Khaosai Galaxy


Khaosai Galaxy is a Thai former professional boxer and Muay Thai fighter who competed between 1980 and 1991. He held the World Boxing Association super-flyweight title from 1984 and 1991. He is listed #19 on Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time and named him the 43rd greatest fighter of the past 80 years in 2002. As of 2022, BoxRec rates him as the best Thai boxer of all time, pound for pound.

Muay Thai career

Khaosai Galaxy, born Sura Saenkham in Phetchabun province, northern Thailand, began his fighting career as a Muay Thai fighter in the early 1980s. He fought under the ring names Daoden Muangsithep and Khaosai Wangchomphu.. Later, he adopted the name Galaxy from a restaurant and nightclub owned by a friend of his manager.
Renowned for his devastating punching power, especially his soon-to-be-legendary left hand, Khaosai was advised by his manager and trainer to switch to the Marquess of Queensberry rules, and began training in western-style boxing.
He credited his mother as his first trainer. A passionate boxing and Muay Thai fan, she was inspired by the rise of Pone Kingpetch, Thailand's first world champion, who was becoming a national hero around the time Khaosai and his twin brother Khaokor Galaxy were born. Driven by her enthusiasm, she began training her sons from a young age, waking them at 4:00 a.m. to run before school and supporting their boxing journey in every way. Tragically, she died before witnessing Khaosai's rise to world champion.

Boxing style

Lacking the amateur boxing experience common to most Western professional boxers, Khaosai's skills originally were limited, and he relied on toughness and his fearsome punching power to win. His southpaw style was based on closing his opponent and firing his left hand whenever he saw an opening. His right hand was used mainly to judge the distance for his left. He also studied recorded fights of renowned world champions such as Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Marvin Hagler, which helped him refine his skills and expand his tactical understanding in the ring.
As he gained experience, Khaosai began to develop into a more refined boxer, learning combination punching to complement his deadly left. His favorite punch, a straight left to the midsection, translates roughly as "the left hand that drills intestines". Incredibly strong, he was never out-muscled, while opponents who tried the traditional stick-and-move techniques found he had quick feet and was able to block their movements.

Professional boxing career

Khaosai began his international style boxing career in December 1980. He won all of his first six fights, which earned him a shot at the Thailand bantamweight title on 1981 against Sakda Saksuree. He lost on a points decision. It was to be the last fight he would ever lose in the ring.
Khaosai won his next three fights and claimed the Thai bantamweight title in 1982. He won 15 consecutive fights by knockout and climbed in the world rankings to become super-flyweight WBA world champion Jiro Watanabe's mandatory challenger by the summer of 1984.
When Watanabe failed to defend his title against Khaosai, the WBA stripped him and matched Khaosai against undefeated Eusebio Espinal for the vacant championship on 1984. Khaosai knocked out Espinal in the sixth round, beginning the longest title reign in his division's history.
Khaosai defended his WBA title 19 times over the next seven years, winning 16 of his title fights by knockouts. In the mid-1980s, when world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was in his prime and scoring knockouts over everyone, boxing fans nicknamed Khaosai The Thai Tyson for knockout wins.
Khaosai fought only once outside of Asia, when he defended his title in 1986 against unbeaten Israel Contreras in Curaçao. He had two title fights in Kōbe, Japan, one in South Korea and one at Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia. The rest were in Thailand, where he often fought for purses in excess of $100,000 in front of huge crowds. That, plus the fact that few top fighters anywhere were willing to challenge Khaosai, made him relatively unknown in the West.
In 1988, his twin younger brother, fighting under the name Kaokhor Galaxy, captured the WBA bantamweight title, making the Galaxy brothers the first twins to ever be world boxing champions.
[file:Khaosai Galaxy.jpg|thumb|Khaosai Galaxy in 2007]

Retirement

He fought for the last time on December 22, 1991 in Bangkok, beating Armando Castro over 12 rounds. A few weeks later, he announced his retirement with a record of 47 wins against only one defeat, and never attempted a comeback.

Life after boxing

Not long after his retirement to the boxing profession, Khaosai chose to take part in the Thai entertainment industry. He first took a shot at the music industry, releasing a single, "Khob Khun Krub", meaning "Thank You", then began taking part in TV series and movies, particularly comedies. His first role as an actor occurred during the TV series Poot Mae Nam Khong, which was then followed by Mon Rak Luk Thung, The Legend of Suriyothai, and The Bodyguard etc. In 2005, while he was taking part in a film, he was punched in the face by a drunken fan, who wished to obtain Khaosai's shirt for collection but was denied. The incident made frontline news, which displayed a photo of Khaosai, with a bandage on his face but smiling and standing next to the drunk man.
In 2006, he starred in a music video for a song by fellow boxers Somluck Kamsing and Samart Payakaroon. In the video, Khaosai portrayed a shy man being approached by a young woman.
After retirement, he married Yumiko Ota, a Japanese woman whom he had met during a trip to Kōbe, Japan, for his second fight with Kenji Matsumura in 1989. The couple lived together for only one year before divorcing.
He later married a woman from Buriram, Sureerat "Fah" Saenkham. Although they had no children together, Khaosai chose to adopt his wife's nephew as his stepchild.
In March 2013, he made headlines again when he unexpectedly married Wannapa "Nung" Kamboonsri before legally divorcing his previous wife. That same year, he became a father for the first time at the age of 54 when his wife gave birth to a daughter. In 2016, they welcomed their second daughter at the end of the year.
Today, Khaosai owns two Muay Thai gyms, one in Bangkok, and another in Phuket. He also served as Denkaosan Kaovichit's trainer for a one-off bout against Takefumi Sakata in late 2008 in Yokohama, Japan. Denkaosan won by knockout in the second round, becoming the next WBA flyweight champion.
Beyond boxing and entertainment, Khaosai has also dabbled in politics. In the 2007 general election, he ran as a party-list candidate for the Puea Pandin Party but was unsuccessful. Later, in the 2011 general election, he ran for Chartthaipattana Party in his native Phetchabun's 2nd district, but garnered only 8,485 votes and did not win the seat.

Legacy

Khaosai's unmatched fame helped spark a tradition unique to Thailand, in which politicians or private companies organized world title boxing matches and allowed the public to attend for free. In exchange, the sponsors received publicity on televised broadcasts, had their names announced, and presented gold necklaces or other gifts to the fighters before the bouts.
This tradition began with his ninth title defense at the [Samutprakarn Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo|Crocodile Farm and Zoo|Crocodile Farm, Samut Prakan] in 1989, against South Korean challenger Chang Tae-il.
Also, it was often said that whenever Khaosai fought, traffic in Bangkok eased, because everyone hurried home to watch him on TV.
He was selected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999 and remains a well‑known boxer throughout Thailand. His induction came nearly a decade after his retirement, which was an exceptional honour for an Asian boxer. At the ceremony, the outpouring of admiration was remarkable: fans queued for more than three hours to receive his autograph, and the line included many female supporters who wished to show their respect.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
48Win47–1Armando CastroUD1222 Dec 1991National Stadium, Bangkok, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
47Win46–1David GrimanTKO5 20 Jul 1991Crocodile Farm, Samut Prakan, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
46Win45–1Je Suk ParkTKO5 7 Apr 1991Samut Songkhram Stadium, Samut Songkhram, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
45Win44–1Ernesto FordTKO6 9 Dec 1990Provincial Stadium, Phetchabun, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
44Win43–1Yong Kang KimKO6 29 Sep 1990Suphan Buri Provincial Stadium, Suphan Buri, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
43Win42–1Shunichi NakajimaTKO8 30 Jun 1990Municipality Gymnasium, Chiang Mai, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
42Win41–1Ari BlancaKO5 29 Mar 1990Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
41Win40–1Kenji MatsumuraTKO12 31 Oct 1989World Memorial Hall, Kobe, JapanRetained WBA super-flyweight title
40Win39–1Alberto CastroTKO10 29 Jul 1989Sri Narong Stadium, Surin, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
39Win38–1Kenji MatsumuraUD128 Apr 1989Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium, Yokohama, JapanRetained WBA super-flyweight title
38Win37–1Chang Tae-ilKO2 15 Jan 1989Crocodile Farm, Samut Prakan, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
37Win36–1Choi Chang-hoTKO8 9 Oct 1988Sheraton Walker Hill Hotel, Seoul, South KoreaRetained WBA super-flyweight title
36Win35–1Jun LlanoKO3 12 Sep 1988Bangkok, Thailand
35Win34–1Kap Sup SongKO7 9 May 1988Hua Mark Indoor Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand
34Win33–1Kongtoranee PayakaroonUD1226 Jan 1988Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Bangkok, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
33Win32–1Byung-Kwan ChungTKO3 12 Oct 1987Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
32Win31–1Chung Sup ChunKO3 26 Jun 1987Bangkok, Thailand
31Win30–1Ellyas PicalTKO14 28 Feb 1987Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta, IndonesiaRetained WBA super-flyweight title
30Win29–1Israel ContrerasKO5 1 Nov 1986Ergilio Hato Stadium, Willemstad, CuraçaoRetained WBA super-flyweight title
29Win28–1Edgar MonserratTKO2 23 Dec 1985Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
28Win27–1Rafael OronoTKO5 21 Jul 1985Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
27Win26–1Dong Chun LeeKO7 6 Mar 1985Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok, ThailandRetained WBA super-flyweight title
26Win25–1Eusebio EspinalKO6 21 Nov 1984Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok, ThailandWon vacant WBA super-flyweight title
25Win24–1Young Ri MoonKO2 2 Sep 1984Bangkok, Thailand
24Win23–1Val de VeraTKO7 11 Jul 1984Bangkok, Thailand
23Win22–1Jae Sung UhmPTS1014 Mar 1984Bangkok, Thailand
22Win21–1Joe ShiranuiTKO4 14 Dec 1983Bangkok, Thailand
21Win20–1Gil RagasTKO7 12 Oct 1983Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand
20Win19–1Park Chan-yongPTS103 Aug 1983Bangkok, Thailand
19Win18–1Luis IbanezKO3 10 May 1983Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand
18Win17–1Jose Luis SotoKO2 23 Feb 1983Bangkok, Thailand
17Win16–1Marciano SekiyamaKO4 24 Dec 1982Bangkok, Thailand
16Win15–1Mun Kyun JooKO4 27 Nov 1982Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
15Win14–1Willie JensenKO2 13 Oct 1982Bangkok, Thailand
14Win13–1Adan UribeKO4 26 Aug 1982Bangkok, Thailand
13Win12–1Agus SuyantoKO4 14 Jul 1982Bangkok, Thailand
12Win11–1Ali FormenteraKO5 24 May 1982Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand
11Win10–1Yu-Ok JooKO4 14 Apr 1982Bangkok, Thailand
10Win9–1Katsuyuki OhashiKO3 10 Mar 1982Bangkok, Thailand
9Win8–1Sakdisamai ChorsiriratKO7 25 Jan 1982Bangkok, ThailandWon vacant Thai bantamweight title
8Win7–1Tsuguyuki TomaKO4 14 Oct 1981Bangkok, Thailand
7Loss6–1Sak GalaxyPTS1029 Jul 1981Bangkok, ThailandFor vacant Thai bantamweight title
6Win6–0Phichitsuk KorusayarmPTS624 Jun 1981Bangkok, Thailand
5Win5–0Thanee SingchaowalKO1 10 Jun 1981Bangkok, Thailand
4Win4–0Tordsakdi PornthaveeKO3 13 May 1981Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand
3Win3–0Prasong SithkempetchKO1 26 Jan 1981Bangkok, Thailand
2Win2–0Sentiang SithkempetchKO2 31 Dec 1980Bangkok, Thailand
1Win1–0Pook SritamKO5 17 Dec 1980Bangkok, Thailand