Sirimongkhon Iamthuam to make history...

The 41 year old Thai has a fight lined up a week from Saturday with 0-6-1 Ugandan transplant Muhammad Nsubuga, for the vacant Thai light heavyweight title. Iamthum (aka Sirimongkol Singwancha) will be looking for his 96 victory in his one hundredth professional bout, in a career that has eclipsed two dozen years and spanned almost the full breadth of the scale (beginning at flyweight in 1994).

Iamthum is coming off an unsuccessful bid for the vacant International Boxing Organization Asia Pacific Super Welterweight Title, dropping a unanimous decision against Tommy Browne last October - and has to date never competed above the middleweight limit. By that same token his opponent, a career welter, last fought at 140lb, about thirteen months ago.

This might be the first time somebody has fought in a span of barely over ten months for titles (even minor baubles like these) in two separate weight classes that are buffered from each other by a full 2 divisions apart, or a sum of 21lbs. It probably will also be the first title fight of any kind to pit somebody reaching the century mark against somebody whose record is still in single digits.

At least Nsubuga isn't making his pro debut, as has been the case with 19 of Iamthum's foes (starting when he was already 43-2 himself!) - all defeated, accounting for one-fifth of his victories ...and but for three, all by KO, accounting for over a quarter of his stoppages. That would make this something of a shambles. I mean, his record isn't even altogether negative - there is that one draw in there!

 

Siamese boxing is so ridiculous.

 

Well...

Iamthum KO2 Nsubuga.

Now where's the mayor of Pathum Thani to give this brave, glorious hero the keys to the city?

 

You're really going to pretend there isn't a wildly disproportionate amount of malarkey in Thailand?