One of the camps I used to frequent in Thailand was the IngramGym in Bangkok. My trainer at the time Neungsiam had left his camp and had set up shop at Ingram.
Ingram is a small camp that is managed by Hideki Suzuki a Japanese expat who used to train and fight out of Kaewsamrit Gym. I originally heard of Ingram, because of Buakaw. Suzuki was the person who was originally responsible for introducing Buakaw to K1. Ultimately one could argue that Buakaw wouldn’t have had his success if it weren’t for Hideki Suzuki.
While I was training at Ingram in ’96 I had met their star fighter Sagetpetch. It was clear to me that Suzuki had ever intention of getting Sagetpetch into max. Sagetpetch had reached the peak of his career. In addition to his Lumpini and Raja title he was also the Mitsubishi 8 man winner, MAX was the next logical step.
That was the plan… I know Sagatpetch and Suzuki had a bit of a falling out. As a result Sagatpetch stopped fighting. Here was a fighter at the peak of his international fighting potential, walking away from it all…
Fast-forward a four years… I’m checking out this years Max lineup and I see 2 Thai’s in the lineup. Pajonsuk and Sagatpetch, Pajonsuk will be fighting in a superfight, while Sagatpetch is a part of the Final 16.
I know he hasn’t been active for a bit, but nonetheless I’m really happy that he’s finally getting his chance.
I was hoping that I would be able to ignore MAX this year, but it looks like i’ve got someone new to pull for.
September 12, 2010 at 10:40 pm
yay it looks like i can start watching max again.
September 13, 2010 at 12:05 am
awesome!
seems like max gets a second chance
September 13, 2010 at 12:14 am
Hope he actually gets paid. K-1 still owes guys from 8 months ago and hasn’t paid them.
September 13, 2010 at 1:52 am
Nice, looking forward to watching
September 13, 2010 at 4:47 am
AWESOME.
September 13, 2010 at 7:59 am
i looved training with him this year. I think he will do very well. he is a beast.
September 13, 2010 at 11:20 am
HMM, Awesome!! Hope they treat him better than Sombat! No shady Ref Decisions, Utopia really!! FEG couldnt have changed their ways in just 1 year, maybe?? I will definiteley tune into MAX this last time, to root for the THAI!
September 13, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Cool news, about how long has sakadpech been out of the training for?
September 13, 2010 at 1:43 pm
You can see him fight the person he is replacing “Buakaw” here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxr8IOYNNZU&feature=player_embedded
They must have been really young there.
Also look like Buakaw may get the chance to fight in the -63kgs K-1.
http://nightmareofbattle.com/?p=3640
September 13, 2010 at 3:40 pm
thanks for the news. but does anyone here really think either will have success in that rigged event? short memories we have: do you guys remember what they did to buakao last year? those events do not promote a sport any more, they promote an agenda.
both pajonsuek and sagetpetch are great fighters, but their styles are not suited for this kind of competition. they are going to disqualify pajonsuek for chucking people around (assuming he can even get in the clinch) and they are going to ignore all of sagetpetch’s hard kicks to the body. maybe they will push them through the early rounds, but that’s it. they are doing this just to 1. attract muaythai fans and 2. to give the illusion of credibility to the event. they can turn around and say these top thai stadium champs were invited and they lost.
personally, i do not intend to watch k-1 any more, last year was the dealbreaker for me.
September 13, 2010 at 6:56 pm
well let’sjust hope that watching buakaw get robbed repeatedly set the tone for a new type of training for panjosuk & sagat then.
September 14, 2010 at 4:57 am
Haven’t been impressed by K1′s concept of fighting and judging, but I’m always stoked to see Thai masters at work (esp in HD!) and these two are technically awesome. I love how Pajunsuk switches stances so fluidly on the fly, and Sagatpetch’s kicks are lightning. How dope would it be to see him rematch Buakaw now?! Anyway, it’s an uphill battle for them but I hope they earn some decent dough for the schooling they’ll give their opponents.
Just to whet the appetite, here’s a taste of Sagatpetch dismantling an opponent in Japan, last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RF-jeN4lJU
September 15, 2010 at 5:49 pm
I’d prefer Saiyok in max. His style seems to fit better, with his hard punches and kicks.
September 16, 2010 at 10:28 am
Ohh Tong Po I almost forgot about Saiyoknoi, He is way to Dangerous for the FEG to let into Max, He´ll do a “Buakaw 2004″ all over again. :D
September 17, 2010 at 8:06 pm
2 thais in max? Unbelievable.
Although thai style doesn’t have the right place in the max, I’m happy for them.
September 18, 2010 at 3:22 pm
I’m a big fan of Sagatpet -he’s got the hardest and fastest kicks I’ve ever seen, but I’m not sure how he will fare in K1 MAX. Actually he has been staying active the last 2 years, but he’s not the beast he used to be when he was Lumpini champion. He’s also a bit short and light for K1-Max. He’s a natural 135pound fighter and will have to bulk up substantially.
God I sound negative… I hope he kicks ass!