Muaythai Truly International

Muaythai is truly an international sport, and Muaythai Day is an important event in the Muaythai calendar with the main festivities held in Thailand, organized by the Thai Government, the World Muaythai Council under directive of the Thai Government, and certainly, IFMA the world governing body, recognized by the OCA, IWGA, and many others.

The story is told that the Phra Chao Suea (the Tiger King), the father of Muaythai , took on challengers in any division and against any challenger; so in his honour, 3 different trophies in 3 different weight divisions were organized.

The first 57kg match saw Ncedo Gomba from South Africa taking on Wan Xin from China in a world class match and it was South Africa beating China to make it into the final. The next semi-final saw Thai superstar Chainoi Worawut take on Gary Sicily from Itlay, and the atmosphere in the stadium was electrifying with Thailand winning the bout. The first final was set for Ncedo Gomba from South Africa against Chainoi Worawut from Thailand.

The next semi-final was in the 63.6kg division, with Kwan Sor Ploenjit from Thailand taking on Brian Denis from France in a fantastic bout that went down to a very close decision in favour of Thailand. In the second semi-final in the 63.6kg division, saw Russia’s Timur Mamatisakov taking on Anton Petruv from Bulgaria and it was Timur Mamatisakov from Russia winning in devastating form and setting up the final between Thailand and Russia.

The middleweight division of 72kg for the third trophy saw the first semi-final bout between Shane O’Neill from Ireland and Eduart Paci from Albania. This was another hard fought match with Shane O’Neill taking the final decision and moving on to the final. The second semi-final saw Asian champion Anantadej Petchsupapan from Thailand taking on Remi Vectol from France. This bout was a world-class from both fighters with Anantadej from Thailand bringing everything out in the final round to take the win and move on to the final.

The final was set with 3 trophies and fighters from 4 countries. The first final was the 57kg between Thailand’s Chainoi Worawut and South Africa’s Ncedo Gomba. Ncedo Gomba showed why Africa is on the rise and produced a major upset in the home country, beating the Thai at his own turf. A fantastic display of muaythai and a standing ovation was given to both athletes by all spectators.

The second semi-final was between Russia and Thailand, with Kwan Sor Ploenjit from Thailand under real pressure and Timur Mamatisakov from Russia showing why Russia is one of the powerhouses in Muaythai. Thailand lost the second fight and second trophy, which showed that Muaythai is truly international.

For the final trophy, it was up to Thailand’s Anantadej Petchsupapan to save the pride of the Kingdom, and what a fight it was. Shane O’Neill from Ireland gave it all he had, but Anantadej fought the fight of his life for the pride of the kingdom, with millions of viewers on TV, and won the third fight.

A fantastic night of fights, a great night for Muaythai, and the Tiger King would be truly proud to see the popularity of the sport worldwide.