Fighters who forged their boxing skills with their other martial arts skills?

Most Thai boxers have Muay Thai background so it's likely that almost all of them implemented Muay Thai technique into their boxing craft.

 

I love threads like this.

I used to train with a guy who trained under Liam Harrison, called Lewis George. He started at Joe Gallagher's in order to get his hands to a higher level and he is a monster. Iirc, he won the WBC lightweight euro championship (might be a specific age category, I'm not sure) and went to a few big tournaments which he had to go abroad for.

I never sparred too much with him, due to the size and experience differences between us but when technical sparring, I remember him being great at fighting in both stances, a nice long guard which I just couldn't get through, some clean elbow blocks which just looked like were ready to block high kicks, and he specifically tagged me quite a bit by countering the jab with the cross from southpaw. I also saw him have a habit of throwing a lead hook off the jab, and then with the same hand, frame off their forehead and I checked his Instagram and saw a video of him doing exactly this to set-up a knee to the body so that's quite cool. I remember him not level changing for body shots, which has to be a habit he got from Thai boxing.

I also knew a guy called Ali from Joe Gallaghers who was a wrestler prior to boxing and he was incredibly good at changing levels for body jabs. Very cat like movement and a brutal clincher too.

 

Did Vitali get his swaying head movement from his kickboxing days...?

 

Not sure if he integrated it into his game, but Loma has a good background in wrestling, judo, and sambo

 

Same for Usyk I think.

 

Jiro Watanabe was one of the world's best in a form of Kenpo / Kempo before Boxing iirc.

 

It's more Khaokor who was good in Muay Thai (champion of Raja in Bantamweight division).

Khaosai was not good at all in Muay Thai (Khaokor fought always for Khaosai in Muay Thai).

 

For answer to the subject I will say Veeraphol Sahaprom & Samson Isaan both was very good champions in Muay Thai or Boxing.

I also think of Muangchai Kittikasem & Samart Payakaroon & Satanmuanglek CP Freshmart & Palangpol CP Freshmart who uses their experiences in Muay Thai for to be very good in Boxing.


It's a shame than Satanmuanglek who was ranked 1 or #2 by the WBO didn't try I'm sure he was at a world level at Light Flyweight in Boxing. Same for Palangpol who try the WBO Light Flyweight Belt (Kosei Tanaka) but was also ranked in others federations and didn't try it..


Satanmuanglek retired from Boxing very fast at 26 years old and from Muay Thai at 28 years old.. he was still young and dangerous but he prefer to be retired fast.

 

Tex Cobb and Troy Dorsey were kickboxers first if memory serves.

 

Yes it's true

 

Vitali Kiltschko was a elite kickboxer