BOXING BAR PATTAYA, GUILLAUME KERNER, DANY BILL, JEAN-CHARLES SKARBOWSKY, FABIO PINCA, YOUSSEF BOUGHANEM, KAMEL JEMEL, DJAMEL YACOUBEN, NASH ULAR
BOXING BAR PATTAYA, GUILLAUME KERNER, DANY BILL, JEAN-CHARLES SKARBOWSKY, FABIO PINCA, YOUSSEF BOUGHANEM, KAMEL JEMEL, DJAMEL YACOUBEN, NASH ULAR
special report by Serge TREFEU (2024)
For over 30 years, in Thailand there have been special bars in the lively Pattaya district where a ring is set up in the center for fights. These clashes are often exhibition shows for tourists, but also, sometimes, real Muay Thai matches.
These bars are located in the sulphurous district of “Walking Street”. Among the most famous are the Best Friend, the Marine Bar and the Siren Bar.
The boxing bars of Walking Street are a symbol of the contrasts of Pattaya: both authentic and spectacular, they attract the curious as well as the Muay Thai enthusiasts, offering an unforgettable experience in the hustle and bustle of the most lively district of Thailand.
Fights in bars in Thailand, even if they are sometimes real matches, are not recognized by the official organization of Thai Muay Thai. These fights are generally considered exhibition matches. It is true that most bars offer sometimes burlesque shows, pitting average Thai boxers against foreigners with little pugilistic background.
However, there are also very tough fights where some boxers gain experience by fighting frequently in these bars. Many Thai boxers, often very young, as well as foreign fighters, have made their first steps in the ring in these kinds of places.
Great Thai champions got their start in these special bars in Pattaya. The great champions Yokthai Sit-Or (Lumpinee Champion, WMC World Champion, and WBA World Boxing Champion) and Thappaya Sit-Or (Rajadamnern Champion, TV7 Champion, and WMC World Champion) are a prominent example.
In the 1980s, while training at the Sit-Or Gym in Pattaya, these future Muay Thai greats used to fight in these tourist bars in Pattaya to earn a few baht.
Sinsamut Sor Klinmee, the younger brother of the star Sudsakorn, now a ONE Championship fighter, fought many times in the bars of Pattaya during his childhood. His father, the famous trainer Yak, wanted him to toughen up by fighting from a young age. And Sinsamut suffered a lot during these fights in these bars…
Current ONE Championship superstar Tawanchai P.K. Saenchai Muaythaigym (ONE Championship World Champion, Thailand Champion, 2018 Boxer of the Year) has also fought in Pattaya bars.
Originally from Nong Prue in Chonburi province, Tawanchai began his training at Petchrungruang Gym in Pattaya, located near his home. He had his first fight at the age of 12 in a bar on Walking Street. That night, he won an impressive knockout. As a reward for his performance, a foreign tourist gave him 800 baht, a lasting memento of his promising beginnings!
Other Thai champions have also fought in these bars. During the heyday of Master Yodtong’s famous Sityodtong camp, many children from this boxing camp regularly fought in these establishments.
These bars also sometimes host women’s fights. American champion Sylvie Von Douglas (World Champion), who lives in Thailand and holds the record for fights for a foreigner with 273 fights in Thailand, had a fight in the Best Friend bar in Pattaya.
Some very great foreign champions shared with Siamfightmag their anecdotes concerning these emblematic places of Muay Thai Shows in Pattaya:
Guillaume Kerner (2 times world champion, European champion, 5 times French champion) is considered the best technician of his generation. He is one of the first foreigners to have challenged the Thai champions in their own stadiums. He beat several great Thai champions of the 80s and 90s from the biggest stadiums in Bangkok:
“I fought at the Marine Bar on Walking Street in Pattaya. There was also Joel César (world champion, European champion) of Derek Gym who fought with me. It was in 1987. I fought a former champion called “Mekong”. He was several times champion of Radja. He was very well-known at the time and worked in Pattaya. I beat him on points. It brings back great memories, because I was only 18 years old for this fight in Pattaya…”
Dany Bill (7 times world champion, 3 times French champion) is considered the best foreign technician in the history of Muay Thai. He defeated the best Lumpinee and Radja champions of the 90s and was the first foreigner to win a world champion belt in Thailand, during the King’s birthday in Bangkok:
“I fought twice in the bars of Pattaya. The first time was at the Marine Bar, and the second time was at the Siren Bar, the bar that was a little further away. I don’t know if it still exists. I fought two former Thai champions that I beat, and that’s it, after that, it was off to the other fights…”
Jean-Charles Skarbowsky (N° 1 of the Radja stadium, 3 times European champion) is considered one of the best foreigners in history. In Thailand, he is as famous as the legendary Dutchman Ramon Dekkers. Jean-Charles Skarbowsky was the first foreigner in history to be ranked N°1 of the mythical Radja stadium in Bangkok:
“I had one fight at Best Friend, one fight at Siren Bar, and 14 fights at Marine Bar. In total, I had 16 fights in Pattaya bars: five fights at 18 years, five fights at 19 years, and six fights at 20 years. I won 13 fights by knockout, two by points, and I had one draw.
Among all these fights, I faced a great champion, Apichaï Sityodtong (300 fights). That evening, when I met him, there was Ajahn Yodtong (Master Yodtong, founder of the Sityodtong Gym) and also Guillaume Kerner (world champion). Apichaï had beaten Manu N’tho (world champion) and Christian Garros (European champion). He was much stronger than me. But I managed to surprise him with my fists and I knocked him out in the first round.
I used to like walking around the Walking Street area, either by myself, with friends, or with a girlfriend. When I saw a bar with a ring, I would ask if I could fight.
At that time, between the ages of 18 and 20, I didn’t train much in Thailand, but I was in very good physical shape. When I got in the ring, I was ready.
However, one day I made the mistake of drinking a few glasses of alcohol just before entering the ring of a bar. I was with some Thai friends, and one of them had challenged me. We entered the ring and fought. I was not at my best, I was boxing in slow motion. But since the Thai opposite was in a similar state, the fight was balanced. In the end, it ended in a draw… »
Fabio Pinca (2 times world champion, Radja champion, Thai Fight champion, European champion, French champion) is considered one of the best foreign fighters of his generation. He was the first foreigner in history to win the famous Thai Fight tournament in Bangkok and the first Frenchman to have conquered the prestigious title of the Radja stadium:
“My very first fight in Thailand was in the Best Friend bar in Pattaya. I was 18 years old and it was my very first trip to Thailand. I was training at the Sityodtong camp in Pattaya. I was discovering Thailand.
After some training, I walked around the city and found myself in front of the Best Friend bar. There was a guy from the Sityodtong camp there who asked me if I wanted to fight. I said yes, and he said, “Okay, you fight tomorrow.”
I found myself facing a former Bangkok stadium champion, who had much more experience than me. But he was no longer in good physical shape. So, I fought him during all the rounds and I won on points.
It’s a good memory for my first fight in Thailand, in the rather special atmosphere of the bars of Walking Street. There was Nash that night when I fought at Best Friend, and then he made me discover Thailand!
Youssef Boughanem (23 times world champion, Lumpinee champion, Radja champion, Omnoi champion, Thai Fight champion) is the greatest foreign fighter of the 2010s. He has nearly 250 fights to his name and is the only foreigner in history to have won three titles from the three major stadiums in Bangkok: Lumpinee, Radja and Omnoi:
“I didn’t fight in those bars, but my son had six fights in the Best Friend bar. He had five Muay Thai fights and one Boxing fight in that bar!”
Kamel Jemel (World Champion, European Champion), nicknamed “Mister Dynamite”, is considered one of the biggest punchers of his generation with 97 victories by KO. He was seven times consecutive French Muay Thai champion, 2 times European champion and 2 times world champion:
“I never fought in the bars of Pattaya. I had my first fight in Thailand in 1990 in Pattaya in the Lung Kee stadium, it was also the first place where Ramon Dekkers (Dutch legend) fought. I don’t think that stadium exists anymore.
But in Pattaya, I really liked going to watch boxing matches at Best Friend and Marine Bar. It was fun and you could see some pretty surprising stuff, sometimes there were even former Thai champions fighting, so there was still quality in these bar matches… »
Djamel Yacouben (World Champion, European Champion, Prestige Fight Show Organizer) is one of the most impactful fighters of the 2000s. He was 3 times French Kick Boxing Champion, French Muay Thai Champion, European Kick Boxing Champion and Muay Thai World Champion. He fought a lot in Bangkok, especially during the Queen’s Day and also in the Pattaya region:
“I fought twice in the bars of Pattaya.
In 1997, I was in Pattaya, I was training at the Sityodtong camp with Karim Saada (World Champion, European Champion).
We were riding around on a scooter with Karim and some friends, and we stopped in front of the Best Friend bar. There were some guys from Sityodtong, they asked us if we wanted to fight. There were seven of us, they did a draw and 4 were chosen.
There was me, Karim Saada, and two friends who were training but who were not boxers. They put bandages on us and lent us shorts. Me and Karim Saada, we met some Thais who were former champions. We had a three-round match and we lost on points. The other two who were not fighters, they won their match because they fought against second-rate Thais, Tuk-tuk drivers.
We did these fights on a whim, it was really to have fun in this special atmosphere of the bars, but they were real fights!
And for the anecdote as a spectator, there was the Australian champion John Wayne Parr. He had just arrived in Thailand, he was not yet known. Then, he became a big star of the rings in Thailand.
In 1998, there were three of us boxers, me, Karim Saada and Salah. It was at Best Friend again. We had matches against Thai boxers where there were bets at stake. And all three of us won our fights!”
Nash Ular (World Champion) was a professional fighter in Thailand for many years, fighting many times in the country. In the late 90s, in Italy, he won a WPKC Muay Thai Heavyweight World Title:
“I never fought in the bars of Pattaya, I only fought in the stadiums of Pattaya. I had fought a Thai who worked in a bar, at the Marine Bar, where he did the shows there.
But I know the atmosphere of the boxing bars in Pattaya very well, because for years I went there almost every night, especially to the Best Friend. I knew all the former Thai champions who worked in these bars.
In general, in my time, in the early 2000s, the guys who fought in Muay Thai were mostly at the Best Friend bar, there it was really hard hitting. At the Marine Bar, it was more Boxing and often with drunk guys.
The way the matches worked in these bars was quite simple, the boxers stayed loyal to their bar. The bars clubbed together and paid the boxers and referees. The boxers didn’t get much, a few hundred baht. The referees got more, because often they were former champions who acted as referees and judges at the same time.
The brother of legendary Samart Payakaroon, the great champion Kongtoranee, was a referee at Best Friend, as was Kik, the head coach at Sityodtong Camp. They were at Best Friend all year round, training at Sityodtong in the afternoons and refereeing at Best Friend in the evenings.
Every Friday night, there were children’s fights at Best Friend. There was the little girl star of Sityodtong who often fought, and she would directly face boys and beat them. They were three-round matches.
At the Siren Bar, there was also a bit of boxing, but much less than at the Best Friend. The shows were bigger at the Best Friend.
At the Marine Bar, there were a lot of punters, because there were also a lot of Thai boxers who fought at the Thepprasit stadium in Pattaya. It was a more seedy atmosphere. They often had Thai drug addicts fight against foreigners who were a bit “hot”. It made for crazy matches, they tore each other apart in the ring, there were broken jaws and often blood everywhere!
