True4U: Tasana Salapat vs. Tô Phi Vinh RBR

Emanating live from Chiang Mai.

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

 

@Accurate @anjawnaymiz @AntonioMartin1 @Arch Stanton @Banana-Rama @bandeedo @BaronSamedi @Big Ukrainian @Boxed Ears @boxingforum24 @Boxing Prospect @Braindamage @BCS8 @Bustajay @C.J. @Cafe @catchwtboxing @chacal @channy @Chuck Norris @Conteh'sLeft @CST80 @Curlew @Dance84 @Dangerwood84 @derekcantona @dinovelvet @DoubleJab666 @DramaShow @drenlou @Drew101 @Drinquor @Dubblechin @elmaldito @eltirado @escudo @exocet76 @f1ght3rz @Fogger @FrankinDallas @George Crowcroft @GK BOX @Goose @GotchaHat @HamburgBuam @Hanz Cholo @heerko koois @Holler @hoopsman @Inglis_1 @IntentionalButt @ipitythefool @IsaL @Jake LaMotta @JOKER @JordanK2406 @JunlongXiFan @Kapparino @kirk @kiwi_boxer @KiwiMan @Komaster @kostya by ko @lepinthehood @lewis gassed @lobk @Loudon @Max Thunder @McGrain @MidniteProwler @miniq @mirkofilipovic @MVC! @nellybc @NullaLexInk @Oddone @Olu G. Rotimi @Pepsi Dioxide @Perkin Warbeck @Pimp C @pincai @PinoyProdigy @Reg @Reinhardt @Reppin501 @robert ungurean @Robney @Rock0052 @RockyMarciano @rorschach51 @roughdiamond @Rubber Glove Sandwich @Rumsfeld @Sammy123 @sasto @Scott Cork @SeanB1 @Serge @ShovelHook @sid @sniffmybadger @Sonny1 @splatter69 @SquaredCircle @Stiff Jab @The G-Man @The Professor @tinman @titanic @UnleashtheFURY @uranage @WhataRock @Willie Maeket @Who_Necks @Wizbit1013

...how's that for a clarion roll-call?

 

There was only a single undercard bout, and it was pro kickboxing (guess this is a mixed show).

Main event pageantry has begun, with both combatants in the ring, but there are several old men taking a turn speaking into shoddily gaffe-taped microphones stands at odd-height podiums - you know, the usual Thai nonsense, so it may be a while yet.

 

Breakdown of this WBC bantamweight Asian title bout, Salapat's third defense:

One party, the challenger, has 3 professional bouts, and the other, the incumbent, has 72. One has a combined opponents' record of 0-1-0 (having faced a sophomore and two debutants), and the other has a combined opponents' record of 448-366-47. That is only a differential in experience of 861 vs. 1 in the opposing corner. No biggie.

One man has only boxed 384 rounds compared with the other's ...3.

We're only talking small margins here, guys. 4% as many pro bouts. 3% as many rounds fought. 1.1% as much net experience among foes to date.

Perfectly cool and fine and normal. You're not a weird pocket universe anomaly in the boxing world in the slightest, Thailand. No, that dress totally doesn't make your ass look phat.

 

First hard look at Tô as he proudly listens to his Vietnamese anthem. Would never guess his nationality without foreknowledge. Dude could pass for Mexican.

 

Salapat doing the weird ritual holding & passing cardboard adert placards.

 

Tasana Salapat vs. Tô Phi Vinh, 10 rounds @ bantamweight

 

Round 1

Aggressive start from Tô. He is carving inside behind a line drive up-jab, and then looping short right hands into the jaw of Salapat. The southpaw champion is taken aback, giving up his considerable height advantage by shrimping up and leaning down into Tô, absorbing shots while delivering some on the body and then pulling out to retreat with a concerned expression. Tô's jab is awful, amateurishly thrown and never in a straight line, like an arrow shot in heavy wind, but his looping rights can't miss and are seriously bothering Salapat. On the outside Salapat is whipping long southpaw 1-2s and right jabs but Tô defending well, then ripping big can opener rights of his own that just miss as Salapat falls back.

10-9 Tô, wow, can't remember ever seeing Salapat this uncomfortable out of the gate.

 

Round 2

Tô is throwing hard right hands up top and pushing Salapat into the ropes. Salapat using that bounce to give himself leverage for massive left uppercuts on the body, landing but not slowing Tô down. Salapat is forced onto the ropes again with Tô making him slug it out with him. Tô's pressure is reckless and undisciplined, however, with his inexperience costing him - coming in with his face pointed down at his toes, he never sees a counter shot, a quick strsight left that Salapat drills into the side/back of his skull. Borderline rabbit punch, but whatever it was it causes a flash knockdown. From that point on Salapat has found his mojo and confidently leads the rest of the round, advancing on Tô with right jabs & hooks.

10-8 Salapat

19-18 Salapat

 

Round 3

Tô is still pressuring and throwing punches nonstop, but clearly feeling the pace with fatigue setting in and his punches getting slower and more telegraphed, like he's punching underwater. His combos have the look of a middle aged housewife 45 minutes into her first boxercise class. Easy pickings for Salapat now to calmly lay back and snpie him with long sharp counters. Tô down, ruled a slip. Down again from a left cross moments later, pretty sure that was ruled a KD. Nasty cut opened on Tô now, but he keeps pouring it on Salapat, pumping his fists at him even though Salapat is now landing clean hard counters on him regularly.

10-8 Salapat

29-26 Salapat

 

Round 4

Salapat now investing heavily on the body of Tô, favoring a lean-aside right hook from outside. Tô will not quit, however, plowing on and still able to find a second wind and rip Salapat with some hooking combos on the chin. Salapat carefully maneuvers outside and tries establishing his jab while tossing big pendulum left uppercuts downstairs. Tô at one point nearly dives headlong between the second and topmost rope but the ref yanks him in. The ref getting very involved, warning both for incidental headbutts on the inside frequently as Tô clings to Salapat and imposes spells of dirty sloppy infighting. Tô grinds in with his neck bent, head lowered, and winds up with Salapat's elbow pushing down on his nape. The ref separates them and first warns Tô not to bow down that low but then - I think - docks a point from Salapat. (hard to say, he lifted his index finger which is the universal ref sign for a foul deduction while approaching Salapat with a stern look in his eye, but the camera very rapidly cut away). Time in. Tô blocks some flurries by Salapat and clips him with a couple of right haymakers. Salapat desperately tossing 1-2s but Tô swarming him effectively, making it a dogfight. The ref has the ringside physician check the cut on Tô's right eye, which has gotten nasty but isn't affecting his vision. Tô is throwing wild bombs at Salapat but misses several in a row, until the final bell when Salapat comes up from having just ducked a shot to score a peach of a counter right hook on the nose. The ref doesn't even give Tô a count - in fact he doesn't wait for him to hit the mat, as he waves it off while Tô is still falling. @The Professor would have a conniption if he saw that stoppage.

KO4!

 

Tasana "Petch CP Freshmart" Salapat improves to 73-1 (52), but I'll say this: he's damn lucky Tô is so raw & unrefined. Even facing enormous deficits in experience and physical dimensions, the "Vietnamese Tyson" (ugh) still made that a white-knuckle ride for him...and IMO made the homer ref nervous enough to halt it the first chance he got.