PAIROJNOI SOR SIAMCHAI AGAINST PONGSIRI POR RUAMRUEDEE THE FIGHT OF THE CENTURY
PAIROJNOI SOR SIAMCHAI AGAINST PONGSIRI POR RUAMRUEDEE
THE FIGHT OF THE CENTURY
Special report by Serge TREFEU (2020)
The 80s/90s was a bit like the golden age of Muay Thai in Thailand, a time when champions often clashed without restraint and without constant control. In many matches, they fought from the first strike this gong and until the end of the round, almost without dead time, which gave incredible battles!
These titanic clashes came about thanks to the promoters of geniuses such as Kleo Sor Thanikul and Songchai Rattanasuban who were able to mount exceptional events. They regularly organized oppositions between the best fighters of the moment, epic fights that made the audience of the stadiums of Bangkok vibrate!
At the time, the promoter Songchai was one of the most skilled to make balanced fights between the greatest champions of the planet. The famous promoter has organized many grandiose events.
On October 11, 1988, at the Lumpinee Stadium, he created a stunning event, a unique evening with the elite champions of the year.
The program included ten intense fights which were Huahinlek Lukwan against Namkabuan Nongkee Pahuyut in 102 lbs (Victory Namkabuan), Kawao Kor Pongkiait against Oley Kiatonway in 106 lbs (Victory Oley), Sekson Sitjoenthong against Karuhate Sor Supawan in 110 lbs (Victory Karuhate), Hippy Singmanee against Paleuhatlek Sitchunthong in 112 lbs (Victory Paleuhatlek), Pongsiri Por Ruamruedee against Pairojnoi Sor Siamchai in 112 lbs (Draw), Wangchainoi Sor Palangchai against Chamophet Ha Phalang in 118 lbs (Victory Wangchainoi), Samransak Muangsurin against Jareonthong Kietbanchong in 126 lbs (Victory Samransak), Superlek Sor Isaan against Kaonam Bualuangprakanpay in 118 lbs (Victory Kaonam), Songchainoi Por Somjitae against Coban Sitkrutchat in 106 lbs (Victory by KO Songchainoi) and Nungubon Sitlerchai against Wisanlek Lukbangplanoy in 100 lbs (Victory Nungubon)!
All the fights were memorable. But the fight between Pongsiri and Pairojnoi was the most impressive, a match which ended in a draw between the two champions.
THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE MUAY THAI, ON 11 OCTOBER 1988, ONESONGCHAI PROMOTION
SAMRANSAK MUANGSURIN VS JAREONTHONG KIETBANCHONG
WANGCHANNOI SOR PALANGCHAI VS CHAMOPHET HA PHALANG
HIPPY SINGMANEE VS PALEUHATLEK SITCHUNTHONG
PONGSIRI POR RUAMRUEDEE VS PAIROJNOI SOR SIAMCHAI
SEKSON SITJOENTHONG VS KARUHATE SOR SUPAWAN
FIRST CONFRONTATION BETWEEN PAIROJNOI SOR SIAMCHAI AND PONGSIRI POR RUAMRUEDEE
The promoter Songchai quickly organized the revenge between Pongsiri and Pairojnoi, the match took place again in the stadium of Lumpinee, on November 4, 1988. This fight reached a dumpan (Bet between Team) with the record sum of 3 million baht , a first in the history of Muay Thai. The two main event fights of the evening were Pongsiri Por Ruamruedee against Pairojnoi Sor Siamchai and Hippy Singmanee against the puncher Weerapol Sahaponhom (Hyppy beat Weerapol by points).
PAIROJNOI SOR SIAMCHAI AGAINST PONGSIRI POR RUAMRUEDEE, NOVEMBER 4 AT THE LUMPINEE STADIUM
Pongsiri and Pairojnoi had a crazy fight, a match in which they were up to the end of themselves, both open to faces, bloodied, each nearly being stopped on injury. They fought until the last minute of the fifth round, Pongsiri won the fight by points. The two fighters ended up exhausted in the hospital…
The match was voted «best fight of the year» and named as the hardest fight of the last twenty years, the match of the century!
REVENGE MATCH BETWEEN PAIROJNOI SOR SIAMCHAI AND PONGSIRI POR RUAMRUEDEE
The third match between these two modern day gladiators took place on July 25, 1989, a confrontation which was still one of the most violent fights of the year in the stadium of Lumpinee. This time, it was Pairojnoi who won this match on points.
The three meetings between these two legends of the rings are forever marked in the annals of the history of Muay Thai!
THE MATCH OF THE CENTURY, NOVEMBER 4, 1988, AT THE LUMPINEE STADIUM
PAIROJNOI SOR SIAMCHAI AGAINST PONGSIRI “RAMBO” POR RUAMRUEDEE
Pairojnoi Sor Siamchai started boxing with monks in a temple in his native region of Chachoengsao, a region in the center of the country. Then he spent his entire career fighting at Sor Siamchai Gym in Chachoengsao, a gym whose promoter was Songchai Rattanasuban, the promoter N°1 at the time.
Pairojnoi was nicknamed “Ayleuhatlek” (The bloody steel), because his combativeness in the ring was exceptional, he was a fierce fighter, a formidable durable boxer with a steel head who advanced on his adversaries like a furious rhino.
In 1987, Pairojnoi won the Lumpinee belt in 105 lbs against Kompayak Singmanee, a formidable champion who was on the same gym as the famous Hippy Singmanee.
Pairojnoi beat great names in Muay Thai during his career as Karuhat Sor Supawan (Lumpinee Champion), Denthaksin Kiatrathaphon (Radja Champion), and Silachai Wor Preecha (Somjit Jongjohor) who was later Gold Medalist at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.
His toughest opponent was, without a doubt, the terrible Pongsiri “Rambo” Por Ruamruedee.
Pairojnoi fought 250 matches for 180 wins, 60 losses and 10 draws, fought a lot at the Lumpinee stadium where he made 130 fights, he kept his Lumpinee belt three times.
After his career as a fighter, Pairojnoi became a coach in Thailand, he also travelled a lot abroad to give Muay Thai lessons, seminars he gave in Italy, Japan, Hong Kong and Brazil.
In Brazil, he stayed there for six months and established many contacts with Brazilian fighters. Brazilian boxers who then came to train in Kor Romsritong Gym. The gym where Pairojnoi was head coach for many years, a gym that was in Samut Sakhon and is now closed. At the Kor Romsritong Gym, Pairojnoi has often prepared Brazilian champions Cosmo Alexandre (WPMF World Champion, S1 Champion, It’s Show Time World Champion) and Leo Monteiro (WMC MAD Champion, Chaweng Stadium Champion, Sao Paulo Champion).
Pairojnoi also formed champions Kamlaiyok Kor Romsritong (Lumpinee Champion, TV7 Champion), Kongmuanjan Kor Romsritong (Lumpinee Champion, TV7 Champion), Kongbeng Kor Romsritong (Thailand Champion) and Asawin Kor Romsritong (Thailand Champion).
When the Kor Romsritong Gym closed, Pairojnoi left for the famous Sitsongpeenong Gym in Bangkok. Alongside the famous trainer of Jocky Gym Pipa, he has prepared the two stars Kem Sitsongpeenong and Sittichai Sitsongpeenong several times.
Today, Pairojnoi has created his own gym, the “Pairojnoi Muaythai Gym” which is in Samut Sakhon (30 km from Bangkok) in the district of Krathum Baen.
KHRU PAIROJNOI
PAIROJNOI IN KOR ROMSRITONG GYM
THE SOR SIAMCHAI GYM WHERE PAIROJNOI WAS FORMED
PAIROJNOI WITH KEM SITSONGPEENONG
PAIROJNOI WITH SITTICHAI SITSONGPEENONG
THREE EXTRAORDINARY MUAY BOUK WHO RAISED THE CROWDS OF THE STADIUMS OF BANGKOK, PAIROJNOI SOR SIAMCHAI, SANGTIENOI SOR RUNGROJ AND BOWEE SOR UDOMSON
SEMINAR WITH MASTER PAIROJNOI
LUMPINEE CHAMPION
PAIROJNOI MADE MANY BLOODY MATCHES DURING HIS CAREER
PAIROJNOI WITH THE BIGGEST PROMOTER OF THE 90S AND 2000S, SONGCHAI RATANASUBAN
PAIROJNOI SOR SIAMCHAI IN SPECIALIZED MAGAZINES
Pongsiri Por Ruamruedee of his real name “Phayboun Ladnongkhi” was born in the town of Thaleang in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima, in the North East of Thailand.
This fighter was nicknamed «Rambo» because he had a very aggressive boxing style like a mercenary soldier storming the ring. It was a steamroller, a tank that was constantly moving on his opponents. Rambo was a terror of rings in the category of 112 lbs and 115 lbs, many fighters feared it.
He got into the ring with a pirate flag to scare his opponents, a black flag with a white skull, a skull that he also wore on his boxing robe and shorts.
He marked the history of Muay Thai with his boxing style, a real Muay Bouk who advanced on his opponents, without retreating, like a rabid buffalo.
Later, in the 2000s, the champion Bowee Sor Udomson had a similar boxing style. So much so that Bowee was nicknamed the «New Rambo», he even took back the emblem of Pongsiri, a white skull that he wore on his shorts!
Pongsiri Por Ruamruedee has never won a belt in the major stadiums in Bangkok. He was nevertheless world champion and he remained a long time N ° 1 of Lumpinee by facing all the tenors of his category.
Pongsiri has beaten great champions like Hippy Singmanee, Toto Por Pongsawang, Nungubon Sitlerdchai, Chainoy Muangsurin, Morakot Sor Thamarangsee, Seksan Sitjomthong, Tukkatatong Por Pongsawang, Yodarwut Sor Totsapon, Paleuhatantk Sitchun, Langsuan Phanyuthapum. He also defeated foreign champions such as the formidable Dutch Michael Lieuwfat and the great French champions Jaid Seddak and Khaled Hebieb.
Pongsiri stopped his career quite early, at the age of 25, because after almost every fight he was wounded and often ended in hospital, he underwent important operations especially in the ears. Pongsiri made too many hard fights that unfortunately marked him physically…
When he ended his career, he went back to singing, singing folk songs for a while in the provinces of the country. He also continued to train at Muay Thai and was a coach at Muaythai Plaza Gym in Bangkok for some time.
Today, Pongsiri takes care of the career of his son who is called Boonan Ladnongkhi and who has become a professional boxer. 19 years old, he fights today under the name of “Rambonoi Ladnongkhi” (Little Rambo), his promoter is Mr. Songchai Ratanasuban, the same promoter as his father in his great time.
PONGSIRI « RAMBO » POR RUAMRUEDEE
THE FAMOUS RAMBO PIRATE FLAG
PONGSIRI POR RUAMRUEDEE WITH HIS SON RAMBONOI
PONGSIRI POR RUAMRUEDEE IN SPECIALIZED MAGAZINES
Nowadays, matches between former champions have become fashionable in the stadiums of Bangkok, a remake of the match between Pongsiri and Pairojnoi was to take place in 2013 with a dumpan of one million baht in play. But finally Pongsiri faced another former champion, Langsuan Phanyuthaphum. A fight organized again by the promoter Songchai Rattanasuban and held at the stadium of Radja on August 5, 2013. Pongsiri and Langsuan had already met four times, twenty years ago, with three victories for Langsuan, the match ended with a draw between the two old rivals…
DESPITE THREE DANTESQUE CONFRONTATIONS, THE TWO CHAMPIONS PONGSIRI AND PAIROJNOI BECOME BIG FRIENDS TODAY
