Any discussion about the Golden Era Muay Thai fighters is incomplete if it doesn’t include Samart Payakaroon. Famous for his Muay Femur style of fighting, Samart was a master technical player, able to outwit his opponents with a combination of footwork, quick reflexes, and high intelligence.
He was also a multiple Lumpinee championship winner, claiming his first title victory before turning 18. Samart is constantly topping the greatest of all-time lists and many say he is indeed the GOAT of Muay Thai. Let’s find out why.
From The Small Town To Bangkok’s Biggest Stadiums
On December 5th, 1962, Samart Tiptarmai was born to a family in the Klong Khet village located in the Chachoengsao Province of Thailand. Samart’s Muay Thai training started early, and by the age of seven, the youngster was introduced to martial arts by his elder brother, Kongtoranee Payakaroon, who would go on to become a professional Muay Thai fighter himself. Samart fought in matches during local events like the hometown temple fair, and he continued to improve his fighting skills.
The two brothers would later attend Sityodtong Muay Thai Camp in Chonburi, where famous trainer Yodtong Senanan (Kru Tui) was teaching. Samart wasn’t gifted with exceptional physical attributes like strength, and it is said that he suffered from poor cardio due to a problem with his lungs. However, Samart had quick reflexes and, under Kru Tui, he would learn to use them to his advantage to overcome his other shortcomings.
Samart and his brother trained at Sityodtong amongst many other Muay Thai fighters. From 1974 to 1978, he would take part in many fights around the country, accumulating experience and refining his techniques. Finally, in May 1978, Samart increased his weight to 100 pounds and entered the ring at the prestigious Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok for the first time. While he lost this first big match on points, his Muay Thai career would really kick off from this point. He also started using his fighting name ‘Payakaroon’ which means ‘Tiger of Dawn’.
Samart’s Muay Thai Career
Samart Payakaroon’s illustrious career during the Golden Era of Muay Thai includes many notable achievements. He won multiple Lumpinee championships and won many Muay Thai fighting awards.
He fought against the greatest Thai boxers of his generation in some of the most highly anticipated matches of the time. These massive events would draw legions of fans to packed stadiums and make headlines in sporting news.
Muay Thai Championships Won By Samart
Samart’s first major title win was against Kongsamut Sor Thanikul for the Lumpinee Stadium Pinweight (102 lbs) belt in February of 1980, at the age of 17. Samart won this fight by decision. He would lose the title to ‘Computer Knee Striker’ Chamuekpet Hapalang a few months later. However, this did not stop Samart, as he went on to snatch the Lumpinee Junior Flyweight title before the year was over.
Within a span of a year from November 1980 to October 1981, he would win three championship titles. Samart completely dominated Muay Thai in the Junior Flyweight, Junior Bantamweight, and Featherweight divisions. In fact, with the exception of losing the Pinweight title, he reigned undefeated in the other divisions. He also received the Fighter of the Year award given by the Sports Writers Association of Thailand in 1981, 1983, and 1988.
What Made Samart Great
What Samart lacked in strength, he made up for in quick reflexes. He was able to use his superior footwork to avoid attacks and even bait his opponents to make an opening. He had what many call a high fight IQ, which he used to quickly analyze his opponents and adopt the best technique to overcome them.
This type of Muay Thai is called Muay Femur (technical fighter), and practitioners like Samart use it to great effect. Mastering this Muay Thai style combined with his speed meant that Samart was notoriously difficult to hit. To find out about other Muay Thai fighting styles, read A Guide to Five Different Muay Thai Styles.
If you look at Samart’s Muay Thai fight record, the majority of fights were won by decision, with very few knockouts. This is because master technicians like Samart win by outwitting and outscoring their opponents instead of aggressively attacking them. He was known for being very inventive with his strikes, with his very unique sidekick managing to keep attackers at a distance. Samart was also a great puncher, as evidenced by his entry into professional boxing at one stage of his career. He is one of the favorite fighters of Muay Femur enthusiasts.
Famous Fights During The Golden Era Of Muay Thai
Any fight that featured the young Muay Thai star during the Golden Age was a huge event that was heavily publicized. Some of the most memorable matches and all-out wars were against great fighters like Chamuekpet Hapalang, whom Samart defeated in their second encounter, the 1980 Fighter of the Year Nongkhai Sor.Prapatsorn, and the King’s 1979 Fighter of the Year Padejsuk Pitsanurachan.
The biggest fight of his life would’ve been against his peer and Golden Era legend, Dieselnoi. Samart was facing an opponent that was arguably the best Muay Khao (knee striker) fighter to ever grace the ring. This battle of the titans took place on Christmas Eve 1982, and Dieselnoi actually had to lower his weight to compete in this match. Apart from the record-breaking payouts they received from promoters, what really made the match so captivating was that the two fighters were employing completely different Muay Thai styles of combat.
Samart was a technician with a high fighting IQ and evasive tactics that kept his attackers at a distance. Dieselnoi was a clinch and knee fighter that needed to get in close range to deliver his most effective strikes. In the early rounds, Samart was able to stay out of range using his footwork and teeps. While he was able to land punching combos with overhand strikes, and crosses, and even attempted spinning elbow attacks against Dieselnoi, the latter’s knee strikes scored more points.
This is how the ‘Sky Piercing Knee Kicker’ Dieselnoi won this legendary encounter against Samart by decision. However deciding the greatest fighter of the two was challenging, so both fighters went on to receive the 1982 Fight of the Year award for this.
A Foray Into Western Boxing And Return To Muay Thai
In 1982, Samart Payakaroon entered the world of professional boxing for the first time. He spent the majority of his efforts in the boxing ring during the period from 1983 to 1987, while occasionally taking up Muay Thai matches. Samart fought as a southpaw and was already talented with his use of fists.
Unsurprisingly, he quickly rose to the top of this sport as well, defeating Mexican boxer Lupe Pintor by knockout to win the World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Bantamweight title in 1986. Out of the 23 boxing matches he competed in, he won 21, with over half of them being by knockout. Samart briefly retired from boxing soon after losing his WBC title to Australian challenger Jeff Fenech, although he would make a brief comeback in the 90s.
Samart returned to Muay Thai in 1988, and although he didn’t win any championships, he showed everyone that he still had it in him. He came back to Lumpinee stadium, where he dominated in his early years. He easily defeated the 1986 Rajadamnern Stadium champion, Panomtuanlek Hapalang, with a knockout in the very first round. The fight was voted the best of that year. By the end of his career in Muay Thai, Samart had won an astonishing 130 matches out of 150.
Samart’s Music And Acting Career
Samart’s achievements in Muay Thai and western boxing made him a household name in Thailand. He was able to channel this fame and capitalize on his star power into a fairly successful career in entertainment as well.
He was signed to the Grammy Entertainment label and has released three music albums, starting with his debut with ‘Rock Ner Ner’ in 1989. Some of his songs, like ‘On Som’, became popular in Thailand.
In the early 2000s, Samart was able to enter the world of martial arts films. He appeared in a minor role in the Hong Kong drama “A Fighter’s Blues’ in 2000 and in the Thai action comedy ‘The Bodyguard’ in 2004. Samart eventually went on to play supporting characters in Thai action films like ‘Dynamite Warrior’ and ‘Muay Thai Chaiya’.
The Greatest of All Time
In 2010, Samart opened his own Muay Thai training gym named Poptheeratham in honor of his old instructor, Yodtong Senanan. While retired from the action of the ring for many years, the Muay Thai prodigy is now busy training a new generation of fighters in the modern age.
Many of the best Muay Thai fighters of today still look up to Samart as an innovator, a fan-favorite fighter of exceptional skills, and a source of inspiration. His multiple Lumpinee championships at such a young age, his success in boxing, and his impressive Muay Thai record stand as testaments to his fighting talents.
Samart is ranked at the top of nearly every top ten Muay Thai fighter list and is often called “The Muhammed Ali of Muay Thai.” He is considered by many to be the greatest Muay Thai fighter of all time and is absolutely a Golden Era legend.
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