Japanese defending champion Takefumi Sakata drew with challenger Denkaosan Kaowichit of Thailand to retain the World Boxing Association flyweight title on Sunday. One judge counted it 115-112 for Denkaosan and the other 114-112 for Sakata, while the third judge scored it 113-113.
Denkaosan unleashed an array of power-packed punches from the beginning and fired a right straight to the face to score a knockdown in the first round.
The 31-year-old Thai challenger continued to land hooks and upper cuts and drew blood from Sakata's right eyelid in the seventh round.
But Denkaosan appeared to tire in the eighth round, allowing Sakata to fight back, and was warned by the referee for clinching in the ninth round.
Denkaosan received a one-point penalty for holding in the 12th round, which eventually decided the outcome of the bout. It was Sakata's second defence of the title he wrested from Lorenzo Parra of Venezuela in March. He now has 31 wins, including 15 KOs, against four defeats and two draws. Denkaosan, ranked second in the WBA, has 40 wins, including 16 KOs, against one defeat and a draw.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.