STEEVE ARCHAMBAULT
Interview of STEEVE ARCHAMBAULT
by Serge TREFEU (2012)
Serge TREFEU: Hello Steeve, how are you?
STEEVE ARCHAMBAULT: Hello I am well thanks
How old are you?
I am 20 years old
You grew in which place of France?
I grew in the Southeast of France, in Bouches-du-Rhône
Towards what age you began the boxing, do you began with Muay Thai?
I began at first with the Full-contact karate in 10 years, then in 15 years I began Muay…
You were rather brawler adolescent or at all?
(Laughter) We are going to say rather yes!
Were there gyms of thai boxing in your district?
Not in my district, the gym was in another district of the city…
Who attracted you in this sport?
At the beginning I was not so attracted by this sport, I preferred the football, It is thanks to my brother who already made him this sport, he often took me in gym…
What was your first gym of training and which known boxers were in this gym?
My first gym is the one of Fabrice Payen in city of Marseille and I always fight for Fabrice moreover, there were really no known boxers because it was the first year which the gym opened in the city…
You knew Fabrice Payen’s incredible career before going to his gym?
No I discovered him later by looking on the internet, I knew that it was the champion but not that he had had such a career!
You knew that Payen had been the first foreigner to be classified N° 3 in the stadium of Radja?
Yes it was in 1989, it is incredible for a foreigner, especially in this time!
How it passed your first fight, you made him in France or in Thailand?
I have make my first fight in Thailand, it remains one of my best wishes, I won but the fight was really close, my opponent was 15 years old as me, and it was the war, a good memory with a win on points…
You left young person for Thailand, in what camp you were at the beginning?
At the beginning I am to go to the camp Sor Vorapin to Bangkok on advise them of Fabrice Payen because in the time it was the camp where he trained…
What were your first sensations in Thailand?
My first sensations in Bangkok, it was impressive, I come from a town of the South, and I had never travelled, it was huge!
You speak very well about the Thai, moreover Thai television made recently a report on you and your boxer’s life in a camp of Bangkok, how you learnt to master well the language thai?
I learnt well the language because when my brother is to return in France, I am to go to train me in a camp to Chaiyaphum, the Sit Anupap, in the region of Issan, the Northeast region of the country and over there nobody speaks English, thus I had to fast learn…
You have make several camps, you can speak to us about camps in which you went to train?
In all, I have make four camps, the first one in Bangkok in Sor Vorapin, then I am to go to train me in Issan to the camp Sit Anupap, it is where I stayed longer, more than year, then in the camp 13 Coins in Bangkok where I stayed several months and the last camp it was in Bangkok in Kietpech Gym where a promoter has me to take…
CAMP 13 COINS GYM
You lived as the boxers, you slept in the rooms of camps, tell us how was the everyday life within the camp?
Within camps we live in community, thus everybody had a task every day of the week, for example on Saturdays for me it was the dishes, everybody helps and participates……
BOXERS FROM KIETPETCH GYM
What are the boxers who inspired you when you began Muay Thai?
Jean-Charle Skarbowsky for his heart, very brave, Fabrice Payen so very brave and especially very good tactically, for Thai, Saketdao Petchpayathai!
WITH SAKETDAO PETCHPAYATHAI (LUMPINEE CHAMPION, RADJA CHAMPION, WORLD CHAMPION WBC)
And now, what is what there is nakmuays which you like very much, you like their styles and their boxing?
Yes I love Sam-A Thor Rathanakiat and Sarawut Pitakphapadang, it is really two boxers whom I appreciate!
STEEVE WITH GREAT CHAMPION SAM-A THOR RATHANAKIAT
What is your style of boxing?
It depends on my opponent, if he is more to experiment, I would tend to fight more technically, if I am favourite, I love the clinch and to go into with knees!
Have you favorite techniques?
The clinch and the right middles!
You fight in the category 130 lbs, in this category there is of great champion in Thailand for Kongsak Sitboonmee, Jomtong Chuwatana, Kaimookkaw Wacharachaigym, Phetek Kiatyongyut, Penek Sitnumnoi, Pakon Sakyotin, you would like the faced one day?
Yes it is fights which I would like to make!
You had the opportunity to fight in both bigger stadiums of the country, the Lumpinee Stadium and the Radjadamnern stadium, how it passed your fights, what were your impressions in these mythical stadiums?
Yes I fought there several times, the first time in the stadium of Lumpinee it gave me wings, I am say that it was the dream which comes true and that I could not lose!
FIGHT IN RADJA STADIUM
Would like you to make some thing of big in Thailand, following the example of your fellow countrymen Fabrice Payen, Mourad Sari, Danny Bill, Guillaume Kerner, Stéphane Nikiéma or Jean-Charles Skarbowsky who marked their imprints in the stadiums of the country?
Yes that is why I train so hard, it is even a purpose for me…
FIGHT IN LUMPINEE STADIUM
Today French the most known in Thailand it is Damien Alamos, only French to have conquered a belt of Lumpinee and to keep her by putting his title in games, is what that is also a dream for you to have the opportunity one day to compete for a belt of a big stadium of Bangkok?
Yes I think that it is the dream of all the nakmuays, after that remains extraordinary and in 59 kg the level and very high in Thailand!
Youfights for the same promoter as Damien Alamos (Damian Kwaytonggym), Mr Chun Kietpetch, one of the biggest promoters of the Lumpinee, your fighter’s name is Steeve Kwaitonggym, you often fought for this promoter?
I fought one year for this promoter, about the time when I stayed in his camp, the Kietpetch Gym…
You begin touched of good purse?
In Thailand my purse was 25 000 Bahts!
STEEVE WITH THE CHAMPION CHRIS FORSTER
Until today you have how many fights to your credit, of victories and defeats?
I have make 65 fights for 44 victories 20 defeats and 1 draw
Have you a lot of victory gained by KO?
Not so, I gained 17 fights by KO
How much you have make of fight in Thailand?
65 fights, when I was younger I fought twice in France but it was in class B…
You fought more often on Bangkok or in province?
More in province in Isaan (northeast), it is really over there that I evolved and learnt to boxing, we fight there really a lot, over there I fought practically quite weeks, in one year I fought 35 times, to Songkran, the water festival in Thailand which lasts three days I sometimes fought five times!
What are the known Thai fighters whom you faced?
The most known are Namsaknoy and Yodarkoom who fights regularly in the TV7
In France you made only two fights?
Yes I did not make professional fight in France only in class B
Would like you to fight often in France?
Yes I would like…
What difference there is for you to fight in France and in Thailand?
The difference for me it is can be the atmosphere around the fights but now I think that France takes the another form and evolves at giant steps thanks to persons who organize great evenings as misters Jean-Charles Skarbowsky and Jo Prestia, I think that one would need that more promoters in this kind who really know the ” MUAY THAI”!
STEEVE WITH GREAT FRENCH CHAMPIONS FABIO PINCA AND MICKAEL PISCITELLO
Today in your category at the level world who are the best according to you?
In Thailand I think of Seanchai, Singdam, but there is so phenomenon, for the foreigners I do not really know, I do not know well French boxer in my category, I think that there is good boxers but none of really impressing…
Are there boxers precise whom you would like to face?
The best French boxers in my category!
Your best memory of boxing?
My first fight, why I would not be to explain it, but it was magic!
Are you interested in the Thai culture?
Yes a lot
What you like most in the Thai culture?
I like the culture and the way of thinking of Buddhist, and their generosity, I was lucky to fall on incredibly generous people…
What are your next dates of fights?
I do not know because I have just come back in France one week ago and my trainer sees for me…
Your objectives for the next years?
Make beautiful fights and reach my purpose!
You want to add anything?
Thanks to Siamfightmag, long live the “MUAY THAI” and thanks to all those without whom I would not be, mainly my brother, Thomas Boutin, my trainer Fabrice Payen and Stephane Jover there who took me a little hand and helped me when I began, well, thank you and chokdee to you!
Thank you for having answered this interview and CHOOKDEE for your fights futures
Thank you
Steeve Archambault be a member of the new generation of nakmuays, very rare nowadays, which does not hesitate to leave for Thailand to live his passion completely, as the former made him for the time. He lived for a long time within camps in extreme conditions, fought a lot on the hard Thai boxing rings, it’s absorb with the culture thai until take certain funny face of Thai, it’s became a real fighter thais in the soul. This rangy boxer would amply deserve to express his talent on the French boxing rings, invitation to all promoters of France and elsewhere!
STEEVE ARCHAMBAULT :
Weight: 60 Kg
Height: 1m80
Number of fight: 65. 44 Wins. 20 Losses. 1 Draw
Team: Fabrice Payen and Kietpetch Gym
THE REPORT OF THE THAI TV ON STEEVE ARCHAMBAULT IN HIS CAMP THE KIETPETCH GYM