Hall of Fame awaits boxer... but only after retirement

Record-breaking Thai fighter Pongsaklek Wongjongkam must wait until he retires before entering the World Boxing Council's (WBC) Hall of Fame, WBC president Jose Sulaiman said. The Thai southpaw, who has made 16 straight defences of the flyweight title...

Record-breaking Thai fighter Pongsaklek Wongjongkam must wait until he retires before entering the World Boxing Council's (WBC) Hall of Fame, WBC president Jose Sulaiman said.

The Thai southpaw, who has made 16 straight defences of the flyweight title he won in 2001, will be enshrined along with the likes of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier but only five years after he hangs up his gloves, Sulaiman said.

"I'm afraid he must wait to be part of the Hall of Fame, even though he has won his place already," he said.

The 29-year-old, who hails from Thailand's impoverished northeast, will instead be honoured at the WBC's annual convention in Manila this year.

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