Wanheng extends record to 54 victories
Unbeaten Thai notches his 54th victory with unanimous decision over Khonco in title bout
>> CHON BURI: WBC minimumweight champion Wanheng Menayothin comfortably beat South Africa’s Simphiwe Khonco by unanimous decision yesterday to extend his unblemished record to 54 wins.
Following a 12-round fight, the three judges scored 116-110, 118109, 117-109 in favour of the Thai champion, who is known in his country as Wanheng CPF.
It was the 33-year-old’s 12th defence of the title he won after beating Oswaldo Novoa of Mexico in 2014.
At a makeshift ring outside the provincial hall, the fight was close in the opening rounds with the Maha Sarakham native taking a narrow lead after the fourth round.
However, the champion looked the better fighter after that and knocked down the challenger in the seventh round of the mandatory bout.
The local boxer then fought cautiously and went on to seal the 54th win of his career. “It was a tough bout because the challenger was fast,” Wanheng said.
“I still have to improve. I will soon return to training to prepare to fight in the USA.”
His handlers have signed a five-bout contract with US-based Golden Boy Promotions for Wanheng to fight in America.
Wanheng received a reward of 200,000 baht from his sponsor CPF for yesterday’s win.
Meanwhile, Oscar De La Hoya, owner of Golden Boy Promotions, has denied accusations of sexual assault contained in a lawsuit filed against him this week.
Golden Boy Promotions issued a statement describing the action as a “frivolous lawsuit’’ and calling the allegations “completely false”.
The lawsuit filed on Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges that an unnamed woman had a consensual sexual relationship with De La Hoya until he assaulted her at his home in Pasadena in November 2017.
The lawsuit goes into graphic detail in its allegations against De La Hoya, claiming the former champion was intoxicated at the time he overpowered the woman.
The lawsuit doesn’t specify whether she filed a complaint with the police after the alleged attack, which left her requiring medication for “extreme swelling and pain”.
The complainant says she went to a hospital after the alleged attack and eventually sought psychological treatment, during which she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. The woman claims she still has daily symptoms of depression and anxiety. BANGKOK POST/AP