Thailand’s Manus Boonjumnong, right, lands a powerful right to the face of Yuusov Behzodbek in the welterweight final of the King’s Cup Amateur International Boxing Tournament yesterday.

Three Thai fighters led by Athens Olympic gold medallist Manus Boonjumnong sealed gold medals to help the Kingdom retain the overall title in the 29th King's Cup Amateur International Boxing Tournament at the Mall's Ngamwongwan branch yesterday.

Thailand's chances of defending the overall crown initially looked bleak as only four Thai boxers made their way into the finals while Uzbekistan had seven from a total of eleven finals. However, only five out of Uzbekistan's seven were eligible for point calculation because in the other two categories - the heavyweight and super heavyweight classes - there were fewer than eight boxers competing in the divisions.

When Amnaj Reanreong was beaten in the opening final in the light flyweight division, it looked like Thailand's hopes was all over bar the shouting. However, veteran Somjit Jongjorhor and Sailom Ar-dee quickly put the hosts back into contention before the Ratchaburi-born Manus, who has the status of a hero, clinched the victory, which ensured the prestigious title remains in the country.

The fight between Manus and Yuusov Behzodbek in welterweight class was the decider to determine which country won the overall title. Despite the huge burden on his shoulders, Manus brushed aside the pressure to register a comfortable 27-12 win.

The victory helped Thailand tie with Uzbekistan at 32 but the title went to the hosts because they won more divisions.

Light flyweight Amnaj's fairytale run in the competition had a bitter ending when the 26-year-old failed to produce the form that propelled him to upstage Zou Shiming, a household name in China after he won the bronze medal at the Athens Olympics and the Asian Games gold medal in Doha.

The stress of fighting his first international tournament final seemed to get the better of Amnaj, as he was second best to Tajikistan's Dostiev Sherali for a large part of the bout.

Although Amnaj, who hails from Chon Buri, upped the ante in the final round, it proved too late, as Sherali preferred not to exchange any blows and held on to clinch a narrow 15-14 win.

In the flyweight division, veteran Somjit drew on his vast experience to tame the pugnacious Jitender Kumar of India in a rematch of last year's final. With the highly-polished performance Somjit put in throughout the competition, it was no surprise when he was given the best boxer award.

The 32-year-old Somjit, who claimed the silver medal in the Asiad in Qatar, started strongly. The ringside doctor had to check the Indian after Somjit's right caught his opponent's face, causing blood to gush from his nose.

Somjit remained on top in the next round, alternating body and face shots to extend the advantage to 13-2. Despite enjoying a healthy lead, the Thai refused to take his foot off the pedal and ended up winning an impressive 24-3 victory.

In the lightweight class, rising star Sailom's fledging career took full flight with a glittering win over Tajikistan's Marufjon Fayzuloev.

After an uneventful opening round, which saw the two boxers rarely throw a punch, Sailom picked up the pace in the remaining rounds before closing it out 23-12.