Thanongsak Simsri overcame an early knockdown to claim his first major title.
The 25-year-old Thai managed to edge the Philippines’ Cristian Araneta via split decision to win the vacant IBF junior-flyweight title. Araneta claimed a 114-113 nod on judge Leszek Jankowiak’s card, overruled by Masakazu Murase’s 115-112 and Koji Tanaka’s 116-111, who both favored Simsri in their title fight in Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
The win meant Simsri claiming the belt vacated by Masamichi Yabuki – his lone career conqueror, who holds the IBF flyweight title.
Simsri fought largely behind his jab as he took the lead in the opening round. He also scored with straight right hands to the body. Araneta – the mandatory challenger for more than a year – was deliberate in his effort to find a home for left hands out of his southpaw stance.
Two-way action followed late in the second after Simsri found success in combination punching up top. Both fighters let their hands go; Simsri enjoyed the upper hand during their exchanges, but was also forced to contend with a cut over his left eyebrow.
Araneta responded in a big way late in the third. Simsri used in-and-out movement to control the tempo for the most part. However, he stood in the pocket just long enough for Araneta to slam in a counter left for the bout’s lone knockdown.
Simsri beat the count and made it out of the round. It didn’t take long for him to adjust, because Araneta, 30, failed to build on his momentum heading into the fourth. Effective lateral movement by Simsri helped negate Araneta’s offense.
Araneta then found a solution in the middle rounds. He was able to time Simsri’s movement and landed several long left hands from the outside. Simsri attempted to respond with combinations, but Araneta’s high guard picked off most of the shots.
Simsri found success when he fought off the back foot during the second half. Araneta’s best moments came when he was able to jab his way inside and throw a left hand behind it. Those moments were less frequent, because Simsri was defensively responsible, to the point of being mindful of Araneta’s power.
Both fighters had success late in the ninth. Simsri landed a right hand but was clipped by a left from Araneta. A follow-up from the Filipino resulted in a clash of heads, which opened a small cut over Araneta’s right eye to complement the longer cut over his left eyelid.
The action slowed both ways in the 10th and 11th, at a point where each challenger could have used those moments to separate from the other. Simsri was content to fight conservatively, which worked in the 10th due to the lack of activity from Araneta.
That same pace worked to Araneta’s advantage in the 11th. Simsri maintained a high, tight guard and was on the move as Araneta inched his way inside and worked his left hand.
Simsri closed out the fight with compact combinations; Araneta simply waited too long to land his power shots. The theme throughout the second half of the fight cost him on two of the three scorecards; Araneta, 25-3 (20 KOs), ended a six-fight win streak with the setback. Simsri, 39-1 (34 KOs), added to his impressive run in Japan. He is 8-1 in his home away from home – no victory bigger than his title-winning effort on Thursday.
The win also represented the 15th straight for Simsri, dating back to the September 2022 stoppage defeat by Yabuki for his lone career defeat.
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on and .