WBC Special Preview: Panya Pradabsri vs. Yudai Shigeoka
WBC STATISTICS
WBC Strawweight World Championship
October 7, 2023 / Tokyo, Japan / Ota-City General Gymnasium
KAMEDA PROMOTIONS PRESENTS:
PANYA PRADABSRI (Thailand)
WBC Strawweight World Champion, 5th Title Defense
Age: 32 / Date of birth: February 21, 1991
Residence: Bangkok, Thailand / Birthplace: Nam Yuen, Thailand
Record: 40-1, 24 KOs / Total rounds: 256 / World championship fights: 5-0, 1 KO
Height: 5’4” – 162cm / Stance: Right-handed
Manager: Kokiet Panichyarom / Promoter: Kokiet Group Promotions
YUDAI SHIGEOKA (Japan)
WBC Interim Strawweight Champion
Age: 26 / Date of birth: April 16, 1997
Residence: Tokyo, Japan / Birthplace: Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan
Record: 7-0, 5 KOs / Total rounds: 30 / World championship fights: 1-0
Height: 5’3.5” – 161cm / Reach: 62.5” – 159cm / Stance: Left-handed
WBC STRAW-WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONS
1. Hiroki Ioka (Japan) 1987 – 1988
2. Napa Kiatwanchai (Thailand) 1988 – 1989
3. Jeum-Hwang Choi (Korea) 1989 – 1990
4. Hideyuki Ohashi (Japan) 1990
5. Ricardo Lopez (Mexico) 1990 – 1998
6. Wandee Chor Chareon (Thai) 1998 – 2000
7. Jose Antonio Aguirre (Mexico) 2000 – 2004
8. Eagle Kyowa (Japan) 2004
9. Isaac Bustos (Mexico) 2004 – 2005
10. Katsunari Takayama (Japan) 2005
11. Eagle Kyowa (Japan) * 2005 – 2007
12. Juan Palacios (Nic.) Interim 2008
13. Oleydong Sithsamerchai (Thai) 2008 – 2011
14. Kazuto Ioka (Japan) 2011 – 2012
15. Xiong Zhao Zhong (China) 2013 – 2014
16. Osvaldo Novoa (Mexico) 2014
17. Wanheng Menayothin (Thai) 2014 – 2020
18. Panya Pradabsri (Thai) 2020 –
* Regained
WBC TOP TEN
1. Ricardo Lopez (Mexico)
2. Oleydong Sithsamerchai (Thai)
3. Wanheng Menayothin (Thai)
4. Hideyuki Ohashi (Japan)
5. Eagle Kyowa (Japan)
6. Wandee Chor Chareon (Thai)
7. Jose Antonio Aguirre (Mexico)
8. Hiroki Ioka (Japan)
9. Napa Kiatwanchai (Thai)
10. Kazuto Ioka (Japan)
GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE STRAWWEIGHT DIVISION IN WBC HISTORY
17 world champions have been recognized by the WBC, of whom only one has regained the title: Eagle Kyowa (Japan).
84 strawweight world championship bouts have been held in WBC history.
Ricardo “Finito” Lopez of Mexico holds the division record for successful title defenses with 21.
MEMORABLE WBC STRAWWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS
June 28, 2023 Panya Pradabsri TKO8 Norihito Tanaka – Rayong, Thailand
Aug. 31, 2022 Panya Pradabsri W12 Norihito Tanaka – Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
Mar. 29, 2022 Panya Pradabsri W12 Wanheng Menayothin – Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
Nov. 2, 2021 Panya Pradabsri W12 Danai Ngiabphukhiaw – Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
Nov. 27, 2020 Panya Pradabsri W12 Wanheng Menayothin – Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
Oct. 25, 2019 Wanheng Menayothin W12 Simpiwe Konko – Chonburi, Thailand
May 31, 2019 Wanheng Menayothin TW8 Tatsuya Fukuhara – Chachoengsao, Thailand
Aug. 29, 2018 Wanheng Menayothin W12 Pedro Taduran – Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
Nov. 25, 2017 Wanheng Menayothin W12 Tatsuya Fukuhara – Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
Aug. 2, 2016 Wanheng Menayothin W12 Saul Juarez – Chonburi, Thailand
Nov. 6, 2014 Wanheng Menayothin TKO9 Oswaldo Novoa – Chonburi, Thailand
Feb. 5, 2014 Oswaldo Novoa TKO5 Chaozhong Xiong – Haikou, China
Nov. 24, 2012 Chaozhong Xiong W12 Javier Martinez Resendiz – Kunming, China
Feb. 11, 2011 Kazuto Ioka TKO5 Oleydong Sithsamerchai – Kobe, Japan
Nov. 29, 2007 Oleydong Sithsamerchai W12 Eagle Kyowa – Bangkok, Thailand
Aug. 6, 2005 Eagle Kyowa W12 Katsunari Takayama – Tokyo, Japan
Apr. 4, 2005 Katsunari Takayama W12 Isaac Bustos – Osaka, Japan
Dec. 18, 2004 Isaac Bustos TKO4 Eagle Kyowa – Tokyo, Japan
Jan. 10, 2004 Eagle Kyowa W12 Jose Antonio Aguirre – Tokyo, Japan
Jul. 7, 2000 Jose Antonio Aguirre KO5 Jose Luis Zepeda – Villahermosa, Mexico
Feb. 11, 2000 Jose Antonio Aguirre W12 Wandee Chor Chareon – Samut Sakhon, Thailand
May 4, 1999 Wandee Chor Chareon TKO12 Wolf Tokimitsu – Kurashiki, Japan
Aug. 23, 1998 Wandee Chor Chareon W12 Rocky Lin – Yokohama, Japan
Nov. 13, 1998 Ricardo Lopez W12 Rosendo Alvarez – Las Vegas, Nevada
Mar. 7, 1998 Ricardo Lopez TD8 Rosendo Alvarez – México City, México
Sep. 17, 1994 Ricardo Lopez TKO1 Surachai Saengmorakot – Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec. 18, 1993 Ricardo Lopez KO11 Manny Melchor – Stateline, Nevada
Oct. 25, 1990 Ricardo Lopez TKO5 Hideyuki Ohashi – Tokyo, Japan
June 8, 1990 Hideyuki Ohashi W12 Napa Kiatwanchai – Tokyo, Japan
Feb. 7, 1990 Hideyuki Ohashi KO9 Jum-Hwan Choi – Tokyo, Japan
Nov. 12, 1989 Jum-Hwan Choi TKO12 Napa Kiatwanchai – Seoul, South Korea
Nov. 13, 1988 Napa Kiatwanchai W12 Hiroki Ioka – Osaka, Japan
Oct. 18, 1987 Hiroki Ioka W12 Mai Thomburifarm – Osaka, Japan
Step up after strep down
By James Blears
World Boxing Council Straw weight champion Panya Pradabsri from Thailand defends his title against Japan’s Yudai Shigeoka on Saturday October 7th at the Ota City General Gym in Tokyo.
It was originally due to happen on April 16th, but the champion developed strep throat and a fever, was hospitalized and this voluntary defense had to be postponed. On that April 16th event, southpaw Yudai kept his hand in by winning the WBC Interim Belt. He stopped former WBO Champion Wilfredo Mendez in seven, having knocked him down in the fifth. Two rounds later he did it again and this time the Puerto Rican wasn’t able to beat the count.
Panya’s record is an impressive 40-1, 24 KO’s. Even before he turned his hand to boxing, he’d fought more than two hundred Muay Thai bouts. At thirty two years old taciturn Panya, is indeed tactically an accomplished champion. He won his Green and Gold laurels in 2020 by defeating legendary Wanheng Menayothin with a UD and then repeated the feat.
Although Yudai aged twenty six has a record of 7-0, 5KO’s, he certainly isn’t a callow, velvety youth. As an amateur he won four national titles as a pinweight and the All Japan Boxing Championship at light flyweight. Then he reached the finals of the World University Championship in Russia. He would have competed in the 2020 Olympics but the light fly category was discontinued. His extensive amateur career is 82-10, 20 KO’s.
Turning pro in 2019, Yudai has been fast tracked. In only his second fight he faced OPBF straw champion Lite Dante, winning by UD. After a fourteen month hiatus, he won the vacant Japanese Youth Title with a fifth round TKO of Ryu Horikawa, dropping him with a straight left in the third and again in the fifth.
The next step and it was a big one, was taking on former OPBF Straw weight champion Tsubasa Koura for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific title. His first twelve round fight which he won by MD. In his first defense he stopped Cris Ganoza in three. A sinking left to the body ended matters. Then he KO’d Tatsuro Nakashima for the vacant Japanese straw weight title. That led to Wilfredo Mendez and now he’s up against Panya.
Panya’s only defeat as a pro, was a MD loss to former WBC champion Chaozhong Xiong in Datong, China way back in 2017. He’s been around a long time, as his pro debut was in 2010. Panya can box beautifully and very effectively. As his records indicates, rather than suggests, he has stopping power.
Having recovered from his illness, he cleared his throat with a tune-up against durable Norihito Tanaka, who he’d previously overwhelmingly defeated by UD. This time around Panya stopped him in eight rounds.
This battle will test Panya vast experience and ring generalship, against the fresh faced precious talents of Yudai, who will be fighting on home turf. It promises to be an exciting, fast paced contest between the seasoned old master against the hungry prospect, who has already proved himself and is ambitiously daring to take the next quantum leap. These surperlative straw weights are highly skilled throwing measured blows yet seldom haymakers.
More often than not, the small weight divisions don’t garner the attention they truly deserve. Yet these little big men, are worth their weight in Green and Gold, not only for their proportionate punching power, but also for their iron discipline in maintaining their slender frames within the required poundage. An increasingly difficult task as they age. To date the finest straw weight champion is Ricardo “Fininto” Lopez.
One of the greatest of them all was Welsh Wizard Jimmy Wilde. Jimmy’s official career spanned 1911-1923. The Principality of Wales punches way above its weight on the world boxing scene. Remember Tommy Farr, Howard Winstone, Colin Jones and Joe Calzaghe.
If Jimmy Wilde was boxing today he’d be a straw weight. He often had to add on parcels of pounds. In his time he fought bantamweights and even featherweights. He fought and lost to former world bantamweight champion Pete Herman, who outweighed him by more than fourteen pounds!
Jimmy was the first official World flyweight champion. He still holds the record with the longest undefeated streak. One hundred and three bouts. His extraordinary record is 131-3-1, 98 knockouts and eight no contests. Jimmy who started as a child boxer in the fairground booths insisted he fought more than six hundred bouts!
Nicknamed the Mighty Atom and the Ghost with a Hammer in His hand, The Ring Magazine named Jimmy Wilde the third Greatest Puncher of All time.
Quite a legacy to live up to. But confident that Panya and Yudai will do us proud on fight night.
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