Back in the ring

Considered the best muay Thai fighter of all time, Samart Payakaroon is many things to many people. At various times in his illustrious career, the 52-year-old has also been a champion boxer, pop star and actor.

Now he’s the subject of a biographical film, “Mard Payak”, which examines his life at the top and his fall to the bottom.

Trained in Thai boxing as a child, Samart won four national championships in four weight classes in his early 20s and in 1982 surprised the world by being crowned the World Boxing Council featherweight champ.

 Unlike many former fighting heroes, Samart has kept himself in shape and drew many admiring glances when he turned up with the young actors who portray him in the field for the recent premiere of “Mard Payak”, which kicked off last week’s Bangkok Asean Film Festival. His face is also unusually clear for a fighter, the result of never requiring stitches thanks to poorly landed punches.

“I’ve been approached about a biopic on several occasions but I decided to give the story to Local Color Films,” says Samart, who is now running his own boxing camp, Poptheeratham Gym, in Sai Mai district, Bangkok. 

Born Samart Thiptamai in Chachoengsao, he started his fight career at the urging of an older brother, who was quick to recognise his sibling’s potential. With nothing to keep young Samart at home – his mother had died when he was young and his father was a fugitive from law – Samart was sent to live at Yordthong Senanan’s boxing camp in Chon Buri. There, he was reunited with another older brother, Kongtoranee, and both quickly adopted the fighting name Payakaroon.

Produced by Nation Multimedia Group’s Now 26 television channel and directed by Norachai Kajchapanont, the project got underway a few years ago when Samart turned his life story over to Local Color Films, a company founded by Pawas Sawatchaiyamet (formerly Saksiri Chantarangsri), a production designer on many films, among them “Headshot” and “Nymph” by Pen-ek Ratanaruang.

“Mard Payak” loosely translates as the tiger posture used in boxing, and also refers to Samart’s nickname Mard and his fighting “family” name Payakaroon.

Norachai, who has plenty of behind-the-scenes experience from his work on Pen-ek’s and Wisit Sasanatieng’s films, stepped into the director’s chair after becoming involved with the script. Initially planned as a simple documentary featuring clips and interviews, the director changed it to narrative form, dividing it into five chapters like the five rounds of the muay Thai fights. 

“His life is very cinematic,” says the director.

Three actors have been cast to play Samart at different ages, with Samart taking charge of the narration that leads in to the story. The film brings together video clips and old pictures as well as interviews with such familiar names as promoter Songchai Ratanasuban who was a close friend with Samart’s late mentor Yordthong, his rival Diesalenoi Chor Thanasukarn (Charin Sorndee), Sod Chitlada and also his brother Kongtoranee.

Viewers with a keen eye will be impressed by how much the actors resemble the real life characters, particularly Songchai and Yordthong. 

While the popularity of muay Thai underwent a big dip after soaring to its peak in the 1980s, renewed interest in the sport, not least from foreigners who come to Thailand to train, should translate into plenty of interest in the documentary.

Samart, though, is convinced that only true boxing fans will want to watch the film, but concedes that other people may be curious about his life. 

With little footage from the early part of his career available, most of the video clips focus on such classic matches in the mid and late 1980s, such as his famous fight against Juan Mesa in 1986 where he successfully avoided almost 20 fist blows, and his controversial loss to Australian boxer Jeff Fenech.

Samart says the film sets the record straight on his loss to Fenech in Sydney in 1987, when he was accused of throwing the fight. He clearly recalls being condemned by staff at Don Mueang International Airport, which sent him into hiding. He later entered the monkhood but even then the taunts and accusations didn’t stop, with angry fans addressing letters of condemnation to Monk Samart.

“I would have admitted if had I been guilty of throwing the bout. But I didn’t do it, and yet still I am questioned by friends and former fans,” he says. 

The documentary clearly portrays his stress prior to the fight and his struggles to lose five kilograms in a ridiculously short time. The result was a marked lack of energy, leading to his being knocked out in fourth round.

The film focuses on his boxing life and ends when he returns to muay Thai, where he earned some success before hanging up his gloves for good.

After retiring from boxing, Samart turned his attention to show business, first as a singer, which saw him release four albums. He also worked an actor, playing in movies and TV series, among them “The Legend of Suriyothai”, the French boxing drama “Fureur” and the Thai action-comedy “The Bodyguard”. His most recent big-screen appearance was in Kongkiat Khomsiri’s 2007 boxing-and-crime drama “Muay Thai Chaiya”.

The new movie aside, Samart is also returning to the small screen in the company of other well-known boxers, Somluck Kamsing, Charoenthong Kiatbaanchong and Khaosai Galaxy. They will be coaches on the reality TV series “The Champ Sungwian Sit Pun Yord Muay Thai”. Showing on Now 26, it will follow boxers as they train and fight to win a prize of more than Bt1 million. 

 HIGH KICKS

 n “Mard Prayak” will be released on September 24 at SF Cinemas.

n “The Champ Sungwian Sit Pun Yord Muay Thai” starts airing on October 4 and airing every Sunday from 10.30 to 11.30 pm. For details, check www.Now26.tv.