Zou Shiming’s trainer Freddie Roach slams ‘dirty’ opponent Kwanpichit as world title showdown is confirmed

Chinese boxer will take on Thai in November in Las Vegas

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Zou Shiming smiles during a tv interview in June. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan).

Published: 10:29am, 28 Sep 2016Updated: 10:59pm, 28 Sep 2016

Legendary trainer Freddie Roach accused Thailand’s Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym of fighting dirty on Tuesday as a world title showdown with Chinese Olympic star Zou Shiming – revealed by the SCMP this week – was confirmed in Las Vegas.

Roach, who trains Zou, said he has warned the 35-year-old to beware bruising tactics from Kwanpichit when the two boxers fight for the vacant World Boxing Organization flyweight world title on November 5 in Las Vegas.

Zou has beaten Kwanpichit once before, pummelling the Thai to defeat in an unanimous decision victory in Macau in 2014.

But Roach said Kwanpichit, whose birth name is Prasitak Papoem, had resorted to underhanded tactics en route to that defeat.

China's Zou Shiming, right, lands a right to the head of Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym of Thailand during their WBO flyweight boxing match at the Venetian Macao in Macau, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014. Zou treated the home crowd to an entertaining win Sunday, knocking down Kwanpichit three times on his way to a foul-plagued unanimous decision on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Chris Algieri title fight. ( (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

“Prasitak may look like Manny Pacquiao but he sure doesn’t fight like him,” Roach said. “He’s dirty as hell.