On This Day… December 30th

Chartchai Chionoi vs. Walter McGowan (1966)

Location: Bangkok, Thailand | Title: WBC Flyweight

Result: Chionoi via KO 9. In an epic battle before his home crowd, Thailand’s Chartchai Chionoi captured the world championship by stopping Britain’s Walter McGowan. It was a bloody affair due to McGowan’s cuts, but Chionoi’s aggression and pace eventually prevailed in the ninth round, marking the beginning of a golden era for boxing in Thailand.

Sang-Hyun Kim vs. Saensak Muangsurin (1978)

Location: Seoul, South Korea | Title: WBC Super Lightweight

Result: Kim via KO 13. South Korea’s Sang-Hyun Kim pulled off a massive upset by dethroning the fearsome Thai puncher Saensak Muangsurin. In a bout of endurance, Kim managed to withstand the Thai’s power to finally score a knockout in the championship rounds (round 13), becoming a national hero in Korea.

Kazuto Ioka vs. Yodgoen Tor Chalermchai (2011)

Location: Osaka, Japan | Title: WBC Strawweight

Result: Ioka via TKO 1. Japanese prodigy Kazuto Ioka made a lightning-fast defense of his 105-pound crown. Ioka gave the Thai challenger no opening, stopping him in impressive fashion before the end of the first round. It was a clinical display of the precision and power that would lead Ioka to become a multi-division champion.

Pedro Guevara vs. Akira Yaegashi (2014)

Location: Tokyo, Japan | Title: WBC Light Flyweight (Vacant)

Result: Guevara via KO 7. In one of the most memorable victories for Mexican boxing on Japanese soil, Mazatlán’s Pedro Guevara captured the vacant title with a spectacular left hook to the liver in the seventh round. Yaegashi, a proven warrior, could not recover from the body shot, and Guevara was crowned world champion in enemy territory.

Jorge Linares vs. Javier Prieto (2014)

Location: Tokyo, Japan | Title: WBC Lightweight (Vacant)

Result: Linares via KO 4. “El Niño de Oro,” Jorge Linares, became a three-division world champion by knocking out Mexico’s Javier Prieto. Linares landed a devastating right hand to the temple that ended the fight in the fourth round, once again demonstrating his refined technique and speed in the ring.

Kenshiro Teraji vs. Gilberto Pedroza (2017)

Location: Yokohama, Japan | Title: WBC Light Flyweight

Result: Teraji via TKO 4. The then-rising star Kenshiro Teraji delivered a dominant defense of his world title. With intelligent boxing and constant pressure, Teraji overwhelmed Panama’s Gilberto Pedroza until the referee halted the action in the fourth round, consolidating Kenshiro’s status as the absolute ruler of the 108-pound division.