Buakaw Banchamek is going to finish the year with a bang. The 41 year old will be fighting four times in the space of four months with two bouts booked at Rajadamnern and another in China.
The long awaited bare knuckle Muay Thai fight between Buakaw and his friend Saenchai PKSanchaigym is scheduled for November 4th. He will also be fighting in Bangkok on September 9th and December 2nd for RWS.
Buakaw will also be fighting a Chinese opponent called Wang Yan Long in Guangzhou. That bout is supposed to be taking place in September too although we don’t currently have a date for it.
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Slow start
Buakaw has only fought once so far in 2023. He travelled to Japan to compete on the Rizin 42 card and ended up drawing with fellow veteran Rukiya Anpo in a kickboxing match.
Having fought five times in 2022 it represented a very slow start to the year for a fighter who has been extremely active since his high profile split from the Por Pramuk Gym. But Buakaw has a very ambitious scheduled booked with five fights in the space of four months.
His fights at RWS are billed as exhibitions. Meanwhile Saenchai is a personal friend of Buakaw’s and there is some doubt as to how seriously the two men are taking their bare knuckle bout, they were recently photographed playing football together.
So this schedule might not be quite as testing as it sounds. But Buakaw could be set for the biggest fight of his life in 2024.
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Boxing star
He is supposed to be facing Manny Pacquiao in an exhibition boxing match. Both men attended a press conference in Bangkok last month to promote it although the fight doesn’t currently have a date or venue confirmed.
That would definitely help to raise Buakaw’s international profile. He has never previously competed in boxing but would surely pose Pacquiao more problems than DK Yoo did in the boxer turned politician’s most recent exhibition match.
It isn’t clear how many of these fights will actually happen or how competitive they will turn out to be. But Buakaw has booked himself an ambitious schedule to finish 2023.
