Can WBC minimumweight champ Wanheng Menayothin reach 55-0, or beyond?
Last month, the incredible Thai fighter with the amazing 54-0 record surprised everyone by announcing his retirement from boxing. The 34 year old made the announcement via social media, writing how he knows his body better than anyone, that he wanted to “heal my body.”
But soon after, Menayothin had a change of heart. In fact, Eric Gomez of Golden Boy, who recently signed Menayothin, told Sky Sports that the fighter made his retirement announcement largely out of frustration due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, that Menayothin “retired” out of sheer emotion. Now happy about fighting again, Menayothin’s U.S debut is being worked on.
“It had a lot to do with the pandemic. There is a lot of uncertainty and sadness in the world. I think he felt frustrated with everything going on. I think he said it out of emotions,” Gomez said of Menayothin’s retirement announcement. “We have spoken to his handlers who told us it was something emotional. He saw what is going on around the world and boxing isn’t so important right now. But luckily they came back and said: ‘He will consider fighting again, he was just being emotional.’ We said: ‘Great, we will support him.’ We really want to bring him to the U.S so people can see how talented he really is. Once we get a date going for him, then we’ll look at opponents.”
So, how far can Menayothin get? It would be great to see this amazing fighter, one who had been so dedicated for so many years, reach something like 56-0, or 57-0. Who knows if Menayothin can do it. Of course, it would be awful if Menayothin actually lost in his U.S debut. He is the best in the world at the weight, Gomez says, and there isn’t really anyone who disagrees. The weight class is pretty thin in terms of quality fighters but this should not take anything away from Menayothin and his achievements.
It will be interesting to see just where in America Menayothin fights, and who his challenger will be.
