Sangmanee Sor Tienpo, The 15 Year Old Muay Thai Superstar With Olympic Aspirations

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Sangmanee Sor Tienpo, the 15 Year Old Muay Thai Superstar With Olympic Aspirations

by James Goyder

BANGKOK: -- Sangmanee Sor Tienpo is a full time school boy who won’t be 16 for another two months but last year he became the first Nak Muay to win the ‘Fighter of the Year’ award at both Rajadamnern and Lumpinee Stadiums.

This teenage prodigy won the Lumpinee Mini Flyweight belt, the Rajadamnern Flyweight belt and the S-1 Flyweight belt and, even more impressively, he managed to somehow fit all these achievements around his studies,

“I go to school every day. In the morning I go running for one hour at 5 o’clock then I go to school at 7 o’clock, school finishes at 4 o’clock and after that I go to training. Sometimes I do feel tired but I don’t want to stop going to school until I have finished in three years time,” he said.

It’s an intimidating sounding schedule, particularly when you bear in mind that while Sangmanee is sitting in the classroom his opponents will all be training full time as they prepare to face him. Fortunately the school is fully supportive of this student’s fighting career and even allow him a week off every time he has a fight.

He also has the support of his family and both his parents will be at the 13 Coins Gym waiting for him when he is driven there straight after school by one of his teachers every day. Sangmanee is much like your average 15 year old in many respects, he says his favourite sport other than Muay Thai is football even though he isn’t that good at it, but he is also a veteran who has got more fighting experience than most people manage in an entire career,

“I started learning Muay Thai when I was 6 years old because of my Dad who was also a fighter and I had my first fight soon after. I have had around 300 fights.”

13 Coins Gym is currently home to top ranked fighters Saenchai PKSaenchaigym and Lamnampong Por.Todsapon and Sangmanee says Saenchai, who is a skillful southpaw just like him, is his favourite fighter and helps him a lot in training. It also has a good reputation in boxing circles as Kwanpichit 13 Rien Express is based there and IBF world champion Pungluang Sor Singyu drops in occasionally and after winning belts at both the main stadiums in Bangkok there is still one ambition which Sangmanee is desperate to fulfill,

“I really want to win a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic.s I do not plan to stop doing Muay Thai though, I think I can continue fighting Muay Thai and do boxing.’

Coming from the lips of a 15 year old this sounds a lot like wishful thinking but the 13 Coins owner, known affectionately by everyone as ‘Mr Coke’, is adamant that Sangmanee has the ability to be a successful boxer,

“He has a lot of speed but he is also a very intelligent fighter and a fast learner. He is only 15 now, so by the time the next Olympic Games are held he will be 19 and I believe he could win gold.”

Thailand’s Kaew Pongprayoon was promised 100 million Baht if he grabbed the gold in London last year but had to settle for silver after finding himself on the receiving end of an extremely dubious decision in the final and winning at the Olympics would instantly bring Sangmanee the sort of wealth which it would take an entire career to accumulate in Muay Thai.

For the time being a transition to boxing is a dream which remains in the distant future with more pressing matters at hand for Sangmanee who is set to fight twice in February,

“I am fighting Prajanchay Por.Phetnamtong again at Lumpinee Stadium on February 1st. I beat him already last year but I think he was the best opponent I have ever fought against, after that I have another fight on February 28th at Rajadamnern but I don’t know who the opponent will be.”

He will be looking to bounce back after being comprehensively beaten by Superlek Wor Sangpraphai in his last fight at Lumpinee last December although there were extenuating circumstances as, according to Sangmanee, he was severely hampered by a foot injury sustained in round two.

While the teenager is is likely to continue working his way up the weight divisions as he grows older he says that, for the time being at least, he has no problem making the flyweight limit,

“My weight now is 57 kgs, I fight at 51 kgs so I have to lose 6 kgs. It’s no problem I just run and go in the sauna.”

Sangmanee currently commands a purse of 100,000 baht per fight, an absolute fortune for a 15 year old. He won’t get his hands on the money until he is a little bit older though as it is being put aside for him by his parents who both relocated to Bangkok with him last year, a move which has already paid dividends in terms of his fighting career.

He has found a home at the 13 Coins Gym Sangmanee seems very settled although he still admits to suffering from the occasional pang of home sickness,

“My older sister is still in Kon Kaen, she is a doctor but me and my parents moved to the 13 Coins Resort 10 months ago so that I could train at the gym here. I have a lot of friends at my school in Bangkok and everyone there knows I am a Muay Thai fighter but I do miss my friends from home.”

Sangmanee Sor Tienpo vs Prajanchay Por.Phetnamtong will take place on a Por Pramuk Promotions show at Lumpinee Stadium on February 1st.

Source: http://combat-asia.c...nee-sor-tienpo/

-- COMBAT ASIA 2013-01-15