To those who were happy with the increased exposure of the Bangkok Muay Thai scene on Bloody Elbow, never fear, we will still be your one-stop shop for everything Thai!
Unfortunately, circumstances have kept me from posting too much these past few weeks, but don’t worry, I’ve still been watching and taking note of the goings on, so I hope this article will bring everyone up to speed with how the best fighters in the sport have been getting on.
Petchboonchu F.A Group (Benz)
Muay Thai’s best pound-for-pound fighter stormed back from his competitive loss to Sensatarn by winning the one-night Toyota tournament at the end of July. Petchboonchu was fighting foreigners, and they were no match for his expertise. He stopped Brazilian Victor Nunez in the second round, Frenchman Jimmy Viennot on points in the semi-finals, and compatriot Chamookthong in the finals.
Take a look at Petchboonchu destroying poor Victor Nunez. It is a hard task for any foreigner not well-versed in the Thai clinch as it is, but against arguably the best clinch fighter in the game it’s impossible to even have much hope.
One fighter who doesn’t have sleepless nights against being clinched by Petchboonchu, is the fellow Thai plum master Yodwicha Por Boonsit.
Formerly the consensus pound-for-pound number one in the sport, Yodwicha (still only eighteen years old) has been overtaken by Petchboonchu due to recent results.
Just this past week at Rajadamnern Stadium, these two met again, for the fourth time in 2014 to date. Although Yodwicha had shown himself to be the better fighter in 2013, this year Petchboonchu had pulled ahead, with a 2-0-1 record over three fights. Yodwicha is in the blue shorts, Petchboonchu is in the red.
Predictably this was another close battle, but Yodwicha landed the better knees in the fifth and final round to edge ahead, winning a decision and going ahead in their series with three victories to Petchboonchu’s two. You can be sure that we’ll see this two clinching up again very soon.
Sam-A
A fighter who is clearly on the decline is the once untouchable Sam-A. A defensive specialist and consumate ring general with a great all-round skill set and some of the best hands in the business, Sam-A is struggling with the weight of hundreds of professional bouts stretching back nearly twenty years, even if he is yet to hit thirty himself.
Knocked out by the reliable, but not outstanding Pettawee a few months back via head kick, Sam-A hit the comeback trail against the undeniably World class Thakinslek Kiatnawat. There are pretty much no easy fights at the top level of Muay Thai!
Thakinslek is in the red shorts, Sam-A is in the blue.
Sam-A looked to have recovered well from the defeat to Pettawee, dropping Thakinslek with what looks to be an elbow. The youngster bounced up and tried to show he wasn’t hurt, and didn’t take long to prove it, masking a left high kick with a jab and smashing his shin into Sam-A’s face!
For a fighter who has made his career on his defensive capabilities, this is surely the end of Sam-A as a top flight talent. He has all the skill to still beat those not quite at the top level, but cannot be relied upon as a consistent fighter at the very top of the game anymore. For a sport run by gamblers, this may see Sam-A slip down the pecking order if we suffers any more defeats in the next few months.
Superbank
Thakinslek was rewarded with a title shot at the Lumpini featherweight (126lbs) champion Superbank Mor.Rattanabandit, in a bout that took place this past week.
Superbank, the champ’, is in the red shorts. Thakinslek is in the blue.
These guys are among the very best kickers in the game, and it showed in this bout, which was a tough one for both.
Superbank staked his claim as the pound-for-pound best by pulling off another victory with a strong effort in the fourth and fifth rounds. He hasn’t lost a bout since a three-round contest against Sangmanee Sor Tienpo back in February of this year.
Sangmanee Sor Tienpo
And Sangmanee hasn’t won a bout since!
What a fall from grace for the kid seen as one of the very best fighters around. Sangmanee was a three-weight champion of Rajadamnern Stadium (108, 112 and 115lbs) and two weight champion of Lumpinee Stadium (105 and 115lbs) and the golden boy of Muay Thai.
Winning a one-night tournament in February capped it all off, and Muay Thai fans considered him at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings along with Petchboonchu and Yodwicha.
A loss to Sam-A that saw Sangmanee dropped was competitive enough that is was brushed aside as a minor blip, but five subsequent losses (you heard it right, that’s six losses in a row) has seen Sangmanee go from hero to zero in the space of just a few months.
On September 11th at Rajadamnern Stadium, Sangmanee took on the very good Petchmorakot Teedet99, who is a tough out for even the very best at 126lbs. As I said before, there are no easy fights at the top level of Muay Thai, even for those coming off of six losses! Sangmanee is in the red shorts, Petchmorakot is in the blue.
This was a much-needed victory for Sangmanee, although like Sam-A he has fallen out of favour with the gamblers and will need a few more victories if he is to get any big opportunities going forward. Unlike Sam-A, Sangmanee is still in his prime and will have a chance to rebuild.
Wanchalong Vs Chaisiri: Fight of the year?
Anyone who has been following our Muay Thai coverage may remember Wanchalong from part 3 of ‘The Beginners Guide to Muay Thai’.espite his training and promotional issues, Wanchalong is still one of the very best in his weight class, and the reigning super flyweight champion of Lumpinee Stadium.
Well known for his reputation as a warrior, Wanchalong (red shorts) found a willing partner in Chaisiri Saknirunrath (blue shorts) this past week.
Check out the second round; three knockdowns, all heavy, and one by a picture perfect spinning back fist!
In the end, Wanchalong came back from two heavy knockdowns to retain his title with a crushing left body kick. Chaisiri’s stock has risen after this performance, and a rematch looks likely.
The fighters got their due for this back-and-forth battle:
Not only ‘fight of the night’, but this fight is a contender for fight of the year, and sits alongside the two-round thriller between Pornsanae and Pokkaew in July of this year as the most action-packed and dramatic bouts regardless of sport.
Speaking of Pornsanae and Pokkaew….
Their war might’ve been both of their last stands. They blended for such a terrific matchup because they both bring violence despite being past their physical best.
Both were in action this week, with Pornsanae taking on Superlek Kiatmoo9, one of the best technical fighters at 126lbs and currently ranked in the top five by both Rajadamnern and Lumpinee Stadium,and Pokkaew taking on Muangthai Sor Boongium, currently ranked ninth best at 130lbs by Lumpinee.
To the dismay of Muay Thai fans, who hold Pornsanae and Pokkaew close to their hearts after providing years of entertainment, both veterans were on the receiving end of devastating knockouts.
At Rajadamnern Stadium this past week, Superlek downed Pornsanae late in the first round with a clean right head kick. The youngster was much too sharp for Pornsanae,who should really be in fun fights from here on in in my opinion. Superlek is very much an elite fighter, and this was his second good victory in a month, as he beat the always tough Hong Thanonchai in August (HD video of that fight here)
Pokkaew made a much better showing in his contest with Muangthai, but got splattered with a short elbow in the clinch. Clearly unconscious as he hit the mat, Pokkaew couldn’t beat the count, which, despite his legendary recuperative powers, was probably for the best. Skip to 04:50 to see the brutal ending to the bout.
More Stadium title fights!
Perhaps the biggest surprise in the past few weeks was red hot Lumpini bantamweight (118lbs) champion Panpayak Jitmuangnong losing to top-rated, but heavy underdog, Prajanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym.
Panpayak has been on fire this past year, which led to him being honoured with the prestigious ‘Fighter of the Year’ award this February. He had an off-night hear as Prajanchai outworked him to take the title.
In a minor upset, modern great Singdam Kiatmoo9 took the Lumpinee Stadium super lightweight (140lbs) championship from the bigger and stronger Sensatarn Sor. Suradet, who recently beat Petchboonchu.
This was a truly tremendous bout, which took place on the same card as the aforementioned slobberknocker between Wanchalong and Chaisiri. This proclaimed Rob Cox, the authority on all things Muay Thai, to say:
Singdam (blue shorts) showed why he is one of the greatest of the era. As well as being one of the best range kickers in the game, he is also more than capable of clinching with a much larger fighter (taller fighters nearly always hold the advantage in a clinch battle) and taking a title well into an already great career. You can see the fight here
Two other modern greats, Pakorn P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym and Nong-O Gaiyanghadao, have fought many times over the years, and currently hold the championships of the two major Bangkok Stadiums.
Pakorn is the current champion of Lumpinee, and Nong-O picked up the vacant Rajadamnern 135lbs championship in August when he took a decision win over his longtime rival on the 14th August.
You can be certain that these two will meet again, as they always make for close contests, which are what the gamblers want!
Their most recent fight is below: Nong-O is in the red shorts, Pakorn is in the blue.
That’s it for now. If anyone cares to chime in with their candidates for the best fights this summary didn’t touch on, or wants to pick their favourite fights or knockouts from the above list, please do so in the comments.
Muay Thai coverage will be back on Bloody Elbow in two weeks, and that is a promise.