POR KOBKUA GYM
POR KOBKUA GYM
by Serge TREFEU (2019)
This atypical gym is located under a bridge on Suwinthawong Road, along the Sam Wa Canal in the district of Min Buri, right next to the Minburi Prison. Minburi is a district in the northeastern suburbs of Bangkok.
Training conditions are very rudimentary in this small gym which is familiarly nicknamed «Khai Thay Saphan» (The boxing camp under the bridge). Boxers practice with the constant noise of the crazy traffic on Suwinthawong Road above their heads. The heat, dust and humidity of the canal are the daily routine of the Por Kobkua Gym boxers.
AT POR KOBKUA GYM WE ARE FAR FROM LARGE INFRASTRUCTURES AND TOURIST BOXING CAMPS FOUR STARS
THE GYM INCLUDES A SMALL RING AND JUST THREE BAGS
THE GYM IS LOCATED UNDER THE SUWINTHONG ROAD BRIDGE. BOXERS FROM POR KOBKUA GYM USE THIS BRIDGE EVERY MORNING FOR THEIR DAILY RUNNING
This gym belongs to Ms. Poo, one of the few women who own a boxing gym in Thailand. Ms. Poo is also a promoter at the Rangsit stadium. This businesswoman works in the big shopping mall not far from the gym.
MRS POO (WHITE JACKET), OWNER OF POR KOBKUA GYM
Ms. Poo is a true boxing enthusiast, she created this training gym in 2013 to help children who hung out on the street to keep them away from bad temptations. The beginnings of the Por Kobkua Gym were not easy. Ms. Poo took time to make some money. But she clung and after several years, the gym got some good results.
MRS POO IS VERY CLOSE TO HER BOXERS
Most of the boxers who train at the Por Kobkua Gym are local children who are supervised by a single coach.
PAOS SESSION
Today, the gym includes several professional boxers, like Peemai Por Kobkua, Denchai Por Kobkua, Petchtapraya Por Kobkua and Yusa Por Kobkua.
Peemai nicknamed «Khun Khao Minburi» (Minburi’s knees) comes from Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south. He started his boxing career in the Nakhon Si Thammarat area.
In amateur Boxing, he won several regional medals. In professional Muay Thai, he won two provincial belts. At the age of 18, he went to Bangkok to study at Rajamangala University of Technology. Peemai has managed to reconcile high level sport with long study. He’s currently working on a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.
At 21, Peemai has 60 professional fights for 44 victories and 16 defeats. He’s now also preparing to the big KilaSport Gym in Bangkok. Peemai often fought in the famous MX Muay Xtreme organization, in the 147 lbs category, he beating Belarusian Aliaksandr Kernazhitskiy, Brazilian Conrado Furlan, Chinese He Ji Xing, Mongol Batjargal, Swedish Alex Nekthet!
PEEMAI POR KOBKUA
Denchai of his real name Natthawut Masamin has mostly fought in Boxing, he totals 11 professional fights in Boxing for 7 victories. In 2018, he won the Thailand Pro Boxing Championships. He also fought for the WBC Asia belt against Malaysian Muhammad Meeraj who beat him by TKO.
DENCHAI POR KOBKUA ALIAS NATTHAWUT MASAMIN
Petchtapraya and Yusa often fight at the Rangsit stadium. The Por Kobkua also welcomes female fighters, a handful of girl boxers represent the gym including two who fight regularly at the Asawin Dam stadium in Bangkok.
PETCHTAPRAYA POR KOBKUA
YUSA POR KOBKUA
The Por Kobkua Gym is a small authentic gym very little known to Muay Thai fans. But he’s part of the vast family of the world of boxing in Thailand…
POR KOBKUA GYM