Former boxing star Dendanai Ekawit’s Kietphatharaphan Gym: a boxing camp combining Muay Thai, an ecological farm, and a place for transmitting peasant culture
Former boxing star Dendanai Ekawit’s Kietphatharaphan Gym: a boxing camp combining Muay Thai, an ecological farm, and a place for transmitting peasant culture
by Serge Tréfeu (2025)
Dendanai Ekawit, whose real name is Mr. Wasupon Jaiphian, has had a successful career in the world of boxing, with no fewer than 300 fights to his credit. For several years, he proudly represented the Sor Rachadaporn camp and distinguished himself in 1990 by winning the belt at Stadium Samrong, an iconic Muay Thai venue, particularly renowned in the 1980s and 1990s.
At the height of his career, Dendanai was ranked No. 2 in the -140 lbs category at the legendary Lumpinee Stadium. He faced numerous top Thai fighters as well as several renowned foreign champions.
Among his most famous opponents were the French stars of the era: Dany Bill (seven-time world champion) and Stephane Nikiema (three-time world champion). Dendanai defeated Stéphane Nikiéma in 1996, before losing on points to Dany Bill in 1997, in a closely contested fight.
On August 9, 1998, in Australia, he won a Muay Thai world championship belt by stopping the formidable Turkish Gurkan Ozkan, three-time kickboxing world champion, in the fourth round, knocking him out with a double fracture to his jaw and nose.
Alongside his professional career, Dendanai has also competed abroad in amateur boxing, winning several prestigious awards. These include the Sports Authority of Thailand medal and trophies awarded by the Marine Corps.
In 1996, Dendanai Ekawit decided to pass on his knowledge by founding his own Muay Thai camp in his native region. The camp, called “Kietphatharaphan,” is located in Ubon Ratchathani in the northeast region, in the Kham Yai district, on Soi 4.
He shares this adventure with his wife, Mrs. Phatharaphan Jai Phian, a teacher by profession and also the camp director. The name “Kietphatharaphan” reflects both the symbolic and personal dimensions of this project: “Kiet” means honor or reputation, while “Phatharaphan” is his wife’s first name—a way of emphasizing the family’s commitment and the desire to promote the Muay Thai heritage.
The Kietphatharaphan camp enjoyed its glory days during the 2000s, training several great champions who distinguished themselves in national and international rings.
Between 2017 and 2020, Dendanai diversified its activities by launching into the organization of boxing events in its region, supported by two emblematic figures of Muay Thai: Lamnamoon Sor Sumalee and Nuengtakarn Por Muang Ubon, themselves former champions and legends of the rings.
The crown jewel of the Kietphatharaphan camp, trained by Khru Dendanai, is undoubtedly “Suwitlek Kor Saphaothong,” who later fought under the name “Noppachai Kietphatharaphan.” This exceptional fighter made his mark in 2005 and 2006 by winning several major titles in Bangkok’s major stadiums. He was notably the Lumpinee Stadium champion in the 108 lbs and 112 lbs weights, the Thai champion in the 105 lbs and 112 lbs weights, and the winner of the Shell Rimula tournament in the 115 lbs weights, one of the most prestigious tournaments at Omnoi Stadium.
Noppachai was also a finalist in the famous “Maa Daeng” (Red Dog) tournament at Omnoi Stadium, where he lost to the talented Rung Ubon Eminent Air.
Alongside him, two other champions trained at the Kietphatharaphan Gym also distinguished themselves: Aranchai Kietphatharaphan and Yuthachai Kietphatharaphan.
In 2012, Aranchai challenged for the Lumpinee Stadium 140 lb title against French prodigy Damien Alamos, who retained his title against Kongfah Uddonmuang. That same year, Aranchai won the Thai 140 lb title.
In 2012, he became the interim WBC Muay Thai 140 lb world champion after defeating Frenchman Raouf Beliouz.
In 2013, he successfully defended this title in Réunion Island, defeating French world champion Kamel Jemel by TKO.
In 2015, he captured the WBC Muay Thai 140 lb world title by defeating Japanese champion Tetsuya Yamato, but lost this title in 2016 to the formidable Lumpinee champion Rafi Bohic.
As for Yuthachai Kietphatharaphan, he established himself in 2010 as Omnoi Stadium champion in 122 lbs (- 55 Kg), defeating Ratchaburilek Sor Jitpattana. A few years later, he made a second career in the – 70 Kg category where he excelled against foreign fighters. In China, he became a star by winning several major tournament belts such as the Fighting Newcomer King tournament in Macau in 2015, the Kunlun Fight Hong Kong tournament in 2016, the Ultimate Legend tournament in Macau in 2016, as well as the WBC Intercontinental belt in Hong Kong in 2016. Yuthachai has a total of 230 fights for 175 wins and 55 losses!
The Kietphatharaphan camp also saw the emergence of several other promising fighters who represented the gym’s colors with honor, including Mahachai Kietphatharaphan, Sakphet Kietphatharaphan and Hong Dam Kietphatharaphan.
In 2020, the Covid-19 crisis hit Thailand hard, and like many others, Khru Dendanai had to close his boxing camp, hit hard by health restrictions and the suspension of competitions. A painful chapter has been turned after years of teaching Muay Thai…
But true to his fighting spirit, Dendanai didn’t give up. In 2022, he relaunched his business by opening a new Kietphatharaphan camp in a much more remote location: the village of Ban Nong Saeng Na Udom, located in Tambon Kham Hai Yai, Don Mot Daeng district, in Ubon Ratchathani province, about 20 km from the city.
The camp, literally lost in the middle of the fields, is accessible only by a small dirt road winding between the fields. This new environment offers a striking contrast to the large boxing camps of Bangkok: here, it’s a return to the roots, to rural and authentic Muay Thai.
However, income from boxing alone is no longer enough to support the camp. Faced with this post-pandemic economic reality, Dendanai made a courageous and inspiring decision: to turn to sustainable agriculture, applying the sufficiency economy model promoted in Thailand. He grows vegetables, plants fruit trees, digs ponds to raise fish, and manages his land to prevent flooding and combat drought, recurring scourges in his region.
This agro-ecological project quickly attracted the attention of local authorities, who actively supported it, recognizing the positive impact of its initiative on the environment and on the economic resilience of the inhabitants.
But Khru Dendanai doesn’t stop there. His dream is to turn his camp into a learning center combining Muay Thai, agriculture, ecology, and cultural tourism. Since 2022, this visionary project has attracted many foreigners from around the world, seduced by Dendanai’s reputation and the unique experience it offers: combining traditional Muay Thai training with immersion in the rural life of Isaan (northeast region).
In this unique setting, all levels of boxers are welcome, from the curious beginner to the international competitor. Khru Dendanai, with his connections to promoters across the country, including those in Bangkok, can even organize fights for his foreign students throughout the northeast region.
What also makes Kietphatharaphan Gym unique is its rare cultural immersion: students can work in the fields, feed the animals, prepare local meals, and participate in traditional Isaan musical festivals. Some even choose to live with the Thai boxers, sharing their simple and sometimes precarious daily lives, while others sleep in a small hotel 5 km from the camp.
Thus, the Kietphatharaphan Gym is no longer limited to a training place: it becomes a bridge between sport, culture and environment, a life experience that reconnects Muay Thai to its rural roots, and offers visitors a rare authenticity, off the beaten track…
