Somjit, 28, who hails from Buri Ram, was the lone Thai boxer who returned from the previous Asian Games in Busan, South Korea with a gold medal. He also emerged as the lone Thai fighter to win a gold medal in the World Championships a few years ago and has been crowned SEA Games champion twice.

Somjit took control in the first round, where he led 3-5 before the challenger toughened up to narrow the margin at 10-12 and 12-14 in the second and third rounds. He dominated the fourth, unleashing a barrage of head punches, and was declared the victor soon afterward.

"The fight was very close, and I think he is a very strong fighter," Somjit said. "I just used my greater experience to brush him aside. I will give what I have to make these Games a success as I did in Busan."

On the previous day, Thailand made a whirlwind start when four of their fighters --including wushu star-turned-boxer Angkhan Comphuphuang, Athens Olympic bronze medallist Suriya Prasarthinpimai and Pichai Sayota - registered their first wins in Doha to advance to the preliminary round.

Central Asian powerhouse Kazakhstan also saw their three fighters move on.

Angkhan pulled off a surprise 22-16 victory over defending champion Kim Jung Joo from south Korea in the welterweight 69kg class.

Angkhan, a 2002 Asian Games wushu champion, came through with strong power shots in the second round to finish at 4-4 after trailing 2-4 following the first.

In the third, Angkhan began to turn the tables on the 2004 Athens Olympics bronze medallist. Kim was shaky after an eight count following a series of jabs, which put Angkhan ahead 8-6. But the score read 14-14 after a right straight from Kim.

Still fighting neck-and-neck, Angkhan eventually broke the deadlock, showing stamina and determination.

"He is very strong, but I was fighting until the last breath," he said.

Pichai had it locked up after he knocked down Duc Thanh Do from Vietnam in the third round of the lightweight 60kg class.

Thai light welterweight Manus Boonjumnong, a 2004 Olympic gold medallist, scored an unconvincing 16-7 win over underdog Tuvshinbat Byamba of Mongolia.

Preechachan  Wiriyanupappong

The Nation

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