenger Takahisa Masuda in Chiang Mai.
The 32 year old Pongsaklek used his vast experience and speed to give the challenger who had a height advantage of 2 ½” a neat boxing lesson in a fight which the Thai interim champion dominated from the opening round..
Pongsaklek dropped Masuda in the second round with a solid right and although the Japanese challenger beat the count he was outclassed the rest of the way and it was only a matter of time before the fight would end.
Pongsaklek punished the Japanese challenger with a flurry of punches in the sixth round to the delight of a large crowd of boxing fans before Australian referee Brad Vocale stepped in and called a halt at 1:06 of the sixth round.
With the win the Thai veteran improved to 73-3-1 with 39 knockouts while Masuda dropped to 20-9-3 with 5 knockouts.
After the battle of the two southpaws Pongsaklek told Kittipong Thongsombat of the Bangkok Post that Masuda “was inexperienced.,"
The 30 year old Masuda conceded he was no match for Pongsaklek. It was Masuda’s second successive defeat following a majority ten round decision loss to Takayasu Kobayashi last June 8.
Pongsaklek was making the first defense of the vacant interim title he won with a unanimous twelve round decision over Julio Cesar Miranda last April 24.
Promoter Wirat Wachirarattanawongse said that Pongsaklek had to wait until early next year to challenge champion Daisuke Naito of Japan for the WBC flyweight belt because the Naito camp decided to have one more voluntary title defense before meeting the Thai.
Wirat said he plans to get Pongsaklek another interim defense prior to taking on Naito. Pongsaklek is eager to fight Naito saying "I really want to fight Naito and win back my belt" adding that "Even if it is early next year, I will wait for it."
Thirty-four-year-old Naito will reportedly take on compatriot Koki Kameda in his sixth title defense on November 29.
