THE GALAXY GYM
THE GALAXY GYM
Special report by Serge TREFEU (2012)
This camp is at present one of the biggest of Thailand, it exists for 40 years and is in the university of “Krungthep Thonburi” today which is in Watthana district. Ten years ago, the camp was in Bangkok to Saphan Taksin in the district of Bangrak.
The camp is immense, there is distributed in two places, on one side it is a big room with 12 bags of striking, the material of body-building, and on the other side, an enormous structure in sheet steel which covers two wide boxing rings.
Opposite, a building in several floors serves as dormitory for the boxers. Near the boxing ring, there is a small restaurant which also acts as refreshment room for the students of the faculty…
Galaxy belongs to the famous promoter Niwat Laosuwanwat. Mr Laosuwanwat is a very known figure in the world of the boxing, he possesses a nightclub and a big restaurant in Bangkok. His nightclub is called “The Galaxy” and the name of the camp thus makes reference to this nightclub…
It’s a camp ” Muay mat ” (strong in fist) that produced since his opening of numerous champion of Boxing. One of the most famous was Khaosai Galaxy who became one of the biggest legends of the Boxing, and certainly the boxer was the most known in Thailand. It is also a world legend of the Noble Art because he makes left the biggest puncheurs of every time, any categories confused…
KHAOSAI GALAXY
Khaosai was a real destroyer, an exceptional puncheur, so much that we nicknamed it “Tyson Thai”.
He made a small career in Thai Boxing under the name of Sohla Saenghom but Niwat Laosuwanwat his manager of always quickly revealed the enormous potential which had Sohla with his fists. Niwat changed his name of nakmuay and named him Khaosai Galaxy. Khaosai is a small mountain near Petchaboon in the North of the Thailand, Niwat wanted a symbol which represents the pure strength for his boxerl. And Galaxy was the name of the camp of Niwat. Khaosai is thus fast spent in the Boxing and made his first professional fight in 1980 with a victory by KO. His career then was phenomenal because on 48 professional fights, he gained 47 victories among which 41 by KO, a real record!
Khaosai was defeated only once, in points, against Sakda Saksuree for his seventh fights. In 1984 he goes gained World Champion WBA’s belt of the Super Flyweight (52 kg) against the Dominican Eusebio Espinal, a victory by KO. Then he is going to defend 19 times his title (16 victories by KO) and to remain unconquered till the end of his career in 1991. In 1999, Khaosai Galaxy, for his whole career, was allowed in the closed circle of “International Boxing Hall of Fame” who include legends as Mike Tyson, Muhamed Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard or Julio Caesar Chavez!
Khaosai had a brother twins, Khaokor Galaxy who was also a big boxer. Khaokor gained, in 1988, World Champion WBA’s belt of bantamweight (53 kg) against the Puerto Rican Wilfredo Vasquez, a win on points. He lost his title 3 months later against the Korean Sung Kil Moon. But Khaokor took his revenge against the Korean next year by abducting him his belt to become again the World Champion WBA of bantamweight. A few months later he lost his trophy in front of rough Philippine Luisito Espinosa by KO in the first round, only one defeat by KO of his career.
Later this fight Khaokor hung up gloves. His career is not as well incredible as that of his illustrious brother but Khaokor also was a terrible puncheur, on 26 professional fights he gained 24 with 18 victories by KO for only two defeats!
The brother Galaxy was the first twins of the story of the boxing to become each World Champion…
After Khaosai, there was Lasai Bikola and Prumchot Prumpotong of very great champions who won each World Champion IBF’s belt!
Today it is talented Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym who replaced Khaosai, and Niwat Laosuwanwat is full of praise for his new protege by saying that he is ” so hardly as Khaosai, to see even stronger “.
Indeed, Poonsawat took World Champion WBA’s belt of Super Bantamweight (55 kg) in 2009 against the Irish Bernard Dunne, victory by KO. He kept twice his title before losing him in points, in 2010, against Japanese Ryol Li lee. Poonsawat adds up 48 professional fights with 46 victories among which 32 by KO. He has just gained the title PABA Asia, at the beginning of 2012, and will be the next challenger for a new title WBA!
Other great champions of the camp are Denkaosan Kaovichit and Kwanthai Sithmorseng.
Denkaosan Kaovichit gained World Champion WBA’s belt in Super Flyweight (52 kg) in 2008 against Japanese Takefumi Sakata, victory by KO. Denkaosan kept twice his title and lost it in 2010 against Japanese Daiki Kameda, lose in points. Until today, he adds up 60 professional fights with 56 victories (23 KO), 3 defeats and 1 draw!
Kwanthai Sithmorseng when to him gained, in 2010, World Champion WBA’s belt in Minimumweight (48 kg) against the Thai Pigmy Kokietgym, a win on points. Kwanthai lost his belt the following year in front of the Indonesian Muhammad Rachman, lose by KO. It is at the moment the only one lose of Kwanthai on 38 fights with 36 victories (19 KO) and 1 draw!
This camp is thus considered to form the best fighters of Thailand in Boxing. It is for it that many professional boxers of Phillippines come to train regularly in Galaxy Gym…
But this camp also counts nakmuays of very high level, they are 30 sometimes 40 boxers to train for the everyday life in Galaxy Gym. Indeed, since a few years the boxers of the camp Top King Boxing practically all came to Galaxy Gym. Top King Boxing Gym who closed was in 5 km of Galaxy Gym.
At present, in the camp, there is a great champion Diesellek Top king Boxing who gained Radja Champion’s belt against Big Ben Keza Gym, World Champion WPMF’s belt against French Jonathan Camara, World Champion IKF’s belt against the Dutch Marco Pique and he also gained World Champion WMTC’s belt in 2008. Today Diesellek is classified N° 1 of Radja in 160 lbs and N°1 of Lumpinee in 154 lbs!
DIESELLEK TOP KING BOXING
Other champion in Muay Thai of the camp it’s Ekarit Mor Krungthepthonburee who was twice a Radja Champion, and who is now N° 8 in the ranking of Radja in 130 lbs. There are also several other fighters very well classified as Aikphet (N°9 Radja), Aikpikart, Aikdej and Aik Akee…
EKARIT MOR KRUNGTHEPTHONBUREE
Woman boxers also trains for Galaxy Gym but they fight only in Boxing.
The training of nakmuays in this camp is rather classic with of course many of sparring in Boxing. The boxers run enormously because they make every day a long jogging of 20 km. When in the sessions of clinch they owed 40 minutes and it make in the morning and after noon. The boxers are trained by five trainers who come all of the region Isaan (northeast).
Really little foreigner came to train here, in the 90s, French champion Raouf Rezgui, Olivier Gauthier and Christian Garros it are often trained in Galaxy Gym. But the “farangs” (foreign) is welcome, for only 300 bahts they can train, and for those who want to perfect them Boxing, the Galaxy Gym is really the ideal camp!
