SOMSAK SITHCHATCHAWAL vs. MAHYAR MONSHIPOUR

By Dan Rafael
of ESPN.com

No, the fight was not on American television.

No, you've probably never heard of either guy.

And, no, it ain't easy to pronounce their names.

However, it is easy to declare that on March 18, 2006, in the Levallois-Perret section of suburban Paris, Thailand's Somsak Sithchatchawal and Iranian-born, French citizen Mahyar Monshipour fought a sublime and exceptional fight, one of the greatest in recent boxing history.

Get yourself a DVD of the Canal telecast or watch this mesmerizing battle thanks to that anonymous and wonderful soul who uploaded it to www.youtube.com in four parts. Just do yourself a favor and watch it. You won't ever forget it.

As a boxing fan, it's your duty. When you're done, you'll know exactly why it was the no-brainer choice as Fight of the Year.

For nine-plus incredible rounds, Sithchatchawal, who won the WBA junior featherweight title, and Monshipour, making his fifth defense, relentlessly pounded each other like their lives depended on winning.

They each landed dozens of clean, searing shots. There were more head-snapping uppercuts landed than in all six "Rocky" movies put together.

Numerous times during the rocking, two-way action, the French announcers had trouble containing themselves. "Oooooooooooh la la la la la! Oooooooooooh la la la la la," they would cry on a regular basis.

This was raw, unvarnished, jaw-dropping brutality.

Every single round was action packed, from the opening frame, in which Sithchatchawal scored a knockdown all the way to the 10th round, when British referee John Coyle stopped the violence with Monshipour out on his feet against the ropes.

Other than counting for the first-round knockdown, stopping the fight was about the only thing Coyle needed to do since there was almost no clinching.

How the fight lasted as long as it did is a testament to their warrior hearts because it wasn't like these guys were feather-fisted punchers. In their 73 combined wins entering the fight, 55 had ended in a knockout.

Rounds 1, 3, 5, 9 and 10 were phenomenal with the ninth worthy of Round of the Year honors. Rounds 2, 4, 6, 7 and 8 were merely outstanding.

Through the first four rounds, it was clear this was a doozy. The nonstop punchfest of the fifth round sent it up a notch. The sick ninth round put the fight into the "special" category. The dramatic 10th-round stoppage sealed the deal.

Monshipour was getting ravaged by southpaw Sithchatchawal's right hooks before he turned the tables and appeared close to a stoppage victory with 80 seconds to go in the 10th.

But Sithchatchawal staged his own rally and finally forced Monshipour to retreat when he landed four huge overhand lefts before momentarily slipping to the canvas. He immediately bounced up. Coyle didn't dare interrupt the action, instead letting it go without wiping off the gloves. Sithchatchawal then landed five crunching uppercuts followed by a left and a right to drive Monshipour into the ropes before Coyle stopped the epic war with 20 seconds left in the round.

The postscript: Monshipour, having been in several brutal fights, retired at age 30. Sithchatchawal, 29, went home to Thailand and was stopped Oct. 4 by Celestino Caballero in the third round of his first defense.

Monshipour and Sithchatchawal are both gone from the championship scene, but their awesome display will never be forgotten.