Khaosai Galaxy Title Defense Highlights

Vicious stuff. Some of the reactions on the receiving end have to be seen to be believed. I've heard of Galaxy, but never seen much of him. Watching this makes me want to rectify that in the near future.

 

I used to like getting his fights on vhs tapes---a southpaw slugger. Not many southpaw sluggers--this guy and Limon.

 

Read about him in the 80's don't recall any of his fights being on network TV or ESPN. But a bunch of the boxing mags of that era had very high praise for him..... That left hand,,,,,, WOW.

 

Good post. A Thai legend. Brutal one punch power with that trade mark relentless forward pressure and strength alot of Thais are renowned for. As you said a nightmare to be up against. His twin brother Khaokor 2 time WBA Bantamweight winner also had a tasty KO record 24-2-0 - 18 K0s, but he lacked the thunder strike of Khaosai.

http://static.boxrec.com/9/94/1213.jpg

Khaosai is one of only 3 fighting legends out of hundreds or possibly thousands that is still adored by the general Thai public today. That's is a big deal if consider fighting is the national sport and just how many fighting legends the country has produced in MT & Boxing. Khaosai, WBC Champ Samart Payakaroon (considered Thailand's greatest fighter ever), and amateur Olympic gold medallist Somlauck Khamsing are still regulars on Thai TV in commercials, talkshows, soap operas and movies.

 

I'm curious, how is Pongsaklek Wonjongkam regarded domestically? I know in the international (at least internet) boxing fan community he was probably the most buzzed-about name from Thailand in the last couple of decades, more so while he was active but he still gets mentioned a disproportionately high amount compared with other retired champs.

 

I think Samart made his mark in MT kickboxing, and then grabbing a WBC title was just icing on the cake. Not that kayoing Pintor isn't a good result to have on your record, but it was really his only major laurel in our sport.

@boranbkk correct me if this is wrong but I think in your post the keyword there was "greatest fighter" - mostly to do with his credentials in kickboxing, yes? Used to plow through opposition at Lumpinee & Rajadamnern Stadiums.

 

Yeah, and never made the weight again.

My hunch is, boranbkk will come in and confirm that nobody really thinks or talks much of Samart's crossover period. You could probably subtract his entire pro boxing career and his legacy would still be more or less what it presently is.

His dominance in that discipline extended from a few years before his pro debut in boxing, to a couple of years at least after the Fenech loss (which means he was straddling both sports concurrently!) - so, beyond a decade.

 

Not regarded at all outside of hardcore fans and they have short memories due to the constant stream of fighters.

Most Thais have no idea who Pong is, along with pretty much every world Champion boxer and Muay Thai fighter that's fought post the late 90s. Only hardcore fans and some local people from his home town will know him and handful would have folled his career. . The golden age of Muay Thai the national sport was the 80s and 90s. It spawned lot of crossover fighters like Khaosai and Samart etc. Everyone watched Muay Thai live and would que round the block at the two national stadiums to see the big fights. Boxing matches were very often held on a big Muay Thai cards and fans were somewhat knowledgeable.

BUT...then came the internet and more importantly satellite TV closely followed by premiership football from England.....and over night the crowds halved. The fight game in Thailand exist solely for gambling. If you stopped gambling tonight there would be no fight game tomorrow. Football became the premium form of gambling, was easier to follow, was "international" which in the Thai mind means "better" and it didn't have the working class stigma of MT & Boxing, hence many people that used to watch fighting moved over to football. The middle and higher classes simply stopped watching the fight game. The class system here is serious. Its still the number one watched and participated sport in the country but nowhere near like before and even fans tend not to analyse in the same we we do about fighters elsewhere.

It's a such a shame but so many fighters who in other countries would be lifelong household names are forgotten all too quickly.

 

Yep, you guys are right Samart's legend comes from his MT career where he is without doubt the GOAT and most natural fighter to ever get in an MT ring. And that's it exactly, his WBC belt was the icing on the cake. His brother Kongtoranee another MT ATG also fought in western boxing putting Khaosai on the deck in their bout which he lost on points.

Your right IB you could take his crossover out of his record and it wouldn't affect the way he is perceived at their "greatest fighter". In Thailand their really is no distinction in people's eyes between the two sports, boxing and MT they are basically seen as the same thing, kinda hard to explain.

Saensak Muangsurin is still a legend and remembered for both his MT and boxing career. He is very much remembered form that first era of MT greats in the 70s, the first fights on Thai TV in B&W so very memorable for a couple of generations of Thais. He lives in poverty now as do 99% of Thai legends. People do still talk about him particularly in an MT context, his bouts against Poot Lorlek, Apidet, Kongfaa etc.

Just an interesting boxing story related to Saensak's greatest rival Poot Lorlek. Poot and Saensk fought i think 3 times with Poot winning twice, Poot was a smaller man against the bullish Saensak. Poot was a technical master also considered in the same sentence these days with Samart in terms of being the Thai GOAT. An innovative technical genius who was light years ahead of his time. Anyway, once Saensak had crossed over to boxing and was doing well Poot was encouraged to follow him. He did he won eight or 10 bouts but then his handlers told him he would have to fight Roberto Duran, he refused and was thus exiled by the powers that be from fighting on the official fight scene for I think around 7 or 8 years. he was relegated to fighting on upcountry rural not even C grade cards for tiny money. He had been a multiple champion at the highest levels previously, so you can imagine how hard it was. Anyway 7 or 8 years later he was invited back and won the major belts again. Kinda Muhammed Ali type waste at the hight of his career. I always wonder how well head have done if he continued western boxing. I know Poot very well and have visited him many times in Trang as my first wife was from there, to this dy he's adamant not fighting Duran was the right move, he was scared of Duran's power.