WBC minimumweight champion Wanheng Menayothin moved closer to matching Floyd Mayweather's unbeaten record when he beat Japan's Tatsuya Fukuhara in Nakhon Ratchasima by way of a unanimous decision.

Fukuhara, who lost to compatriot Ryuya Yamanaka in the first defense of his WBO minimumweight belt in August, fought tenaciously but was unable to break down the 32-year-old Wanheng.

 Wenhang has won all 49 of his career bouts, 17 of them by knockout. The 28-year-old Fukuhara fell to 19-6-6.

No Japanese male has won a world title fight approved by the Japanese Boxing Commission in Thailand in 24 attempts.

Mayweather reached the 50-0 record when he came out of retirement back in August and stopped UFC superstar Conor McGregor in the tenth round at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Promoter Piyarat Wachirarattanawong stated that he chose a dangerous challenger because he wants Wanheng to prove that he is the best among all champions of the 105-pound division.

"We want him to match Mayweather's record of 50 successive wins,'' he said. "Beating a fine boxer would make his record look good."

Wanheng last fought in August when he comfortably beat Indonesia's Jack Amisa with a unanimous decision in a warm-up bout in Chon Buri.

The Thai, known in his country as Wanheng Kaiyanghadaogym (Five-Star Grilled Chicken Gym), is one of the Kingdom's only three world boxing champions at the moment along with WBA minimumweight title-holder Knockout CP Freshmart and WBC super-flyweight king Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

Meanwhile, promoter Wirat Wachira- rattanawong said Yodmongkol CP Freshmart is likely to fight Ukraine's Artem Dalakian for the vacant WBA flyweight title early next year.</p>

"We will try to organise the fight in Thailand,'' Wirat said.

The title became vacant after holder Kazuto Ioka of Japan relinquished the belt recently.

His father Kazunori Ioka said his son had been scheduled to defend the title for the sixth time on Dec 31 but he would not be ready in time after getting married earlier this year.