Samart Payakaroon
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Samart Payakaroon สามารถ พยัคฆ์อรุณ |
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Samart Payakaroon in 2006
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| Born | Samart Tiptarmai (สามารถ ทิพย์ท่าไม้) 5 December 1962 Chacherngsao, Thailand |
| Native name | สามารถ พยัคฆ์อรุณ |
| Other names |
phyạkhḳh̒ h̄n̂ā h̄yk (พยัคฆ์หน้าหยก) (e.g. Jade-faced Tiger) phechc̣hḳhāt h̄n̂ā h̄yk (เพชฌฆาตหน้าหยก) (e.g. Jade-faced Executioner) |
| Nationality |
 Thai
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| Style | Muay Thai, Boxing |
| Fighting out of | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Team |
Songchai Rattanasuban Sahasompop Srisomwong Suchart Kerdmek |
| Trainer |
Yodtong Senanan (Muaythai) Sukjai Sappalek (Boxing) Ismael Salas (Boxing) |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 150 |
| Wins | 129 |
| By knockout | 30 |
| Losses | 19 |
| Draws | 2 |
Samart Payakaroon, real name Samart Tiptarmai (born 5 December 1962, in Chachoengsao Province), is a former Muay Thai fighter and boxer. He is considered by many to be the greatest Muay Thai fighter of all time, becoming a multiple time Lumpinee stadium champion and a WBC world champion in boxing.
Samart has an older brother, Kongtoranee Payakaroon, who induced Samart to start training in Muay Thai. Samart started training Muay Thai when he was 7 years old. The First Muay Thai teacher of Samart was Yodthong Senanan (Kru Tui) who taught both Samart and Kongtoranee. His first fight name was Samart Lookklongket. After he fought about a dozen fights, he came to Bangkok to fight at Lumpinee Stadium in 1978.
Samart was noted as being "not athletically gifted" as other Muay Thai fighters. He also had less stellar cardio due to his relative lung size. However, he possessed an extremely high fight IQ, lightning quick reflexes, and excellent ring vision. Samart also fought using creative techniques that were effective and unpredictable, even against elite competition in the 70s and 80s (dubbed the Golden Age of Muay Thai). There were contests where Samart was pushed past the brink of exhaustion, and still gave his opponents the fight of their lives. Even in the period where Samart was more concerned about his music and acting career, he defeated some of the greatest fighters of his generation.
In 1982, he turned to boxing where he fought from a southpaw stance. In 1986, he won a WBC junior featherweight title with a surprise KO over rock-chinned Lupe Pintor in the fifth round and defended against the respected Juan Meza before being stopped by undefeated Australian Jeff Fenech. He made a comeback in the 1990s and challenged unsuccessfully for another world title.
Payakaroon was named The Ring's Progress of the Year fighter for 1986. He now teaches Muay Thai in Thailand.
Between his two stints as boxing champion, Samart signed with a Grammy Entertainment winning label and released three albums. They are pop music but with his upcountry accent ('"Ner" เหน่อ) as opposed to central Thailand accent. His first album, Rock Ner Ner. (ร็อคเหน่อๆ) in 1989, contains a famous song On Som (อ่อนซ้อม - not enough practice) talking about him being very proficient in boxing but lacking the same aptitude at getting love from women. His second and third album, Arom Dee (อารมณ์ดี) and Kun Mai Kun Mike (คันไม้คันไมค์) followed in 1990 and 1992 with famous songs Nam Plik Pla Too (น้ำพริกปลาทู) and Kao Ao Eng (เกาเอาเอง) respectively. After the three albums, he went back to boxing.
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