#155 - Khaosai Galaxy | Relaxing With Power (72 mins)

Khaosai Galaxy is probably Thailand's most famous boxer, reaching further into renown than any of their lengthy list of boxing World Champio

Khaosai Galaxy is probably Thailand's most famous boxer, reaching further into renown than any of their lengthy list of boxing World Champions. All the Golden Age Legends I talk to will relay the same anecdote, that traffic stopped whenever Khaosai was fighting on TV, as everyone stopped to go watch. The streets were empty. Known for his fierce punching power, nicknamed "the left hand that drills intestines" and "Thai Mike Tyson", he held the WBA Super Flyweight title (115 lb) from 1984 until 1991, with 19 successful defenses (and 17 KOs). That's still the record for the WBA title, to this day. His professional boxing record (he never fought amateur) is 47-1 with 41 wins by KO and that one loss was his 7th pro fight, a loss which he avenged with a KO victory later on. Khaosai has an identical twin, Khaokor, who also was WBA Bantamweight Champion (118 lb), making them the first twins to both hold world boxing titles. Khaosai and his brother started out as Muay Thai fighters and Khaosai says he had about 120 fights, 10 of which were in Bangkok, before turning to Western boxing in his early 20s.

The Ring Magazine lists Khaosai as #19 of 100 Greatest Punchers of All Time (his left hook is legendary), puts him at #43 of the greatest Boxers of All Time; he was inducted into the International Hall of Fame in 1999; and Boxing Rec lists him as the best Thai Boxer of All Time.

This session is exemplifies an aspect of the Muay Thai Library that I find the most precious. We're preserving not only the style of fighters and the techniques of Thailand, but the Legends themselves. In the long-form training sessions, you get to hang out with a Legend for an hour; in addition to their valueable teaching and sharing what made them like no other fighter, you get to watch them move and joke and respond to either errors or questions, or offer slight improvements that are very unique to themselves. Sometimes you get great technical explanations or demonstrations, but the Library is not so much about gathering the individual weapons to put in a tool box. Learning a jab from Pacquiao is not necessarily different from learning a jab from Andy down at your local boxing club, but listening to how Pacquiao thinks about the jab, or how it flashes out from his footwork; that kind of thing is so beautiful to me. And that's what this session is, its so special to be adding Khaosai Galaxy. Watching the way Khaosai's legs bend as he twists for his punches, or the way his anatomy of broad shoulders and tapered waist creates a kind of "figure 8" rolling to build power - these are details I can geek out on forever. I try to imitate it and see where it doesn't fit with other elements I've adopted, or how it grows completely organically out of something else; mostly, I try to feel it. I want anyone watching the Library to see it, get curious, and then try to feel it, too.

We have incorporated some of Thailand's best Western Boxers in the Muay Thai Library (see below) because Western Boxing strongly influenced Thailand's traditional Muay Thai throughout the 1960s to 1990s, as well as in the decades before. In this way the two sports are braided, and their styles and techniques reflect on each other. Fighters steeped in Muay Thai in the youth and young adulthood became elite level boxers, and boxing coaches were found in the top Muay Thai gyms in Bangkok. You cannot completely tell the story of Thailand's Muay Thai without telling the story of Thailand's boxers, and Khaosai Galaxy was the most dominant of them all.

What to To Look Out For

Figure Eight Basic Movement: perhaps my favorite thing in the entire session is capturing Khaosai's beautiful inner movement of rolls which creates the foundation of all his strikes. You can see an x-ray into his own continuity and weight shifting. As a fighter I immediately have taken this into my shadowboxing, weaving it into Chatchai Sasakul's weight transfer which is somewhat different. You can experiment and meld between the two if you like.

That Left Hand to the Body: Khaosai's left hand to the body from southpaw was renown, nicknamed "the left hand which drills intestines" you can definitely see why. I could feel it through the belly pad, even with the lightest of punches. He points out, aim high in the ribs, not the belly. Watch his hips, legs and twist as he throws this strike. It's similiar to Sagat's body shot, which has a related pinball-type action (which you can study in the Library), but its different. Check the differences between Sagat and Khaosai in the lower halves of their body.

Generally Watch The Knees and Feet: He reminds me with his hips, knees and hips of a golf swing or a baseball swing, a classic sports action, but with relatively narrow stance. His use of his knees in particular I really loved noting.

Simulateous Counters: Jangwa 1 and 3. He punches first, and he times his own counter to be at the same time as the counter that is coming back. He is matching the counter, in the counter's own rhythm.

The Importance of Shadowboxing: a great deal of the session is just me shadowboxing through his teaching and comment. This makes the entire session a kind of active boxing conversation. The emphasis on shadowboxing his Khaosai's own. Move, move, move, build instinct and flow through footwork.

Sparring with the Right Sized People: a very good point made when he talks about his sparring as a very small fighter. BoxRec lists him as 5'2" 1/2. He said it was very important to be able to spar regularly with someone smaller than you, as a small fighter. He said he had 3 sparring partners larger than him, and 1 smaller.

Other Session Referenced, check these out mentioned in my commentary.

#130 Sagat Petchyindee #5 - The Coil and the Uppercut (70 min) watch it here

#109 Chatchai Sasakul 3 - Developing Rhythm & Precision (1 hr, 46 min) watch it here

#104 Yodkhunpon Sittraipum 4 - The Art of Shadowboxing (64 min) watch it here

#36 General Tunwakom 1 - Lertrit Military Muay (46 min) watch it here

#144 Jean-Charles Skarbowsky - Keys to Winning in Thailand (110 min) watch it here

#41 Samson Isaan 1 - The Art of Dern Fighting (64 min) watch it here

 Khaosai and Khaokor as babies

Successful WBA defense

 The first ever twins to hold WBA titles (115 lb Khaosai, 118 lb Khaokor)

Thailand boxing Legends: Samart, Khaosai, Khaokor, and Sot

Watch Khaosai Galaxy Pick His Top 4 Muay Thai Greatest

watch his picks here

Some Kevin's Photography from the session:

If you enjoyed this session these are other sessions in the Library with great Thai boxers with application to Muay Thai.

#140 Weerapol Sahaprom - Symmetry and Power in Boxing & Muay Thai (1 hr, 40 min) watch it here or podcast here 

The absolute legend Weerapol shares the principles behind his amazing career. 3 times he was the Rajadamern Champion in the Golden Age, and then he went onto become a WBC and WBA World Boxing Champion. 15 years of Muay Thai, 15 years as a boxer. Discover the beauty and power of his style, one of the best Thai fighters in history.

#41 Samson Isaan 1 - The Art of Dern Fighting (64 min) watch it here

To "dern" in Thai is to "walk", which means basically to just come forward no matter what, to create a relentlessness. Voted Fighter of the Year in 1991, Samson Isaan was one of the great Dern Fighters of the Golden Age, and in this session he shows his forward pulsing techniques which are meant to just overwhelm his opponent. Also a great session for pressure Southpaw fighters.

#74 Samson Isaan 2 - Muay Khao & Western Boxing Excellence (59 min) watch it here

In 1991 there was no fighter more of a force than Samson Isaan, who took Fighter of the Year then. His relentless style combining Muay Maat punching aggression with Knee Fighting pressure and clinch made him a wrecking ball. In this session discover what made this little fighter so impossible to handle.

#64 Chatchai Sasakul 2 - Elements of Boxing (72 min) watch it here

Chatchai is not only a former WBC world champion, he also is the recipient of Thailand's Coach of the Year. He is one of the great striking coaches in the world, and in this session he breaks down all the basics from the footwork on up. Nobody has a more beautiful and potent hands foundation. Watch and learn from a master.

#71 Napapol Giatsakchokchai - Powerful Boxing For Muay Thai (81 min) watch it here

Nothing is a better match than world class boxing added to fundamentally sound Muay Thai. Napadol was one of the best western boxers in all of Thailand, a WBC champion, and he teaches a gorgeous, powerful boxer's technique that is easily married to Muay Thai. see a clip on our Instagram

#133 Bangsaen Tor. Kotsan - Central Core, Boxing & Muay Thai (85 min) watch it here, podcast here

Just a tremendous session with a great kru of Chor. Hapayak gym, teaching core principles of staying in your frame, fighting and defending out of your center, bringing together the forms of Western Boxing and Thailand's Muay Thai. Reach back into the history of Thailand's Boxing and Muay Thai synthesis.

#14 Chatchai Sasakul 1 - Perfecting Hands (106 min) watch it here

Former WBC world boxing champion at Flyweight, and winner of Best Coach of the Year in Thailand, Chatchai in this nearly 2 hours of video makes micro adjustment after micro adjustment, honing in pristine technique in the basic strikes of boxing, for use in Muay Thai. It's all about weight transfer.

#93 WBC Champ "Eagle" Den Junlaphan  1 - The Roots of His Boxing Movement (63 min) - watch it here

Multi-time WBC World Champion boxer Den Junlaphan teaches the elements of his footwork and movement, the importance of fighting rhythm and eyes. He shows how he chains rolling punches together with defense, as part of a punishing in and out style.

#115 Eagle Den Junlaphan 2 - Boxing Within Muay Thai (66 min) watch it here

WBC World Champion Den Junlaphan teaches boxing for Muay Thai, all the in-fighting and pocket postures and techniques that can make a more complete pressure fighter. This is his second session in the Library. Footwork, keeping your head in, developing continuity, all important for boxing, can translate to Muay Thai as well.

#109 Chatchai Sasakul 3 - Developing Rhythm & Precision (1 hr, 46 min) watch it here

The best boxing coach in Thailand, former WBC World Champions Chatchai Sasakul, teaches the importance of rhythm and precision. Chatchai's instruction brings western boxing technique to Thailand's Muay Thai, as he was also a Golden Age stadium fighter.

#75 Lakhin Wasantasit - Boxing & Muay Thai Organized Destruction (76 min) watch it here

Lakhin was a beast, to stand in front of him was to invite disaster. Perhaps no fighter of the Golden Age was more feared for his hands. In this session he shows just what made him so intimidating, and how he developed a style predicated on inflicting maximum damage.

#123 Samson Isaan 4 - Secrets Of His Pressure Fighting (122 min) watch it here

Our most extensive documentation yet of one of the most relentless pressure fighters of the Golden Age of Muay Thai. 2 hours of work on all the small things, the weight transfers, angles, tempos and techniques that made the 1991 Fighter of the Year such a wrecking ball with heavy hands and endless clinch.

#116 Samson Isaan 3 - Dern Pressure Fighting & Defense (44 min) watch it here

There was nobody tougher and more relentless than Samson Isaan in the Golden Age. Winner of the 1991 Muay Thai Fighter of the Year, undefeated as a World Champion boxer, he was famed for his pressure fighting. But beneath all that heart were the techniques that make it happen. Here he shows how he likes to pressure, his footwork, the keys to balance, and how hands and knees work together. This is his 3rd session in the Library.

#130 Sagat Petchyindee #5 - The Coil and the Uppercut (70 min) watch it here

Sagat has got to be the most popular legend in the entire Library, and this session shows why. Incredibly precise in correction and full of that intensity which made him one of the most feared fighters of his era. Here he unlocks the secrets of his uppercut and the overall coiling that marked his renown, explosive style.

#69 Sagat Petchyindee 4 - Muay Maat Tigers & Snakes (67 min) watch it here

Sagat details his ferocious, hands-heavy style in this session, teaching perfect balance and very aggressive spacing. The secrets to his power, how everything flows out of his core and his organized stance are on full display. Nobody like him.

#60 Sagat Petchindee 3 - All the Strikes Tuned and Dangerous (101 min) watch it here

One of the great, legendary names of Thailand, Sagat Petchyindee the inspiration for the Street Fighter character, goes through his entire striking philosophy with lots of technical correction and fine tuning. See the secret to his creation of smooth, efficient, explosive power, and witness the amazing man himself.

#38 Sagat Petchyindee 2 - Maximum Damage (61 min) watch it here

Such an anticipated session, part 2 of Sagat Petchyindee, the inspiration of the Sagat Street Fighter character. It's hard to believe, but he's even better in real life. In this session his continues to teach his "stay in your frame" method of bringing maximum efficiency and damage to striking.

#26 Sagat Petchyindee 1 - Explosive Power (57 min) watch it here

One of the great fighters in the history of Thailand, and the inspiration of the "Street Fighter" video game character, Sagat is like no other. Here he teaches how power has to come out of the ribs, and your frame, taking the shortest distance to your target, making sure your feet are constantly "organized".