Preview: Thammanoon Niyomtrong Vs Shokichi Iwata

By James Blears

Knockout CP Freshmart, the tough, wily, and resourceful WBC light-flyweight champion from Thailand, travels to the Yokohama Budokan in Japan to defiantly defend his title for the first time against the ambitious and hungry Shokichi Iwata on Sunday, March 15th.

It is no problem for Freshmart (29-1, 11 KOs) to don his road warrior garb and take to that long and winding open road. Like many Thai fighters highway-bound, he travels to bolster his wage packet—this time with Yen. As they say, zest as well as yeast makes the bread. His “civvy” name is Thammanoon Niyomtrong; the “Freshmart” moniker comes thanks to the supermarket chain that sponsors him. He is determined to prove here and now that while he is seasoned, he remains fresh and definitely NOT past his “sell-by” date. We have arrived at the checkout counter.

The Legend vs. The Puncher

His challenger from Tokyo, Shokichi Iwata, is thirty years old—five years the champion’s junior—and a former world champion himself with appreciably less wear and tear. Statistically, Iwata is a staccato hard-hitter and a dangerous looming threat. His knockout ratio stands at a formidable 80 percent, while Knockout’s own tally is a more modest 37.93 percent. This does not make the champion quaver; he maintained one of the longest reigns in modern boxing history before being unceremoniously deposed from his previous throne.

CP held the WBA strawweight crown from 2016 to 2024, before the hard-hitting southpaw Oscar Collazo—the current nemesis of the lower divisions—stopped him in the seventh round. It remains his only defeat to date. After eleven successful defenses, including a final victory over his legendary compatriot Wanheng Menayothin, CP bounced back from the Collazo loss. Three victories later, he claimed the vacant WBC light-flyweight title by defeating the slick but slender Junior Leandro Zarate of Argentina.

That showcase event took place during the WBC’s 63rd Annual Convention at the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel in Bangkok. Standing only five-feet-one-inch tall with a sixty-one-inch reach, CP is small, compact, and physically powerful. Against Zarate, he proved that while faster boxers might land, their punches often glance off the battle-hardened veteran who was a Muay Thai champion before turning his hand to boxing. Due to his short frame, CP must “swarm” and fight at close quarters. All his opponents are taller, so he has evolved a style of bobbing and weaving that proves deceiving. The tallest oak in the forest was once just an acorn that held its ground.

Experience vs. Ambition

Shokichi Iwata (14-2, 12 KOs) stands three inches taller than CP and holds a matching three-inch reach advantage. To win, he must exploit these physical gifts to their fullest. Having held the WBO belt previously, he won’t be overawed by the occasion. While CP has fought 254 professional rounds, Iwata has contested 112. Less experience, perhaps, but younger and fresher—the classic “swings and roundabouts” of the sport. Even as an amateur, Iwata defeated the likes of Takuma Inoue and Kosei Tanaka, showing early promise that led to him being named “All Japan Rookie of the Year.”

Iwata first faltered when challenging Jonathan Gonzalez for world honors, losing a decision. He rebounded with four stoppages before winning the vacant WBO title against Jairo Noriega. Surprisingly, he lost the belt in his first defense to Puerto Rico’s Rene Santiago. His most recent outing was a seventh-round knockout of Edwin Cano last October.

The Final Toll

As we wait for the first bell to toll in Yokohama, the contrast is clear. Despite his name, Knockout CP Freshmart is a sage and tactical general rather than a “master blaster.” Conversely, Shokichi Iwata possesses genuine, raw power. Iwata’s mission is to use that power to wear down and break the champion. CP, meanwhile, must use his vast reservoir of experience to thwart, outwork, and confound the younger man.

Good things come in small packages. As this fight unwraps, we are going to see “blue riband” quality action. The question remains: which of the two will tip the balance of circumstance in his favor? Golden Autumn or verdant Spring?

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