Rizan wins WBC Asia Continental bantamweight title

He was floored at least five times by his younger opponent, but he refused to throw in the towel.

Singaporean boxer Mohamad Nor Rizan's never-say-die spirit was rewarded when he knocked out Thailand's Piched Chianawa in the ninth round to win the World Boxing Council (WBC) Asia Continental bantamweight title at The Pavilion at Far East Square last night.

Speaking to The New Paper at ringside after his victory, Rizan was delighted with his hard-fought win over the 24-year-old Thai.

"I knew his game plan, and I was able to read it," said the boxer, who turned 39 last month.

"He knew that I am much older, and wouldn't have the endurance.

"So he tried to go for a knockout from the fifth round onwards, but I was already prepared for a 10-round fight.

"My birthday was last month so this knockout win is definitely a birthday present for me."

Rizan attributed his victory to killer instinct.

He said: "I didn't predict that I'll win by a knockout because I had conditioned myself to go the full 10 rounds.

"At the end of the day, it all boiled down to what I did in training.

"My reflexes were instinctive."

The first five rounds of the bout saw the two fighters throwing careful hooks at each other.

KILLER BLOW

The fight sprang to life in the sixth round, as Piched threw a barrage of haymakers to Rizan's body for a good two minutes.

The Thai's valiant effort to knock down the Singaporean soon came back to haunt him.

Rizan pounded him with clinical jabs to his face in the ninth round, before delivering the killer blow in the 46th second with a right straight.

In another bout, Singaporean Zakaria Ismail earned a split-draw decision in his professional boxing debut against American Will Chope.