Pichit Chor Siriwat: Thai Boxing Legend’s Rise
Pichit Chor Siriwat, born Sompoch Harnvichachai, fought first as Pichitnoi Sitbangprachan. The Thai southpaw challenged WBA light-flyweight champion Leo Gámez on October 9, 1994, and lost by sixth-round TKO. The World Boxing Association’s account notes that Gámez stopped him in the sixth.
Boxing career and major results
After that loss, he returned to the title path. He won the PABA light-flyweight title in 1995, then defeated Japan’s Keiji Yamaguchi by second-round TKO on December 3, 1996, to claim the WBA world title. The WBA’s champion record lists his title bouts, including a 12-round points win over Kaaj Chartbandit in 1998.
Siriwat made five successful defenses, against Sang Chul Lee, Kaaj Chartbandit, Tae Kil Lee, Joma Gamboa and Sang Ik Yang. The WBA removed him from the title after he did not defend it within the required period in 2000. In January 2002, he challenged Rosendo Álvarez for the WBA light-flyweight title in Miami and was stopped in the 12th round. The BoxRec profile and bout record list the title reign and Alvarez fight.
He continued boxing after the Alvarez defeat. The WBA profile lists his final professional bout as an October 2007 majority-decision win over Yuki Murai in Osaka; his career record was 34 wins and 3 losses. Siriwat’s championship run was brief, but he earned the belt through a decisive upset of Yamaguchi and defended it across five successive title fights.
Sources
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
