Great night of fights at the Titan King Casino in Bavet Friday night. Preview story from The Post.

1. Cheam Adam beat Sam Ounluong on points
2. Voy Sothun beat Um Dara on points
3. Lao Sinath stopped Rafael Simonides in the 4th
4. Nuon Soriya beat Danny Taylor on points
5. Thun Sophea Stopped Jason Woodham in the 3rd 4th with low kicks
6. Vorn Viva beat Dominik Zidov on points

Some photos here. Videos of the fights via Love Khmer 2007. Text story at The Phnom Penh Post.

Check out the videos. Everyone fought with tremendous heart, and there were electrifying toe-to-toe exchanges in every fight.

This guy was milling around TV5 on Sunday, saying he wanted to get in the ring. Chey Kosal has also been training, and rumor has it that he will be back in the ring soon, too, maybe as early as next week. Pich Seyha and his older brother Pich Sophan have been kicking around RCAF club training sessions recently as well. All four guys were suspended six months ago for fighting in Australia without the blessing of the boxing federation. The suspension ended December 31, 2009, about the same time when, perhaps coincidentally, the federation president who suspended them was voted out.

Mat Chwaing (Koh Kong) v Reachesay Chaokdeap … Mat Chawaing by decision. The fight ended very weirdly. With 10 seconds left in round 5 Deap stumbled and fell to one knee on his own accord. While down, Mat Chwaing kneed him in the head. Deap stood up quickly but a little bit dazed and Chawing nailed him with an elbow to score an 8 count. Deap probably won the first 3 rounds. Chwaing the 4th, and the 5th was up for grabs until the 8-count.

Pi Oy v Put Samone … Pi Oy by decision

Long Sophy v Kao Bunheng … Long Sophy by decision

Pich Sombath v Vy Sotun … Pich Sombath by decision

SATURDAY:

At CTN: Samone Luong decision over Kao Savy, Van Savy decision over Meas Sokra, and Aem Klimkhmao decision over Mun Seyla.

At Bayon: Ong Sina decision over The Samkhan, Phal Sophat decision over Heng Samrang, and Sek Kimphan lost a razor-thin decision to Aem Vichet.

SUNDAY:

At CTN: Chey Vannak decision over ???, Khim Pichchenda decision over Khon Sichan, Sung Sovan decision over Him Saran, and Rith Arun decision over Hul Dara.

At Bayon: Put Hut decision over Mat Chaya, Aem Lihto decision over Chim Sarat, and Chan Ratanak (aka the Bokotor Kid) over Sol Say.

NEXT WEEK:

Aem Vutha returns to the ring against a very tough Phon Sophana (aka Phan Phantith from Club Koh Kong) at Bayon on Sunday (57kg), and Lao Sinath faces Van Chanvey for the 60kg title at CTN, also on Sunday.

Vung Noy against Van Chanvait (60kg) at Bayon on Saturday should also be interesting, as should Morn Samet v Reachesay Chandy, two very tough fighters at 57kg,  on the same card.

A good night of fights all around. Prime Minister Hun Sen gave main event fighters $1,000 each, and undercard fighters $500 each, including the two little guys, Rith Kao and Mtes Kmang, both about 14 years old. A Russian named Mitery, who was originally scheduled to fight Thun Sophea, did not make it for unspecified reasons. He was replaced by 27-year-old Ugandan fighter Muhammad Nsubuga, who trains at Rompo Boxing Gym in Bangkok.

Rith Kao v Mtes Kmang (draw)

Khan Sovan v Lim Bunna — Khan Sovan scored a knockdown in the 4th round with an elbow on his way toward earning the decision.

Chim Sarath v Cheng Rithy — Rithy winner by decision

Bheut Kam v Harlee Avison — Bheut Kam by unanimous decision. “Shit fight,” said Avison, who struggled to find his comfort zone in absence of his regular corner team.

Nuon Soriya v Yukiya Nakamura — Nakamura by majority decision. Soriya took the early rounds easy, but faded down the stretch as Nakamura came on strong.

Thun Sophea v Muhammad Nsubugu — Sophea by 1st round TKO. Nsubugu, who is predominantly an English boxer was a last-minute replace. He went down at the first low kick. Two kicks and two knockdowns later, the fight was over. Sophea hardly broke a sweat. “It felt like it was going to break,” Nsubugu said, as he poked gingerly at his left thigh afterward. “I prefer English boxing.”

Bheut Bunthoeun v Sarim Vonthon — Thon by decision.

Him Saram v Les Tuk — Les Tuk by decision. This was a rematch of the 63.5 national championship match, and it unfolded nearly the same way. Him Saram came out strong and looked good in the early rounds, but faded down the stretch. By the fourth round Les Tuk was throwing him around the ring like a rag doll.

• Kao Roomchang (6-0, 2 KOs)
• Van Chanvey (5-1, 4 KOs)
• Long Sophy (5-1, 1 KO)
• Vung Noy (3-3, 2 KOs)

Kao Roomchang v Long Sophy happens next Sunday and could shuffle up the rankings. If Long Sophy wins, Van Chanvey will jump into first place, with Kao Roomchang, Long Sophy and Vung Noy behind him. Should Sophy KO Roomchang — a virtual impossibility, however — that would force a second place tie. I am not sure what happens in that case. But, the odds are on Kao Roomchang outpointing Long Sophy to maintain first place and his undefeated tournament record. Assuming that, the semifinal matchups look like this:

• Kao Roomchang v Vung Noi
• Van Chanvey v Long Sophy

Roomchang and Sophy are the favorites, although Van Chanvey has upset Long Sophy before. A Van Chanvey Kao Roomchang rematch for first place would be off the charts. Stay tuned.

MORE: The undercard is Him Saran v Les Tuk and Van Chanvey v Kao Roomchang. Van Chanvey and Kao Roomchang are easily the two most explosive, exciting fighters around at the moment. Not to be missed. The pair’s first matchup Aug 2 is the leading contender for 2009 fight of the year.

At Bayon on Saturday, Pao Puot outpointed Sol Say, and Phirum Pheakkdey beat somebody whose name I cannot remember.

Vorn Viva beat Charlie Gillespie by unanimous points decision. Charlie proved a very tough fighter. He withstood some very hard shots and got rocked with a straight right hand in the fifth but did not go down. In the end, it was all Viva, who was shaking his hips as the crowd chanted his name through later rounds.

Thun Sophea beat Dominik Zidov by unanimous points decision. Sophea looked a lot better on the night, and Zidov was never really in the fight. In fairness, though, Zidov was in a pretty bad motorcycle accident a few weeks ago that put 42 stitches in his head and banged him up pretty good. After the fight, Zidov said that under normal circumstances, “I could beat him.”

Sen Bunthen and Ervant “The Wolf” Atagyan fought to a draw. In the fifth round, Sen Bunthen caught a front kick from Wolf, and holding Wolf’s leg high in the air, Sen Bunthen ran him backward into the ropes and tried to kick Wolf’s head off. Wolf ducked, and instead Sen Bunthen went flying over the ropes where he crashed hard on the edge of the apron and then flipped and smacked his head on the concrete floor. He laid there for quite some time as doctors came over and had a look. I am not sure if he was out cold or not, but when he finally made it back to his feet, Sen Bunthen was still clearly dazed.

By that time the round was over, and the only decision that could be made was made. The fight was declared a draw. Until the moment Sen Bunthen went flying over the ropes, it was a very close fight. Sen Bunthen won rounds 1 and 2 easily, but Wolf came on strong in the third in a round that could have gone either way. Wolf clearly won the fourth, and an air of concern settled into the arena as the round came to a close.

Sen Bunthen came out slugging in the fifth, scoring with hard left kicks to the body, and was easily winning the round when he went flying over the ropes. But there was still half a round left, and in rounds 3 and 4, Wolf had come on hard in the later half. Impossible to know what would have happened had Sen Bunthen’s injury not occurred.

“Tough fight,” Wolf said afterward with a shake of his head and a hard exhale.

Um Dara scored a TKO victory over May Sopheap due to doctor stoppage in the fourth. Um Dara cut May Sopheap with an elbow in the third.

Cheam Adam came back from a second-round knockdown to score a 4th-round TKO over Sam Ounloung.

(PHOTOS HERE)

Nuon Likho with a broken nose, courtesy of a 2nd-round spinning back kick from Soy Phirum. Likho kept fighting as if nothing happened. But 15 seconds latter, as blood started pouring from his busted nose, referee Thy Narith called in the doctor to have a look. The doc took one look and waved the fight over.

Afterwards, Likho’s most immediate concerns were not his smashed face or the advice coming from the ringside physician. He wanted to know how soon he could fight again.

“A month?” he asked, prompting a round of nervous laughter.

“At least two,” said Nuon Soriya, who was sitting further up the bench, wrapping his hands in preparation for his fight with Bheut Kam.”Three of you’re smart.”

Bheut Kam, 14 March 09, France.

Thun Sophea,  May 23 09, Belgium. Photos courtesy of Fifi.

http://www.kunkhmer.tv/ has great video highlights of Chey Kosal v Charlie Bechwaty in Australia.