Jo Nattawut Smothers Hasan Toy to Retain Title in Lion Fight 33 Main Event

Jo Nattawut proved once again that he is one of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighters as he thoroughly outclassed Hasan Toy in the main event of Lion Fight 33. “Smokin” Jo cruised past Toy en route to a unanimous five-round decision to retain his super welterweight championship in front of a raucous crowd inside Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

Nattawut (60-6-2) picked apart the challenger with crushing kicks to the body and legs. Toy (19-9) continuously tried to turn the tides, but the Atlanta-based two-division champ was superb and never allowed his foe to get into any sort of rhythm. The Turk seemed on the verge of being stopped late in the fight but he was as durable as Nattawut was electric; the massive bruising on his body evidence.

In the end, Nattawut never lost a minute of the fight and was awarded the judges’ nod via tallies of 50-45 on all three cards, capping off a terrific night of Muay Thai on AXS TV. After his triumph, Nattawut called out fellow Thai star Yodsanklai Fairtex.

In the co-feature, Regian Eersel pulverized Jake Purdy and took him out in the second to capture the Lion Fight super middleweight title. Eersel dropped Purdy in the first with a perfectly-timed straight right to the jaw and then again in the second from an uppercut on the inside. Moments later, Eersel (44-4) flattened his foe with a thudding knee to the head, a strike that splayed Purdy (27-7-1) face-first on the canvas. The official time of the sensational knockout was 2:41 of the second.

Women’s lightweight queen Antonina Shevchenko was too much for Ilona Wijmans as she picked her apart or five rounds. “The Panther” was on the prowl throughout and prevented most of the Dutch fighter’s attacks, nullifying her aggressive style throughout. In the end, Shevchenko retained her title with a unanimous decision with scores of 50-45 on all three cards.

In other action, Chip Moraza-Pollard edged Brett Hlavacek via split decision; lightweight Yeison Berdugo defeated Anthony Craparo via unanimous nod; and PJ Sweda pulled off a split decision win against Andres Jeudi in a terrific middleweight bout that opened the telecast.