Kai-ting “Killer Bee” Chuang of Taiwan lost her ONE Championship kickboxing atomweight world title to 15-year veteran Muay Thai ace Stamp Fairtex at the “Kingdom of Heroes” event in the Impact Arena in Bangkok on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Chuang, who picked up boxing at the age of 16 and had used it to win a university scholarship, looked to sidestep the hometown favorite’s reach and enter boxing range, but Stamp kept her at bay with jabs and kicks to the midsection.
“Killer Bee” was repeatedly tied up by the challenger and dumped to the mat. While not legal under kickboxing rules, it showed that Stamp had a strength advantage.
Photo courtesy of ONE Championship
Unable to get past the kicks, Chuang charged in, but was dragged into clinches, where she was battered with knees until the referee separated them.
She managed to crash through the guard of a tiring Stamp in the final round, but it was too little, too late, and Stamp was awarded the title by unanimous decision.
Chuang, who trains out of Iron Boxing in Taichung, had won the title by beating Yodcherry Sityodtong of Thailand at the Battle For The Heavens Super Series Kickboxing Atomweight World Championship on July 7 in Guangzhou, China.
Chuang has a 16-5 professional record and is a three-time WAKO kickboxing champion. Stamp’s record stands at 61-15-5.
The main event was ONE Championship’s first world-class boxing match, in which Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand dominated Mexico’s Iran Diaz over 12 rounds to retain the WBC super flyweight world championship.
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