Wanheng Menayothin’s Perfect Run Meets Its Breaking Point
Wanheng Menayothin held the WBC minimumweight championship from 2014 to 2020 and reached fifty-four professional victories before his first defeat. The Thai boxer’s long unbeaten run brought international attention to a division contested at just 105 pounds.
From regional belts to the world championship
A former national Muay Thai champion, Wanheng progressed through the WBC’s youth and regional championships before challenging Oswaldo Novoa. He took the world title in November 2014 when Novoa retired after the ninth round, beginning a reign that lasted six years.
On May 2, 2018, Wanheng stopped Leroy Estrada in the fifth round to reach 50–0. He dropped the challenger repeatedly before the referee halted the contest. The milestone matched Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s fifty-win unbeaten professional record and drew attention well beyond the minimumweight scene.
Panya ends the unbeaten sequence
Further victories took Wanheng to 54–0 before he faced Panya Pradabsri in Nakhon Sawan on November 27, 2020. Panya won a unanimous decision, with all three judges returning 115–113, and took the WBC championship.
The defeat ended the unbeaten sequence and the title reign together. Wanheng’s championship years still stand as a substantial achievement: he rose through regional competition, maintained a long run at the top of his division and made a fifty-win milestone a widely discussed boxing story. The Panya result supplied the decisive turn in that chapter, when an established champion’s perfect record finally gave way after twelve rounds.
Sources
- wbcboxing.com: figuring the numbers wbc stats
- fightnews.com: wanheng joins mayweather in the 50 0 club
Article Tags
Wanheng Menayothin, Boxing, Combat sports
