Khaosai Galaxy

Muay Thai career

Khaosai Galaxy began his fighting career as a Muay Thai fighter in the early 1980s in Phetchabun province, northern Thailand. He fought under the ring names Daoden Muangsithep and Khaosai Wangchomphu before adopting the name Galaxy from a restaurant and nightclub owned by a friend of his manager. His mother, a passionate boxing and Muay Thai fan inspired by Pone Kingpetch, trained him from a young age, waking him at 4:00 a.m. to run before school. She died before seeing him become world champion. Renowned for his devastating punching power, especially his left hand, he was advised by his manager and trainer to switch to western-style boxing.

Professional boxing career

Khaosai began international-style boxing in December 1980, winning his first six fights before losing a points decision for the Thailand bantamweight title in 1981—the last loss of his career. He won the Thai bantamweight title in 1982 and then won 15 consecutive fights by knockout, becoming mandatory challenger for WBA super-flyweight champion Jiro Watanabe. When Watanabe failed to defend, the WBA stripped him and matched Khaosai against undefeated Eusebio Espinal for the vacant title in 1984; Khaosai knocked him out in the sixth round.

He defended the title 19 times over seven years, winning 16 by knockout, and was nicknamed 'The Thai Tyson' for his knockout power. He fought only once outside Asia, defending against Israel Contreras in Curaçao in 1986, with other title fights in Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia. Most defenses were in Thailand, where he often earned purses over $100,000 before huge crowds. In 1988, his twin brother Kaokhor Galaxy won the WBA bantamweight title, making them the first twins to be world boxing champions.

Life after boxing

After retiring from boxing, Khaosai entered the Thai entertainment industry, releasing a single titled 'Khob Khun Krub' and acting in TV series and films such as Poot Mae Nam Khong (1992 version), Mon Rak Luk Thung (1995 version), The Legend of Suriyothai (2001), and The Bodyguard (2004). In 2005, a drunken fan punched him in the face after Khaosai refused to give him his shirt; the incident made news, showing Khaosai smiling with a bandage next to the man.

In 2006, he appeared in a music video with fellow boxers Somluck Kamsing and Samart Payakaroon, playing a shy man approached by a young woman. He married Yumiko Ota, a Japanese woman he met during a trip to Kōbe for his 1989 fight with Kenji Matsumura; they divorced after one year. He later married Sureerat 'Fah' Saenkham from Buriram, adopting her nephew as his stepchild. In March 2013, he married Wannapa 'Nung' Kamboonsri before legally divorcing his previous wife, and became a father at age 54 when his wife gave birth to a daughter; a second daughter followed in 2016.

He owns two Muay Thai gyms, in Bangkok and Phuket, and trained Denkaosan Kaovichit for a 2008 bout against Takefumi Sakata, which Denkaosan won by knockout to become WBA flyweight champion. He also ran unsuccessfully for parliament in 2007 as a Puea Pandin Party candidate and in 2011 for Chartthaipattana Party in Phetchabun.

Legacy

Khaosai's fame sparked a Thai tradition where politicians or private companies organized world title matches free to the public in exchange for televised publicity. This began with his ninth title defense at the Crocodile Farm, Samut Prakan in 1989 against Chang Tae-il. It was often said that traffic in Bangkok eased whenever he fought, as everyone hurried home to watch. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999, an exceptional honor for an Asian boxer, with fans queuing over three hours for his autograph.