The Unforgiving Kicks Part VIII - Prayut Udomsak

 

The catastrophic setback of Prayut shocked the nation…. Fans were saddened and could not accept the truth that their hero was only human, and hence vulnerable to defeat by a greater warrior.

Paladin of the Highlands, Prayut Udomsak, Top Thai boxer 1950 & 54.

 

 

 

The Paladin’s best Kick & Retribution

 

 

23 October, 1951, Chulalongkorn Day, in a resurrection match, Prayut confronted aging Thavan, the everlasting Wall of China, one gutsiest slugger in history. A champion of the pre-war Lak Muang era, he was still a popular attraction, before he met the Demonic Sukh, whose fearsome, unrelenting onslaught had destroyed almost all opponents, the short and brutal way. Twice was Thavan rigorously repelled and, the second time, though battered to a bloody pulp, the man still persisted to the end, to make that match the most thrilling contest of the year 1948.

 

 

This time, again, it was five rounds of a bitter struggle, with the tough-as-nail Thavan taking everything thrown at him for four rounds, and despite having been dropped, and counted, twice in between, he was just as game. By then, the crowds were resigned to the logical outcome of a verdict at the end.

 

 

However, at the beginning of the fifth, Prayut decisively mustered all his remaining strength, to let fly one right kick, catching his man on the ear… Lights out! The Bangkok veteran has tasted his first kayo defeat in a career that began in 1935.

 

 

That kayo landed Prayut back onto his path for premier stardom, and though he would face setbacks again ( including yet another 1-R kayo by Somdej) and again, he eventually became top boxer of Thailand 1954, upon winning the middleweight crown and defeating, in a terrific battle, his arch-enemy Surachai, the Handsome Terror.

Saifa vs. Prayut, top middleweights of Thailand, 1953-56

 

 

1955, Prayut faced Machine Legs Saifa Vittichai again, his old rival in the title match. Having lost the crown earlier, on appoints verdict, to the big, sturdy Semar Klasuek, and fought a huge even battle in an encore in Korat, he was still a top fighter. The great Somdej, meanwhile, had fought his way through Surchai, Sakchai, and three clashes with the unexciting Somsri, before switching his path to professional boxing.

 

 

Fans cheered Prayut as usual on his entry into the arena, but before ascending the ring, a well-known socialite at ringside greeted him, and without prior notice, bestowed a garland which was placed round his neck. The top fighter was a beloved idol who had never tangled with females of pleasure, and that act put him in vivid discomfort...

 

 

The two fighters touched gloves and the fight was on. As they interacted for a vantage position to attack, Prayut was still puzzled in his mind about the act of the lady… Bhak ! A piston-like left kick from Saifa hit his jaw, sending him down flat on the canvas (photo) for the count.

The left kick from Saifa has just landed... Prayut on the way down.

 

 

On regaining his senses, the distressed warrior muttered, “That garland smells rather strange…”

Prayut lying on the ring floor, after being hit by a high kick.