Fourth-ranked challenger Thanongsak Simsri of Thailand, surviving a 10th-round knockdown, pounded out a 12-round unanimous decision over Miel Fajardo of the Philippines to wrest the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation light flyweight title on Apr. 13 in Osaka.

The three judges scored the fight 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110, all in favor of the 23-year-old Thanongsak, who fights out of Green Tsuda Boxing Gym in Japan.

Fighting at EDION Arena Osaka’s annex, both got off to a relatively quiet start, although Thanongsak slightly controlled the fight by throwing well-timed overhand rights while moving side to side in the first nine rounds.

The 24-year-old Fajardo, ranked fourth in the world by the International Boxing Federation, showed his mettle in the 10^th round as he sent Thanongsa to the canvas with a wild left hook to the head.

  But Thanongsak managed to beat the count and fended off his opponent’s attack with deft footwork and ended the fight on top.

  With the win, Thanongsak, ranked fourth in the division by the World Boxing Organization, improved his record to 33 wins, including 30 knockouts, against a loss. For his part, Fajardo, who failed in his first defense of the title he captured last August, sagged to an 11-2-2 win-loss-draw tally with 10 KOs.