BOXERS from Thailand

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Thai Boxers of all time. This list of famous Thai Boxers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Parinya Charoenphol (1981 - )

With an HPI of 34.36, Parinya Charoenphol is the most famous Thai Boxer.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages on wikipedia.

Parinya Charoenphol (born 9 June 1981) (Thai: ปริญญา เจริญผล; RTGS: parinya charoenphon), nicknamed Toom, also known by the stage name Parinya Kiatbusaba and the colloquial name Nong Toom or Nong Tum, is a Thai boxer, former muay Thai (Thai boxing) champion, model and actress. She is a kathoey, a Thai word referring to what is often considered a distinct gender in Thailand and elsewhere generally considered to be gender-nonconforming men or transgender women. At the age of 18, she underwent sex reassignment surgery.

2. Manus Boonjumnong (1980 - )

With an HPI of 29.02, Manus Boonjumnong is the 2nd most famous Thai Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Manus Boonjumnong (Thai: มนัส บุญจำนงค์; RTGS: Manat Bunchamnong, born June 23, 1980) is a Thai boxer who won the Olympics at Light Welterweight (60–64 kg) at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He is the older brother of Non Boonjumnong.

3. Wijan Ponlid (1976 - )

With an HPI of 26.36, Wijan Ponlid is the 3rd most famous Thai Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Police Lieutenant colonel Wijan Ponlid (Thai: วิจารณ์ พลฤทธิ์; RTGS: Wichan Phonrit; born April 26, 1976) is a Thai boxer who competed in the Men's Flyweight (– 51 kg) division at the 2000 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal. He returned to Thailand to a hero's welcome: honored with a new house, over 20 million baht, a job promotion (as a police officer in Sukhothai), and paraded at the head of a procession of 49 elephants through the city of Bangkok. Ponlid defeated Vardan Zakaryan of Germany in round 1, Andrew Kooner of Canada in round 2, upset Cuban Manuel Mantilla in the quarterfinal, beat Vladimir Sidorenko of Ukraine in the semifinal, and finally met Atlanta silver medalist Bulat Jumadilov of Kazakhstan in the final. The Thai led after every round of the bout, despite Jumadilov taking the second 6-5 to pull back to 9-7 behind, and caused endless problems for the Kazakh with his probing right lead and quick left. In a messy fight, both men fell to the canvas twice in the third round as they pushed and clinched, but Ponlid led 15-11 at the bell and then made sure of gold by dominating the fourth. It was Thailand’s second gold medal in Olympic boxing following featherweight Somluck Kamsing’s euphoric victory at Atlanta in 1996. And just as Thai supporters feted Somluck in Atlanta for winning Thailand’s first Olympic gold in 44 years, they were just as ecstatic, waving national flags and chanting his name, as Ponlid was acclaimed the champion. In victory Ponlid held aloft a framed photo of King Bhumibol in the ring with the red, white and blue flag of Thailand draped around his shoulders. In Muay thai he fought under the names Sisatchanalai Taxi Meter (Thai: ศรีสัชนาลัย แท็กซี่มิเตอร์) and Sisatchanalai Sasiprapagym (Thai: ศรีสัชนาลัย ศศิประภายิม).