(MAY 12) On May 10, 2006, Thai inmate
Siriporn “The Black Rose” Sor Siriporn hoped to become the
first-ever female prisoner to win a professional boxing title but
WBC minimumweight champion Nanako Kikuchi proved to be too
strong and technically superior, winning a unanimous ten-round
decision in the Klong Prem Men’s Prison.
In November of last year, fellow inmate Nongmai Sor Siriporn hit the
headlines worldwide when she unsuccessfully challenged Kikuchi for
the vacant WBC championship.
Kikuchi only began boxing three years ago and in this time has won
the Japanese women’s title as well as the WBC world title.
Siriporn Sor Siriporn is housed in the Women’s Correctional
Institution for Drug Offenders an hour outside of the center of
Bangkok. She entered the facility at the age of seventeen and is
serving ten years for drug offenses. She has four years left on her
sentence however in all likelihood this will be reduced to two
years.
The Sor Siriporn name is taken by the fighters from the name the
warden of the Women’s Correctional Facility for Drug Offenders where
they are incarcerated, Siriporn Chutikuluang. It is common for Thai
fighters to take the name of their sponsors, trainers or those who
help them with their careers.
The ring was set deep inside the walls of the Klong Prem Men’s
Prison, through five sets of doors and nestled tightly on a small
concrete slab, just close enough to some of the inmate’s cells so
they were able to view the encounter. The fight was not open to the
public but nonetheless there were over 1000 in attendance not
including the 4729 inmates.
The first few rounds, Kikuchi
established the jab and followed it with straight rights to the
stomach of Sor Siriporn. Kikuchi had only registered one KO but
looked to be the stronger of the two fighters, pushing Sor Siriporn
around the ring and knocking her off balance repeatedly.
Sor Siriporn picked up the pace in rounds two and three though and
was the more active fighter, jabbing and using the ring to keep her
distance from Kikuchi building up points.
Between rounds, Kikuchi listened intently to her cornermen and
responded with several pronounced “hai’s” which resonated loudly
above the crowd.
This seemed to motivate her as the fourth round was the turning
point of the fight would set the tone for the rest of the bout. The
middle rounds were all for the champion as Kikuchi continually
pinned Sor Siriporn on the ropes and ripped body shots mixed with
hooks to the head. By the end of round six, Sor Siriporn had the
look of a confused fighter, unsure of how to contend with the
attacks of Kikuchi. Sor Siriporn landed the occasional shot but save
for the rare punch, lacked the necessary power to keep Kikuchi off
of her.
In round eight, referee Bruce McTavish called a break in the action
to allow Kikuchi’s corner to fix a piece of loose tape on her glove
and this respite gave Sor Siriporn sufficient time to prepare to
mount an attack. Kikuchi looked to be tiring and Sor Siriporn poured
it on, only to be turned back by the sound of the bell.
The following two rounds belonged to Kikuchi, who suddenly found her
second wind. In the ninth she landed three huge rights to the jaw of
Sor Siriporn and for the first time there was some doubt as to
whether or not the fight would go the distance. Sor Siriporn was
game though and knew enough to hold on, allowing her to make it to
the end of the round.
A desperate and exhausted Sor Siriporn tried in vain to land the
knockout punch in the final round but to no avail.
The pro-Thai crowd was silenced by the
scores, all for the champion; 97-93 and 96-94 twice, however most
acknowledged Kikuchi as the deserving winner.
After the bout Kikuchi broke down and shed tears of joy.
“I wanted to win by knockout but
couldn’t finish her, so I’m so very happy to get the decision,” said
Kikuchi. “I was very nervous about losing a decision.”
“I want to be a good champion and will work hard to keep my title.”
Kikuchi must now face the WBC number one ranked fighter, Wendy
Rodriguez, within 180 days.
Promoter: Naris Singwancha
On the undercard:
Matsumi Tasubasa
Nongmai
Sor Siriporn gets nailed by a punch from
Tse Hoi Wah of Hong Kong
Former world title challenger Nongmai
Sor Siriporn pounded out a majority decision victory over Hong
Kong, women’s boxing champion Tse Hoi Wah to win her fourth
straight since failing in her bid to win the title from Nanako
Kikuchi. The bout was a see-saw battle which saw both fighters hurt
several times; Sor Siriporn was slightly busier than Wah and
deserving of the close decision victory. Judges scores: 58-56,
56-56, 57-57.
To write to any of the women in the Central Correctional
Facility, you can e-mail:
drug_add@hotmail.com or write them at:
Women’s Correctional Institution for Drug Addicts
33/3 Ngamwongwan Road
Bang Khen, Bangkok 10900
Thailand
