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Published on November 20, 2007

The home crowd at the makeshift arena was captivated by the bout in which Samsan, the first prisoner to win the world championship, showed her grit in warding off a stiff challenge from her Japanese rival to secure her second title defence.

Any notion that the women's fight was not as entertaining as the men's was quickly put to rest as both fighters relentlessly threw punches at each other up to the final second in an action-packed bout.

Koseki appeared to continually move forwards, but wasted many shots as her punches mostly failed to connect. In contrast, the Thai champion's blows visibly landed on the Japanese though she seemed to be more economical with her punches.

"I'm satisfied with the outcome but not my performance. I give it only 30 out of 100. I still have a lot to learn, especially in boxing techniques," said Samsan, who received an early parole from her prison sentence after winning the title in April.

Former world champion Khaokoh Galaxy, Samsan's mentor, breathed a huge sigh of relief after seeing the Thai emerge victorious from the bout.

"It was a tough fight for Samsan. Koseki boxed in fighter style and Samsan has to learn how to deal with such boxers.

"She engaged in the exchanges with Koseki rather than punching and then leaving. Indeed, boxing against fighter-style opponents is like being a matador against a bull.

"You have no need to [challenge] the bull. Instead let it approach you and then gradually wear it down. Samsan needs to control her emotions and not let it get the better of her," said Khaokoh, the older brother of Thailand's legendary boxer Khaosai.

Meanwhile, Nongmai Sor Siriporn succumbed to Kayoko Ebata of Japan in the fight for the vacant WBC international title in the female 105-pounds division.

The bout was as exciting as Samsan's as the two fighters breathlessly traded punches, before the Japanese's precision prevailed.

Kitinan Sanguansak

 The Nation