Oscar Collazo and Thammanoon Niyomtrong have finalized terms for a strawweight unification bout on Nov. 16, part of the “Latino Night” show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
WBO titleholder Collazo (10-0, 7 KOs), from Puerto Rico, is ranked as the division’s top fighter, while Thailand’s Niyomtrong (25-0, 9 KOs), also known as Knockout CP Freshmart, boasts the longest active reign of any titleholder, having defended his WBA belt 13 times.
While The Ring title isn’t counted among the four major sanctioning belts, it will be contested in the strawweight division for the first time.
The fight, first reported by Jake Donovan at Ring Magazine, materialized after the 27-year-old Collazo was originally slated to face Mexico’s Edwin “Canito” Hernandez. Donovan reported that Golden Boy Promotions pushed for a Ring title bout for its Riyadh Season card, leading to the agreement between Collazo and Niyomtrong. The winner will be obligated to face Hernandez next.
Collazo’s most recent bout took place in June during Boxing Hall of Fame weekend, during which he secured a unanimous decision over Gerardo Zapata, halting his four-fight knockout streak. Niyomtrong, 34, defended his title earlier this year, extending his eight-year reign with a majority decision over Alex Winwood following a two-year layoff.
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