Knockout CP Freshmart let his class shine through in a comprehensive fifth round knockout win over Go Odaira Wednesday in Chonburi, Thailand to make the second successful defense of his WBA strawweight title.
Freshmart (15-0, 7 knockouts) lived up to his ring name, scoring his first stoppage in nearly two years, with a left uppercut followed by a right hand launching Odaira (13-6-3, 1 KO) to the canvas, where he was counted out at the 1:07 mark, 53 seconds faster than Freshmart’s Thai compatriot and WBC titleholder Wanheng Menayothin finished him, almost a year ago to the day.
The loss is Odaira’s third in his last five fights dating back to 2014, when he was stopped in seven by Katsunari Takayama for the vacant IBF and WBO 105-pound titles, meaning he’d fought for all four of the major belts in just a couple of years.
Odaira, 32, of Yokohama, Japan, started the fight moving and getting off first with his wider southpaw punches but, by the second round, Freshmart’s pressure and body punching made Odaira fight more than he had wanted.
The first knockdown came in round four, when Knockout landed a right hand high on the head and followed it up with another shot to Odaira’s backside as he stumbled to the canvas. With Odaira’s legs weakening and Knockout’s body punching both relentless and digging, it was just a matter of time before the fight ended.
Freshmart, 26, of Surin, Thailand, is the No. 2 contender at 105 pounds in THE RING magazine’s ratings, just behind Menayothin.
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