Muay Thai Fever Online

1936!
Long before Lumpinee became a symbol of Muay Thai greatness…
before Rajadamnern Stadium opened its doors…
and before the Golden Age legends became household names…
There was this.
Siam, 1936.
Two of the greatest fighters of their generation stepped into the ring to decide who stood at the top of Thai boxing.
Samarn Dilokvilas versus Somphong Vejasidh.
This was their third meeting.
Samarn was already considered one of the finest fighters in the country. Smooth, intelligent, composed, and respected as a master of the old style. A man who carried himself like a gentleman, but fought with the confidence of a champion.
Across from him stood Somphong Vejasidh — dangerous, aggressive, and known for his punching power. At a time when Muay Thai was changing, Somphong represented the new influence of Western boxing: sharp hands, pressure, and the ability to hurt an opponent quickly.
What we are watching here is not modern stadium Muay Thai.
This is something older.
The stance is different.
The rhythm is different.
The distance, the balance, the movement — everything feels like a bridge between two eras.
You can see traces of ancient Muay Thai, what many people today would associate with Muay Boran. But you can also see the growing influence of international boxing: jabs, footwork, head movement, and hand combinations.
This fight is not just two men trying to win.
It is Muay Thai itself, caught in the middle of evolution.
Samarn moves with patience. He watches, reads, and chooses his moments. He is not reckless. He understands timing, distance, and balance. Even when the exchanges become messy, he remains calm.
Somphong is more forceful. He wants to pressure, to punch, to turn the fight into a battle. He knows that if he can land clean with his hands, the whole contest can change.
And that is what makes this footage so powerful.
It is not polished.
It is not filmed like a modern broadcast.
But it is real history.
Every movement gives us a glimpse into what elite Muay Thai looked like nearly ninety years ago.
The fighters switch stance.
They spin.
They clinch.
They throw, trip, punch, kick, and elbow in ways that feel both familiar and completely different from what we see today.
There are moments where it almost looks wild — but look closer, and you see skill. You see timing. You see old knowledge.
This was a time when rules, scoring, and ringcraft were still becoming what we now recognise as modern Muay Thai.
Samarn and Somphong were not just fighting for victory on one night.
They were fighting for status.
For reputation.
For the right to be called the best fighter in Siam.
Their rivalry had already begun years before this contest, and it would continue after it. But this third fight became one of the most important surviving records of that era.
By the end, Samarn Dilokvilas took the decision.
He proved once again why he was considered one of the great champions of pre-war Thai boxing.
But both men left behind something bigger than a result.
They left behind a window into the past.
A rare look at Muay Thai before the stadium era.
Before television.
Before global fame.
This is the sport before it became a worldwide phenomenon.
Samarn Dilokvilas versus Somphong Vejasidh.
Siamese boxing in 1936.
Not just a fight…
A piece of Muay Thai history.

On September 17th, 1993, inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, two of the finest technicians of the Golden Era met in a fight that carried real importance in the 122-pound division.
In one corner was Karuhat Sor Supawan, one of the most elegant and intelligent fighters of his generation. Karuhat was not a big, powerful fighter. He was a master of timing, balance, rhythm, and deception. He could make opponents miss by inches, then answer with clean kicks, sharp knees, or beautifully timed counters. He was the kind of fighter who made Muay Thai look like chess.
Across from him stood Chatchai Paiseetong, another elite technician, sometimes spoken about as a fighter with shades of Samart because of his calmness, skill, and smooth Muay Femur style. Chatchai was clever, composed, and very difficult to score against. He did not need to overwhelm opponents with aggression. He could win by being cleaner, sharper, and more controlled in the key moments.
This fight came during an incredible period at Lumpinee Stadium, when the 122-pound division was stacked with world-class talent. Fighters like Karuhat, Chatchai, Boonlai Sor Thanikul, Wangchannoi, Kaensak, and Lamnamoon were all moving around the same weight classes. There were no easy fights. Every name was dangerous, and every performance could change a fighter’s standing at the stadium.
Earlier that year, Chatchai had beaten Boonlai Sor Thanikul to win the Lumpinee 122-pound title. That made him one of the main men in the division. Karuhat, already respected as one of the most skillful fighters in Thailand, was looking to prove he belonged at the very top again.
What makes this matchup so interesting is that both men were thinkers. This was not simply power against power. It was timing against timing, balance against balance, and intelligence against intelligence. In fights like this, small details decide the result: who lands the cleaner body kick, who controls the centre, who finishes the exchange stronger, who keeps better posture after being attacked.
On this night, Chatchai got the better of those details. He was able to edge the fight on points, using his composure, his scoring technique, and his ability to stay just one step ahead. Against a fighter as gifted as Karuhat, that was a major achievement.
But the story did not end there.
Karuhat would come back. Just a few months later, in December 1993, he faced Chatchai again. This time, Karuhat reversed the result and won the Lumpinee Super Bantamweight title from him. That revenge victory showed exactly why Karuhat is remembered as one of the great fighters of the Golden Era.
So as you watch this fight, remember: this is not just a loss on Karuhat’s record. This is one chapter in a high-level rivalry between two masters, fighting in one of the strongest divisions in Muay Thai history.

Saenklai Sit Kru Od was one of the best technical fighters of all time. Check out all these sublime defensive tekkers in just one fight!!!

Old school training session with Buakaw at Por Pramuk gym.

The story of the controversy involving Rungnarai Kiet Moo 9.
Won by a DQ in 2017 stripped of his fighter of the year 2018 award in 2019.

I remember watching this one. The decision was slightly controversial at the time. We bring you the greatest Muay Thai fight footage from personal memory not internet history!
DANNY BILL V COBAN
In 1994, inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Dany Bill of France stepped into the ring with one of Thailand’s most feared fighters, Coban Lookchaomaesaitong.
Coban was known around the world as “The Cruncher.” He was a devastating puncher, a hard kicker, and a fighter who could change a contest with one clean shot. Against foreign opponents, Coban carried an aura of danger. He did not need many openings. If he found one, he could hurt you badly.
But Dany Bill was different from most foreign fighters of that era. He was not there simply to survive or trade power. He was a beautiful technical fighter: calm, clever, balanced, and creative. His style was pure Muay Femur: movement, timing, defence, sweeps, teeps, counters, and ring intelligence.
From the opening round, the contrast is clear. Coban wants pressure. He wants to close the space, land heavy punches, and make Bill feel the danger early. Every step forward has purpose. Every punch carries real threat.
Dany Bill answers in a different way. He uses distance. He moves off line. He teeps, turns, and tries to make Coban miss before answering back. He does not want a war of power with Coban. Instead, he tries to control the rhythm and make the Thai puncher reset.
As the fight develops, Coban has moments that remind everyone why he was so feared. When he lands clean, the effect is obvious. His punches are short, sharp, and explosive. He hurts Bill, and those moments matter heavily in traditional Muay Thai scoring. Damage, balance, and visible effect are always important.
But what makes Dany Bill special is the way he responds. He does not panic. He does not lose his shape. He returns to his movement and continues to score with skill. Watch how he tries to off-balance Coban, sweep him, turn him, and make him overreach. This is not brute force. This is ring craft.
That is what makes this fight so fascinating. Coban has the heavier moments. Bill has the cleaner technical moments. Coban brings danger, pressure, and damage. Bill brings rhythm, balance, and artistry.
By the later rounds, many viewers see a close and complex fight. Coban’s power shots and knockdown moments carry great weight. But Dany Bill’s composure and technical success make it much more than a simple story of aggression beating movement.
Officially, Coban won on points. But the fight is still remembered because Dany Bill showed that a foreigner, with genuine understanding of Muay Thai, could stand in Lumpinee Stadium against one of Thailand’s most dangerous champions and compete at the highest level.
This was not just power against skill. It was two different truths of Muay Thai meeting in one ring. Coban represented pressure, toughness, damage, and frightening punching power. Dany Bill represented timing, elegance, intelligence, and the rare ability to make elite opponents miss and reset.
That is why this fight still matters today: force against finesse, danger against rhythm, damage against artistry.

Muay Thai from nearly 100 years ago

Some nice technique IQ from Ajarn Boonlai Sor Thanikul in our base gym in Northern Thailand