With the legitimacy of Lionels boxing brilliance, how does Samart Payakarun fare with Lionel, even in the higher division of super bantam???
Rose by KO, Rose had it all, a amazing athletic ability, speed, power and a pretty good chin. Rose is an at time great 118 fighter.
Rose would beat him..of this I am sure. Payakaroon was a good fighter though..He was young when he bagged a title and had some pretty decent raps on him. He was a very accomplished kickboxer before he took up boxing. In fact though I dont know much about muay thai of the time Im pretty sure he was one of the best p4p kickboxers around in the early 80's before he went into pro boxing and is considered an all time great in the sport. Jeff absolutely mugged him and pretty much destroyed him that night.
That loss was devastating for the Thai people. Years later, Thai cabbies would would blurt out the name "Jeff Fenech" as soon as they heard I was from Australia, and a fair few would swear to me that Samart took a dive to cover gambling debts he had amassed (whether true or not, he had no say in the matter lol). BTW same Thai cabbies are very pissed off that South Americans are cutting into their market - so they have nothing good to say about Mundine
i was at the payak vs fenech fight....what a night. troy waters fought good too. fenech murdered payakaroon that night..and payak could fight. fenech was a monster. .
An aussie in PAYAKAROON'S camp played with his food in favor for FENECH'S camp that's why FENECH never went to thailand this year for rematch an took NELSON instead, PAYAKAROON knew he was **** over last time.
It was the same when they bought JAMES QUICK TILLIS out here to fight BUGNER they put him in some crappy motel up the cross the fella looking after him was the same in PAYAKAROON camp gave him a burnt stake evey nigth for dinner a few beers with that an put a 6 pack under his bed wicth was gone evey morning an got him a moll evey night an on the day of fight ran him up coogee bay road up an down a few time's an he still stuck it up BUGNER but lost on point's.
Bill Made suggestions that Samart was drinking heavily in the months prior to the fight and loved the Playboy lifestyle. Samart remains to be a legend amonst the Thai fans. After the Fenech loss, he aparently returned to Thailand and became a monk for a year or so. After resuming normal life, he became a pop star. I was there in '99 and '06, his name hasnt faded.
