Interview with Master SOMAT HONGSAKUL, founder of the legendary JOCKY GYM boxing camp, one of the largest camps in Bangkok

Temps de lecture : 8 minutes

Interview with Master SOMAT HONGSAKUL, founder of the legendary JOCKY GYM boxing camp, one of the largest camps in Bangkok!
by Serge TREFEU (2025)
(Thanks to Atthapong Pang)

Serge Trefeu: Hello Ajhan Somat, thank you very much for the interview. How old are you today?
Master Somat Hongsakul: Hello, I’m 87 years old

Where in Thailand were you born?
I was born in Bangkok

How did you discover boxing?
My father was a soldier (Captain Phrom Hongsakul), and he was the one who introduced me to boxing

Do you have any siblings who also practiced boxing?
No, but my younger sister was as famous as the boxing champions in Thailand. She was crowned Miss Thailand and Miss Universe over 50 years ago, and she’s still very well-known in the country!

At what age did you start Muay Thai?
I had my first fight at the age of 18

Which camp did you start boxing at?
At the Srisothorn camp, which was located in Bangkok

Was it a camp with champions?
Yes, it was a very renowned boxing camp with many champions. The most famous was Adul Srisothorn, who received the “Best Boxer of the Year” trophy in 1963, presented by His Majesty the King himself!

How many times have you fought for this gym?
I fought 30 times for the Srisothorn Gym

What year did you start teaching Muay Thai?
In 1964

That same year, you created your own boxing camp?
A few years later, I opened my own boxing camp, called Sofoyo Gym

You opened this camp in Bangkok?
Yes, in the Bangkeo district. Then we moved to the Bangpho district

Why did you change the name from Sofoyo to Jocky Gym?
At the time, one of my best fighters was named Jocky Sitkanpai. He was a great champion who won two belts: the Radja Stadium Champion belt in 118 lbs and the Thailand Champion belt in 118 lbs. He beat the greatest champions in his weight class, and I named my training camp after him to honor his remarkable career!

You’ve trained many boxers in your camp. Did they all start with you?
Some trained directly in my camp, while others started in provincial camps before coming to train with me at a very young age. I worked with several provincial boxing camps, mainly Kaennorasing Gym, Sor Kingstar Gym, and Sitchang Gym

How many major stadium belts have your fighters won since the camp’s creation?
I’ve had a lot of champions, and in total, they’ve won 32 belts!

Belts from the Lumpinee and Radja stadiums?
Only one of my champions has won a Lumpinee stadium belt: Phonsaknoi Sitchang. All other champions won belts exclusively from the Radja stadium

Saenchai Sor Kingstar was a fighter in your camp. Was he also a Lumpinee champion?
Yes, that’s true. Saenchai came to my boxing camp at a very young age and fought under the Jocky Gym banner for a long time. But he won his first Lumpinee stadium belts with Somrak Kamsing in his camp. Somrak was also a long-time fighter for my camp

Why did your fighters mainly fight at the Radja stadium in Bangkok?
Because one of the biggest promoters at the Radja stadium, Chaileet Tcharbonchai, was my friend

Did you also work with the number one promoter in Radja at the time, Songchai Ratanasuban?
Yes, a little

Were you also a promoter in Thailand?
I was mainly a boxing manager and commentator on Channel 11 and Channel 5 television channels, as well as at Samrong Stadium and Rajadamnern Stadium for a long time. I was also the first promoter to organize Muay Thai events in Cambodia

Your boxers are almost all “Fimeuu” (technical) fighters. Why did they all adopt this style?
Because the camp where I started boxing, Srisothorn, was a school that taught a lot of leg techniques. It was a “Fimeuu Muay Say” (left-handed boxing technique) camp. So I passed on the same training in this boxing style to my students

Who do you think are the best fighters at Jocky Gym?
There are several, but I would say Phonsaknoi, Saenchai, Silapathai, Somrak, Wanpichit, Robert, and Lerdsila

Did the great champion Somrak Kamsing stay at your camp for a long time?
Somrak and his brother Somrot came to Jocky Gym at a very young age. They weighed 30 kg and came from Khon Kaen. They stayed in my camp for several years and fought under the Jocky Gym colors

Who do you think is the best Muay Thai fighter in history?
For me, the best is Wichannoi Porntawee (Best Boxer of the Year 1977, Lumpinee Champion, Radja Champion, nicknamed “The Immortal”)

You’ve welcomed many foreigners into your camp. Who were the first to come and train at Jocky Gym?
The first were French fighters from Bellonie Gym and another gym whose name I don’t remember (Brizon Gym). They came around 1981/82. Philippe Cantamessi (European Champion) was the first foreign fighter to fight under the Jocky Gym colors. He fought at the Radja stadium, broadcast live on television. He was very strong, because at the time, the level of foreign fighters wasn’t as high as it is today. Yet, he was able to compete with the best Thai fighters of the moment!

Have there been other foreign fighters who fought for Jocky Gym?
Yes, many represented my camp. But the strongest fighters were French champions. After Cantamessi, there were Dany Bill and Stephane Nikiema, who stayed in my camp for a long time. They also had a technical level comparable to that of Thai boxers. Later, Chong Skarbowsky also spent several years in my camp and fought regularly at the Radja stadium, with very good results under the Jocky Gym colors

Champion Jean-Charles Skarbowsky, after being a fighter in your camp, then bought your camp?
Correct, Jocky Gym is now called “Skarbowsky Gym,” and I’m very happy that he took over my camp!

What are your thoughts on three-round Muay Thai matches versus traditional five-round matches?
I think that visually, for TV networks, three-round matches are more interesting to watch, even if they are often less technical. Indeed, in five-round matches, the fighters only start fighting in the second round, and by the fifth round, they’re barely fighting at all. They’re dancing in the ring, so, in the end, they’re only really fighting for three rounds…

But doesn’t this distort traditional Muay Thai, the three-round matches? Perhaps in ten years, there won’t be any more five-round Muay Thai matches. What do you think?
It’s true that three-round matches are more like those in the Japanese K1 style. Of course, we must maintain five-round matches, because it’s our nation’s traditional sport, it’s our martial art, and traditionally, pure Muay Thai matches take place over five rounds

What do you think of today’s foreign boxers fighting in Thailand?
I find them very strong physically, but much less technically adept than the foreign fighters of the 90s and 2000s…

Thank you very much for the interview, Ajahn Somat!

Master Somat Hongsakul is a Muay Thai legend, an iconic figure in boxing, and an influential figure in the Thai boxing community.
Somat Hongsakul is a Muay Thai expert. He has been a commentator and host on major Thai television and radio stations, and his analyses and comprehensive boxing match reports were greatly appreciated by all boxing fan.

During those 40 years, Somat Hongsakul, familiarly known as “Pa Mat” by his students, ran one of the best boxing camps in the country. In the 1980s and 1990s, Jocky Gym was the largest reservoir of champions, alongside renowned champion camps such as Sor Thanikul Gym, Muangsurin Gym, and Sor Ploenchit Gym.

Jocky Gym has garnered 32 belts from Bangkok’s most important stadiums and produced ring legends who have left their mark on the history of Muay Thai in Thailand. The most famous champions who have graced Jocky Gym include Somrak Kamsing, Saenchai Sor Kingstar, Lerdsila Chumpairtour, Kaoklaï Kaennorasing, Silapathai Jockygym, Robert Kaennorasing, Rolek Kaennorasing, Wangwisep Kaennorasing, Chaowarit Jockygym, Yotchaï Kaennorasing, Sonkom Jockygym, Platong Jockygym and Wanpichit Kaennorasing!