In a highly entertaining battle for the "interim" WBA Super Flyweight title Thai legend Denkaosan Kaovichit (62-3-1, 26) managed to out box and out point Japanese hard man Nobuo Nashiro (19-6-1, 13), in what is possibly the last major bout either of the men will have.
The bout started well for Kaovichit who used his superior speed in the early rounds to throw and land combinations on his tough but flat footed foe who for the first 2 or 3 rounds really struggled to get into range. Every punch Kaovichit threw seemed to raise cheers from the crowd who were showing their support even when Kaovichit was falling well short with his shots.
It wasn't until the fourth round that Nashiro managed to get any real success as his relentless pressure seemed to begin to pay off. Unfortunately despite the round being much closer than the first few Kaovichit did manage to just do enough to claim it, as he did again in the fifth round. By now though the crowd were becoming more and more subdued, the combinations of Kaovichit had gone and instead they'd been replaced by by singles as he tried to avoid a tear up with Nashiro.
By the start of round 6 it was appearing as if the fight was beginning to turn in the direction of the Japanese fighter who was growing in to the bout. In fact by the end of round 6 Kaovichit was looking every bit of his 37 years with his legs starting to look stationary and his straights becoming more and more pushed.
Just as Kaovichit was looking like he was tiring he managed to have a much better round as Nashiro's pressure really failed to have any effect. This was the first round since early in the bout that Nashiro was made to clearly look second best, though Kaovichit himself didn't look particularly great as his own work rate dropped significantly.
Rounds 8 and 9 were highlighted by some of the best action of the fight as the two men stood toe to-toe and traded shots inside. Whilst the 8th was Kaovichit's the 9th was certainly Nashiro's as he appeared to realise he'd need a stoppage to take home the title. Surprisingly Kaovichit took the bombs of Nashiro without too many issues though it was obvious that this was just the start of a storm that he'd have to weather.
In round 10 Nashiro continued his assault and at one point the Thai commentators did seem a little worried by how many shots Kaovichit was being forced to take before he managed to find a second wind and throw his first notable combination in several rounds.
Despite Kaovichit ending round 10 well that was really his last success as Nashiro went all out for the stoppage in the championship rounds. The pressure and assault from Nashiro saw him landing a steady stream of right hands through round 11 though Kaovichit tied up regular and smothered much of Nashiro's offense as he did his best to see out the round.
After holding and wrestling through much of round 11 Kaovichit managed to do the same the following round as he managed to see off Nashiro's late charge, a charge that probably began a round too late for the Japanese fighter who was unable to over-turn a large points deficit on the cards of at least 2 judges (I believe the result was a split decision though will correct this if I'm wrong when I do get the official decision.
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