A Young Pongsaklek Wonjongkam as a Muay Thai Prospect

Just for a bit a fun, here's a couple of interesting clips of Pong at the tender age of 16 pre his Pro boxing days as promising Muay Thai prospect fighting in the Mecca of Muay Thai, Lumpinee stadium.

Both these fights are only a month apart in 1993. Pong is 16 and unusually for a young pro studying at high school. He is already a National Amateur Boxing champ as well as having been a pro MT fighter for quite sometime already and is fighting at a fairly high level showing his true background as a Muay Thai fighter.

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I agree Yaca he was great at distance with quality hands and lighting feet both of which were very accurate. :thumbsup

It's hard to tell too much from the Tingly fight as it didn't really get going. Tingly seems to be an average solid stadium fighter, no real magic or class in any one area just a well schooled and dependable all rounder. Tingly couldn't figure out how to handle Pong's jab and before he could get a handle on it out or try to spoil in the clinch in the coming money rounds the fight was done. What is clear from that fight is Pong was quality at range not just with his hands but feet to as well as extremely fast and very awkward in the sense of his unpredictability to an MT fighter with his angles and variety of attack. It's not often a Thai works behind a technically perfect & smooth double jab or throws a lead cross from their power hand, or even glides in to range so well of the jab, Pong was adapting his amateur boxing skills very well no wonder Tingly was having problems. I love the combo where Pong pumps out two accurate smooth jabs, effortlessly closes the distance and then he tacks on a crafty little elbow at the end looking for cut damage! :yep

In the Rayrai fight I disagree with you Yaca about lacking in the clinch and knee department, I read it differently. I think he handle the clinch with such technical maturity it's hard to believe he's only 16 against a very determined attacker Rayrai who was desperate to pull the fight into the clinch. For me it's his straight knee counters from the clinch that ultimately win him the fight. Remember back then the guys that rose to the top tended to be specialists which this young prospect Pong already clearly was. It mentions in the clip that Pong started his MT career at age 11 which tells you straight away he knows how to handle himself in the clinch cos these boys do at least an hour of clinch work everyday week in week out for years, there's no way he couldn't handle the clinch. Remember clinching is the most complexx aspect of MT & you have to look at it in the context of its harder to defend well against an effective susuatined determined clinch than it is to attack with one.

Infact, I believe Pong understood the clinch and knee game very very well because if you rewatch the fight as early as Rd 3 it's clear Rayrai wants to negate Pong's far superior hands and feet by closing down the distance and trying to pull it into the trenches with knees, elbows and attempted clinches. However, Pong defend's against this like a master using his legs to defend against the knee as well as breaking and spoiling the clinch with his arms and quality footwork, this also makes it awkward for the smaller Rayrai to reach him effectively and all the while Pong is patiently countering with high scoring very accurate straight knees (check the slow mo hi light at the end of rd 3) not to mention quality kicks to the mid section. Alright things get a bit loose & hairy in the 4th when Rayrai rallies, but that's competitive Thai MT for you with it's never say die attitude. The worst thing Pong could of done is fight the strong and very determined Rayrai on equal terms in the cliche, he'd have lost all his technical advantages. I'd say Pong understands the clinch very well, he knew where his clear advantages lay and in a similar manner as Mayweather always patiently controlled the fight even under heavy pressure in the 4th so as to only fight on his terms. In both clips you see a mature natural striker who uses superior technic and patience in both offence and defence.

Interms of Pong giving up MT to box, I doubt he had any say in the matter. It's clear at this early stage he was a natural with great fluid technic in his hands which is rare in even quality Thai Sakon pro veterans & champs. Both these fights were Petchyindee promotions (Flea, Petchwiset promotion's Boat's dad) who even to this day have stong sakon links with the whole Gaiyanghadow sakon team and the CP sponsors. Remember there are thousands of quality MT fighter pouring of the Issan assembly line into BKK every single day for promoters to pick so when you've got a rare sakon prospect you take the risk of the international boxing world because the paydays and kudos can be so great. And also it's much easier for an opportunistic promoter to manipulate and rip off a fighter who doesn't speak English if the promoter does in the international world of Sakon (I'm not a jaded cynic honestly!) all you have to do is look at what happened to Buakaw in the K1 world with Por Pramuk and trust me it's worse in the Sakon world! :-(

In the clip it says Pong started MT at 11, I don't know when he finished, but its clear he was a very gifted MT fighter with amazing maturity, patience and attractive technical style at such a young age, I wonder………….:think

 

Yes last year. He didn't retire ,he would have gone on, but in true Thai style his manger retired him. (Where's the Thai Django!)

Anyway, he retired with an insane record of (86-5-2, 46 KOs) and thet doesn't include all his pro MT fights which is probably a similar number.

Bonafida Thai badass, no matter what all the nut jobs over in the main say about him!:deal