Changpuek Kiatsongrit

Changpuek Kiatsongrit
Born	(1966-10-13) October 13, 1966
Other names	Crazy Elephant
Nationality	Thai
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	70 kg (150 lb; 11 st)
Division	Middleweight Light Heavyweight Cruiserweight Heavyweight
Style	Muay Thai
Stance	Southpaw
Kickboxing record
Total	343
Wins	277
By knockout	178
Losses	61
Draws	5
Other information
Occupation	Muay Thai Trainer
last updated on: June 6, 2011

Changpuek [English: Crazy Elephant] Kiatsongrit (Thai: ช้างเผือก เกียรติทรงฤทธิ์, born October 13, 1966) is a retired Thai Muay Thai kickboxer.^[1] He is credited as being one of the first Muay Thai fighters to go abroad and fight other fighters of other martial arts styles, often stronger and heavier than himself, bringing to the world an understanding of the effectiveness of Muay Thai. Changpuek is a seven time world champion who has fought some of the world's best fighters at middleweight to heavyweight and has wins against world class fighters such as Rob Kaman (x3), Rick Roufus, Peter Smit and Tosca Petridis. After ending his career as a professional fighter while working for Sitpholek gym in Pattaya, Thailand, he continued his employment at that gym as a Muay Thai trainer.^{[citation needed]}

Biography/Career

Changpuek was born and raised in a small village some 30 km of the town of Prakhonchai, Buriram in northeastern Thailand, one of seven children. As a young child he showed a great propensity towards fighting and was the leader of a local gang while still at school. Thankfully, a young Changpuek put his aggressive streak to better use as he became attracted to Muay Thai from watching local fighters and started training at home alongside his brothers under the tutelage of their father. He had his first fight at 14 and by 18 had left home to join the Kiatsongrit Gym in Bangkok, where he would remain for more than sixteen years. Changpuek fought at the lower weights in his early years spent on the Bangkok circuit, weighing as little as 49 kg (108 lbs) on his Rajadamnern Stadium debut.^[2]

After fighting for a number of years in Thailand Changpuek found it increasingly difficult to get fights domestically as his weight (70 kg) was not typical for a Thai where competitive bouts at tend to be at the lower weights. As a result he started to fight abroad facing the K.I.C.K. world champion Rick Roufus in a non title fight in Las Vegas,1988. Changpuek proved to be too wily for Roufus, despite being knocked down in the first and suffering a broken jaw, won via knockout in the fourth round due to the culmination of low kicks that the American fighter was unprepared for.^[3] In 1989 Changpuek faced another top class fighter in Rob Kaman (who unlike Roufus who was starting out, was near the peak of his powers). Changpuek won the first match of four between the two by decision in Paris setting the way for a rematch in Amsterdam the following year this time with the added bonus of the I.M.T.F. light heavyweight world title. Kaman gained his revenge in Amsterdam knocking out Changpuek in the last round of their match. The third match between the pair followed two months later with Changpuek taking a decision victory and the belt which Kaman had only just won.

After his trilogy of fights with Kaman, Changpuek would continue to fight some of the top light heavyweight fighters in the world between 1990 and 1992, losing one and winning one against Peter Smit, defeating the tough Luc Verheye by knockout and decisioning Orlando Wiet. In this period he would lose and regain his I.M.T.F. world title and claim the first ever W.M.K. world belt. In 1993 Changpuek was invited to compete against some of the world's top heavyweight kickboxers at the inaugural K-1 world grand prix, losing to eventual winner Branko Cikatić by knockout at the quarter final stage. Not put off by his K-1 debut he was invited back by the organization to take part in a world title fight - defeating Taiei Kin over five rounds to claim the vacant U.K.F. belt.

1993 would continue to be a busy year for Changpuek, he fought on cards throughout the year in Japan picking up several victories as well as losing to legendary karateka Andy Hug at the karate world cup. At the end of the year he fought in the K-2 Grand Prix '93 a tournament held by K-1 for light heavyweight fighters. As the smallest fighter at the event weighing only 75 kg, Changpuek faced Rob Kaman in the fourth (and final) match of their quartet of fights, winning a grueling match by decision. A victory in the semi finals against Tasis Petridis meant a final match against future x4 K-1 world champion Ernesto Hoost. Weary from his past encounters Changpuek managed to push Hoost into an extra round only to lose eventually via a head kick knockout.

Although Changpuek would never again quite hit the peak of his success of the early nineties, he fought a number more times with the K-1 organization, the highlight being a victory against Nobuaki Kakuda to claim the W.M.T.C. cruiserweight world title and wins against the likes of Kakuda were tempered by defeats against Michael Thompson, Ivan Hippolyte and Manson Gibson. Always willing to travel to fight Changpuek fought a number of fights in Europe around the turn of the millennium winning the W.K.U. world title in 2001 but found victories harder to come by as the toll of career of 300+ fights set in and he retired around 2006 aged 40. He currently resides in Pattaya, Thailand where he is the father of two children and is a Muay Thai coach.^[4] His nephew, Kongsak Sithboonmee, was named Thailand's top Muay Thai boxer in April 2011.^[5]

Titles

• 2001 W.K.U. cruiserweight world champion
• 1996 W.M.T.C. cruiserweight world champion -86 kg
• 1993 K-2 Grand Prix runner up -79 kg
• 1993-94 U.K.F. light heavyweight world champion -79 kg (0 title defences)
• 1992 I.M.T.F. light heavyweight world champion -79 kg (1st title defence)
• 1991 W.M.K. heavyweight world champion
• 1990 I.M.T.F light heavyweight world champion -79 kg (retained title after losing it the same year)
• 1990 I.M.T.F light heavyweight world champion -79 kg

Record

Kickboxing record

277 Wins (178 (T)KO's, 99 decisions), 61 Losses, 5 Draws Date Result Opponent Event Location Method Round Time 2006-12-27 Loss Johan Gouaida Sitpholek Muaythai Promotion[6] Pattaya, Thailand KO (Punches) 1 2006-11-25 Loss Martin van Emmen Only the Strongest[7] Ter Apel, Netherlands KO 1 2002-11-24 Loss Igor Ivosevic Rijeka, Croatia DQ (Kneeing Opponent) 2 2001-12-14 Loss Manson Gibson W.C.K. @ Palms Casino Resort[8][9] Las Vegas, NV, USA KO (Spinning Heel Kick) 2 Fight was for Gibson's I.K.K.C. Muaythai light heavyweight world title. 2001-11-03 Win Martin van Emmen Gala in Steenwijk[10] Steenwijk, Netherlands KO (Right Hook) 2 Wins the vacant W.K.U. Cruiserweight World title. 2001-03-03 Loss Ashwin Balrak WPKL Muay Thai Champions League IV[11] Rotterdam, Netherlands TKO (Right Knee Attack) 3 1999-07-11 Loss Ryuji Murakami The Kakidamishi 1 Okinawa, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 5 3:00 1998-10-25 Win Ryuji Murakami MA Kick "Kickboxing Champion Wars All Star Matches" Tokyo, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 5 3:00 1998-04-26 Loss Manson Gibson Shoot boxing "Shoot the Shooto XX" Tokyo, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 3 3:00 1997-07-13 Draw Hassan Ettaki Night of the Titans[12] Rabat, Morocco Decision Draw 5 3:00 1997-04-29 Win Nobuaki Kakuda K-1 Braves '97 Fukuoka, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 5 3:00 Wins W.M.T.C. Cruiserweight World Title. 1997 Loss Stéphane Nikiéma Muaythai Gala in Paris[13] Paris, France KO (Punches) 3 1996-03-01 Win Hiromitsu Kanehara UWF International Tokyo, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 5 3:00 1995-07-16 Loss Ivan Hippolyte K-3 Grand Prix '95 Quarter-final Nagoya, Japan KO 2 0:20 1995-03-25 Win Takashi Sugiyama K-1 K-League Opening Fight Tokyo, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 5 3:00 1994-09-18 Loss Michael Thompson K-1 Revenge Yokohama, Japan KO (Left Spinning Kick) 3 0:02 1994-03-04 Loss Taiei Kin K-1 Challenge Tokyo, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 3 3:00 Loses his U.K.F. World Lightheavyweight championship title. 1993-12-19 Loss Ernesto Hoost K-2 Grand Prix '93 Final Tokyo, Japan TKO (Right High Kick) 4 0:40 Fight was for K-2 Grand Prix '93 World Championship title -79 kg. 1993-12-19 Win Tosca Petridis K-2 Grand Prix '93 Semi-final Tokyo, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 3 3:00 1993-12-19 Win Rob Kaman K-2 Grand Prix '93 Quarter-final Tokyo, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 3 3:00 1993-12-05 Win Stéphane Nikiéma Thailand Thailand KO (Left Low Kick) 4 1993-10-03 Loss Andy Hug K-1 Illusion 1993 Karate World Cup Quarter Final Osaka, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 1 3:00 1993-10-03 Win Shin Ushikoshi K-1 Illusion 1993 Karate World Cup 1st Round Osaka, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 1 3:00 1993-09-04 Win Toshiyuki Atokawa K-1 Illusion Tokyo, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 5 3:00 1993-06-25 Win Taiei Kin K-1 Sanctuary III Osaka, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 5 3:00 Wins the vacant U.K.F. World Light heavyweight championship title -79 kg. 1993-04-30 Loss Branko Cikatic K-1 Grand Prix '93 Quarter Final Tokyo, Japan KO (Right Straight) 1 2:35 1992 Win Orlando Wiet Olham, England, UK Decision (Split) 5 3:00 Retains I.M.T.F. Light Heavyweight World title. 1992 Win Stéphane Nikiéma Bangkok, Thailand KO (Left Low Kick) 4 1991-12-25 ? Bill Heihen MA Kick Tokyo, Japan 1991-05-24 Win Marlon Benjamin Yamaki Gym the 6th anniversary memorial event Tokyo, Japan KO (Left Straight) 2 2:18 Wins the vacant 1st W.M.K. World Heavyweight Championship title. 1990-12-15 Win Luc Verheye Tokyo, Japan TKO (Knee strike) 3 1990-11-27 Win Peter Smit Lumpinee Stadium[14] Bangkok, Thailand Decision 5 3:00 Wins Smit's I.M.T.F. light heavyweight world title -79 kg. 1990-09-28 Win Glenn Brasdorp A.J.K.F Inspiring Wars "Heat-928" Tokyo, Japan Decision (Unanimous) 5 3:00 1990-08-31 Loss Peter Smit Lumpinee Stadium[15] Bangkok, Thailand KO (Punches) 2 Loses I.M.T.F. light heavyweight world title -79 kg. 1990-06-30 Win Dale Cook AJKF "Inspiring Wars Heat 630" Tokyo, Japan KO (Right Hook) 2 1:28 1990-04-24 Win Rob Kaman Holland Goes to Thailand, Lumpinee Stadium[16] Bangkok, Thailand Decision 5 3:00 Wins Kaman's I.M.T.F. light heavyweight world title -79 kg. 1990-02-18 Loss Rob Kaman Holland vs Thailand 1990 Amsterdam, Netherlands KO 5 Fight was for vacant I.M.T.F. Light Heavyweight World title -79 kg. 1989-12-31 Win Rob Kaman Paris, France Decision 5 3:00 1989-11-29 Draw Yoji Anjo UWF "U‐Cosmos" Tokyo, Japan Decision Draw 5 3:00 1988-11-05 Win Rick Roufus Sands Hotel & Casino[17] Las Vegas, Nevada, USA KO (Left Low Kicks) 4 1:23 1988 Win Payap Premchai Lumpinee Stadium Bangkok, Thailand Decision (Unanimous) 5 3:00 Legend:       Win       Loss       Draw/No contest       Notes

References

External links

• K-1 Sport.de profile
• "Changpuek Kiatsongrit - Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2011-06-06.