THE SIT BOONMEE CAMP
The SIT BOONMEE camp
Special report by Serge TREFEU (2012)
This small camp lost in the depths of the countryside of the Northeast is very difficult to find. Baan Si Liam is situated in 30 km of the city of Buriram in the tiny village of Baan Sot. To find this camp it was necessary to me to take a local bus since Buriram who left in the direction of the city of Prakon Chai. This bus put down me in the countryside on the completely deserted main road. The camp was in 5 km farther in lands. I was able to reached the camp thanks to a charming girl who took me in moped up to the camp Sit Boonmee. Sit behind his old moped which drove so fast as a bike, I was able to contemplated the grand landscape consisted of rice fields as far as the eye can see. The road which went to the village of Baan Sot was strewed with bumps and with wide holes. Furthermore, during the route we cross enormous buffaloes which cross from time to time the road, fortunately which we did not drove fast…
Him go to arrive at the village of Baan Sot was cool. On the other hand after the report on the camp my return was less pleasant. Indeed, I have of to negotiate piercingly so that a person wants to drope me by car in the place where the only bus for Buriram makes a stopping place. But the time to arrive and it was too late, the last bus for Buriram had passed. I found to make of stop sign in the countryside, at night, on the side of deserted road, with for only mate a swarm of mosquitoes and an old stray dog.
Luckily, a lorry driver in wanted well to embark me on his enormous truck and to put down me just in front of my hotel to Buriram. Thais is often adorable and of a big generosity.
Sometimes it is not the case, they show themselves rather unpleasant to the foreigners. As the trainers and the wife of the boss of the camp Sit Boonmee who welcomed me coolly. And have me downright to ask for some money to take photos of their boxer. Never I would give some money to make a report on somebody.
Fortunately for me, the boss of the camp was very warm and made me at once comfortable with his kindness and his passion of the muay thai.
Mr Boonmee, a passionately of boxing for a long time in opened the Sit Boonmee camp, here is now about 20 years. By creating this camp, this professor of the school of the village of Baan Sot in thus satisfy his second passions after the teaching, the Muay Thai…
KHRU BOONMEE
At first the Sit Boonmee camp was really summary, the ground was in earth, the roof covered with banana tree leaf and there were only two punch bags. Today, the structure of the camp improved, the ground is hard, the roof is in sheet steel and there are several punch bags as well as a boxing ring. But the rooms of the boxers are still really spartan. They are simple wooden huts, very narrow, without water, no electricity inside…
Sit Boonmee in always had good fighters and one of the most known which was formed here is legendary Samkor Kietmontep (Lumpinee Champion in 115 lbs, in 122 lbs and in 130 lbs, Thailand Champion in 135 lbs)!
The camp has much less boxer than in the 2000s because in the region of Buriram the thai boxing is not very popular any more with the young people. Nevertheless Buriram was one of the regions which produced the best fighters of the country. And many specialists still think of it. But the young people are bewitched from now on by the football. The city of Buriram invested recently millions of bahts in the construction of a magnificent stadium of football. It is at present one of the biggest and more beautiful of Thailand. And the local team, Buriram United F.C ., became a professional renowned club which gained three major titles in 2011, Thai Premier League, Thai FA Cup and Thai League Cup, a record!
Now the Sit Boonmee camp count only about ten boxers with very good fighters as Phetdam Sitboonmee, classified N° 10 in the stadium Omnoi in 122 lbs, and Fonluang Sitboonmee, classified N° 2 in Thailand in 118 lbs. But the star of the camp is unquestionably talented Kongsak Sitboonmee who gained four belts. He is a champion of the Lumpinee in 126 lbs and 130 lbs, Champion of Thailand in 126 lbs and World champion WMC in 130 lbs. This great champion was elected ” Best fighter of the year ” in 2011. Kongsak beat great champions as Tryjak Sitjomtry, Detnarong Wor Sangprapai, Petthawee Sor Kittichai, Pornsaneh Sitmonchai, Singthongnoi Por Telakun, Pakon Sakyothin, Jomthong Chuwattana, Phet Ek Kiatyongyut and Nong O Kayanghadhao!
This magnificent fighter arises from boxer’s family and his uncle is others than the former legend of boxing rings, Changpuek Kiatsongkrit. Changpuek which is native of the village where is the Sitboonmee camp.
KONGSAK SITBOONMEE
The Sit Boonmee camp built up one to itself renamed in particular thanks to the good results of the champion Kongsak but also thanks to one of his trainers, Pelé Kiatsongrit. It is him who formed Samkor Kietmontep among others and many other fighters. Pelé Kiatsongrit was elected ” Best trainer of the year ” in 2011. He does not stay any more in the owner of this small camp which to receive the prestigious titles of ” Best camp of the year ” to be happy…
PELE KIATSONGRIT
So champions of the other camps come to train here as Tong Puideenaidee the current champion of the Lumpinee in 122 lbs. Tong gets ready in Bangkok and in Sit Boonmee for his fights in stadium of the capital.
The boxers of the Sit Boonmee often fight in the stadium of Lumpinee and in that of Radja. They thus have two different promoters, Songchai Ratanasuban for Radja and Virat Vichirarattanawong (Petchyindee) for Lumpinee.
The training begins at 6 am in the morning, nakmuays is going to run on the deserted roads of countrysides, they make neighborhood 8 in 10 km. For the jooging of the afternoon it is more difficult because the boxers have to run under a blazing sun, their course thus amounts only to 6 km. As soon as they finished their jogging, nakmuays moves on at once by the session of clinch which goes duration 30 minutes. In this camp they make a lot of clinch, it arrives that they sometimes made until three sessions of clinch during the day, one in the morning and two after noon !
The sessions in paos are twice made a day and owed four rounds of five minutes each. Here the fighters train hard and live in austere conditions. In the countryside, they have no entertainment and their rooms are rudimentary, they sleep in simple wooden hut. Only the champion of the camp, Kongsak, sleep in his house which is in one kilometers of the camp. Practically no foreigner came to train in this camp qualified as “Fimeuu” (technician). Only two French fighters came to Sit Boonmee but they did not stay for a long time…
However, the owner accepts the foreign boxers, he will just cost them 500 bahts a day to train, eat and sleep beside the nakmuays of Sit Boonmee. But this camp is not for the “delicate” boxers avid to train in a luxurious setting. He is rather for the last adventurers of the boxing rings who still try the adventure in the country of Muay Thai…
