April 13, 2002
NAKORNRATCHASIMA, THAILAND-Hard-punching WBA #2 ranked Thai southpaw Yodsanan Nanthachai 3K-Battery (36-2-1, 33 KOs), 130, impressively acquired the vacant WBA 130-pound belt as he swapped hot punches with top-ranked ex-champ Lakva Sim (16-3-1, 13 KOs), 130, all the way and pounded out a unanimous decision over 12 heats in Nakornratchasima, Thailand. The title had been vacant since Acelino Freitas became the WBAfs super-champ by beating Joel Casamayor.
Scored: Michael Lee (Korea) 116-112, Takeshi Shimakawa (Japan) 119-110, and Larsen Oumghar (Holland) 120-109, all for the much sturdier Thailander. Referee was Stanley Christodoulou (South Africa).
Hotly contested, it was a close affair despite the nearly lopsided scores. The Thailander collected more points in winning those close rounds. Yodsanan was in command in the first 4 rounds with fresher combinations. But Lakva, 3 years his senior at 30, dominated the 5th through 7th rounds with his busy attack in the close quarter.
They exchanged punches toe-to-toe in the center of the ring, but Yodsanan showed his good domination of the 8th, 9th and 11th sessions to confirm his triumph. The winner looked more powerful than the highly regarded Mongolian, throwing more effective punches in combination to the face and breadbasket. Thai people called it gFight of the Year.h
Promoter: Songchai Promotions.
(4-13-02)