The Panya Pradabsri vs. Chayaphon Monsri match is between the best Thai minimum-weight boxers on January 25 in Thailand. Moonsri has successfully defended his WBC minimum-weight world championship belt more than ten times in the past eight years before losing to Pradabsri. Pradabsri has also fought his way to a record of more than thirty wins and only one loss. But he has not fought against many regarded boxers. He is a very good boxer. His defeat was also a questionable decision in China, where he was the B-side. Moonsri is seen as a good technical fighter who punches hard for the division where he plies his trade. He usually ends his combinations with a short hook that catches his rivals off guard just as they are looking to open up to start giving their own punches.
The boxer has a great work rate, and once he starts flowing, he puts in a string of punches together and drives the rivals back. He has got a strong chin and is quite tough. In his previous match, he was well over thirty but did not look slow or aged in any way. He did retire for a short period earlier in the year due to health problems but has since returned to the sport of boxing and said that everything is now fine with him. Whether he is enacting a comeback because he wants to get back in the ring or being forced to do so for other reasons is unknown. Pradabsri is also a good boxer technically. But he lacks the nuances that his rival in the Panya Pradabsri vs. Chayaphon Moonsri match has with himself. He works in many punches to the body of his rivals and will often double up his hooks to the opponent's body. His defense is average, but he certainly will not be hard to hit for a person who has the timing and guile of Moonsri.
The boxer seems to have great power. But several of his stoppages have been due to the pressure he applies, which can be best described as patient pressure. We are describing it in such a manner because as he walks forwards and jabs his rivals, he looks totally calm and never rushes the punches or his feet. We do not think he has the fast hands required for a minimum-weight boxer. Fans feel that this shortcoming is something that his rival will look to exploit in the Panya Pradabsri vs. Chayaphon Moonsri match. But this is contingent on the fact that Moonsri is not afflicted by any injuries or is not well past his prime. We think that Moonsri will still have enough left in him to outpoint his rival. We think that he is a little bit more skillful than his rival. But Pradabsri will exert great pressure on Moonsri. But the latter is experienced enough to deal with the pressure even if he is past the prime of his career.
Earlier this year, local media reported the unexpected death of the father of the WBC minimum-weight champion Panya Pradabsri. The loss of his father affected Pradabsri immensely.
The World Boxing Council gave an official statement sometime after that. It said, "The WBC mourns the passing of the father of our beloved straw-weight champion, Panya Pradabsri. Mr. Pradabsri was a key player in his son's career, propelling him to the world crown on November 27, 2020, when he defeated compatriot Wanheng Menayothin. We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Panya Pradabsri at this difficult and sad time. May he rest in eternal peace."
The boxer hails from Bangkok and is due to go against the former champ Chayaphon Moonsri in the highly-anticipated Panya Pradabsri vs. Chayaphon Moonsri match. The boxers first met in the ring in November a couple of years ago. The reigning champ Moonsri got his first loss on his record and lost his gold and green title belt that he had for more than five years. This will not be the first time that Pradabsri is defending his newly acquired belt. Moonsri has already defended the belt several times in his illustrious career.
The two boxers fought against each other a couple of years ago. The match took place in Nakhon Sawan, a town situated more than a hundred miles north of Bangkok. In a domestic bout with international significance, Panya Pradabri defeated the champion Moonsri. Moonsri got into the fight with more than fifty wins and made another defense of the WBC world minimum-weight championship belt. When entering the match, Pradabsri had only a single defeat on his record in more than thirty matches. But less than twelve of his more than thirty wins had come against boxers with winning records. According to the reports coming from the ringside, Pradabsri kept his rival at bay with great basics, a hard jab, and sufficient lateral movement.
All the judges had scored in favor of Pradabsri. The bout was not without controversy, though. This was because Moonsri finished quite strong, and many fans scoring off the live video had thought that he had done a lot to get his title back for yet another year. Were the efforts of Moonsri good enough to get back the title for yet another time? That is a query that the boxing fans will keep debating for some time to come. Moonsri signed a co-promotional contract with Oscar De La Hoya-owned Golden Boy Promotions. At that time, the GBP president Eric Gomez said that he was one of the top boxers on the planet. He had said that the promotions wanted to bring him to the United States so people there could see how talented the boxer really was. The boxer was supposed to make his debut in the United States in April of that year. But the pandemic resulted in keeping those plans at bay.
Earlier, he had announced that he would retire. But he took back that statement after only a couple of days. The Scottish boxing historian Matt McGrain had lukewarm opinions of the former champion. But he rated him among the two boxers in the minimum weight category this decade. He was ranked only behind his fellow countryman Thammanoon Niyamtrong. He said that the boxer is strong, disciplined, and brings good pressure. According to him, the boxer is armed with a very good range of punches. Still, his record comprises boxers that any top boxer would be expected to defeat. Only a single fighter from Thailand has been introduced into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the Khaosai Galaxy. The southeast Asian country has produced some great fighters over the years. These include Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Sot Chitalada, and Charchoi Chionoi.
Moonsri may yet not show his wares in a ring in the United States of America. But at a comparatively advanced age for fighters and small boxers, in particular, fans will not get to see him at his prime. Now the curiosity factor has also been reduced, removing any further comparisons to Marciano and Mayweather.
Panya Pradabsri vs. Chayaphon Moonsri Match Stats
Panya Pradabsri vs. Chayaphon Moonsri, 12 rounds, minimum-weight, for Pradabsri's WBC world title.