Muaythai manager and promoter Chucharoen Rawee-aramwong says he will support his long-time rival and friend Songchai Ratanasuban to lead the industry, while hoping that their renewed relationship would “last longer than the previous ones”.

Chucharoen was until recently engaged in various high-profile rows against the influential Songchai. However, the two currently seem to be on terms with each other and even seen partying together last week.

Chucharoen said the festive atmosphere, including corporation in their Daorung Chucharoen and Onesongchai matches, should be “a relationship that would last longer than the previous ones”.

Muaythai fighters outside of Thailand are getting stronger each day and Thai fighters can no longer dominate international events as easily as they used to, said Muay Siam newspaper editorial.

The newspaper recalled the old saying that “Thai fighters are number one”, which it believed was true a couple of decades ago when capable non-Thai fighters were few and Thai veterans only began to travel overseas to fight or teach abroad.

Back then, said the writer, Thai fighters often enjoyed the one-side slaughtering regardless of who their opponents were. However, in the recent decade the Thais have loosen their grip on the top position and many other fighters, especially those from Europe, are moving up the ranks fast.

The weekly televised Onesongchai muaythai series on Channel 11 will likely be discontinued due to the disagreement of promoter Songchai Ratanasuban and the television stadium executives.

Channel 11 has been cancelling the broadcast of Onesongchai events in favor of coverage on the ongoing SEA Games in Laos. However, when the multisport event ends on December 18, it is unlikely that the muaythai series will return even if the stadium is offering to renew the contract.

Promoter Songchai is reportedly upset by the frequent cancellation of his program, while disagreeing with the stadium’s new policy to sign contracts only for individual events, not the whole series.

From a controversial fighter booed by the spectators to an international muaythai star, the life of fighter Saiyok Pumphanmuang is of quick rises and falls, very much like that seen in soap operas, said Muay Siam newspaper.

Known in the muaythai sport as Saiyoknoi Sakchainarong during his early years in the career, the fighter rose to fame with three champion titles including one from the prestigious Ratchadamnern Stadium. Considered to be one of the most promising fighters in the heavier weight, Saiyok, however, fell from grace quickly and lost his belts to Singmanee Sor Srisompong in a match that seen by the muaythai fans as fraud.

Thai Muaythai fighter Kaimukdam Sit O will fight in a professional boxing match against Puengluang Sor Singyu, amidst the lingering tension between his new manager Chucharoen Rawee-aramwong and the influential promoter Songchai Ratanasuban.

According to the earlier reports, Kaimukdam agreed to fight under Chucharoen as long as he is allowed to stay in his hometown in Buri Ram and continue to fight in the events hosted by Songchai, who is a long-time rival of Chucharoen.

So far Songchai has kept Kaimukdam busy with various muaythai matches including the planned boxing bout, reported Muay Siam newspaper, adding that Kaimukdam, who had only amateur experience in boxing, will likely have a tough time fighting veteran boxer Puengluang.

Top Thai muaythai fighters from Thailand and the Netherlands have equally performed well at the action-packed bouts at the muaythai event SLAMM 6 last week, with each of team ending up with two wins and two losses.

In the first Thai vs. Dutch bout at the Amsterdam event, Saiyok Pumphanmuang was on the defense right from the beginning when 2008 European K-1 champion Warren Stevelmans started the first round aggressively.

Saiyok, however, tried to push back from the second round onward, resulting in a relentless fight with both men exhibiting numerous exciting muaythai moves. Both fighters seem to lose their stream in the fourth and fifth rounds, and the bout ended with Saiyok as the winner by decision.

In the second match, Thaland’s Anuwat Kaewsamrit took a number of hits from the larger Mo Khamal in the first round, but seemed to be able to gain some control of the game in the second round. The Thai was enjoying his best moment in the third round when Khamal took punches to the midsection.

The new WBC flyweight champion Koki Kameda must face Thai “interim” title holder Pongsaklek Wonjongkam in a mandatory bout in early 2010, says Pongsaklek’s promoter.

Petchyindee Boxing Promotion’s promoter Wirat Wachiraratanawong said the WBC has ordered a mandatory fight between Thailand’s Pongsaklek and the holder of the WBC title, recently claimed by Kameda after beating fellow Japanese boxer Naito Daisuke by unanimous decision on November 29.

Wirat said the bout would be held in Japan in about March next year.

Juan Palacios of Nicaragua says he is confident of the WBC strawweight title bout that will be held in Thailand tomorrow, while claiming title holder Thai Oleydong Sithsamerchai has never met a real opponent.

Oleydong will defend his WBC belt against interim title holder Palacios in Pathum Thani on Friday November 27 at 2.00 p.m. The bout will be broadcasted by Thailand’s Channel Seven.

Palacios, before arriving to Thailand on Tuesday, told the reporters in his country that he was not worried about fighting Oleydong who is five years younger than him because he had studied the Thai champion well.

The 2009 world amateur muaythai championships is about to start this Friday with an ambitious aim to push the martial art as an Olympic sport.

According to a press conference on November 23, the championships will be held at The Mall Ngamwongwan shopping center and Sanam Luang in Bangkok from November 27 to December 5. The organizers said they would try to have 82 nations participate in the games to honor the 82th birthday anniversary of His Majesty the King of Thailand on the last day of the games.

The winners of the 14 events, split equally for male and female, will earn the rights to compete in the first World Martial Arts Games in Beijing in 2010.

The WBA has approved the rematch of its Thai flyweight champion Denkaosan Kaovichit and Japanese boxing star Daiki Kameda in February next year.

Promoter Niwat Laosuwannawat said the WBA has resolved in its recent convention in Colombia to allow Denkaosan to fight Kameda early next year, although it has rejected the request for a rematch of the Thai boxer and former title holder Takefumi Sakata scheduled on December 31.

Denkaosan won the WBA title by beating Japan’s Sakata at the end of the last year. In October this year, he beat Kameda by split decision in his second title defense. Kameda's gym, however, protested the result, saying Kameda should have won the fight, according to the earlier reports.

Niwat said whoever emerges as the title holder after the rematch of Denkaosan and Kameda would have to fight Sakata, as ordered by the WBA.