The Unforgiving Kicks Part XI

Inter-style Conflicts 1958

Pansak Vittichai, a legend in the late 50's. He never won a title from the two major stadia in Bangkok. Yet his ventures actually bought him greater distinction as a muaythai fighter.

In the wake of the Muaythai-karate conflict, other mixed-contests suddenly became a trend. On 4, September, Namchai Srisothorn (muaythai) fought Tang Chelang (陳青龍) a Thai-Chinese posing as kungfu stylist, but was actually muaythai. The match was a draw after five rounds. Next, on 30 September, Lim Mang Huey (林夢飛), a local Chinese, kayoed a Judoka Hachiro Nagashima (永島八郎) in four rounds of a one-sided match. The fight was an outright fraud, as the Chinese, at 130, was again a Thai boxer, and his victim, weighing only 111, was another imposter ( Pro boxer with some knowledge of Judo). The shameful mismatch saw the Japanese literally trampled, and the disgraceful scene agitated the African pro boxer working in the corner of the fake Judoka so much, that he was overcome by hysteria, creating an emotional scene at ringside.

Chinese Boxing vs. Muaythai Showdown, 1958 - the fight poster.

Yet bigger still, was the much-publicized Tai Chi vs. Muaythai conflict, staged at the RDN Stadium on 17 October, 1958. Three reputable Chinese boxing masters from Hong Kong, with huge support of Thailand’s Chinese community, were matched against Thai fighters. One was kayoed in R1 (1:30); the second one (Wu Shing – a top notched Tai Chi exponent) was disposed of by Pravat Pornthai in only 40 seconds, the stunt realised with an elbow shot rebounding from the ropes. The third one, a northern Shaolin teacher, refused to fight. The scandalous proceedings infuriated the 12,000 spectators in the arena, prompting an ugly riotous protest inside the RDN stadium…

Author visited Tai Chi master Wu Shing in 1986, to review his 1958 defeat in Bangkok against Thai fighter Pravat.

End of the road - loss to a future King

On 25 December, 1959, Pansak faced rising star Apidej Sidhiran (18 ) on the LPN ring. No one had expected an easy fight, but then in the very first round, out of nowhere, a ghost-like high kick to the neck, from the Great Kicker- to be, landed to send the tough soldier to neverland….Is this the end of the Raging Bull of Buriram ?

The Pansak story did not end yet, for he had done army anti-Red insurgence work for two years, and in 1960, he was posted to South Korea. One day, he found himself in the boxing ring (as a late substitute) facing Kang Sae Sul (康世哲), welterweight champion and national idol of South Korea. Despite the adverse circumstances, he finished the 10-round battle looking much better than his rival, but lost a “hometown” decision. The vehement objections by the Thai soldiers precipitated all-out fisticuffs between servicemen from both sides. In the end, the disorder was suppressed, and from that day, a ban has been enforced against army Thai boxers partaking in boxing there. One more page in history for the Black Bull.

The fighting days soon over, the 20th-century legend finally retired a Master Sergeant Class I, after spending approximately twenty years at Narai the Great Army Base, Lopburi, Central Thailand.