CHAMPION BELTS IN THAILAND

Temps de lecture : 4 minutes

CHAMPION BELTS IN THAILAND

Special report by Serge TREFEU (2018)

In Thailand, the country King of Muay Thai, there is a lot of champions because the level of the fighters is the highest to the world.

Indeed, throughout the year the best fighters can meet several times during the numerous championships which are organized. For a long time the Thai champions were almost invincible.

At that time, in the 60s, 70 and 80, a boxer who gained the belt of one of the two famous important stadiums of the country as the stadium of Lumpinee and the stadium of Ratchadamnoen, was considered as the best of the world, that is The indisputable World champion of Muay Thai!

Then, the Muay Thai it’s worldwide developed and numerous international federations were born with their world titles. So, the foreign champions were able to take away world belts and even to come to challenge the Thai champions at their home…

Today, in the country of the smile, the boxers always dream to hang on their waist a belt of a big stadium of Bangkok. Because to obtain an important title in his career is the ultimate aim for a professional nakmuay. Champion’s belt value the fighter because it’s the award in all his sacrifices!

The most renowned stadiums of the country are in Bangkok and four are really very known in all the country. The first one is doubtless the mythical stadium of Lumpinee, then comes the stadium of Ratchadamnoen, the stadium TV7 and the stadium of Omnoi. But he exists in many provinces of the Thailand full of small stadiums, any various from each other.

Each stadium has his own champion belt, the Lumpinee Belt, the Ratchadamnoen Belt, the TV7 Belt and the Omnoi Belt.

From now on, there are several titles in Thailand with valuable belts, both most desired belts are always the ones of Lumpinee and Ratchadamnoen. Then, the most important belts are the ones two big stadiums of Omnoi and the TV7.

So, champion’s belt of Thailand which is a little bit equivalent to the belt of national champion for any country.

The small stadiums of Bangkok also have their belt like Rangsit stadium, Asawindam stadium, Thairat TV stadium, Jitmuangnon stadium, TV stadium 23.

There are also now many Tournaments competed in Thailand the titles of which are also recognized. These belts are sometimes gained by foreign champions. As the famous belt of the tournament S1 created by the great promoter Songchai Ratanasuban, the tournament which takes place during the annual King’s Birthday.

The belt of the Thai Fight tournament is also accessible to the foreign fighters as well as the belt of the tournament Toyota Marathon. But this day, only two foreigners to the world managed to take away the belt Thai Fight, French Fabio Pinca in 2010 and the Belgian Youssef Boughanem in 2015 (French Patrice Quarteron won the belt Heavy Weights of the Thai Fight in 2012 but there were no Thai champions in the tournament for this special belt).

The belt of the tournament Max Muay Thai, organized in the stadium Max Muay Thai situated in the sea resort of Pattaya, is certainly the belt the most competed by foreign fighters, they are many to have taken away this trophy.

The Thai circuit counts a considerable number of tournaments which take place all year long, tournaments organized by the big sponsors and the main stadiums, we can quote the most known such as the Tournament Nok Pakhang, the Tournament CP Meiji Nung Laan, the Tournament CP Fresh Mart, the Tournament Tiger Cement, the Tournament Fooktien Group, the Tournament Weber and the famous Tournament Isuzu.

So, for a very long time, there are belts regional as those of champion of the Isaan (Northeast), champion of the North, champion of the Center and Champion of the South. Champion’s belt of the South is one of the most renowned of the country. Those of champion of the Isaan and the Center are also very highly-rated.

Then, all over the world, we find numerous international professional federations which have their own world title, a little too much, we sometimes difficult to navigate in the multitude of titles there granted in four corners of the earth.

Since the 80s, these federations often changed name. At present, among those whose belts are the most competed in Thailand and the most representative, we can put the belt WMC (World Muaythai Council), the belt WPMF (World Professional Muaythai Federation) and the belt WBC Muay Thai (World Boxing Council).

But the two most prestigious belts in Thailand are undoubtedly the unbeatable belts of the stadium of Lumpinee and the stadium of Ratchadamnoen.

THE BELT OF LUMPINEE DREAMS ALL NAKMUAYS OF THE PLANET. THE SMALLEST CATEGORY IS 105 LBS AND THE LARGEST CATEGORY IS 168 LBS. UNTIL 2010 THE MAXIMUM CATEGORY AT STADIUM OF LUMPINEE WAS 147 LBS. IN 2010 THE CATEGORY IN 154 LBS IS CREATED. IN 2017 CATEGORIES 160 LBS AND 168 LBS ARE ADDED TO RANKING OF LUMPINEE

THE CHAMPIONS OF LUMPINEE STADIUM 2017. FRENCH RAFI BOHIC (CURRENT TITLEHOLDER OF THE LUMPINEE IN 147 LBS) IS THE ONLY ONE FOREIGN TO THE WORLD TO HAVE CONQUERED TWICE THE MYTHICAL BELT. (MORAD SARI IN 1999 AND DAMIEN ALAMOS IN 2012 WITH A VICTORIOUS DEFENSE)

ONE OF THE FIRST BELTS OF THE STADIUM LUMPINEE AND THE CHAMPION OF THAILAND DATING THE END OF THE 60S. BELTS WHICH BELONG TO THE GREAT CHAMPION SAIFAH SANGMORAKOT. SAIFAH TOOK AWAY HIS BELT OF THE LUMPINEE AGAINST THE ALIVE LEGEND OF BOXING RINGS, PUD PAD NOI WORAWOOT

THE FAMOUS BELT OF THE RADJA DID NOT CHANGE SINCE HIS CREATION IN THE 1950’S. ONLY TWO EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS HAVE CONQUERED THIS PRESTIGIOUS TITLE. THE BELGIAN YOUSSEF BOUGHANEM IN 2016 (TITLE THAT HE STILL HOLDS AND HAS DEFENDED ONCE VICTORIOUSLY) AND THE FRENCH FABIO PINCA IN 2017. ALSO, SIX JAPANESE CHAMPIONS HAVE RECEIVED THIS TITLE WHICH THE LEGENDARY TOSHIO FUJIWARA IN 1978 AND ONE BRAZILIAN CHAMPION (JOSÉ MENDONCA IN 2013)

THE CHAMPIONS OF STADIUM RATCHADAMNOEN 2018. BELGIAN YOUSSEF BOUGHANEM IS THE CHAMPION IN THE CATEGORY OF 160 LBS. THE SMALLEST CATEGORY IS 105 LBS AND THE LARGEST CATEGORY IS 160 LBS. THE 154 LBS AND 160 LBS RADJA STADIUM CATEGORIES WERE CREATED IN THE 2000S

THE BELT STADIUM TV7 IS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT BELTS TO WIN IN THAILAND

TV7 CHAMPIONS OF THE YEAR 2010. THE SMALLEST CATEGORY IS 102 LBS AND THE LARGEST CATEGORY IS 154 LBS. CATEGORY 147 LBS WAS CREATED AFTER 2010 AND CATEGORY 154 LBS ADDED IN 2017

THE BELT OF THE STADIUM OF OMNOI. THE SMALLEST CATEGORY IS 100 LBS AND THE LARGEST CATEGORY IS 160 LBS

THE CHAMPIONS OF STADIUM OMNOI 2018. THE BELGIAN YOUSSEF BOUGHANEM IS THE ONLY ONE FOREIGN TO THE WORLD WHICH TOOK AWAY THE BELT OF THE STADIUM OF OMNOI. A BELT THAT HE GAINED IN 2015 IN THE CATEGORY OF 160 LBS

THE CHAMPION BELT OF THAILAND IS REALLY REPUTATED IN THE COUNTRY. THE SMALLEST CATEGORY IS 105 LBS AND THE LARGEST CATEGORY IS 154 LBS. ONLY ONE FOREIGN IN THE WORLD WON THIS TITLE, THE JAPANESE KAITO WOR WANCHAI IN 2015, A BELT IN 112 LBS WITH A VICTORIOUS DEFENSE