INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH « THE IRON MAN » JITMUANGNON (SLOVAKIA), FIRST FIGHT AT AGE 5, 220 PROFESSIONAL FIGHTS IN THAILAND
INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH « THE IRON MAN » JITMUANGNON, FIRST FIGHT AT AGE 5, 220 PROFESSIONAL FIGHTS IN THAILAND
By Serge TRÉFEU (2026)
SERGE TREFEU: Hello Joseph, thank you for agreeing to this interview for siamfightmag. How old are you?
JOSEPH JITMUANGNON : I was born on March 19, 2005, I’m 20 years
How did you discover boxing?
My father had a boxing club
Did you start with Muay Thai right away?
I went to boxing tournaments with my father as a little 2-year-old boy but I never had a boxing match because I started Thai boxing in Thailand when I was 5 because European kids didn’t want to fight me…
Which gym did you start Muay Thai at?
To Petchrungruang Gym in Pattaya
Who was your first coach?
Khru Nu
Were there any champions who inspired you at the beginning of your career?
I trained with Gang, that’s his original name/Tawanchai/ then Por Tor Tor, Lotus, Be Lomchoi, Bang, Alex Sara, and many others…
What do your parents do for a living?
We have such small guest houses in Pattaya
Why did they move to Thailand?
Because in Europe children can’t boxing professionally
At what age did you first come to Thailand?
About 2 years old, when I was 4, I boxed with guys from Cambodia…
Which champions were in your first camp?
There was a very good boxer from Australia, I don’t remember his name
Did you sleep at the camp with the Thai boxers?
Yes I lived with Tawanchai
What were your relationships with Thai boxers?
Very good
Have you been to other boxing camps in Thailand?
At Por Ao Talay Bang Saray, Fairtex Gym, Jitmuangnon Gym, also Korat, and Udon Thani
Which camp do you train at today?
I’m in Jitmuangnom Gym in Nonthaburi
At what age did you have your first fight?
5 years old
How many fights have you had so far?
Over 220 professional fights and about 4 IFMA fights second in the world the finals were fooled by the Belarusians
How many fights have you had in Thailand?
I had all my fights in Thailand
How many fights did you have in the main stadiums in Bangkok?
About 70, I don’t remember exactly…
What is your current weight class?
In 145 pounds
What titles have you won?
First title 7 years old about 7 titles (Provincial stadium titles). But as an older I didn’t get a chance to fought for a major title our boss probably spares me but maybe later…
Do you hope to one day have the opportunity to fight for a belt in a major Bangkok stadium?
For now, I continue to fight in the main fights
Would you like to fight in the ONE Championship organization?
I didn’t even have a contract at 17 but my father and boss forbade me from boxing there because it has nothing to do with Thai boxing. I am one of the most technical boxers in the world so it wouldn’t be right for me to fight there
What are your thoughts on three-round Muay Thai fights with MMA gloves?
They break bones in their hands quickly…
Which promoter do you fight for?
For Jitmuangnon Gym, formerly Pumpanmuang
What’s your purse today?
Small…
Are you able to make a decent living from your sport?
Yes of course
What’s your fighting style?
Original Thai boxing technique
What techniques do you like to use in the ring?
Different, sometimes I go backwards sometimes forwards
Do you have a fighting nickname in Thailand?
My fighting name is Joseph Jitmuangnon
Who do you consider the best fighters in your weight class today?
Every young guy is good
Is there a particular opponent you’d like to face?
It doesn’t matter who they put up
Who is the best Thai fighter in your opinion right now?
There are a million of them it depends on who has what day
And the best foreign fighter?
Me I think
What has been your toughest fight so far?
I got a lot of…
And your best fight memory?
I had a lot too…
And your worst memory?
When they poisoned me when there were big bets on you. I was 9 years old. Since then you have to be careful not to put anything in my water or food because my fights attract a lot of bettors
What do you think of Thai fighters?
Most are modest and respectful
Are you interested in Thai culture? Do you speak Thai well now?
I read and speak original Thai
Did you attend school in Thailand?
Yes, Bang Saen Primary School in the Sattahip district (Chonburi province)
What do you like most about Thailand besides Muay Thai?
I don’t have time for anything else
After your boxing career, would you like to have your own boxing camp in Thailand?
We’ll see
Your next fight?
It was supposed to be this Friday in Udon Thani but nobody wanted to come even though we were there, I don’t know why they have so much respect when in 2025 I lost 3 fights in a row.
Maybe this Saturday I’ll have a fight at RWS when Michael Savas takes that fight it should be a rematch. I won the first fight but it was a 5 round fight they want a 3 round rematch
Thank you very much for this interview and Chookdee for your fights!
Thank you
Joseph Jitmuangnon, also known as Joseph Molnar, is undoubtedly one of the foreign fighters who has competed the most in Thailand in the entire history of Muay Thai. With over 200 professional fights on Thai soil, his career is simply extraordinary.
Born to Slovak parents deeply passionate about Thai culture and boxing, Joseph was immersed in this world from a very young age. From the age of four, Joseph showed a natural fascination with boxing. He would put on the gloves before he even understood what a fight was, simply for fun, for the sake of playing. Very quickly, this game became second nature.
His father worked as a coach and official at several boxing clubs in Slovakia. It was naturally he who passed on his passion to him. At the age of five, he took him to train at a club in Bratislava.
In Slovakia, organizers don’t allow children to fight. At a tournament in Hungary, the organizers even tried to match him against an eight-year-old boy, but no one volunteered. Everyone was afraid…
So, to fully embrace this passion, the whole family made a radical decision: in 2010, they settled permanently in Thailand. Their destination: Pattaya, the famous seaside resort… which they would never leave.
He began training at the camp located near their home, the RMB Gym which belonged to the Frenchman Rachid Saadi, then renamed Nikiema Muay Thai Academy after the great French champion who took it over. The camp’s head coach was Khru Yak, a respected figure in Muay Thai and father-in-law of ring star Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee.
But it was at Petchrungruang Gym that Joseph Molnar truly began his Muay Thai training. This renowned Pattaya camp would mold the young prodigy of the ring. Joseph fought his first bouts under the name Joseph Petchrungruang. Defeated in his very first fight at only five years old, he never gave up. Like many young Thai Muay Thai fighters, he learned through hardship, stringing together fights, victories and defeats, and forging his experience year after year.
Joseph trained daily alongside other future Muay Thai stars, including the Thai fighters Tawanchai and Por Tor Tor, as well as the Italian Alessandro Sara.
Tawanchai became a global star, winning the ONE World Championship belt in today’s largest combat sports organization, before being named “Best Fighter of the Year” in 2018.
Meanwhile, Por Tor Tor established himself as a leading figure in the Thai Fight organization, with three Thai Fight championship titles, an Omnoi Stadium belt, and a victory in the prestigious Isuzu Tournament.
The Italian Alessandro Sara, now known as Alex Jitmuangnon, also continued his journey at the Jitmuangnon Gym, alongside his teammate Joseph. In 2022, he made history by becoming the first European to win the Thai championship belt, and only the second Westerner in the world to win this legendary title, after the Brazilian Luis Cajaiba, who was crowned Thai champion in 2019.
As for Joseph Molnar, he forged his style, his mental fortitude, and his longevity in the ring. Day after day, fight after fight, he built himself up not as a mere passing foreigner, but as a true product of Thai Muay Thai.
Joseph Molnar built his career far from the easy spotlight, crisscrossing the rings of Thailand, facing Thai boxers on their own turf, in their provinces, their home turf, and even in the biggest stadiums of Bangkok. An old-school path, tough and without shortcuts.
In 2020, at the age of 15, the Thai specialized press named him the best foreign boxer in Thailand in the 110 pound weight class, a rare distinction for such a young fighter. A few months earlier, he had fought his first match in the world temple of Muay Thai, the Ratchadamnoen Stadium!
Nicknamed “Say Slovaakia,” the Slovakian Southpaw, Joseph began fighting at a very young age. He quickly accumulated fights and victories, winning several regional stadium belts.
He is also called “Iron Man” because of his impassive face which, before as well as during fights, evokes a discreet killer from Eastern Europe, an assassin of the rings who advances with icy determination, guided solely by efficiency and victory.
Joseph belongs to the very small circle of foreign boxers authorized to fight in Bangkok’s legendary TV7 Stadium.
Today, he has only one more step to climb: an opportunity to compete for the ultimate title in a major Bangkok stadium. A title, to definitively etch his name in the history of Bangkok’s great stadiums. It’s a chance he fully deserves, considering his career, his longevity, and the caliber of the opponents he has already defeated.
His record speaks for itself. Joseph Molnar has recently triumphed over established champions such as Saensiri Mor Rattanabandit (Lumpinee Champion and Thailand Champion), Buakheaw Por Pao In (Top One Tournament Winner), and Michael Savas (WBC and WMC World Champion).
He has also defeated numerous formidable Thai fighters on the national circuit, including Petchaymae Petchyindee, Jayphet Singha Mawynn, Prachanban Sor Jor Wichitmuangpaedriew, Kulabkhao Sor Jor Piek Uthai, Ploypanlan PK Saenchai Gym, Songchana Tor Bruceli, Khunseuklek Sitpuyaithep, Phetmongkol Wor Muay Thai Chom Bueng, Chatchai Dabransarakham, Phruhat Noi TBM Gym, Prikthaidam Sitpaao, and Patakthep Sinbi!
JOSEPH JITMUANGNON
Date of Birth: 03/19/2005 in Bratislava (Slovakia)
Nickname: Say Slovaakia (The Slovak left-hander)
Weight: 65-70 kg
Height: 178
Number of Fights: 220
Title : Silver medal at the IFMA Amateur World Championships
Team: Jitmuangnon Gym