'Muay Thai Saint' Buakaw fails to defeat Japanese boxer, reveals about match with Pacquiao

Video of the match between Buakaw Banchamek and Kouzi Tanaka.

On the evening of October 19, Buakaw Banchamek faced off against Kouzi Tanaka (Japan) in the first 70kg boxing match at the Martial Arts EXPO event in the land of the rising sun. This was the first time the 42-year-old Thai boxer competed in boxing. The match lasted 3 rounds, each round lasting 3 minutes, and there was no winner or loser decided without a knockout.

Kouzi Tanaka (35 years old) is a famous boxer in Japan. In the first round, Buakaw raised both hands to cover his face in a defensive position. Kouzi Tanaka threw many punches but did not cause much trouble for Buakaw. The 42-year-old Thai boxer threw punches in return and even invited Kouzi Tanaka to attack.

In the second round, Kouzi Tanaka faced fierce blows from the Thai fighter. Buakaw even pushed Kouzi Tanaka into the corner of the ring to attack.

Buakaw Banchamek unleashed a storm of punches against boxer Kouzi Tanaka

In the third round, Buakaw took the initiative to attack, throwing straight right punches and several hooks. According to Thai newspaper Sanook , although Koji tried to escape and counterattack, the Japanese fighter was still cornered and received a series of strong punches to the face.

However, Buakaw's attacks were not enough to knock out Kouzi Tanaka. After three rounds, with no knockout, the referee declared the match a draw.

Speaking to the media, Buakaw revealed that this was a preparation match for his fight with legendary Filipino boxer, Manny Pacquiao. The match between Buakaw and Pacquiao was scheduled to take place in April this year but was postponed and it is still unclear when the two boxers will clash.

" I'm not disappointed with this fight because we knew the rules from the beginning that if there is no knockout, it will be a draw. And this is my first time boxing. I see this fight as a test, a warm-up before meeting Manny Pacquiao. Let's see how it goes ," Buakaw said of the draw with Kouzi Tanaka. Buakaw also said he will continue to fight in China next November but in kickboxing.

In July of this year, Buakaw Banchamek participated in the K-1 World MAX 2024 kickboxing tournament but suffered a defeat against Bulgarian opponent Stoyan Koprivlenski. Despite losing to Stoyan Koprivlenski, the Thai newspaper Khaosod reported that Buakaw received 10 million baht (US$274,000) for the fight.

In March 2024, Buakaw Banchamek won by knockout over Japanese-born Brazilian boxer Minoru Kimura in a kickboxing match at the RIZIN Landmark 9 event in the land of the rising sun.

Son Tung

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/thanh-muay-buakaw-khong-ha-duoc-vo-si-nhat-ban-tiet-lo-ve-tran-gap-pacquiao-ar902752.html