Archive of Muay Thai Magazines, Photographs & Articles Latest Topics

Muay Magazine - Nov. 8, 1968 ? - pdf

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 09:12:21 +0000

The cover is above, you can download the full magazine in hi-res pdf:

Muay Magazine - Nov. 8, 1968 ? - pdf download here

Not sure about the year, inside there are cards posted from the year 1968 it seems.

These magazines were sent to us by a supporting collector so we can share with others. Any informative comment or translation below is much appreciated.

Muay Magazine - Nov. 8, 1976? - pdf

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 09:07:30 +0000

Download the hi-res pdf here:

Muay Magazine - November 8th, 1976? pdf download

We're not sure about the year, but it looks like 1976.

These files sent to us by a supporter collector to share with others. Any comment or translation below is much appreciated.

Muay Magazine - Sept. 9, 1977 - pdf

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 07:04:32 +0000

The full hi-res PDF download here:

Muay Magazine - Sept 9th, 1977 pdf download

A supporter collector sent these pdfs so that we can share them with others, thank you

The Great 112 lb fighter Lankrung Kiatkriangkrai of the Early Golden Age

Sat, 19 Jul 2025 22:46:37 +0000

Lev brought to my attention Lankrung Kiatkriangkrai, who happens to be on the Holy Grail card, Christmas Eve of 1982, when Dieselnoi beat Samart. He's fighting Boonam Sor.Jarunee for the vacant 112 lb Rajadamnern title, and displays just a beautiful increasingly tempo'd style showing how boxing and the weapons of Muay Thai went together in early Golden Age. You can watch the fight below. He was a 1984 Olympic Boxer under the name Teeraporn Saengano. The good people of Muay Thai wikipedia, including Lev, have filled out his wikipedia page to give more anchorage of his fighting in history, a hugely important step in preserving the legacy of Muay Thai in Thailand. Without records we just have stories.

You can find his wikipedia page here.

This is some of his record context for the fight:

Klaew Tanakul the promoter was a very big supporter of amateur Thai boxing, often financially lifting fighters up out of his own pocket, so its of no surprised that one of the best amateur boxers who was also a top Muay Thai fighter was featured on his promoted card. Video timestamped to about 25 minutes in if anything goes wrong. The fight starts very slow, but watch for his gradual uptempoing, his use of the jab, as he closes the distance round by round.

Magazine cover of 1970's Muay Thai fighter ... what magazine is this, who is he, and when was this published?

Thu, 01 May 2025 08:17:05 +0000

Hi. We're having a discussion over on Wikipedia about the article of a certain Rabieb Sangnual who got silver at the 8th Asian games in the light middleweight class, and competed at the 1972 Olympic games. We don't have anything for this guy other than an entry in a list of people who competed at the Olympics and got medals in other events, which isn't enough for the article to be kept - for it to be kept we ideally need a biographical article, obituary or similar.

A search has turned up this magazine cover (or it looks like a cover anyway, could be an inside spread, or even just a fan-made picture - it's certainly had a lot of water-marks added to it) on Facebook of a Muay Thai fighter who went by the name Khongdetnoi Lukbangplasoi. It looks like the same magazine as some of the pictures here. I think if we could find this magazine and show that this Muay Thai fighter is the same person as Rabieb Sangnaul (not just fans in a FB thread saying this, but evidence from a reliable source) then probably the article could be kept.

Do you know who this fighter is? Was he Sangnaul? Do you know what magazine this is? When was it published? Sorry about all the questions, but this is an unfamiliar area for a lot of us, for sure most of us don't speak Thai (I don't anyway), and it would be great to have the benefit of your expertise.

“Siamese Boxing” chapter in 1958 book, 50 Years At Ringside, by legendary boxing writer, Nat Fleischer.

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 19:09:01 +0000

Noted boxing writer Nat Fleischer wrote a book chronicling the history of boxing and his time covering it, from the first half of the 20th Century to 1958, the year it was published.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat_Fleischer

50 Years At Ringside (1958).

In the book’s 23rd Chapter, A Dream Come True, he covers his time in Thailand, the lead up, and the monsoon-soaked Carruthers-Songkitrat match in detail, which I’ve attached below.

Carruthers-Songkitrat match[edit]

Songkitrat (left) and Carruthers (right) fight barefoot in a monsoon

In 1954, Fleischer was involved with the "Bare-footed Title Fight", a world championship bout fought in Thailand's open air Chulalongkorn Stadium during a tropical monsoon.

Thai General Pichai invited Fleischer as a special guest to his homeland, as a way to ensure that the World Bantamweight Championship bout, between champion Jimmy Carruthers of Australia and challenger Chamroen Songkitrat, would follow the international boxing rules. It rained on the day of the fight, and 60,000 people (including the boxers) were drenched. Fleischer suggested the fight be postponed and that they wait to see if the weather would get better the next day, but General Pichai ordered the bout to take place, reasoning that it would be hard to send off 60,000 people and the other thousands who were stranded outside under the pouring rain, to have them return the next day. In an effort to better their traction in the flooded ring, this became the first recorded match in modern world boxing history where the fighters removed their footwear.^[4] Carruthers retained his crown by decision, and retired shortly after.

50 years at ringside - Siamese Boxing chapter - Nat Fleischer.1958.pdf

1929 Newspaper article describing Siamese Boxing and other Thai Sports

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 08:42:42 +0000

The 1929 newspaper article was written by American travelogue author James Saxon Childers who went on to write and publish the book "From Siam to Suez" in 1932, detailing his adventures in Thailand and some his time spent watching Siamese boxing bouts.

The book is in the public domain and available to view and for free download from the Internet Archive, here:

https://archive.org/details/fromsiamtosuez010141mbp

Gulakaw Na. Nontachai's Fight Record (in Thai)

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 05:22:46 +0000

From Yodnaksu magazine 1985...

Chatchai Sasakul Fighting Boonlai in the 1980s

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 07:48:29 +0000

Sylvie asking Chatchai about this fight above vs Boonlai at Rajadamnern. He says it was a rematching having beaten Boonlai previously, but lost this fight after he got a toe in the eye in the 5th round (if the translation is right). Their first fight may have been in Saraburi.

Archived Gila Muay Thai - April, 1976 | Muay Thai Library (2 magazine fragements, jpegs)

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 03:48:56 +0000

These portions seem to be from two different issues of Gila Muay Thai in April of 1976. They were folded together with a third magazine, so the dates were not clear and it took some work to recognize the fragments (thank you Lev for helping). Putting them both here together. Of note, in them are the April 1976 Lumpinee rankings.

quality jpegs of the edition from Sylvie's beginning collection, if anyone can translate (machine or otherwise - you can upload jpegs to Google translate and it will give you English text translation), comments welcome on content. Insight into the era. You can follow this sub-forum and get email alerts for any new postings. If you share images from these captures please credit the Muay Thai Library Preserve The Legacy project and this forum. Any support for the project by subscription is seriously appreciated.

Gila Muay Thai Early April 1976 (partial)

Gila Muay Thai Later April 1976 (partial)

Archived Gila Muay Thai - December 15, 1971 | Muay Thai Library (full magazine, jpegs)

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 03:36:12 +0000

Gila Muay Thai - December 15, 1971

quality jpegs of the edition from Sylvie's beginning collection, if anyone can translate (machine or otherwise), comments welcome on content. Insight into the era. You can follow this sub-forum and get email alerts for any new postings. If you share images from these captures please credit the Muay Thai Library Preserve The Legacy project and this forum. Any support for the project by subscription is seriously appreciated.

above, Wichannoi and Pudpadnoi

I believe this fight Pudpadnoi would lose:

Archived Gila Muay Thai - January, 30 1980 | Dieselnoi finally beats Wichannoi (full magazine, jpegs)

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 06:06:37 +0000

This Gila Muay documents Dieselnoi's victory over "The Immortal Yodmuay" Wichannoi, the fighter Dieselnoi called his "kru in the ring". When we came to interview Wichannoi (who has since passed), Dieselnoi went to his feet in a sign of deep respect. Our interview linked below. Dieselnoi considers beating the powerful, ageless Wichannoi - who he had lost to twice, losses which ended the longest stadium winning streak in history - to have been his greatest victory.

1991 article: The Story of How Low Weight Fighters Came to be Yodmuay in Thailand - Karuhat, Hippy, Langsuan

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 02:48:11 +0000

The below is a beautiful op-ed style article, written in a free-wheeling, sometimes sarcastic style in 1991. We are accustomed to thinking of the great yodmuay of the Golden Age (Hippy, Karuhat, Langsuan, Samson, etc), as the cream of the crop of Thailand's historical Muay Thai, fighters who embodied speed, technique, timing and power. This piece which we've had translated shows us that at the time this was not universally thought the case. Some older fans of the sport felt that he had been overrun by smaller bodied fighters, a fighter who never was embraced before, and yearned for the return of the bigger yodmuay of the 1960s and 70s. It's a marvelous window into the changing historical perspectives on the sport within Thailand, and invites study of how smaller bodied fighters like the greats came to take center stage in the Golden Age, and why in the decades before these much more plentiful fighters were pushed to the margins in the Capital.

The Future of the “Hi-Tech” Yodmuay

Since 1967, never has a Thai fighter who weighs below the Bantamweight or Junior Bantamweight division (115-118 lbs) been hailed as a “Yodmuay” before. No matter if it was “The Young Bull” Pon Prapadang, “The Fog Colored Horse” Prayut Udomsak, “Diamond Crowned Champion” Adul Srisothorn, “The Bang Nok Khwaek Kicker” Apidej Sithirun, “The Immortal Yodmuay” Winchannoi , “The Southern Kid” Poot Lorlek up until the days of “The Sky Piercing Knee Fighter” Dieselnoi Chor. Thanasukarn and “The Jade-faced Tiger” Samart Payakaroon.

The age of Apidej Sithirun – Kongdej Lookbangplasoi – Dejrit Ittianuchit – Payup Sakulsuek – Huasai Singmuangnakorn etc., those days were when the art of Muay Thai flourished the most and then was the transitional phase between the old age (old-tech) and the new age (hi-tech). I would like to speak of the old days of Muay Thai when the people who made fighters or the gym owners did it for the serious love in the martial art. They did it for the honor and fame of their gym. The fighters fought with aptitude, talent, ability, skills, class and competed to see who is better and the one who knows Muay (Thai) more would get the win.

This is different than the “hi-tech” generation where the leaders (of everything) lead towards “nics” [abbreviated from electronics, as in how things are more computed]. Were you to look at it in terms of percentages, 95% only have raw power and strength mostly to just clinch and throw each other. The fighter who is more conditioned and with a better diet will more likely win as we all can see from fighters these days that the “withered” [looks less strong and fresh] fighter will most definitely lose in the eyes of the judges. Therefore, fighters today know how to hide the signs of hurt well. Actually, if there was a Golden Doll Award [famous award for actors in Thailand] in Muay Thai nearly every fighter would win it… ha.

The age of Muay Thai that will lead us to the “nics” we all know is a “business” that rides on the “art”. Promoters and gym owners mostly have a Chinese surname [Chinese people are stigmatized as businessmen in Thai culture]. They make business their career so the art is not needed! The Chinese executives can only teach fighters to know the words “Keep your hands high!” “Long right kicks!” “Walk forward and knee!” “Probe, right kick, left teep, then circle away!”, etc. Just a few phrases qualifies them to be able to boldly say that they are Muay Thai krus… sigh!

Even in the music industry they preserve old song lyrics of the old musicians to sing as “classic songs” [as in it’s still sort of a genre people enjoy] that are catchy with Thai people today. Then why does no one dig through the old treatises of the arts of Muay Thai to teach their students?

We all know that the fight purse of fighters is getting higher and higher with no limits due to the economy and living costs that are going through the roof. If the olds fans that have stopped following the sport for many years hear that some of the fighters today are earning almost 350k Baht I believe they’d be shocked.

On the contrary, as fight purses rise the skill and enjoyment in fighting diminishes. Even though there’s a movement and improvements for preserving the arts for an extensive amount of time. The important factor as to why fighters are all from the same mold is that as stated before, all the gym owners mostly aren’t krus with real knowledge in Muay Thai. Mostly they instruct in the form of gambling that has taken hold on the circuit until it became a big business that we can’t abandon. Running away, teep and step back, lean on the ropes and do nothing in the first two rounds. It’s no surprise that some fights end with the referee banishing both fighters from the ring such as the fight between Nuengthoranee Petchyindee and Deenueng Tor. Patanakit or the fight between Pone Naluepai and Ngern Sasiprapa Gym or the fight between Rernglit Sor. Rachen and Kaopong Pinsinchai.

May I close my eyes and think of “The Bang Nok Khwaek Kicker” Apidej Sithirun again when back in his day, the 135-145 lbs divisions were the most popular amongst the fans. We would see multiple Yodmuays at the same time around same weight no matter if it was Adul Srisothon, Thongbai Jaroenmuang, Payup Sakulsuek, Rawee Dechachai, Khieowan Yonkit and many others. These fighters got 20,000-40,000 Baht per fight which was a lot back then, leading the young promoter “Kru Tao” Chana Supkaew the promoter of Suek TaharnEk to begin making fights between smaller fighters, the ones others don’t care about, for only 5,000-6,000 thousand Baht per fighter.

When we think about it, Suek TaharnEk gained popularity to the level of Suek Onesongchai of today. The level where no matter what fights you make people will watch. When big fighters are expensive then Kru Tao knew better to not touch them, he’d rather work with the ones no one cared about. Small young fighters then emerged no matter if it was Denthoraneenoi Lueadtaksin, Seri Looknhongjok, Kotchasarnnoi Poncharoen, Poot Lorlek, Inseenoi Looknhonggaikun, Saknarongnoi Chor. Chootirat, etc.

The fighters themselves, once they can get fights regularly have a willingness to train which leads to the fights being enjoyable. The fans are able to bet [the fights are tight enough for good gambling] and the fights are back-and-forth all the time. The popularity of smaller fighters then increases and multiplies. The fighter’s purses followed the popularity like a shadow. From 5,000-6,000 Baht, it move to the 10,000s, Like “Bukmiang” Orachunnoi Or. Mahachai, the first fighter under 110 lbs in Muay Thai to receive over a 10,000 Baht for his fight purse [a Lumpinee 108 lb champion 1974, 76]. I remember when he fought “The Little Giant” [lit: Dwarf Giant] Glairoong Lookjaomaesaithong. “Bukmiang” moving up in weight which resulted in him succumbing to the punches of “The Little Giant” striking his solar plexis and knocking him out in just the second round.

As the Middle Age has ended [Silver Age]: Wichannoi Porntawee, Pudpadnoi Worawut, Poot Lorlek, Saensak Muangsurin, Padejsuek Pitsanurachun, Narongnoi Kiatbandit, Dieselnoi Chor. Tanasukan etc, there are barely any 135 lbs Yodmuays. With the likes of Payup Premchai, Samart Pasarnmit, Sagat Petchyindee, Krongsak Sitkasem, Nokweed Devy even if they are great they are too late because in the big divisions there are no opponents for them. We can say they are so good they have to retire or find other opportunities abroad.

As we all know, every promoter today turns to host only fighters in the small weight classes. The big fighters are all ignored. Only the 100-120 lbs fighters get to fight. Some fighters are only 90-95 lbs so the showrunners would send them to eat in the morning of fight day so their weight reaches 100 lbs, reaching the limits that the Bangkok stadiums allow.

Fighters who are below 100 lbs like the top and famous 80-90-95 lbs fighters that are renowned throughout the country, they would never get the opportunity to fight in the Bangkok stadiums a decade ago. They’d have to fight in the suburbs. Like the top small fighters that were famous back then such as Dekwat Lookprabat, Mawaenoi Sitmahamad, Srichol Sityongyut, Noppachai Lookmingkwan, Pichitsuek Sakudom, Banluesak Wor.Tangjitjaroen, Koingo Sitsao, Yokkieow Lertmongkol, Paryinya Sitmahamat, Tik Lookprabat etc. There small fighters didn’t have a shot to fight in the Bangkok stadiums 10 years ago [1981]. Or we can say, if they are below 100 lbs on the morning of fight day they would never be allowed to fight. The officials were very strict back then.

Like Pichisuek Sakudom (Nokweed Devy) was below 100 lbs. Once he was booked to fight in Bangkok the staff and police had to come check, not to cheer for him, but to see if he really fought they would arrest him immediately (and arrest the promoters alongside with him) as the age and weight of the fighter wasn’t allowed by the rules of the Ministry of Interior. It was famous news at the time (some fighters back then would put coins in their mouth or put metal into the edge of their shorts during the weigh in).

Today, promoters are hosting only small fighters, causing fight purses for small fighters to grow rapidly. The yodmuays that everyone fabricated in the last 3-4 years are all below 122 lbs no matter if it’s Langsuan, Kaensak, Oley, Karuhat, Hippy, Nopadej, Suwitlek, Santos etc. All of those who were mentioned were all fabricated as yodmuays. Furthermore, people make nicknames for them referring to past fighters such as “The All-timer [Thongbai’s nickname] 2”, “Samart 2”, “Pudpadnoi 2”, “Apidej 2”, “Poot 2” etc. As a matter of fact the number 2 is correct, but they just need to add the number 0 after it to make it 20. Ha, I am not looking down on the fighters mentioned but they are not that better than Orachunnoi, Denthoranee, Poot (compared pound-for-pound). They’d all have had 6-figure purses but 2 decades ago fighters at this level of skill would at most get to fight before the show starts [like a prelim] or they’d be the last fight to get rid of the crowd. Their fight purse would be 7,000-8000 thousand Baht at most. If we let fighters and gym owners of small weight fighters’ bargain for expensive fight purses and the promoters like to book them to fight so much as today, then one day I hope the bigger fighters will come back to being popular with the fans of the “Hi-tech era”, truly so. Now the promoters who are the main actors need to take action, turning the tables and bring popularity back to the bigger fighters just as “Kro Taoh” Chanasapkaew brought popularity to the smaller fighters.

Hope that the future of yodmuay is not the Hi-Tech era, becoming "nic", as there probably won't be any yodmuay at 100 lbs!

wonderfully translated by @muaythaitestament on Instagram, with the support of our patrons. Some of the translation has been augmented.

from Fighter magazine, March 15 1991:

Archived - Gila Muay Thai - April 17, 1975 | Preserve The Legacy Project (partial magazine, jpegs)

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 11:00:00 +0000

magazine fragments (some of these issues had very few pages). Two of these pages (lateral) were kind of stuck in between the other pages, so maybe from another issue.

cover, page 1

Archived - Gila Muay Thai - May 8 1975 | Preserve The Legacy Project (magazine fragment, jpegs)

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 07:58:29 +0000

Gila Muay Thai May 8, 1975

You can comment on individual pages by using the Quote function, as a reply.

front cover (Pudpadnoi, possibly winning the King's Fighter of the Year?) Inside there is photospread coverage of his 1975 win over Ruengsak on May 2nd.

A Look Back at the 1979 Fujiwara (Japanese) vs Narongnoi (Thai) at Rajadamnern Stadium - Fighter Magazine, Feb 20, 1987

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 06:03:03 +0000

Narongnoi Fujiwara - Fighter Feb 20, 1987.pdf

above, the higher res PDF

Maybe someone could (machine?) translate the article and post it. Just adding the article here for archive purposes. A long history of Japanese fighters pursuing the glory of Thai ring fighting excellence, this was a milestone fight in Thailand. Fujiwara would end up with a curious career record boasting an enormous number of knockouts mostly fighting in Japan. In March of 1978, not even a year before this fight, he had won the Rajadamnern title, fighting in Japan (a knockout somewhat by tackle). Would be interesting to read this piece to see how Thai media looked back on the Narongnoi fight almost a decade after.

This Archive of Muay Thai History Is A Collection Place for Preservation and Discussion

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 04:52:53 +0000

Sylvie is collecting old Muay Siam and Fighter magazines, reading and studying them. She puts up some of what she finds (archiving articles in high quality JPEGs and PDFs) on the Muay Thai Library Instagram, but this sub forum is where we can post those archives much more thoroughly, and where others can also drop in articles and help with translation or commentary.

Dieselnoi would fight if he had an opponent, but is not confident - Fighter Magazine, April 22nd, 1988 (2531) - Dieselnoi today says this article was made up

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 04:40:04 +0000

Quick summary (maybe others can contribute). With fighters like Sangtiennoi and Wanpadej fighting bigger there seems speculation that Dieselnoi could come back and fight after almost 3 years off. He says he would but that though he trains and is conditioned his skills have declined and even struggles clinching in training vs Hapalang's 108 lb Huaygaewnoi Sor. Karakod. This article comes out just after the owner of his gym Ngu (Ngao) Hapalang was assassinated at the ring in Lumpinee between rounds in the Chamuakpet vs Langsuan fight (a month before their rematch). The gym must have been in terrible turmoil. Also, this is the month before his good friend Samart returns to the ring during his FOTY comeback run, after a 4 month rest, to face Samransak. Yodthong had said that Samart had a hand fracture he was going to not get surgery for at the time. So,speculating (?) one imagines that Dieselnoi & Samart are out partying a bit, Samart (famously a reluctant trainer at the time) not fully on board with the comeback (?), and Dieselnoi being interviewed about coming back. Just some possible context setting, we'd have to ask him.

The story about him struggling in clinch vs Huaygaewnoi in training is also interesting, though sounds extreme. Clinch is a very fast-eroding skill, perhaps the fastest eroding of all Muay Thai skills, and Dieselnoi in the very clinch heavy gym wasn't especially renown for his clinch skills by comparison. He told us that Chamuakpet would trip him all the time, and Chamuakpet has said it wasn't a Dieselnoi strength (when compared to him and Panomtuanlek, where were legends of clinch). Dieselnoi was more of a neck-blumb and kill knee fighter, so he really relied on that double collar lock to finish opponents. If it wasn't sharpened he might struggle?

Lumpinee Rankings, December 30 1988, Fighter Magazine

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 05:16:49 +0000

Of note in the end of 1988 rankings, Somrak was ranked at #6 at 105 lb. Hippy was champion at 108 lb, Karuhat was ranked #2 at 108 at the same time that Wangchannoi had just become 122 lb champion. Karuhat does not get enough credit for how much he fought up in size. He didn't still weigh 108 when he became 122 lb champion, but he was properly a 115 lb fighter when he did. Wangchannoi and Karuhat are one year apart in age, they are just differently sized men.

Rankings continued: of note, Jaroenthong was champion at 126 lb while Samart was ranked #1 behind him. And Sagat was 135 lb champion, with Gulapkaw (now head trainer at Jitmuangnon) was ranked #7 (he would later become champion).