At the age of 24, Fai Phannarai has already made a name for herself in professional boxing. The WBF and WIBF super bantamweight title holder talks about her sporting goals and much more in BOXSPORT.
Hello Fai, you’ll be back in the ring on October 3 to face Australian Shannon O’Connell. How important is this fight for you?
Fai Phannarai: The fight is very important for me, it will be a tough task. I’m defending both my WBF and WIBF world championship belts against Shannon O’Connell in Hamburg. She is 17 years older than me and has been a professional for 13 years, so she has a lot of experience.
How strong do you think your opponent is?
Shannon is a very strong boxer. If only because of her speed and punch. She is also a very clever boxer. Her fight name is “Shotgun”, which describes her fighting style very well. She fights venomously and her punches really do come out of the cannon. It will be an extremely interesting match. If I win, I’ll have a good chance of raising my profile in international women’s boxing.
The WBO already lists you in second place, the IBF in sixth. Will you be aiming for a world title with one of the four major world federations in the foreseeable future?
I always set my goals step by step and don’t rush things. But I think that’s the dream and goal of every boxer.
Is there a female boxer in your limit that you would like to fight one day?
I have a few favorites that I would like to get into the ring with at some point. For example, with WBC world champion Yamileth Mercado, the absolute number
one in the Superbantam. Ellie Scotney, who holds the IBF and WBO world championship belts, would also be an opponent who I think could be a top match.
You can find the full interview, which covers topics such as fights at school and Phannarai’s childhood in Thailand, in the current issue of our app. You can download the app here(Android / IOS). There will also be a second part of the interview with the likeable boxer from “Boxen im Norden” in the next issue.
Interview by Frank Schwantes