Thai Kaew hands Flissi a boxing lesson
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Veteran light flyweight Kaew Pongprayoon made light work of Algeria's Mohamed Flissi to ensure Thailand have two fighters in the last16 round of the boxing competition.
Kaew’s triumph in the preliminary round of the 49kg category followed flyweight Chatchai Butdee’s emphatic win as both fighters made successful debuts in the Games, leaving Sailom Ardee the only loser among the three-member Thai team.
The 32-year-old Kaew has previously been overlooked for national selection in the smallest weight division because of his small frame. Now, the diminutive Kaew knows that time is running out for him as he chases Olympic glory before hanging up his gloves for good.
With the London Games possibly his first and last appearance in the Olympics, Kaew is determined to make the most of the belated opportunity.
Roared on by a noisy group of Thai fans at the venue, the Thai fighter came out swinging from the opening bell, but found the elusive Algerian a difficult target, making it tough for Kaew the rest of the round.
After taking a singlepoint lead from the opening round, Kaew found it much easier in the second, landing three successive blows with his right and profiting from counterpunches to extend his advantage to 14-9.
Flissi, who spent time training in Thailand for the Games, tried to up the tempo in the final round but the Thai used his vast experience to easily fend off the Algerian’s late surge, eventually recording a comfortable 19-11 win.
“I’m not very happy with the way I boxed today. It took a while for me to recover from the slow start. He was my sparring partner when he trained in our country,” said Kaew, who next faces Carlos Pilataxi of Ecuador on Saturday.
“It will be a tight fight,” Kaew said.
