Thai prison champ defends her title

**PizDoff** · Posted On: 8/15/2007 11:22pm

Thai prison champ defends her title

Wed Aug 15, 12:08 PM

BANGKOK (AFP) - A convicted Thai drug dealer who had her sentence reduced after winning a world championship boxing bout defended her title Wednesday, two months after her release from prison.
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Siriporn Taweesuk, known in the ring as "Samson," beat Japanese opponent Anri Nagagawa in her first match since winning the World Boxing Council (WBC) female light flyweight title in April.

The 24-year-old, who was released in June, dominated the Japanese boxer known as "The Fighting Angel" throughout 10 rounds, with the judges unanimously giving Siriporn a victory with 98-91, 98-91 and 99-91 points.

Unlike Siriporn's last fight, which took place behind the bars of a prison with an audience of inmates, Wednesday's bout was held in the relative calm of a department store on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Nagagawa, ranked 13 by the WBC, sauntered into the ring in a pink shawl with fluffy trim, but the Thai champ was clearly on form as she aggressively pursued her opponent, knocking her down in the seventh round.

The 27-year-old Japanese fighter avoided a knock-out, but was unable to stage a comeback, giving Siriporn her ninth win.

Siriporn served more than six years of her 10-year sentence for selling small amounts of narcotics, but won early release when she beat Japan's Ayaka Miyano for the light flyweight title.

Since leaving jail, Siriporn has been living nearby and returns to the Women's Correctional Institute for Drug Addicts almost daily to train other inmates keen to take up boxing.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/07081...ha_jpn_offbeat