Thammanoon Niyomtrong continues to make up for lost time.
The long-reigning WBA strawweight titlist defended his crown for the second time in ten weeks, the latest coming in a fifth-round knockout of Philippines’ Robert Paradero. Niyomtrong closed the show with a right hand that floored Paradero and left the challenger unable to beat the count Tuesday in Phuket, Thailand.
Niyomtrong registered the tenth successful defense of his title, though was given a run for his money before turning away his latest challenge. Paradero came well-intentioned ahead of his first shot at a primary title. The 25-year-old Filipino dropped a split decision to countryman Vic Saludar in their secondary title fight this past February but was prepared to capture the real thing on Tuesday.
An upset appeared to be on the horizon in the early rounds, with Paradero forcing an aggressive pace and making things uncomfortable for the local favorite. The tide turned in round three, with Niyomtrong—previously and better known as Knockout CP Freshmart—taking the lead and enjoying repeat success with his right hand.
Both fighters hit the deck in a wild round four that featured no fewer than four knockdowns that went unrecognized by the referee. Paradero was repeatedly sent to the canvas by chopping right hands, though all three sequence were ruled as slips. Niyomtrong was floored late in the round through a combination of a punch and push, the latter clearly causing the fall.
There was no disputing the fight-ending sequence. Niyomtrong drew Paradero in and clipped his challenger with a crisp right hand. Paradero fell face-first to the canvas, out of it to the point of foolishly trying to make it to his feet without clearing his head. The attempt resulted in his stumbling into a corner and back onto the deck, with a subsequent effort to beat the count instead forcing an immediate stoppage.
Paradero falls to 18-2 (12KOs), coming up short in his first career fight outside of the Philippines.
Niyomtrong surges to 23-0 (9KOs), picking up his second straight knockout after having not earned a win inside the distance since 2017. The win cements his place as the best strawweight in the world, a conversation previously up for debate when countryman and close friend Wanheng ‘TBE’ Menayothin (birth name Chayaphon Moonsri) for years held the WBC title.
That reign came to a close last November, when Menayothin suffered a stunning twelve-round loss to countryman Panya Pradabsri (36-1, 23KOs) in Sawan, Thailand. A rematch is in store for the first quarter of 2022, though for the moment without a confirmed date.
Meanwhile, Niyomtrong will enter 2022 as among the sport’s longest-reigning active titlists. The 31-year-old Thai guy has held the WBA strawweight crown since a twelve-round decision win over Nicaragua’s Byron Rojas in their June 2016 title consolidation clash. Tuesday marked Niyomtrong’s tenth successful title defense.
The show aired live on True4U Channel 24 in Thailand and on globally on the station’s website.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox