Chinese boxer Zou Shiming took on Prasitsak Papoem of Thailand for the vacant WBO flyweight title on Saturday. Zou is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and the Chinese fighter was looking to win his first professional boxing crown since he turned pro in 2013.

China's Zou Shiming took on Prasitsak Papoem of Thailand for the vacant WBO flyweight title on Saturday.

The 35-year-old Zou was full of confidence as he had defeated Papoem two years ago in Macau, beating the Thai in an unanimous decision.

Papoem, meanwhile, was riding a two-year, 12-bout winning streak. All of those victories came via knockout.

But the Thai was unable to close in on Zou, who used his superior defensive skills to stay out of trouble. Zou started quickly by winning the opening round.

The Guizhou native then got a clear upper hand in the second. With about a minute to go in the round, Zou sent Kwanpichit to the canvas with a perfectly timed right hook to the side of the head.

Zou had a bigger size and reach advantage. And he made full use of those. Zou continued to take control in the following rounds, giving his Thai rival plenty of punishment. He used a steady jab and combination punches to keep the more aggressive Papoem at bay.

The Thai, meanwhile, turned desperate, as Zou continued to dominate in the second half of the fight. And Papoem realized that his only way of a comeback was by knockout. But perfect footwork and defence technique from Zou made it mission impossible.

Zou won the bout by unanimous decision. Two judges had it 120-107, while the other scored it 119-108. Zou posted his second win over Papoem, and won his first professional title.