WBC Champ Panya Pradabsri Traveling to Japan For Yudai Shigeoka Defense
Thailand’s Panya Pradabsri (39-1, 23 KOs) is taking the show on the road to defend the WBC minimumweight title against Japan’s Yudai Shigeoka (6-0, 4 KOs) on April 16 at the Yoyogi 2nd Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME
The defending champion is a fighter who seems to be in his prime. He won the title in November 2020 with a unanimous decision over the previous long-reigning WBC champion Wanheng Menayothin.
Pradabsri has defended the title three times and has shown himself to be an outstanding fighter. His last outing was a unanimous decision victory over Norihito Tanaka in August 2022.
COMING FROM A FIGHTING FAMILY
He next faces Shigeoka, ranked fourth by the WBC, third by the WBA and WBO, and eleventh by the IBF at 105. The 25-year-old is the older brother of fellow world-ranked minimumweight Ginjiro Shigeoka.
The younger brother may get more hype and publicity from observers of lower-weight divisions, but Yudai is an excellent fighter in his own right. A southpaw, Yudai is patient and skilled with power in both hands.
WHAT MAKES THIS ONE WORTH WATCHING?
For Pradabsri, it’s his first time defending the title away from his home country. How will the 32-year-old deal with fighting in a different environment? Can Shigeoka’s youth and natural talent overcome Pradabsri’s vast experience? This is a low-key fascinating matchup.
