Thai Fight’s France show may have conked out during the Aikpracha fight, but prior to that it gave us some decent surprises.
Former Rajadamnern Stadium, WMC and WPMF champion and Omnoi Stadium’s 2012 Isuzu Cup tournament winner Singmanee dropped a surprise loss, and former fellow WMC & WPMF titlist & current Thailand champion Sudsakorn also dropped his bout via TKO to a cut.
Singmanee beat his French opponent Houcine Bennoui in his previous fight – only four weeks ago at Thai Fight UK – and ironically enough, looked to have earned the decision by a longer stretch this time around. However, he didn’t push the pace as he could have done, and obviously paid the price in dropping a decision to a clearly inferior fighter to him (no shame in that though).
The man Singmanee defeated in another close scrap in April, Sudsakorn (ironically, a guy who beat Houcine Bennoui several years ago) also dropped his bout last night in a surprise loss to Pinca’s team-mate and WPMF world 70kg champion Mickael Piscitello. The Franco-Italian fighter clinched up with the Thai, and managed to drop several elbows onto the side and top of his head. Though the cut was not too severe, Sudsakorn was clearly disorientated and his equilibrium destroyed, and the ringside doctors waved the bout off after examining the dazed three-hundred fight veteran.
Sudsakorn & Singmanee might have lost, but Saiyok emerged victorious having had the hardest bout of all four of the big name Thais on the card (the other being Aikpracha), his assignment being Fabio Pinca. Ironic, as Singmanee was the last man to beat Saiyok in 2007 before the monster was born, and he embarked on his five-year 30 fight unbeaten streak, picking up a Lumpinee Stadium title along the way. Pinca is a great farang fighter, but his fight with Aikpracha proved that he is a tad short of being on the level of top Thais, and Saiyok further illustrated that last night in what was below the level of his ‘best’ performance.
The fight was close, and Saiyok did not produce fireworks per se, but the controlled aggression of his powerful kicks, knees and punches still told. Pinca attempted a nice spinning back elbow but in typical fashion, Saiyok just avoided the brunt of the blow and responded quickly with a walking-forward knee to the body. That is his habit; responding to every shot that lands on him with a point-scoring shot of his own, and everything he throws is with impact.
He won the decision.
The Channel 3 stream actually died during Aikpracha’s fight; he beat Yohan Lidon over three rounds. That is another decent tick in the box for 2012′s breakout star fighter of the year; from being WMC champion in 2010 in a comparatively low key manner to others, to winning a Lumpinee Stadium title in 2012, a WMC Prince’s Cup tournament and thoroughly outclassing Fabio Pinca and Sam-A team-mate Prakysiang whom he beat for the Lumpinee belt before viciously knocking him out in an immediate rematch.
Saiyok W PTS Fabio Pinca
Aikpracha W PTS Yohan Lidon
Armin TKO R3 (cut) Raphael Llodra
Mickael Piscitello TKO R2 (cut) Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee
Abdallah Mabel TKO R2 Super X
Houcine Bennoui W PTS Singmanee
Dylan Salvador TKO R2 vs Sidi Koite
Yuksel Ayadin W PTS Zinedine Hameur Lain
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Look for Singmanee & Sudsakorn to return strongly in Thai Fight, along with the return of Buakaw, and of course Saiyok will be back to hammering some poor farang next time out. Viva le Thai Fight.
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