Let's run it back and have another look at Phongskorn "Pongsaklek Sitkanongsak" Wonjongkam

In the period between first gaining international acclaim from the boxing community and his eventual retirement, he was mostly regarded as something of an internet joke or curiosity. A select few would also happen to recognize that he was legitimately a top p4p talent of the day, but - you know the drill. Most fans don't follow sub-lightweight, and if they do they generally restrict their attention to fighters hailing from the US, the UK and Mexico (and the odd European or South American country, if somebody claws their way from domestic obscurity and into the limelight, or at least gets themselves world ranked). Throw in a name that doesn't exactly roll off foreigners' tongues, and never having fought outside the Asian continental plate (89 times at home in Thailand, 8x in Japan, and once on Koh Kong island in Cambodia) and you have a recipe for staying unknown - and underappreciated - by the masses.

Phongskorn, 31st ever Thai world champion in Western pro boxing, started from humble beginnings in rather abject poverty in the agricultural Bua Yai district in the northeastern corner of Nakhon Ratchasima province. He turned pro at 17, and exactly one year and one day later incurred his first loss, against Jerry Pahayahay of the Philippines (in fact, Wonjongkam's first thirteen professional opponents would all be Filipino, as would eventually be more than half of those he faced in his career: 54 of 98, comprising 50 wins and four of his five losses), in his first scheduled eight-rounder. The next year, 1996, would see Wonjongkam defeat another handy Pinoy journeyman in Juanito Rubillar before attempting revenge against Pahayahay. The third time would have to be the charm, as Pahayahay knocked him out in their rematch, but eventually Wonjongkam would get the better of him in '98 (followed by another victory over Rubillar) on his march toward a championship - during which he built up an eleven-year, 55-bout undefeated streak. Malcolm Tuñacao, from whom Pong would capture the lineal & WBC flyweight titles in the midst of that run, would be his 38th rival from the Philippines, in 41 bouts.

Thirteen months later, Pong would take on his first Japanese combatant - signalling the start of yet another rivalry with a nation that would largely come to define his legacy. He would take on 14 warriors from Japan, and go 11-1-2 against them.

He only ever fought a handful of compatriots from Thailand; four in total. It very well might have been intentional, as while not a ton is known about him, the Siamese press has noted him as being staunchly loyal to both family & country. He may have just not really enjoyed beating up fellow Thais. Case in point: his defense against Suriyan Kaikanha, by far the best of his comrades that he faced, was a very technical affair, more of a chess match in which neither man seemed keen to hurt the other. The most exciting thing about it was Suriyan randomly projectile vomiting mid-round.

In the final analysis, Pong faced a host of sturdy competition from around the globe - but with plenty of filler spackling the spaces between them. Particularly in his twilight years, he would make infamous the "champ taking a tuneup versus a debutante" cliché in Thai boxing. That (for the most part misguided, or at least incomplete) perception of holding the belt hostage at home and taking on weak opposition may have contributed to him being overlooked, both during his active period and since. He finished up with real, sanctioned fights in 2013, at the age of 36...and he almost resisted the urge to make the ill-advised return that so many greats delude themselves into making. To be fair, he did grind out a legitimate decision over Manot Comput to snag the national super bantamweight title before riding off in the sunset...for all of a month. He then promptly got knocked out last year in an exhibition "rematch" with Kōki Kameda, which is a sad episode best forgotten about.

He was inducted by vice president Maj. Gen. Kovit Phakdiphum and chairman Mauricio Sulaimán into the WBC Hall of Fame in 2014, and his likeness now adorns every version of the belt awarded to each new captor at flyweight. As for the broader-focused and vastly more prestigious IBHOF in Canastota - well, he would have been eligible on last year's ballot had the comeback with Comput not taken place (being an exhibition, the Kameda "rematch" wouldn't have precluded him). Now the clock is reset...but not for that long, thankfully, given a recent change in the IBHOF's charter. They now require three years of contiguous retirement for modern pro boxers to be submitted for approval by the BWAA; previously they had required five. So, provided there is no foolish (if not suicidal) reprise in his forties, he should be added onto the docket in 2021. Just as well, since next year's class is to be culled from: Jorge Arce, Timothy Bradley, Vuyani Bungu, Joel Casamayor, Diego Corrales, Carl Froch, Bernard Hopkins, Sergio Martínez, Juan Manuel Márquez, Shane Mosley, Antonio Tarver and Israel Vázquez. Whichever names don't make it first-ballot will be atop the next list...so being effectively sidelined for a couple of years actually helps Pong's chances of entering on his first attempt, letting things whittle down by attrition (unless there's a fresh pack of surefire greater talents ahead of him coming up as eligible by then; we shall just have to see how it pans out).

In terms of his ability, proven against high-caliber foes representing a variety of styles, I think he deserves to be in... and his résumé speaks for itself, 'filler' notwithstanding. He ruled with an iron fist over an "Original Eight" division for a solid decade, from 2001 until 2011 - for all intents & purposes, let's call it from his first world title victory over Malcolm Tuñacao through his last in Edgar Sosa (the subsequent defense, a technical draw with Hirofumi Makai just two months after Sosa, ought to be dismissed as it only lasted 47 seconds before it was halted due to a cut, making it a non-thing). In that span he fought in 26 world title bouts. If you want to be a stickler, two were for the 'interim' belt, so 24 "real McCoy" world title bouts, of which 24 of those were for both the storied green strap of the WBC and the universally recognized lineal championship at flyweight. In those WBC & lineal championship bouts, he won 22 and the only blemishes that bisect his reign(s) came in the form of a draw & close loss to Daisuke Naitō, somebody he already had defeated twice in a rivalry spanning half a dozen years.

Some older boxing fans have referred to him as "the last great Thai", viewed as the scion of the proud tradition set forth by Mana "Pone Kingpetch" Sridokbuab and later embellished upon by Muay Thai crossovers Chaovalit "Sot Chitalada" Wongcharoean and Sura "Khaosai Galaxy/The Left Hand The Drills Through Intestines" Saenkham - which is obviously a little unfair to some of the p4p beasts that we are privileged to have campaigning in this present generation. He was, however, a bigger national hero (and darling of internet die-hard boxing nerds) than all of them...and just by virtue of longevity might have accomplished more than any of them are wont to be able to parallel. Long before there was a Thammanoon "Knockout CP Freshmart" Niyomtrong, or Seansuree "Wanheng Menayothin" Moonsuree, or a Wisaksil "Srisaket Sor Rungvisai" Wangek - there was Pong. Fans that have been around long enough to have trans-millennial recollection, or at least dating back a decade or further, will remember that Pong for a long while served as the benchmark against which any new Thai fighter was measured. It must needs be a holistic measurement, too, since Wonjongkam managed to be greater than his parts' sum. He didn't punch anywhere near as hard as, say Galaxy or SRR - and his jab wasn't as polished as Kingpetch's, or even Menayothin's (when he bothers to use it, often arrogantly dispensing with it when facing outmatched foes, as he, regrettably, often does) - but he was the overall total package and stands as the peer (at worst) of any great in Thai history... at least under Marquess of Queensberry rules.

Forget about the padding. Let's pare down his competition to just those important match-ups, hardware on the line. From his first twelve-rounder victory to his last:

 

• Malcolm Alindajao "Eagle-Eye" Tuñacao - underrated fighter & win, absolutely excellent way to announce oneself on the world scene IMO. Tuñacao had knocked out Boonsai "Medgoen" Singsurat, just eight months after Singsurat had knocked out Manny Pacquiao for the flyweight title. He may not be in that Pac/Donaire/Nietes/Peñalosa modern Filipino boxing Mount Rushmore, but he would certainly make a second tier list alongside the likes of Brian Viloria, Luisito Espinosa, Johnriel Casimero, etc. To have mangle him, in such hasty fashion no less, is quite something.
  
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• Hayato Asai - big puncher, although in hindsight maybe hadn't done much to warrant a crack at the gold & green. His biggest previous tests were bids for the Japanese flyweight title, both failed. Easily tamed and handled in short order here.
  
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• Alexander "Ali" Baba - hailing from Ghana, with an 18-1 (15) record, he actually provided a fairly stiff test before a headbutt (cutting Wonjongkam) necessitated a technical decision in round eight. Stiff test, but only managed to win a round on all three judges' cards.
  
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• Luis Alberto "El Mosquito" Lazarte - dirty SOB, he was nonetheless a clever worker in the ring and credit where due, became legitimately world class after early losses to Pong and countryman Omar Andrés "El Huracán" Narváez, grabbing domestic titles and persisting through a couple of setbacks to eventually dethrone Carlos Támara for the IBF junior flyweight title.
  
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• Daisuke Naitō I - their first encounter, of a tetralogy/quadrilogy/what have you. Based on this one, you would have never thought a rematch was necessary; let alone three. Pong iced the unbeaten prospect in just half a minute. The plot, however, would thicken as their story continued...
  
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• Jesús "Changa" Martínez Tejeda - advanced further than any of his '96 Olympic teammates from Mexico, including future champs Julio César González and Martín Castillo (although to be fair, both drew tough first round assignments). First man to go the distance with Pong in a title fight - but dropped & shut out. Pong ruined him; Martínez would go 3-4 in the remainder of his career, stopped thrice.
  
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• Hidenobu "Defense Master" Honda - southpaw (and 1st level Shaolin karateka, FWIW) with a solid track record on the Japanese domestic scene, holding the national light flyweight title before challenging Pong. Really high skill level southpaw versus southpaw match-up, but Wonjongkam's sharpness and longitudinal variety in his offensive arsenal would make the clear difference.
  
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• Randy "Destroyer" Mangubat III - first Pinoy challenger since Tuñacao, this was a familiar face - as, like Daisuke Naitō, he would ultimately face Pong four times, although with less success than Naitō. He was knocked out in 1996, and lost a ten round decision in their '99 rematch. Wonjongkam had plenty of study time upon which to draw, soundly outpointing Mangubat (who, to be fair, was on a roll, going 11-1-2 since his last defeat to Pong, including a technical draw with Tuñacao)
  
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• Hussein "Hussy" Hussein - the Australian, who fell short of a medal stage at the '96 Olympic games and never quite replicated his still rather considerable amateur success in the pros, was the older brother of Nedal "Skinny" Hussein. Neither brother would every wear championship gold, but are considered among the country's best to have not done so. Wonjongkam beat the unbeaten and tough Hussy up for twelve rounds, knocking him down but not quite able to finish him off. Hussein would only ever be stopped by one man (Jorge Arce, twice in quick succession in 2005).
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• Masaki "Trash" Nakanuma - as noted for hit entertaining scraps as for his memorably self-deprecating moniker, Trash was a fearless come-forward uppercutting machine in the world title mix for several years, culminating in his game but ultimately fruitless challenges of Wonjongkam and then Lorenzo Parra (for the WBA flyweight title). He arguably pushed Wonjongkam harder than anyone had, until this point.
  
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• Luis Ángel "El Dulcero" Martínez - this is the first real "gimme" (third if you want to be ungenerous to Baba or Asai), and we're ten defenses in! Certainly on the heels of that arduous battle with Nakanuma, we can forgive him the odd Dulcero.
  
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• Noriyuki "Tough Boy" Komatsu - coming off a two-year reign as OPBF champ, ended months earlier by Trash Nakanuma. Pong shut him out and destroyed him in five.
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• Daisuke Naitō II - already conquered once in defense #4, we see Naitō taking his shot at redemption (after being dragged in the mud and shamed for the nature of the first loss by the Japanese press). He came out aggressively, but was only able to eke out two rounds of six completed before a cut from a headbutt brought a halt to proceedings and resulting in Wonjongkam's second TD victory in a title defense, after Baba.
  
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• Gilberto José "Baby Luis V" Keb Baas - known mostly as the Cinderella Man who simply had Omar Niño Romero's number (knocking him out early in their careers, and then beating him via MD in their rematch twelve years later to become an unlikely world champion), at this point he was still just a well-regarded Mexican journeyman. The victory would age nicely.
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• Daigo Nakahiro - another day, another shutout. Nakahiro, previously undefeated, was coming off a split decision loss to Naitō, failing to become Japanese super flyweight champ, although he would manage to do so a couple of years after losing to Pong, defending thrice (including a win over Hidenobu Honda).
  
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• Everardo "El Zihua" Morales - like fellow Martínez, his fellow Mexican, another soft touch. It seems Pong had a taste for importing his easier title defenses from this country, which given its close ties with the WBC organization had a ready supply of cannon fodder to ship overseas. To be fair, Morales had previously challenged for a world title, against Omar Narváez, but a) probably didn't really deserve to and b) lost every minute and got dropped twice & stopped by the Argentinian. Pong got rid of him a round quicker.
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• Monelisi Mhikiza "Showtime" Myekeni - came in off a good run, including a knockout victory over Sonny Boy Jaro. He would fare much worse against the more complex stylistic puzzle of the incumbent champion, unanimously getting swept the first eight rounds in a row per WBC open scoring, including a trip onto the canvas in the 1st.
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• Tomonobu "Speed Star" Shimizu - he would later defeat Hugo Fidel Cázares Linares for the WBA super flyweight championship, but on paper he did seem a bit rushed into his earlier challenge of Wonjongkam, just three years after his pro debut and taking a massive leap up in class, skipping right over the domestic and regional trinket hunt. Small wonder the vastly more experienced Thai forced him to retire on his stool after seven rounds.
  
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• Daisuke Naitō III - persistence really does pay off. Naitō finally managed to get over in this rivalry, in the process nipping Wonjongkam's record-setting flyweight title reign at just 17 completed defenses. Their first time going twelve, it gives us a glimpse of how well-matched they in fact were. Wonjongkam found Naitō very awkward to deal with, and yet the remembrance and occasional taste of that power keeps the Japanese fighter consistently honest & leery.
  
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• Daisuke Naitō IV - a little more controversial than his upset in their second rematch, Naitō is regarded by many as having received a gift draw at home in their fourth dance. Probably should've been close but clear for Wonjongkam, although he would eventually reclaim his property by a different route after he and Naitō had washed their hands of each other.
  
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• Julio César "Pingo" Miranda** - yeah, interim belt, although still a good and noteworthy scalp here. Pingo was sort of a miniature, poor man's version of Pipino Cuevas...just a shot of pure adrenaline, out to kill or be killed. He came in on a five year winning streak, and rated #9 by the WBC. Another easy win for Pong that would be vindicated by the victim later going on to claim a world title belt.
  
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• Takahisa Masuda - not to be confused with the more famous J-pop television personage of the same name, this Masuda had put in some earnest trials on the Japanese domestic scene but always come up short against his best opposition, and was predictably unready for what awaited him in Wonjongkam, in the latter's second and only interim title defense before reinstating his full champion status his next time out. Kind of a gimme, but sandwiched between Pingo and Kameda not too shabby for a stay-busy. Pong took care of business, won every round, and stopped him.
  
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• Kōki "Naniwa no Tōken (The Fighting Fist of Naniwa") Kameda - son a genuine Yakuza member, and the most prominent member of the Kameda boxing clan (which also includes brothers Daiki & Tomoki, both world champions in their own right), the cocky & brash Kōki was at one time poised to be Japan's very own Floyd Mayweather, Jr. - the mega-star they all loved to hate and tuned in hoping to see the smirk wiped off his face. Pong, hungry to regain what he saw as belonging to him (and cruelly denied him in the fourth match with his main rival, Naitō, whom Kameda had soundly outpointed just four months earlier. The abrasive would-be golden boy saw his reign truncated, forced to hot-potato the WBC, lineal and Ring magazine titles in his very first defense as the now old man took him out behind the woodshed. Don't get me wrong, it was competitive, mainly due to Kamed's youth, speed and strength - but the class of the former champ told and he regained the kitty full of prizes via MD. It would have been unanimous but for a point deducted from Wonjongkam for incidental head clashes (per a strange WBC rule that neglects to consider intent, or lack thereof). No controversy, I don't remember anyone having it for Kameda. It was clear, however, that Pong was losing steam.
  
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• Suriyan "Smart Kid" Kaiganha - as mentioned before, this one is hardly a thriller, and the high point is the younger Thai retching down his own torso & trunks (and the "wtf" look on the face of his elder) but there were some very classy skills on display, even if this only ever reached the pitch of a friendly spar. Kaiganha would, in what's becoming a very familiar tale, later net a championship, at super fly.
  
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• Takuya Kogawa - the reigning OPBF super flyweight champion (with a nice victory over future titlist Chaozhong Xiong, that would mature nicely), he actually started his career at bantam, yet dropped to fly and tried his luck against what many perceived as the declining Wonjongkam. He put on a brave showing, yet was rocked throughout and barely held on to lose a wide twelve-round decision.
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• Edgar Alejandro Sosa Medina - his name closely linked with that of fellow Mexican light flyweight champion Ulises "Archie" Solís, they sort of had a Pong & Naitō dynamic. Solís would beat Sosa twice in their early days, only for Sosa to get the final say when he knocked Solís out a decade later. Rewinding a couple of years from that, however, Sosa was on a roll when he tried becoming a two-division champion at Pong's expense. Rodel Mayol had lifted his 108lb title from him, but Sosa had moved up and gone on a tear, six wins in a row including five knockouts, wiping out fringe contenders left & right. Here was a battle of men that could look each other eye to eye, of a rough age, both of them born in the late 1970's, both having been around the block, Sosa with eleven years' pro experience and Wonjongkam with seventeen. Both had lengthy WBC reigns (Sosa with an unbroken run of ten defenses before running afoul of Mayol, and Wonjongkam with seventeen before at last succumbing to Naitō). Another fun wrinkle is that Sosa in his eighth light fly defense had knocked out Somporn Seeta, better known as Pornsawan Porpramook, whose notoriety abroad equaled that of Pong's (although mostly just because sophomoric people found both of their names amusing). Sosa promised to do the same here, going so far as to guarantee that he would dispatch Wonjongkam by the ninth and not allow him to see the championship rounds. This was poised to be an epic clash, and - well, despite another point deduction for another incidental headbutt, Pong cruised to victory, playing the role of matador to perfection and thoroughly outclassing the Mexican loudmouth.
  
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You ask me, that's a shoe-in HOF worthy C.V.

 

He did indeed, still does afaik... @McGrain you like Pong's chances at Canastota when he qualifies?

Agree on the Galaxies. Fun to watch but whoo boy do they get put on a bit of a pedestal.

 

Speaking of pedestals, to mitigate any perceived gushing and not give the impression of presenting Wonjongkam as flawless, here is the full balance of his losses outside his peak run from Tuñacao until Sosa...with all of them coming while he was a green teen or shot old coot, to be fair, but also each to a Filipino journeyman* he shouldn't have really had any business losing to, even when he did:

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(video title is actually inaccurate; this was Pong's & Rey's third encounter, from 2012; Pong had outpointed him in 2007 and kayoed him in 2010)

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*and yes even Jaro was a journeyman IMO, can't see him securing a world title under any other circumstances.


...apologies, Pahayahay II seems to not be uploaded anywhere; could have sworn it was.

 

I'd be very keen, btw, to see footage (in addition to his five missing title bouts in the OP/s) of Pong's battle with Mzukisi "Lacier" Sikali of South Africa in '97. That might actually be Pong's greatest pre-championship victory, followed by popping Juanito Rubillar's cherry or (purely for the optics) avenging the losses to Pahayahay. Another win that would age nicely, but quietly (as hardly anyone followed the African scene then; few enough do now) as Sikali, uncommonly for this weight range, fought effectively at world level into his 30's, upsetting Hawk Makepula by MD to become IBO champ and then defending twice, against Hawk with a KO, and then a UD over Myekeni before getting stopped by a prime Vic Darchinyan in a competitive unification match. Sikali would be murdered later that year during a house invasion/burglary, and has fallen into anonymity.

 

https://www.ringtv.com/423737-best-i-faced/

BEST JAB

Hyobu Nakagama (UD 12, 2012): His jab was very good; it was fast and direct to the target.

BEST DEFENSE

Daigo Nakahiro (UD 12, 2006): I couldn’t hit him. Nakahiro is like all Japanese boxers with lion hearts. Never surrender.

BEST CHIN

Alex Baba (TD 8, 2001): I hit him many times and he hung on.

FASTEST HANDS

Luis Angel Martinez (TKO 5, 2004): He was so fast, fast like an airplane.

FASTEST FEET

Koki Kameda (MD 12, 2010): I was tired from chasing him.

SMARTEST

Baba: I want to be like him. He smiled and had smart moves. He talked smart to me, very clever.

STRONGEST

Trash Nakanuma (UD 12, 2004): I wonder why he was so strong. I am stronger, but I was not 110 percent when I fought him.

BEST PUNCHER

Rey Megrino (L TKO 3, 2012): He knocked me out. I think he punched harder than Sonny Boy Jaro.

BEST SKILLS

Takuya Kogawa (UD 12, 2011): I like him. He trains very hard and I like him for his gifts. He never gives up even though he knows that he has no chance to win the fight. He keeps fighting and fighting

BEST OVERALL

Suriyan Sor Rungvisai (UD 12, 2010): He is very good. The fight against Suriyan is one of my classics and an exciting fight. Suriyan is a lion-hearted boxer. I was very delighted when he became world champion (Suriyan won the WBC junior bantamweight title in Aug 2011 and held it until March 2012). He is a good person in character, nice behavior, not rude, a respectful person. Suriyan never humiliates or looks down his opponent. He always has nice character after a fight.



...fast like an airplane? This freaking guy... Quite a character. I haven't even mentioned his penchant for wearing red beanie hats! Nearly as iconic as Hagler's war cap (of the same hue, might I add...perhaps a subtle, off-kilter homage?)

 

Very interesting that he rates Nakahiro's defense higher than Honda's, as the latter Japanese boxer was more renowned for his.

 

I'll be sorely disappointed in the voting body if he doesn't, tbh. 17 contiguous defenses, tacked onto that unlikely second reign (in which the quality of his opposition was arguably even better) makes it hard to argue for his exclusion, given some of those who are in. But yeah, end of the day, Hall of Fame is the name, I guess..