THE SINGPATONG CAMP
THE CAMP SINGPATONG
Special report by Serge TREFEU (2011)
Singpatong Gym is on the island of Phuket in the South of the country. The camp is in the heights of Patong Beach. Sing wants to say “Lion” for the power and Patong makes reference to the sea resort the most known for the island, Patong Beach.
Singpatong exists since 1971, at first it is was situated in the entrance of Patong Beach. Then there are about twenty year he changed place to be reconstructed at the top of the hill which dominates the bay of Patong. The place is very quiet, surrounded by the jungle we hears only the ceaseless noise of insects. The camp is aerated well and contains two wide boxing rings with eight punch bags. At the moment there are only rooms for the local boxers. But the camp gets modernized and rooms are under construction to be able to welcome foreign fighters.
This typical camp was found by Somsak Junlaka a former professional boxer. Somsak is always there but today the camp is overseen by Somnuk Patburee nicknamed Sit Noom Noi. Sit Noom Noi is the manager and also the chief trainer of the Singpatong. This man of experience is a former fighter (150 fights) which trained to the famous camp Sitnoomnoi to Hatyai.
This camp always formed of very good fighter. The champion of the 80s, Singphaïboun (Champion of Thailand) began in Singpatong. Having faced the Thai champions he ended his career in France or he beat great champions of time as Fabrice Payen, André Richard Nam and Joel Caesar. In the 90s it is Phun Louang Singpatong (Champion of Thailand, Champion of the South) who made the beautiful days of Singpatong. Then in the 2000s, him had Thoungsuk Singpatong (Winner of the Tournament TV7), Singsuk Suwitgym (Winner of the Tournament Windy Sport) and Rung Anun Sitnoumnoi, a redoubtable boxer who was 3 times a champion of the South and a winner of the Tournament TV9, Rung Anun still fights for the camp.
Today Singpatong counts about ten high-level boxers who train permanently. The brightest is doubtless Pen Ake Sitnoomnoi who holds champion’s belt of the stadium of Omnoi in 126 lbs. He is at present a member of the top 10 of the best fighters all categories. Other great champion of the camp is Penthai Singpatong who has just gained the belt of the stadium TV7 in 108 lbs!
There is also Thongran Sitnoomnoi (Champion of the South), Chun Ake Sitnoomnoi (100 fights), Geng Art Sitnoomnoi (98 fights) which also fight in stadium of Bangkok in particular in the stadium TV7. Because the promoter of the camp is Chun Kiatpetch, the famous owner of the stadium TV7. All these boxers are of Moslem religion excepted the chief trainer Sit Noom Noi who is Buddhist. Because in the region of Phuket the great majority of Thai are Muslim.
In Singpatong nakmuays is framed by six trainers, Somsak Junlaka (founder of the Singpatong), Sit Noom Noi (chief trainer), Mart Pattalung who formed champions as Anuwat Keawsamrit and Yuttachak Keawsamrit, Prabmot Kittikasem the former trainer of the champions Phet Ake Sitjaopoh and Phet Aw Sitjaopoh, and finally Pornlek Dokjiknoi and Noomtai Sidnoomnoi of the trainers who are ten years old of experience…
Singpatong is situated to Patong Beach the most famous sea resort of the country with Pattaya. Necessarily there were always more or less foreign boxers who came to train in this camp. But there was a long time a camp “in Thai” with little of farangs (foreigner). Indeed the training taught in this camp was considered as being one of the hardest of the country. The first foreign boxers, in the 80s, who walked on the boxing ring of Singpatong are French Olivier Gauthier and the Dutch Fred Royers. Olivier Gauthier was one of the first foreigners to fight for Singpatong. In Thailand he made more than 50 fights and has now his own camp to Phuket, Sit O Inter. The great Dutch champion Fred Royers it was prepared for Singpatong for its world championship in Kickboxing against Japanese Yasuo Tabata.
Later, in the 90s, the French champion David Hergault, who is one of the rare foreigners to have fought in TV7 stadium, stayed during several years in this camp. He fought moreover under the name of David Singpatong. In the 2000s, many foreign champions came to Singpatong. Spanish Jo Spain who fought in the stadium TV7 for the camp, French Mehdi Zatout which fought several times for the camp, the Belgian Youssef Boughanem, French Kamel Jemel, Thomas Adamandopoulos and Michael Lallemand often got ready in this champion’s camp…
At present the French boy wonder Damien Alamos (World champion WPMF, Europe Champion WPMF) train and fight for the camp for more than a year. So, another foreign boxer fights for Singpatong, Canadian champion Wesley Wayne Jaya.
Victim of his success Singpatong attracts for some years more and more foreigners, especially French who are not necessarily fighters of high levels. But Singpatong manages to maintain a balance between the boxers of passage and the professional fighters. Henceforth the beginners can train in this camp what was impossible before. For the competitors who want to get ready seriously Singpatong always offers training as high as their ambition, a real training of gladiator…
At dawn when the roisterers of Patong Beach go to bed, the nakmuays of Singpatong begins they their daily jogging. They are going to run 10 km by tumbling down and by going back up the famous hill of Patong. Then they attack the training till 9 am in the morning. After noon, they make again a jogging of 6 km for a 4 pm then ends their training at about 7 pm. In period of preparation of fight the rhythm of the training becomes intensified. The special session in paos is one of the most testing. The boxer has to hold six rounds of 4 minutes by making a round for paos alternated with a round a clinch. Several opponents turn with him in clinch by putting him ceaselessly the pressure. This extreme, very physical exercise, allows the boxer to meet little in a precarious situation of fight, where dominated and tired, it manages to take out thanks to its excellent physical condition there. The boxer is not at the end of his punishments because he then has to make another six rounds. But this time this it is three rounds in the punch bag with three rounds of sparring. The training ends by the traditional session of clinch which can sometimes last one hour. She is twice made a day, in the morning and after noon. It is thanks to this rigorous training that the boxers of the Singpatong are always in great shape, ready to go to the fight at any time. Singpatong is warrior’s camp which today adapts itself at every level fighters. It is advisable as well to the high-level competitors as to the novice fighters. The “Lions” of Patong are not to stop roaring out!
(In 2012, Pen Ake Sitnoomnoi also gained the belt of Lumpinee and the belt TV7, and Damien Alamos became the second foreigner to the world to gain champion’s belt of the Lumpinee!)
SINGPATONG GYM
29 Hasipess Road
PatongBeach
Kathu District, PHUKET
THAILAND83150
Contact:
Pee Num 0856644035 singpatong@gmail.com
Website: www.singpatongsitnumnoi.com
Training: A day: 400 bahts
One week: 2500 bahts
One month: 8000 bahts