Hello Everyone,

I'm going to present an article about the history of Muay Thai due to many reasons. First, I love the Southeast Asian Boxing styles of Lethwei, Pradal Serey, Tomoi, Muay Lao, and Muay Thai! They're REAL FIGHTING ARTS! Second, I want to show how the history of Muay Thai has been documented with evidence to prove it's validity when compared to Kung Fu San Soo. Kung Fu San Soo has no real support for it's historical claims (REMEMBER, THERE IS NOT A TRACE OF THE ART IN CHINA AT ALL!) other than a guy named Chin Siu Dek (who would take the name Jimmy H. Woo) came to America and
began teaching it and making claims it was an ancient fighting art. Woo claims he brought two ancient Chinese fighting manuals with him. Funny how no one in the KFSS community can claim to have seen the texts and what they actually say! This is a great article about the history and validity of Muay Thai. A link has been provided, but here is the text.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2014/7/31/5854816/muay-thai-mma-martial-artshistory-ufc

(Beginning of Article)

If you've just tuned in for round four, you're in for a treat as Bloody Elbow
brings you the latest installment of 'The Beginners Guide to Muay Thai'.
Whilst this part will take us back to the beginning of the sport, I'd recommend
going back and reading the rest of the series to give you a better
grounding on the themes of the series.

Part one was an overview of what is holding the Bangkok Muay Thai
scene back from being a mainstream sport. Part two looked at the journey
from rural farm boy to Bangkok prizefighter. And part three looked at the
way fighters are treated and their career options after hanging up their
gloves.

In this part, we will take a look at the mythical beginnings of Muay Thai, as
well as travelling through the 20th century and witnessing the development
of Muay Thai into the fully-fledged sport it is today.

I will be mentioning a lot of fighters in this article. If there is a link when
they're mentioned, it may offer more information or videos you won't see
embedded in this article. If they're good enough to be mentioned here, it's
very likely they will receive an article focused just on their careers before
long, so if it is a little light on information about their story, bear with me:
This series is just the beginning of Bloody Elbow's Muay Thai coverage!
The Roots of Muay Thai
It's very hard to establish just where Muay Thai comes from. As someone
who has only a basic understanding of South East Asian history, I only have
an overview of Indo-Chinese martial arts.
Even scholars have admitted it's difficult to get a rounded picture of the
timeline, as invading countries sacking lands for centuries meant
documentation was destroyed, and we rely on a mainly oral history.
The idea is that Chinese and Indian combat styles influenced the middle
ground of lands that would become Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia and
Thailand.

There are instances of art from the middle ages that demonstrate a
knowledge of attacks that would comprise Muay Thai, such as temples in
Cambodia. The below example, of a kick to fend off a demon (the
Hindu/Buddhist Sun-swallower Rahu) likely dates from the 12th-13th
century.
These techniques were used on the battlefield in close quarters combat.
Burma, Thailand and Cambodia were warring with each other for centuries,
and they honed their fighting skills on the battlefield.
The Legend
Ask your standard Westerner who the greatest boxer is of all time, and even
if they're not a fan of the sport they will likely have an answer for you. Your
grandma will know who Muhammad Ali is, and the fairweather fan will likely
be able to provide you with the name of either of the 'Sugar' Ray's, or Mike
Tyson. Whether they have a grounding in the history of boxing or not, most
people will know at least one great boxer.
Outside of the hardcore Muay Thai fans and gamblers, most people don't
know who the best Muay Thai fighters are. There aren't many household
names, as I showed in part three.
Ask any average Thai who the greatest Muay Thai fighter is of all time and
they'll likely mention a folk hero who is known to every Thai.
The story starts during the war between neighbouring countries Ayutthaya
(Siam, which in time would become Thailand) and the Konbaaung Dynasty
(Burma) between 1765-67.

At the time of the 1765 war, Ayutthaya was a burgeoning empire acquiring
new territories and solidifying wide-reaching trade relationships. Just half a
decade removed from their last major conflict with the Burmese, the land
which would become Thailand had in fact been at war with it's neighbour for
centuries.

This war wasn't close to a victory for the Thai's. The Burmese invaded and
secured a victory, smashing the Ayutthaya Kingdom and ending it once and
for all. A style which is now known as Muay Boran was practised by the
Thay's (Thai) as military self defence, though to what extent is hard to
establish as the Burmese destroyed historical records.
This is where the legend comes into play. The tale, which cannot be
corroborated, says that Nai Khanom Tom, a Thai prisoner of the Burmese
and a practitioner of Muay Boran fighting techniques, defeated no less
than nine of the Burmese fighters in a row, and was rewarded by the
Burmese king for his bravery and skill.
That is the gist of things, but as I say, pretty much impossible to know to how
much of it is true or the finer details. What is known, is that Nai Khanom Tom
is still revered to this day, with a statue built to honour him and every
year the Thai's remember him with a day of celebration.
He certainly embodies the spirit of Muay Thai. Aggressive, respectful and
downright nails. The ancient techniques of Muay Boran can still be seen in
theatrical exhibitions, for tourists, such as this one at Lumpinee
Stadium.
Nai Khanom Tom was not to be the last of the great Siamese warriors. The
Chinese invaded Burma, and with their forces over stretched the Burmese
had to pull back behind their lines.
By 1782 Siam had been reconciled, with a new lineage of monarchy
established which lasts to this day, and the capital moved from Thonburi on
the West side of the Chao Phraya River, to Bangkok, on the East Side.

Game of Thrones
The Chakri Dynasty has ruled Thailand since the relocating of it's capital to
Bangkok. The first monarch of the Chakri Dynasty was Phraphutthayotfa
Chulalok, a military general under the previous King, Taksin.
Taksin was a King Lear figure, and with his sanity in question he
was removed from power by a coup. It's hard to get a grip on what actually
happened as accounts vary, but what is certain is that Chulalok, away fighting
in Cambodia, came back, crushed the coup, seized power and relocated the
capital to Bangkok.
Whether the coup was his doing, and what happened to Taksin after Yodafa
Chulalok took over is the subject of debate.
How much Yodfa Chulalok knew of (or influenced) Muay Thai is impossible to
estimate, but as a military general it must be assumed that he would've been
trained in the Siamese form of hand-to-hand combat.
Later generations gave him the title of Rama I. Each successive king takes on
that title (followed by their number) and Thai's believe that this lineage will
end with the next King (the current, King Bhumibol being the penultimate
King of the Chakri Dynasty, more on him later)
The King who was the most instrumental in developing Muay Thai is King
Chulalongkorn, or Rama V.

A King who was loved by the people (given a moniker that translates as 'The
Great Beloved King') Chulalongkorn abolished slavery in Thailand and
brought in a number of social reforms that made the country a safer place to
live.
Because of this, Muay flourished. The King was a fan of Muay (at this point
still more in line with ancient Muay Boran, with groin strikes permitted and
the hands of the fighters bound in rope), and would organise fights for his
entertainment, with scouts sent out to the different regions on Thailand to
find the best fighters, a tradition which continues to this day. There were no
weight classes or time limits, and the fighters would engage each other until
one of them dropped.
The King gave honourary titles to those fighters who impressed him the
most, and his love of the sport influenced his son, Prince Abhakara,
who trained fighters himself.
Chulalongkorn's legacy in Thailand continues to this day; the first University
was named after him, and his death is still celebrated in Bangkok on the 23rd
October every year.
Chulalongkorn's attempts to make Muay into a sport with rules would
continue to be worked on over the decades following his death.
King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) pushed Thailand closer to democracy and forged
closer ties with the British, still a global super power at the turn of the 20th
Century, by expelling German and Austrian officials from Thailand during
World War One. He also worked hard to further Siamese Nationalism, which
saw Central Thai's become the dominant force and language in the country,
and the ethnic Khmer and Laotian people marginalised (see part two for
more information on this).
Thai boxing continued to progress in this stage, with a bout taking place
between Young Hantalay of Siam (who according to Wikipedia at least had
been trained by the aforementioned Prince Abhakara) and a Chinese Kung Fu
practitioner called Chin Chang. I can find no concrete sources for this, but
most tell the story as Hantalay winning by a head kick knockout. Some
sources say this is a photograph of the contest (the Siamese boxer
being on the right).

King Prajadhipok (Rame VII) succeeded King Vajiravudh. In Prajadhipok's
reign, Muay Boran came closer to what we know today, taking its cue from
Western boxing and staging contests in a ring.
This footage was likely filmed between 1927-30. Note how the style of
fighting is archaic, and how the fighters are not yet using gloves as in boxing,
but still the traditional rope binding. I would go as far to say this is likely an
exhibition for the cameras rather than a legitimate fight, but it's an
interesting curio for the connoisseur, in particular the use of music to
accompany the fight, which continues to this day.
I have read that an exhibition of boxing from a fighter from the Philippines
opened up the Thai's eyes to the use of boxing gloves. This is feasible. It is
true that they were far more well versed in Western boxing than the Thai's,
and a Filipino impressing the Thai's with a display of technique is definitely a
possible way they came about changing their rule set. The Philippines had
already had some quality boxers in the 1920's, such as World flyweight
champion Pancho Villa, who had been a big star in the United States, and
Clever Sencio, who had challenged him and earned a reputation as a quality
operator in the U.S. Tragically, both boxers would die after bouts, Villa due to
a tooth infection that he carried into his contest with the all time great Jimmy
McLarnin, and Sencio at the hands of the murderous punching 'Bud' Taylor.

Still, boxing gloves were seen as the safer alternative to the traditional ropebinding
of Muay Boran. Weight classes would be introduced, and time limits.
Ten years or so after boxing had brought itself from a sport illegal in most
states to a fully-fledged and regulated sport, Siam was doing what they could
to make Muay a reputable sport.
Unfortunately for King Prajadhipok, the burgeoning sport of his country was
not high on his list of priorities. Though he attempted to bring a constitution
to the people, he was overruled by his own court. When the constitution
arrived, it was via a military-backed coup in the Siamese Revolution of 1932
whilst the King was on holiday. This set a precedent, as although there had
been attempts to overthrow the absolute monarchical rule in Siam, this was
the first time that the Chakri Dynasty had been overruled. Since 1932, there
have been twelve coups in Thailand.
King Prajadhipok did manage to fuse the severed ties with his people, but he
never really recovered. Relations with the new regime deteriorated, and in
1935 he abdicated the throne, the first, and last King of the Chakri Dynasty to
do so.
Prajadhipok had no true heir, so his successor was debated by the cabinet.
His nephew Ananda Mahidol was chosen as his successor, becoming Rama
VIII.

Blood Brothers
King Ananda was schooled in Switzerland, as was his brother, Bhumibol. This
continued the process that Rama VI had set, with Thai hierarchy travelling
abroad to get a better level of education and learn of Western ways.
The start of Ananda's reign was against a background of turmoil, as World
War II played out. Initially not involving the Thai's, the invasion of Japanese
forces brought Thailand into the fray, siding with the Japanese against the
Allied Forces. Never officially signed off by Ananda, the Thai's
eventually distanced themselves from the Japanese, supplying information to
the British and Americans, who had been bombarding Bangkok with air
strikes. The Thai people fought back against the Japanese themselves, with
King Ananda's predecessor's widow (exiled in Britain, where Prajadhipok had
died in 1941) worked with the Allied Forces to arm thousands of Thais to aid
resistance against the Japanese.
The Japanese tried to stabilise their troops to prepare for Thai resistance.
But before they could, the war was over, with the Atomic bombings of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought the Japanese to their knees. Thailand
signed a truce with the English, and King Ananda could return to his
homeland at long last.

With a law degree on his resume, Ananda was clearly a smart and educated
King. Foreign observers however, were not too sure of his long-term potential
at ruling a country suffering the fallout of World War II.
Lord Mountbatten, who had done it all in war and politics, described Ananda
as thus:
"...a pathetic and lonely figure....his nervousness increased to
such an alarming extent that I came very close to support him
in case he passed out."
It may not have been a surprise when six months after that statement that
the young King Ananda was found dead in his bedroom from a gunshot wound
to the head. What followed is arguably the murkiest case in modern Thai
history, with the death eventually ruled as murder. King Ananda's death
remains unexplained to this day.
Bhumibol, Ananda's younger brother, became King Bhumibol (Rama IX) and
is still the King today, making him the longest-reigning Monarch in the World.
It would be a few years before Bhumibol's official coronation. He continued to
study in Switzerland, and upon his arrival back home Siam had once and for
all been renamed Thailand (it had briefly become Thailand in the '30s).
You may wonder why all this talk of Kings and politics is to be found in a
Muay Thai piece? Simple fact is, that King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the most
influential person in Thailand, and the love the Thai's have for him resonates
in the world of Muay Thai. The fighters fight for him, they offer their respects
to him, and he has bestowed honour upon them just as Rama V did when
Muay Boran was being formed into a sport from a form of military combat.
The BBC published a pretty decent view of why King Bhumibol is so revered
by his people. Read it here.

I will try and summarise though; A jazz-loving saxophonist with a good sense
of humour who is viewed by his people as a fair King who has mucked
in during times of strife, King Bhumibol has evaded political problems with his
smart approach. Likely waning in his old age and with his public appearances
few and far between nowadays, his influence is still felt; go to Thailand and
you will see portraits of the King in every shop, bar, hotel, and the
Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok is a shrine to his rule. Not a cult of
personality like North Korea, the King has invited criticism and freed people
that were imprisoned for speaking out against him.
A keen sailor and lover of sport, he is the anchor that helped Muay
Thai stabilise itself into a fully-fledged sport in the middle of the 20th
Century. In a fitting coincidence, the year his brother died and Bhumibol
was primed to take over as King was the year Rajadamnern Stadium was
built.
Making a name for themselves
The early days of Muay Thai resembling the sport we know today is hard to
get much information on. There is scant information in the West. What we do
have are the fighters that were awarded 'Fighter of the Year', by the sports
writers in Thailand. This is still a prestigious award to this day, and from
1930 onwards we can use this information to ascertain who the prominent
fighters were at the time.
It was in the the 1940s that the Siamese fighters really started making their
mark internationally, gaining respect for their gameness.
This footage from 1946 shows a scrappy contest, though with no knowledge of
who the competitors are I cannot assess whether this was indicative of the
quality of fighters at the time. Note the spinning back elbow at 0:22.
Phol Prapadaeng, one of the best Muay Thai fighters of the 1930s (he was
named 'Fighter of the Year' in 1937) was already past his best when he
moved into traditional Western boxing, but in Singapore he was lauded for his
toughness.
Excerpt from The Straits Times (16th December, 1949) prior to
Prapadaeng's fight with Speedy Cabanela of the Philippines, who was a
ranked contender from flyweight to lightweight:


Four months ago Singapore fight fans were thrilled
Prapadaeng's great fight against the Java Chinese Bobby
Njoo....he showed himself to be a tough, experienced fighter
with a variety of punches
Prapadaeng lost on points to Cabanela, but continued to display his durability.
Notably, he was never dropped or stopped in either his Muay Thai or boxing
career.
Before Cabanela, Prapadaeng proved his quality, winning and drawing against
former World bantamweight title claimant David Kui Kong Young, who
was a World class operator. This win earned Prapadaeng a number 8 ranking
with The Ring magazine backed when those ratings meant something, which
as far as I can establish was the highest ranked any Thai fighter had been up
until that point.
Prapadaeng also displayed a quality that Thai's are known for to this day in
fighting much larger fighters than himself, such as Nai Sompong, who was
among the best welterweights in South East Asia. True to form, Prapadaeng
went the distance over ten rounds. He was also engaging in Muay Thai bouts
parallel to his boxing matches, which is another thing Thai's still do to this
day.
It seems Prapadaeng was as active in the ring as Thai's are today. The
Singapore Free Press reported on the 15th August, 1949:
Phol has had more than 200 ring battles in his 15 years' in the
ring
Whilst Prapadaeng did well to gain a top ten ranking as shopworn as he likely
was, Thailand next sent a fighter truly in his prime into boxing, the 1949
'Fighter of the Year' in Muay Thai, Chamrern Songkitrat.
This footage from 1950 (participants unknown) was a year after Songkitrat
won the award, and a year before he turned over to pro' boxing. Again a
scrappy contest, see the brutal knockout and the nonchalant way the
unconscious fighter is carried from the ring.

A Thai policeman, Songkitrat was a similarly scrappy come forward fighter
with a wealth of Muay Thai experience who was ready to be pushed up the
ranks. Being thrown in with top-notch boxers off the back of a Muay Thai
career is a recurring theme with Thai's, as we'll see as we move through
history.
Songkitrat had an inauspicious start to his pugilistic career, going 0-1-1 with
top ten ranked bantamweights Tanny Campo and Larry Baatan, both who
were seasoned against top level opposition. This seemed to give Songkitrat
the experience in hands-only combat he needed, as he went 6-0 after that,
winning the OBPF lightweight title (beating Phol Prapadaeng's old foe Speedy
Cabanela over 12 rounds) and earning a 10-round decision over Olympic
alternate 'Pappy' Gault, who had fought undefeated World bantamweight
champion Jimmy Carruthers to a 15 round decision one bout prior.
The stage was set of Songkitrat to fight for the 118lb championship. Aussie'
Jimmy Carruthers, a 1948 Olympian, was undefeated in 18 bouts, and had
picked up the vacant World bantamweight title in 1952 with a first round
knockout of South African Vic Toweel, who had beaten the all time great
Manuel Ortiz for the title.
Carruthers had been battling a tapeworm prior to his fight with Songkitrat,
and was coming off a hard-fought victory over domestic rival Bobby Sinn
(footage of the bout via Associated Press).
Set for 15 rounds at the National Stadium in Bangkok, a monsoon rain storm
put the bout in jeopardy. With the 60,000 strong crowd happy to watch the
World title bout regardless, the fight went on, shortened to 12 rounds and
with the combatants forced to fight barefoot, a first and last for World title
fights in boxing history. The ring lights even exploded under duress, and
there was glass in the ring, rendering Songkitrat's barefoot experience
redundant.
Carruthers won the hard-fought decision, and the humble Thai had no
arguments about the decision:

"I am very proud to have been able to bring fame to my
country by becoming the first Thai boxer to contend for the
World title...and I am personally satisfied that the decision was
fair and beyond doubt."
Songkitrat would not have to wait long for another shot at the title, as
Carruthers' tapeworm forced him into an early retirement.
French-Algerian Robert Cohen was the first of Songkitrat's opponents for the
now vacant bantamweight championship.
A Sports Illustrated article published on August 16th, 1954 in the build-up to
Songkitrat's fight with Cohen described the fervour over fighting in Thailand
at the time, as well as the West still getting to grips with the idiosyncrasies of
Thai fighters:

Songkitrat is not, as some of you may imagine, a seaport
town on the Gulf of Siam. It's the name of a fist fighter (a
reconverted foot-or la savate-fighter) who seems to have
captured the Siamese imagination. To the 20 million Thais,
Songkitrat is a national hero. Some 60,000 admirers of this
little king of Siam-a bigger crowd than Marciano and Charles
drew a month ago-sat through a tropical downpour in an
outdoor park to cheer him on

A few things are clear from the above quote. That Thailand was still referred
to as Siam in parts of the Western World and that their particular brand of
combat had not yet distinguished itself as an inherently Thai (or
Siamese) product (it's lumped in with French Savate here). What we can also
see, is that there was a huge amount of interest in combat sports in Thailand.
Songkitrat lost on points to Cohen over 15 rounds, but in his next fight after
that got another shot, as the title was splintered following Carruthers'
retirement. Hard-fisted Mexican boxer-puncher Raul Macias gave Songkitrat
the first stoppage loss of his career, beating Thailand to the punch in
becoming the first boxing champion from Mexico.
The footage of this bout shows Songkitrat's style. You'll find that former
Muay Thai fighters that turn over to boxing display more lateral movement
than they would in the confines of the Muay Thai rule set, and that appears to
be what is happening here.
Songkitrat doesn't look ill-equipped, nor one of the wild brawlers we've seen
in the other clips so far in this article. He shows good awareness of head and
upper body movement and is good on the inside as well. Unfortunately for
him, Macias was better at everything. You can see the stoppage here.
Thailand had not yet got to the stage of world beaters in boxing just yet
(Somdej Yontrakit was 1951 'Fighter of the Year' in Muay Thai who also got
to OBPF level in pugilism) but they would have their first World champion in
the first year of the '60s, which funnily enough was Pone Gingpet, one of the
few boxers from Thailand who didn't have a Muay Thai background.
It was a good start to the decade, which was also when they put their fighting
style on the map once and for all.
See this footage from 1961, which looks far less stylistically archaic than the
other fights I've included thus far. Though there is still less of an emphasis on
technique (check out the sequence about a minute in which pre-empts Diego
Sanchez Vs Clay Guida by nearly half a Century) this fight was an indication
of the high quality action the 1960s would bring.

Taking on all comers
If the early days of the UFC was to see which martial art was the most
versatile style, the Oriental martial artists had got there much earlier.
Muay Thai was viewed in the West at the end of the '50s through the same
eyes as MMA was in the early days of the UFC, as the commentary in this
clip shows:
"Thailand boxing is halfway to murder. The rule book is a
bunch of blank pages...Let's hope it doesn't make it's way to the
West"
It's understandable that those raised on 'The Sweet Science' of boxing would
see Muay Thai as a far more violent sport due to the additional (and
unpadded) arsenal available to it's participants. The stately-sounding English
chap in the clip above also remarks as to how the style looks deadlier than the
style popularised in the West:
"Western boxers who think they're tough better stay well away
from the Far East."
Those already in the Far East were less shy about testing their mettle against
the Thai's. In 1963 the Japanese sent three of their best Kareteka to Thailand
to test their style of combat against Muay Thai.
This was a great era for Muay Thai, featuring the first batch of bona fide all
time greats that we have enough information to get a good grasp on. Some of
the best of this era were Detrit Ittianuchit, Ravee Dechachai, Payap
Sakuelsek, Poodpardnoi Worawoot (who would fight into the '70s and
achieve all time great status) and one of the very greatest of all time, Apidet
Sit Hirun, who was awarded a special 'Fighter of the Century' award from
King Bhumibol.
The Japanese Karate stylists had their work cut out for them.
Some accounts say that the Japanese won the series two victories to one
loss. Black Belt Magazine summarised the thoughts of the Japanese
promoters thoughts on the fights:
The karate men, Noguchi thought, had made a creditable
showing, even though the opposition had not represented
Thailand's strongest.

Although indeed one of the Thai's was a top fighter. Their is footage of Ravee
brutalising Kenji Kurosaki, finishing him with nasty looking elbows.Looking at
Kurosaki, he looks more like a judoka who has taken some karate lessons.
After this series they brought Thai's over to Japan. On away turf, we have
footage of a Thai (according to Black Belt Magazine Sama Adisong) battering
Tadashi Sawamura, a third degree black belt in Karate who would go on to
become a legendary fighter back in Japan. This spurred the Japanese on
to further their own full-contact sport (more details about this in part one)
and Sawamura himself went on to build up an immense record of
victories with a high K.O percentage, althoughjudging by the
footage of Sawamura I'd argue (with conviction) that some of these bouts
were not on the level.
The Japanese had found out first hand how strong the Thai style was, but
they wouldn't be the last nationality to experience the pain of facing a Nak
Muay Thai.
It didn't help that the best Thai's in the late '60s and early '70s rank among
the very best of all time. Poot Lorlek and Vicharnnoi Porntawee are two of
the very greatest Nak Muay Thai of all time. Saensak Muangsurin is
arguably one of the very hardest punchers of all time, not just in Muay Thai,
but in boxing, where he won a major title in just three fights, a record that has
only been equalled since (by legendary amateur boxer Vasyl Lomachenko).
When some Singaporean martial artists rolled into Bangkok to take on the
challenge of the Muay Thai fighters, Muangsurin didn't even need his hands.
A September 1974 issue of Black Belt Magazine gives us some telling info' as
to the growing reputation of Muay Thai as a deadly martial art.
Disturbed by the losses of kung-fu fighters from Hong Kong at
the hands (and feet) of Thai boxers during a number of recent
challenge contests, and annoyed at the increasing arrogance of
Muay Thai followers who claim that their style is "unbeatable",
a group of martial artists from Singapore offered a challenge to
fight the Thais
This shows us that other stylists and nationalities other than the Japanese
Karate practitioners had tried their luck against the Thais, and failed. These
fighters from Singapore were apparently 'chan tung stylists' which was
reported as a 'mixture of tae kwon do and kung-fu and is supposed to be
one of the more popular styles practised in Singapore'.
Whatever the style, it was clear once the bouts commenced at Rajdamnern
Stadium that the Singaporeans were not going to conquer Thailand. It is the
write-up of Saensak Muangsurin's bout that is most telling.
Fighting a man called Tae Yien-Chen who was known as the 'Black Killer'
for allegedly killing an opponent in a tournament (comically, from what I can
gather, with a Karate chop), this report is most useful as it refers to the
competitiveness, or lack thereof, of the other recent challenge matches of
various martial arts to Muay Thai:
A high left kick to the jaw felled Tae, who at one minute and 20
seconds into the second round had lasted longer than any other
non-Thai stylist in any of the recent grudge matches.
The other bouts that night apparently lasted only 90 seconds and not past
the first round. If this was how the other martial artists were being
dispatched, it's no wonder the efficiency and deadliness of Muay Thai was
starting to spread internationally.
Later that year the Hong Kong Kung-Fu fighters (among the stylists
referenced as being wiped out in prompt fashion in the above quote) came
back to try their luck again. This time, their manager, Wai Chin, negotiated
for the Kung-Fu practitioners to be able to fight bareknuckle. Black Belt
Magazine reported:

"Our trained hands are our most effective weapon" Wai Chin
told reporters. "We will have our revenge, all right," he said
confidently.
While the contests would be scored by Muay Thai criteria, the Thai's gave the
Kung-Fu fighters more leeway in what they could use in the bouts, with a few
exceptions:
The only illegal tactics would be biting; finger stabs to the eyes,
ears and nostrils, scratching; and attacking a downed
opponent. Said Col. Suthi Promjairak, chairman of Lumpinee
Boxing Stadium's technical committee, "We want to keep this
contest under control. We are sportsmen, not animals".

15,000 fans packed the Hua Mark Stadium to see the fights. Despite some of
their demands being met, the Kung-Fu fighters fared no better. In five fights,
the accumulated total ring action was reportedly only six minutes.
The manager of the Hong Kong team had none of his pre-fight bluster after
the fights:
"I've had enough. Never again. Muay Thai is too dangerous to
be a sport."
The Japanese felt differently. They had regrouped after learning lessons from
their losses to the Thai's in the '60s.
In 1972, a team from Japan took on a Thai team led by Kru Yodtong
Senenan, one of the most successful Muay Thai trainers of all time.
In Black Belt Magazine it said that the Japanese were 'reportedly fielding
their top fighters'. However, at the end of the article it said that 'the kickboxing
experience of the visitors averages two years'.
Whatever the true quality of the Japanese team, the Thai's had made their
selections carefully:
Thailand had chosen its team after a careful study of the Tokyo
kick-boxers. Curiously, not one champion was included by the
Thai selectors, who claimed they deliberately picked lowerrated
boxers in order to demonstrate the superiority of Thai
boxing.
The top-ranked bantamweight challenger, the number 10-ranked lightweight
won decisions against their Japanese opponents. The fifth ranked super
featherweight won via elbow kayo in the 2nd round. The third-rated
welterweight won by fifth round stoppage in a 'lively performance' from both
men. The 'most interesting match' was between the Thai rated eighth in the
super featherweight rankings and an 'undismayed' Japanese fighter who 'was
not to be subdued' until the final round when he was saved from further
punishment after three knockdowns.
For me, the most interesting match is the one the Thai team failed to emerge
victorious from, between 'unrated but popular lightweight'Rungnapa, and
Toshio Fujiwara, which after reading the account of the fight seems a bizarre
contest:

Rungnapa Sitsomsak fought an even battle with Japan's Toshio
Fujiwara until the third round, when the Thai started clowning
in the ring. Dropping his guard, Sitsomsak walked straight into
Toshio's attacks, trying to humiliate the Japanese by laughing
off his punches. His behaviour became so ridiculous that referee
Prasit Kawbboon stopped the fight and disqualified the Thai.
A Thai being chucked out by a Thai referee? My theory, supported by little,
is that the Japanese was getting the better of his opponent, and that the Thai
was disqualified to save face, gifting a victory to the Japanese fighter instead
of letting him earn it.
The main reason I have this hunch, is that within a few years, Fujiwara was
going tit-for-tat with the very best Thailand had to offer, and him getting the
better of an unranked fighter in 1972 does not seem out of the question.
Fujiwara had sharpened his blades under the tutelage of those Japanese
fighters that had first traveled over to Thailand in the early '60s, as well as
under the (basically Muay Thai rules) All Japan Kickboxing Federation in his
homeland. Even if the Japanese only had an average of two years experience
going into their 1972 challenge matches, Fujiwara was clearly a quick learner,
and he was able to be competitive with Srimongkol Looksiriprat, the 1972
'Fighter of the Year' and one of the very best fighters of the '70s.
Fujiwara kept plugging away, and in 1978 completed a real coup for the
Japanese kickboxers, becoming the first non-Thai to win a Rajadamnern
Stadium championship. Winning it at lightweight, which historically has
always been one of the strongest weight classes in Thailand, makes it even
more impressive The following footage shows Fujiwara training and fighting
that year, though the finish in the fight looks a little strange.
Thailand had been invaded many times over the years, but had never been
colonized, and the Japanese weren't about to be the first. In 1978, the same
year Fujiwara won the Rajadamnern title, Poot Lorlek, the 1976 Fighter of
the Year' and who has a solid claim to being the greatest Nak Muay Thai of all
time, defeated the much larger Japanese fighter Hikari Kenchu by knockout
(head kick), which I'd recommend watching as not only is the knockout
aesthetically pleasing, Poot is a stylistic anomaly in Muay Thai, employing
lateral movement to great effect.
Eventually, foreign invaders would touch down on Thai soil that could stand
up to their "unbeatable" style with more consistent success. But they would
have to take on arguably the greatest roster of fighters ever assembled in the
Far East.

The Golden Age
Some Muay Thai aficionados will tell you the 'golden age' of the sport was in
the 1980s, while others will point to the 1990s. What that should indicate is
that those two decades were the pinnacle of Muay Thai combat. Viewing any
footage from these decades will show that the major stadiums were
absolutely packed to the brim with loud and excited spectators, and that the
fights were extremely violent as well as technical. Power and damage were
the most important scoring factors, so the fighters tended to use their
strongest techniques and went to war, and with television stations more
eager to showcase the sport than ever before the top fighters were in the ring
regularly.
To list the most prolific fighters in this article would take an age. To even list
the fighters considered to have earned all-time great status during these
decades would be time consuming enough, so the following list, which will
likely have some glaring omissions, is just a glimpse of the strength in
numbers the Thai's had at this time.
Samart Payakaroon is my personal pick for the greatest of all time. A fourweight
Lumpinee Stadium champion and three time 'Fighter of the Year',
Samart needs to be seen to be believed. His brother Kongtoranee is an all
time great in his own right.
Samart also won the WBC super bantamweight title in boxing, and his
brother Kongtoranee twice contested for super flyweight titles. This coincided
with the Thai's having a 'golden age' in boxing. Sot Chitalada, who Samart
Payakaroon had beaten multiple times in Muay Thai, was the long-reigning
lineal champion at flyweight. Khaosai and Khaokor Galaxy, not notable for
their experience in their native sport, were the first ever twin brothers to win
championships in boxing.
Dieselnoi Chor Thanakasurn was a six foot tall lightweight known as the 'Sky
Piercing Knee Kicker', and so formidable he ran out of challengers, but the
much smaller Samart Payakaroon stepped up to face him in the highestgrossing
fight of the era. Here, see Dieselnoi take on a Taekwondo
practitioner, with predictable results.
Sakad Petyindee was one of the most prolific knockout artists in combat
sports history, and with 150 KOs to his name still holds the record in Muay
Thai for the most wins by that means. He was one of the few that could beat
Dieselnoi, and also took his particularly form of violence on the international
stage. He was stopped just once in his entire career, against a prime Wilfredo
Gomez in a boxing match for the super bantamweight title.
Somrak Khamsing was so good the gamblers made sure he never got a title
fight, despite him beating the champions in non-title bouts. The best Nak
Muay Thai to never win a stadium championship, he moved over to amateur
boxing, winning Thailand their first ever Olympic Gold medal.
Veeraphol Sahaprom was one of the most formidable fighters of the era. He
moved over to boxing after running out of challenges, and was a longtime
bantamweight champion. One of the greatest punchers in Muay Thai history,
he found a worthy adversary in Samson Issan, a popular action fighter who
was named 'Fighter of the Year' in 1991. Samson went on to have a boxing
career himself, retiring undefeated with a 43-0 record, but at a much lower
level than Veeraphol. Given their punching prowess, it's little wonder that
they blended for action-packed fights, trading punches and knockouts. The
following clip shows both knockouts.

Rambo Por Ruamradee, about as aggressive a fighter as you'll ever see, was
so popular that Lumpinee Stadium had to be extended to meet the demand
to see him fight.
Chamuekpet Hapalang was a master of knees, and fought his way to
legendary status in the 'Golden Age' of Muay Thai, winning a truly
astonishing nine Stadium championships!
Jomhod 'King of the Ring' Kiatadisak has held pretty much every title
available in his long and illustrious career, which continues to this day, where
in his mid-forties he has more ring years than Bernard Hopkins. He has
fought in Bangkok for twenty five years alone, where he has won titles in two
weight classes, as well as taking on the best international fighters.
Hippy Singmanee was the kingpin of the lower weight classes, winning
Stadium titles at 105 and 108lbs. He took on much larger fighters, with mixed
success, but solidified himself as a pound for pound great by taking on those
challenges. Here he takes on one of the more underrated European fighters,
Jaid Seddak of France. Note Hippy's impeccable technique.
Both Sakmongkol Sithchuchok and Jongsanan Fairtex were truly great
fighters, and they met in an epic seven fight series (which is a common
number in Muay Thai rivalries). Their fifth fight, known to connoisseurs as
simply 'The Elbow Fight', is an exhilarating battle that stands among the very
greatest of all time.
As I said before, there is no way to fit everyone in, and you can be sure that
all of these fighters mentioned in this article from the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s
will get their own articles sometime in the near future.
Perhaps the most prominent gym of the late '80s was the Sor Thanikul gym.
This gym produced some awesome fighters, with stadium champions such as
Boonlai Sor Thanikul, Sombat Sor Thanikul, Komkiet Sor Thanikul and many
more.
Such was the gym's prominence that Jean-Claude Van Damme filmed scenes
there in his 1989 star vehicle 'Kickboxer', which featured Van-Damme
fighting Paulo Tocha, himself training at Sor Thanikul.
This was a major breakthrough for the Thai fight scene, being featured in a
Hollywood action movie at the height of Van-Damme's career, and offered the
Thai fight scene the exposure that Bruce Lee gave to martial arts in the '70s.
Other Europeans, based not far from JCVD's native Brussels, where actually
in Thailand taking on Thailand's best. We'll get to them soon enough.
Let's stick with Sor Thanikul for the moment, and see why even though the
fighters where representing their King when achieving their accolades, they
were being maneuvered by the King of the underworld.

The Gangsters
In some ways, the sport of Muay Thai reflects Bangkok itself. Well known for
a seedy nightlife living alongside beautiful Buddhist monuments and temples,
The Thai underworld works among the Muay Thai scene just as Frankie
Carbo did with boxing in the 1940s.
The best example of this would be Klaew Thanikul, the real-life Thai Don
Corleone, the man who made things happen in Bangkok and who would've
had Tony Jaa's character in Ong-Bak murdered in the opening scene with no
fuss, negating any possible revenge-driven plot.
The Thai Mafia was run by the 'Jao Pho' ('Big Brothers') and Klaew Thanikul
was the leader, as powerful as Lucky Luciano after the Atlanti City
Conference.
The President of the Amateur Boxing Association in Thailand, Klaew
Thanikul orchestrated both an ever-improving amateur program as well as
one of the most successful Muay Thai camps of the time.
Lording over the gambling scene, as well as allegedly having ties to drugs and
prostitution, went hand in hand with his undeniable place at the top of the
Muay Thai totem pole.
Trying to clear the path for your own success was not an option when Klaew
Thanikul ran the show.
From the LA Times, March 29th, 1988:
Chaiwat Palangwattanakij, a boxxing promoter and rising Thai
gambling boss, got his in a ringside shoot-out this month and
went out gangland style.
While the gunman was arrested, the fingers pointed to a higher power
ordering the hit. Klaew's response to his accusers spoke louder of his power
than if he had admitted to ordering the assassination.
"If I really wanted to (kill Chiawat), I don't have to make any
order. I could just say 'I don't want to walk with him' and he
would be in big trouble."
In his position, Klaew was not without enemies. The target of numerous hits,
if Klaew Thanikul didn't strike first he made sure to strike back.
See the footage below of the aforementioned Chamuekpet, of Hapalang Gym,
versus Languan (another tremendous 'Golden Era' fighter). At the beginning
of the footage from 00.06 to 00.13 you'll see a taller gentleman in a brown
shirt. That is Klaew Thanikul. At the end of the fight, when Dieselnoi steps on
the ring apron to congratulate Chamuekpet, a gunshot rings out, and the
footage freezes. This was an attempt on Chamuekpet's manager, supposedly
a former business associate of Klaew Thanikul.
There are accounts of grenades being thrown into the crowd from ringside,
gang wars at the major Bangkok Stadiums, and talk of Sor Thanikul fighters
taking dives, which would've been orchestrated by Klaew and his gambling
racket.
Klaew Thanikul, with a reported fortune (which I imagine isn't even the tip of
the iceberg) of $11 million USD, was riding waves Tony Montana had been
swept away by. But he was about to meet a similarly grisly end.
In February of 1991, the Thai Military overthrew the government. As I've
mentioned in previous installments of 'The Beginners Guide to Muay
Thai'the military are very powerful in Thailand. More powerful than Klaew
Thanikul, and second only to King Bhumibol himself.
In April of the same year, Klaew Thanikul's luck ran out. The United States
publication The Economist reported:
Klaew Thanikul died as any self-respecting gangster should-in a
hail of bullets. At dusk on April 5th, his car was overtaken by a
pick-up truck as it was passing through Nakhon Pathom, a
small town west of Bangkok. Gunmen in the truck opened fire
on the car, killing Klaew and his bodyguard and injuring dozens
of people in a nearby restaurant. The intriguing question is, did
the army order the hit?
Whether or not the army had Klaew assassinated, or whether one of his
gangland rivals finally caught up to him is irrelevant; the King of crime had
been removed from the throne, going out more like Sonny than Don Corleone.
I've heard some say that an RPG was what finally finished off Klaew's run at
the top, as his enemies chugged through a more varied method of execution
than the Russians used to finish off Rasputin. This only adds to the legend of
Klaew Thanikul, and take it as you will.
Songchai Ratanasuban took the reigns from Klaew Thanikul (at the top of the
heap in Muay Thai at least) and led the sport into an equally prosperous time
period.
As for the (then) latest military coup, King Bhumibol had the leaders of the
military and the opposition locked in with him, and forced them to settle their
dispute in front of a live television audience. The King put them in their place,
and an agreement was hashed out.
On that day, King Bhumibol told them both:
The Nation belongs to everyone, not one or two specific people.
The problems exist because we don't talk to each other and
resolve them together. The problems arise from
'bloodthirstiness'. People can lose their minds when they resort
to violence. Eventually, they don't know why they fight each
other and what the problems they need to resolve are. They
merely know that they must overcome each other and they
must be the only winner. This no way leads to victory, but only
danger. There will only be losers, only the losers. Those who
confront each other will all be the losers.
In Muay Thai there could be winners amongst the violence and
'bloodthirstiness'. And it wasn't just the Thai's who wanted in on the violence.

International Rules
Professional kickboxing was popular in Holland and France in the '70s and
'80s, and in the UK towards the end of the latter decade. Some of the
best Thai's went on a World Tour of sorts during this time, demonstrating the
strength of Muay Thai despite often fighting under modified rules that
stripped away some of their best assets, such as elbow attacks. Even then the
Thai's confounded the (often larger) foreign fighters. Note that international
judges sometimes scored a draw despite the home fighters being outgunned
and not really approaching the fight in a way that should earn points in
the scoring system of Muay Thai.
Ronnie Green was one of the leading kickboxers in England, and he inspired
many British fighters to take the flight to old Siam and train in Muay Thai.
Green, despite being less well-versed in the art than the battle hardened
Thai's, was no joke, and fought the likes of Sakad Petyindee (fight video
here) and Sombat Sor Thanikul, one of Klaew Thanikul's many stadium
champions. Note how the English commentators are clearly analysing Muay
Thai in a traditional boxing sense, giving a lot of credit to Green's stick and
move style. Under full Thai rules, this was not a good game plan, although
Sombat only earned draw with his forward movement and harder strikes.
But it was the Netherlands who grasped Muay Thai the best. They arrived on
the big stage in the late '80s and paid little respect to the vaunted skills of
their Thai counterparts.

The Flying Dutchmen
Forms of kickboxing were not new to Europe when the germ spread to the
Netherlands. Savate had been a popular style of combat in France for at least
a century before, and had been demonstrated at the 1924 Olympic Games in
Paris.
Savate would influence the Dutch style of kickboxing, when Thom Harinck
met a French Savateur aboard a cruise ship. Harinck would go on to learn
Kyokushin Karate and open his own gym, Chakuriki. Here he fused
Kyokushin, Savate and Western boxing to form his own style.
It was Kyokushin Karate that was the most influential to the Dutch. As
aforementioned, the Japanese were the first to take home scalps from
Thailand, and in a roundabout way they would continue to as the decades
since their initial victories rolled on by.
Jan Plas may have been the most influential of the early Dutch masters.
Learning Kyokushin from the combat savant Jon Bluming, who was the head
trainer of the Dutch Judo program for many years and produced Olympic
Gold medallists. Bluming had met Kenji Kurosaki, who had been beaten so
badly by Ravee during the 1963 Japan Vs Thailand challenge matches.
Inspired by Kurosaki's full-contact kickboxing style, Bluming would send his
own students to Japan to train with Kurosaki, such as Jan Plas.
Clearly Kurosaki had refined his technique since the disastrous matchup with
Ravee, as Plas was influenced enough by his education at Kurosaki's Mejiro
Gym in Tokyo to open his own branch back in his homeland.
Along with Thom Harinck, he founded the Dutch Kickboxing Association, and
their shows, in which their own fighters would oppose each other, were to be
very influential in developing Dutch kickboxing and inspiring the next
generation.

One of those fighters was Cor Hemmers, who after hanging up his gloves
would go on to be an influential trainer himself. He had professional
kickboxing bouts and had trained in Kyokushin, pro' boxing and Pencak Silat,
an Indonesian martial art. Hemmers would go on to found the famous Golden
Glory Gym and is now one of the bigwigs of the GLORY kickboxing
promotion.
With these experienced minds passing on their teachings to the next
generation, Dutch kickboxing was about to plateau. And in the late '80s and
early '90s it did, culminating in thrilling bouts which saw the Dutch
consistently push the Thai's like no other nation had before.
Europe Vs Thailand
Just like my proviso when listing the best Thai's from the 'Golden Era', listing
all of the best Dutch kickboxers from the late '80s and early '90s would add
too much length to what is already getting to be a Joycean ramble.
Rob Kamen, Ivan Hippolyte, Gilbert Ballantine, Tommy Van De Berg, Peter
Smit and Michael Lieuwfat were just some of gutsy fighters with good hands
and powerful low kicks that Holland was producing, and they stood up to the
Thai's with some success. Whilst the Dutch fighters were generally larger
than the Thai's they faced off against, being the smaller fighter has never
been much of an issue with the technical Thai's except when facing one of
their own in a clinch battle, and the Dutch weren't coming to clinch!
Ivan Hippolyte pulled off a major coup at the turn of the '90s when he
stopped 'King of the Ring' Jomhod, in a bout staged in the United States. A
bizarre finish with a supposedly Taiwanese referee not getting any response
from Jomhod, but he did give the future all-time great plenty of time to get
back into the fight. Hippolyte's blistering combinations where too much for
Jomhod in this fight, though the Thai would avenge the loss later on.
Hippolyte was one of the very best Dutch fighters, and he took part in a
thrilling series with Mongkoldet Kiatprasanchai, fighting a trilogy in just six
months! The first fight can be seen here and the third fight here(Hippolyte
was stopped in the second bout between them)
In the second month of 1990, the Thai's travelled to Amsterdam, in a night of
fights exclusively pitting Dutch fighters against Thai's.
Rob Kamen fought Changpuek Kiatsongkrit. Changpuek had already beaten
Kamen once before, and looked to be on his way to another victory against his
much larger foe when a crunching left hook (16:00) saw Kamen drop his rival
and win the fight in a stunning turnaround.
The Dutch were fighting as regularly as the top Thai's, and Changpuek
avenged this loss shortly after, ending a trilogy which took place over just
four months! They would later fight again in K-1, in which the Thai won again.
Michael Lieuwfat was one of the smaller Dutch fighters, and drew the
immovable object Rambo Pongsiri. Liuewfat showed tremendous heart, but
also showed distress after a few rounds, a perfectly natural reaction to
Rambo's onslaught. Rambo won the decision, and you can see the fight here.
Kongtoranee Payakaroon, multi-weight stadium champion and cast iron alltime
great, destroyed John Fortes. Unlike previous challenge matches, it was
clear to see that Thailand was sending over their very best fighters. The onesided
beatdown can be seen here.

Perhaps the fighter who left the lasting impression on fight fans was a young
blonde-haired kid called Ramon Dekkers. Only 20 years old, Dekker's
demonstrated a wide array of punches and took the fight to the much more
experienced Nampon Nongkeepahayuth, and although the Thai used
Dekker's glaring weakness in the clinch against him, Dekkers took the
decision win. If a legend wasn't yet born with this performance, it soon
would be, as Dekkers would travel to Thailand two months later to rematch
Nampon.
Although the Thai won the decision in the rematch, Dekkers demonstrated
his skill, bravery and determination in an incredible fight which endeared him
to the partisan Thai crowd.
The Thai's would continue to travel to Holland in 1990, with a follow-up to
the February super show in April.
Michael Lieuwfat again got a tough draw, as he took on the hard kicking
Karuhat. Rob Kamen and Changpuek had their aforementioned rubber
match.

This card also saw the first bout between a Dutch fighter and a Thai who
would become intertwined with fighters of that nationality. Two-time
Lumpinee Stadium champion Coban Lookchaomaesaitong was a short
southpaw who utilised a balanced and patient style, but who packed vicious
power into his left hand. His first opponent, Joao Vierra, was a Gold medalist
at the W.A.K.O full-contact kickboxing championshipsand had
beaten Ramon Dekkers earlier in their careers, but had little for Coban,
losing the decision.
Coban fought again in Amsterdam just a month later, and this time he
unleashed his full power on the unsuspecting Tommy Van De Berg (2:55)
Dekkers had continued to fight in Thailand to mixed success. He defeated the
legendary Superlek Sornesarn (highlight video of Superlek here) at
Lumpinee Stadium, but failed to win the Lumpinee lightweight title against
Issara Sakkeerin. He then lost two bouts in Japan (again versus Thai's)
before returning to Bangkok to defeat the former champion Sombat Sor
Thanikul (fight video here)
In April of 1991, Dekkers met Coban in Paris, France. The French had taken
to kickboxing with much the same passion as the Dutch had, which wasn't
surprising seeing their Savat roots and success in boxing in the 20th Century.
A bout between two international fighters of the repute of Dekkers and Coban
was fairly common in Paris at the time.
Dekkers, still only in his early twenties, and known for his iron chin and will,
had size on Coban, who at this stage was a wily veteran in his mid-twenties.
Fireworks would surely have been expected by the Parisian faithful, but
maybe not the sort that were provided.
Dekkers never had a chance to get into the fight. Stepping into a right straight
to the body, he lazily came back up for a left hook, one of his money
punches, and Coban crushed him with an overhand left counter. Dekkers got
up, was couldn't continue, and his up-and-down run against Thai's continued.
With the majority of his bouts against Thai's decision losses, and now finished
inside a round by one of the smaller opponents he faced, any chance of
Dekkers doing what no European fighter had and establishing himself among
the very top fighters in Muay Thai was surely over.

As combat sports connoisseur should know, you can never make
assumptions.
Dekkers wasn't out of it at all. In fact, the European stand against the Thai's
had only just begun.
Dekkers didn't look depleted at all in his next fight, back on the Lumpinee
battleground. Although he lost the decision to Superlek, who he'd previously
beaten,the fight was a war and Dekkers showed no signs of being gun shy.
This boded well for his rematch with Coban, also at Lumpinee Stadium, just
four months after Dekkers had been wasted by the efficient Thai.
Dekkers didn't just give a good account of himself, he evened up the score,
destroying Coban in the first stanza and reaffirming the European fighters'
claim to be truly World class Nak Muay Thai.

Coban and Dekkers were well matched, and when it was all said and done
they would even up their series with two wins apiece, with both winning a
decision against each other as well as scoring first round knockouts.
Over the years an erroneous claim that Dekkers was awarded the coveted
'Fighter of the Year' award from Thai journalists has been taken as truth, but
this isn't the case. 1992, when Dekkers allegedly won the award, was the
brilliant Charoensap Kietbanchong's year. year.
Dekkers would continue to be a great action fighter despite not earning any
particularly meaningful accodales. He would fight many other phenomenally
talented Thai's, such as the all-time great Orono Por Muang Ubon, and
the seemingly omnipresent Jomhod, as well as the best European fighters,
like the Frenchman Dida Diafat, and the French-Cameroonian Dany
Bill, who came the closest to pure Muay Thai technique out of all
the European fighters of that era.
While Dekkers, nor any of his countrymen, could repeat Toshio Fujiwara's
feat of winning a Bangkok stadium championship, they broke down walls and
helped to establish Muay Thai and kickboxing as internationally renowned
and practised combat sports. No longer was Muay Thai a national sport, and
no longer were foreigners deemed to be grossly outmatched. The Europeans
finally broke through in 2010 when Damien Alamos, a Frenchman, won
the Lumpinee Stadium 140lb championship.
The Dutch and French would find more consistent success in the higher
weight classes, in particular when fighting for K-1, who established
themselves as the premier kickboxing promotion as the '90s rolled on. The
Thai's were well outmatched for size there, but still gave a good a great
account of themselves, perhaps even more so due to their reliance on pure
technique.

Take a look at the veteran Nokweed Davy giving up what must've been at
least 100lbs to French behemoth Jerome Le Banner and make a fight out of
it!
Eventually K-1 would bring in lighter weight classes, and Thailand would
have their own kickboxing star, the internationally famous Buakaw Por
Pramuk, known for his devastating kicks. Things had come full circle, and
Muay Thai again had the reputation of being the most formidable style of
stand-up combat.
Back in Bangkok, under the 'full Thai rules', the game had changed.
Muay Thai in the modern era
At the start of the noughties, the scoring criteria in Muay Thai underwent
changes. With more leisure options available to the Thai's with internet and
television access becoming more readily available, attendance in the major
Bangkok stadiums started to wane.
Those that could be relied upon to show up were the gamblers, and Muay
Thai purists today argue that the changes in scoring criteria were to cater to
the gambling contingent.
This didn't stymie international expansion. In 2008 Muay Thai was the focus
of 'The Contender' reality television series, which had previously been a big
success featuring boxing. This featured an international cast of middleweight
fighters, showcasing Muay Thai's international expansion and popularity in
larger weight divisions. Even then, the tournament was won by a Thai, the
modern great Yodsanklai Fairtex.
Yodsanklai was a great fighter, but the greatest fighter of the first decade of
the new millennium made his mark in the last year of the 'Golden Age'. The
1999 'Fighter of the Year' was a young Thai called Saenchai, then under the
tutelage of 1996 Olympic Gold medallist Somak Sor Khamsing.
Saenchai's style was ageless, but also worked perfectly with the new scoring
criteria, and he dominated the past era, winning a further award for best
fighter in 2008, as well as stadium championships in four weight classes.
In part 5, we'll see why Saenchai was so successful, as we look at the scoring
criteria in Muay Thai today, and which styles find the most success.

(End of article)

Questions or Comments?

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