There’s only a few weeks of 2024 remaining but there might not have been a better or more one-sided high-level beating than the intricate and violent surgery performed by Puerto Rican star Oscar Collazo, who has unified the WBO and WBA strawweight titles.
Within seven rounds, Collazo dropped Thailand’s Thammanoon Niyomtrong, aka Knockout CP Freshmart, three times and took him apart.
“A lot of people doubted, the reigning champion much respect for him. We’re the king now at 105lbs,” said Collazo. “My corner shouted to get that right hook in, and we hit him right on the button. Next, I want all the belts. I want to be the first undisputed champion from Puerto Rico.”
Southpaw Collazo stepped in with his jab well and looked to hook after it from the early going. In the second frame, he put a left into Niyomtrong’s body and followed up with a right hook.
Niyomtrong looked to be forcing his work, but he was also clearly respectful of what was in front of him. The Thai was persistent with his efforts to land his right to the body, but Collazo moved well, let his hands go, stepped to the side, fired and moved again and in the fourth his pivoting had Niyomtrong floundering.
WBO champion Collazo, 11-0 (8 KOs), boxed with real poise and control. By the fifth, Niyomtrong was having very little success while Collazo had a rhythm and control that was going to be hard to snap. It was in the fifth, too, when Collazo landed a hurtful long left hand downstairs. The Puerto Rican started to go through the gears in the sixth, too, and with Niyomtrong looking a little more desperate Collazo felled him with a peach of a lead right hook and Niyomtrong keeled over, where he listened to the referee’s count.
It was a lovely shot and the signs were ominous for Niyomtrong, who was miles behind, had been dropped, hurt and seemingly had no way back into the fight.
Forlorn, Niyomtrong rose to hear the bell for the seventh but he attacked with more desperation and in doing so he sucked in a horrible looking left to the body and then, seconds later, was caught by the same shot that had dropped him a round earlier, with the same consequences.
Niyomtrong stood once more but could do nothing other than cover and Collazo pounded away up and down, hurting Niyomtrong to the body and head and a left to the body, yes, another, and a left uppercut jolted Niyomtrong’s head back and sent him down for a third and final time.
It was magnificent by Collazo, who dissected and destroyed a very good fighter. Time of the stoppage was 1:29 of the seventh.
Niyomtrong, from Surin in Thailand, who brought his WBA belt to the dance, lost for the first time in 26 fights.
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