Argentine boxer Junior Zárate will fight this Thursday in Thailand for the world title in the minimumweight category of the World Boxing Council (WBC), one of the most prestigious associations in world boxing.
According to the Argentine News Agency, the 36-year-old Argentine, born in Florencio Varela, arrives with a record of 26-5, with nine fights won by knockout, and will face the local Thammanoon Niyomtrong.
The fight for the vacant title in the lightest weight class of professional boxing will take place in Bangkok, Thailand, at an estimated time of 10:00 (Argentine time).
Almost two weeks after the defeat of super bantamweight Fernando "Puma" Martínez, who was the only Argentine world champion, Argentine boxing can once again have a boxer at the top, with Junior Zárate's next fight.
Known as "The Demon", Zárate finds himself, for the second time in his career, with the possibility of becoming a world champion.
The Argentine made his professional debut in 2016, in the super bantamweight division, and remained undefeated in his first four fights.
Zárate was a visitor in South Africa and faced Mpumelelo Tshabalala, although he was defeated by a split decision. After that defeat, the Argentine again won two Latin titles, from the WBC and the WBO in minimumweight, and finds himself at the opportunity of his career, although he will have a tough rival in front of him.
The Thai, 35 years old, is considered one of the best in the world in the category and maintains a record of 28-1, with 11 knockouts in his favor and only one against him. Niyomtrong arrives as the Asian champion of the WBC, after defeating his compatriot Roland Toyogon by points, and was a junior world champion with seven successful defenses.
His only defeat came when fighting for the WBO world title, in November of last year and at the Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia, when he was knocked out in the seventh round by Puerto Rican Oscar Collazo.
His first fight for a title came two years later, for the national flyweight championship, although he lost by a unanimous decision to Juan José Jurado. A year later he would take the aforementioned title in the flyweight category, by winning by points against Jurado himself, and fought for the South American minimumweight title, in his debut in the category, although he lost to Leandro Blanc in September 2021.
From there, a streak of 10 consecutive wins, with four technical knockouts, turned Zárate into the Latin super flyweight champion of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and the WBC and, subsequently, the Latin minimumweight champion, in the associations of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and WBO.
His first world opportunity came last September, which was also his debut abroad.
