Golden Boy’s signing of minimumweight king Wanheng Menayothin last July will finally produce the first stateside fight of the 33-year-old’s career in the coming months. He is reportedly set to face 20-year-old Filipino challenger Marco John Rementizo on April 25th in Palm Springs, California.
There’s no confirmation yet, but one would assume that the bout will air on DAZN alongside GBP’s other content.
Wanheng (54-0, 18 KO) will be competing outside of Thailand for the first time in 13 years as a professional. His two-fight 2019 saw him take a technical decision over former foe Tatsuya Fukuhara and a unanimous one over division standout Simpiwe Konkco, whom BoxRec has ranked #4 worldwide.
Also, if anyone’s curious as to why I’m using “Wanheng” instead of “Menayothin”: Thai fighters generally compete under their ring name and gym/sponsor. For instance, kickboxing great Buakaw Por Pramuk became Buakaw Banchamek after switching gyms. Same deal here, so I’m sticking with the bit that stays constant.
Rementizo (12-3, 9 KO) doesn’t figure to spoil the party. He’s fallen short in his biggest fights to date, losing to future title challengers Samuel Salva and Tanawat “Satanmuanglek CP Freshmart” Nakoon; both Salva and unheralded MJ Bo put Rementizo away in the first round.
Hopefully this will just be a stepping-stone on the way to a major fight. While coaxing Knockout CP Freshmart to the States might be too much to ask, I could definitely see Wanheng facing IBF champ Pedro Taduran or WBO titlist Wilfredo Mendez.