UBO Challenger: Suriya Tatakhun

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FEBRUARY 5, 2022 / BY UBO PRESS OFFICER

He turned professional at nineteen in 2003, and won the WBC Asian Boxing Council Featherweight title in what was his fifth, at least officially recorded, fight.

He then went on to make an astounding twenty-seven successful defences of the WBC title, and squeezed in winning the WBO Asia Pacific title in between, a belt he defended four times in separate bouts.

After almost nine years of going undefeated, 43-0 (29), he finally got his first world title-shot in November of 2012 against WBA champion Chris John (47-0-2) in Singapore.

 

Tatakhun fared well, but lost a unanimous decision to the iconic Indonesian, who was making his seventeenth world title-defense.

The fight showed that Tatakhun belonged at world level, and after scoring eight more victories he was rewarded with his second world title fight in November of 2014.

Unfortunately it was against another iconic fighter in WBO Super Featherweight ruler Vasyl Lomachenko from Ukraine, who scored a wide unanimous decision in Macao.

Nine wins later Tatakhun got a third opportunity in the summer of 2016, this time against Mexican Miguel Berchelt, in Mexico, for the WBO Interim World Super Featherweight title.

 

Unfortunately it was not “third-time-lucky” for Tatakhun, who was cut over the left eye in round two, which made it difficult for him to see and eventually resulted in him getting floored twice and stopped in round four.

After the Berchelt fight Tatakhun was inactive for two-and-a-half years, but returned with a victory in 2018 on home soil.

In January of 2020 he received his fourth crack at world honours, the UBO World Lightweight title, but on a rainy night in Tanga, Tanzania he was stopped in seven rounds by Salimu Jengo.

Currently 61-8 (41), Tatakhun is still active at thirty-seven, and less than a year ago he challenged for the WBA Asia Super Lightweight title in Bangkok.