Captain Petchyindee is resurgent after returning from an extended break from the sport with a new name and a new camp. He has claimed the Lumpinee 154lbs title and signed with ONE Championship
This Friday at the Muaymunwansuk show, put together by Petchyindee promotions at Rangsit Stadium, he faces Sangmanee Sor Cafemuaythai. His opponent is a multiple time stadium champion who is also on the ONE Championship roster.
Captain will be dropping down to 139lbs for this fight. It represents a remarkable physical transformation for the Petchyindee star,
“When I came to Petchyindee I was walking around at 164 lbs. It wasn’t too hard to lose the weight because the training is very hard here at Petchyindee and I made some adjustments to my diet, cut out a lot of fat and reduced the amount of carbs and ate more protein and vegetables. I can go lower than 139 I think, 137 would be a good weight. I could probably get down to 135, but I don’t think I would have enough power left to fight at that weight.”
Fast finish
Sangmanee comes into the fight on the back of a much needed victory. He beat Rungkit Bor Rungrot, on the same promotion last month to snap a three fight winning streak that includes a devastating KO loss at the hands of Kulabdam SorJorPiekUthai at ONE: ‘No Surrender’ Part III.
Captain was also on that card and his stock rose dramatically when he knocked out Petchthanong Banchamek in just six seconds. He admits to being surprised by just how quickly the fight finished,
“I was confident going into the fight, I was sure I would get the win on points and also thought there was a chance of a stoppage as he didn’t look in the best shape. I was surprised it happened so quick though, with the first real punch I threw, I was expecting a longer fight.”
New division
Originally fighting as Diesellek Aoodonmuang, Captain has slowly increased his level of opposition since making a comeback and Sangmanee will be his biggest test since switching over to Petchyindee Academy. He thinks fighting at a lower weight could give him the edge,
“I think it will be a fun fight. I am confident I will win. I haven’t fought anyone that is around the same size as me for a while, usually I have only fought people bigger than me and we will be around the same size. Maybe he will be a little smaller than me.”
Sangmanee is one of the best southpaws in the sport and Captain knows what his opponent’s main weapon will be,
“His best weapon is his left kick and I have to make sure I block or avoid that. I think I have more of an all around game especially with the clinch and knees and I will be looking to test his chin too and think I can possibly stop him. My plan is to put pressure on him right from the start and try and hurt him early on with punches and low kicks.”
Big fights
Dropping down in weight gives him a lot of options when it comes to big name opponents. Captain already has his sights set on several fighters on the ONE Championship roster,
“I really want to fight Kulabdam now. We could fight at 139-140lbs, either in the stadiums or on ONE. It would be a great test as we both hit hard. I think I have a few more weapons though and he doesn’t really like the clinch. He has a lot of power, but I’m not afraid of punchers, I like to fight boxers with his style.
“In ONE I would love to fight for one of the belts. Nong-O is the Muay Thai champion and I think I can beat him, but first I want to fight Alaverdi Ramazanov for the bantamweight kickboxing title.”
