Thailand’s Noknoi Sitthiprasert and Usanakorn Kokietgym will be receiving awards from the World Boxing Council (WBC) at its 47th convention in South Korea next month.

Noknoi, currently holding the WBC youth light flyweight title, has been selected as the 2009 best youth boxer, while Usanakorn and Mexico’s Ana Maria Noknoi Sitthiprasert and Usanakorn Kokietgym Torres are picked for the best female match award of the year.

Usanakorn was defeated by super flyweight champion Torres earlier this year in Mexico, but she became the new WBC female bantamweight title holder after beating Bulgaria’s Galina Koleva Ivanova by unanimous decision in Thailand on October 5.

WBC vice-president Police General Kowit Pakdeepoom is looking to launch inquiry on Sakai Jockeygym’s death, claiming that the referee could have stopped the match earlier.

Kowit, who is scheduled to attend the WBC summit in South Korea on November 1-7, said he would propose to the council to launch inquiry on the Japanese referee in the match of Sakai and Kazuyoshi Niki held in Fukuoka, Japan, on October 12. The referee ended the bout in the 10th round to let Niki win by technical knockout. Sakai reportedly lost consciousness after getting out of the ring and passed away three hours later at the hospital from brain hemorrhage.

He said the referee could have stopped the match in the earlier round rather than allowing Sakai to suffer more injury, which led to his eventual death.

Kowit said Sakai’s case should be used to raise the standards for WBC referees who, he said, should be more cautious and ready to save lives when required. He said such tragic incident would happen again unless there is action from the WBC.

The grieving parents of the 20-year-old Thai boxer Sakai Jockeygym who passed away in Japan on Monday say they wish to see their son “for the last time” but they do not have money to pay for the body to be transported to their home in Udon Thani.

Sakai fought Japan’s Kazuyoshi Niki in an in Fukuoka on October 12 and lost to the Japanese by technical knockout in round 10. He reportedly collapsed after the match and passed away three hours later at the hospital. The cause of death was reported to be brain hemorrhage.

Sakai’s father Kling Wiangchai said he wants Sakai’s boxing gym to return his body to their home in the northeastern Thai province of Udon Thani.

WBA flyweight champion Denkaosan Kaovichit of Thailand has returned to his hometown on Samui Island and was surprised to see the festive greeting at the airport by the island’s residents.

Denkaosan had not returned home since he won over Japanese challenger Daiki Kameda in the much-publicized match in Japan last week, but when the Thai champion arrived at Samui on October 12, he was surprised by the gathering of the locals to welcome him. They held a festive traditional drum parade at the airport.

The champion would meet his parents there, but would also pay a visit to a local Chinese shrine to fulfill an oath made before the title defense match in Japan.