Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK. Saenchai defended his belt by majority decision over his one-time idol Superbon Singha Mawynn after five rounds of battle.
Unlike other back-to-back finishes of the night, Tawanchai's fight against Superbon wasn't a hard-hitting affair but a tactical calculation, with the two top Muay Thai fighters battling wits from the first round. Tawanchai has been studying Superbon for a long time and knows that Superbon's most terrifying weapon is the high kick. "Superbon is the best striker in the world, and the most threatening weapon is his high kick, which he kicks very fast. He has no weaknesses. I can't let my guard down for a moment, or he'll take the opportunity to knock me out. In order not to give his opponent a chance to perform a high kick, Tawanchai used fast push kicks to force his opponent back several times. Different from the defensive push technique, Tawanchai's forward kick has an obvious pedaling force, pressing the center of gravity up, which can produce a good attack effect, which can be described as a "combination of offense and defense" trick. In addition, Tawanchai also responded to Superbon's counterattack with a leg takedown, hoping to contain his opponent's leg rise.
Superbon's tactics also changed quickly, attacking with his legs while trying to time Tawan's legs for a punch. However, Tawanchai dodged flexibly and did not hit. The two sides also launched a Thai-style elbow attack in the inner circle. Superbon has been a kickboxing player for a long time, but he's been on par with Tawanchai on the inside elbow. Neither side found a one-hit kill. Tawanchai was keenly aware that the final outcome of the match would be determined by the number of effective attacks, and he used his push push technique at high frequency in the latter stages of the match, not giving Superbon a chance to get close to the heavy hit, while accumulating a points advantage. Although Superbon also used his famous high kick stunt, in front of Tawanchai, who came prepared, he was unable to hit the target accurately.
The two men showed off their legs in five rounds, making for a spectacular battle between the "leg kings" of Thai. In the final five-round battle, two of the three judges awarded the victory to Tawanchai, who successfully defended the featherweight Muay Thai belt by majority decision and improved his professional record to 132-31-2.
After defeating his former idol, Tawanchai strengthened his confidence in himself and clarified his next goal. "I've now proven to everyone that I'm the best Muay Thai fighter in the division, and I want a Featherweight Kickboxing World Title in the next step," the featherweight Muay Thai belt said in his post-fight interview, "I've now proven to be the best Muay Thai fighter in the division," and this isn't the first time Tawanchai has spoken of becoming a "double champion," as he has already beaten Davit "The Beard Killer" Kiria and Jo Nattawut to make it two straight wins in kickboxing. After defeating former Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon, Tawanchai felt more confident in his kickboxing path.
Would you like to see Dawan guess who his next opponent will be?