Khaosai Galaxy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Khaosai Galaxy เขาทราย แกแล็คซี่
Khaosai Galaxy in 2012
Statistics
Real name	Sura Saenkham
Nickname(s)	Sai thaluang-si (ซ้ายทะลวงไส้) "The Left Hand That Drills Intestines"
Rated at	Super-flyweight
Height	5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Born	(1959-05-15) 15 May 1959 (age 66) Ban Cha Lianglab, Tambon Na Pa, Mueang Phetchabun, Phetchabun, Thailand
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	48
Wins	47
Wins by KO	41
Losses	1

Khaosai Galaxy (Thai: เขาทราย แกแล็คซี่), born on May 15, 1959, is a famous Thai former professional boxer. He was also a Muay Thai fighter. Khaosai competed from 1980 to 1991. He held the WBA super-flyweight boxing title for a long time, from November 1984 to December 1991.

Ring Magazine, a well-known boxing magazine, listed him as one of the 100 greatest punchers ever. They also called him one of the greatest fighters of the past 80 years in 2002. As of 2022, BoxRec, a boxing record website, considers him the best Thai boxer of all time.

Khaosai's Early Fighting Days

Starting with Muay Thai

Khaosai Galaxy was born Sura Saenkham (Thai: สุระ แสนคำ) in Phetchabun province, northern Thailand. He started his fighting journey as a Muay Thai fighter in the early 1980s. He used different ring names back then, like Daoden Muangsithep and Khaosai Wangchomphu. Later, he got the name Galaxy from a restaurant and nightclub. This place was owned by a friend of his manager.

From Muay Thai to Boxing

Khaosai was known for his incredibly strong punches. His left hand was especially powerful and became famous. Because of this, his manager and trainer told him to try Western-style boxing. This type of boxing follows the Marquess of Queensberry rules. So, Khaosai began training in this new style.

His Mother's Influence

Khaosai said his mother was his first trainer. She loved boxing and Muay Thai. She was inspired by Pone Kingpetch, Thailand's first world champion. He became a national hero around the time Khaosai and his twin brother Khaokor Galaxy were born. His mother was very enthusiastic. She started training her sons when they were very young. She would wake them up at 4:00 a.m. to run before school. She supported their boxing dreams in every way. Sadly, she passed away before Khaosai became a world champion.

Khaosai's Boxing Style

His Powerful Left Hand

Khaosai did not have much amateur boxing experience like many Western boxers. So, his skills were simple at first. He relied on being tough and his amazing punching power to win fights. He fought in a southpaw style, meaning he led with his right hand and punched with his left. His main goal was to get close to his opponent. Then, he would throw his left hand whenever he saw an opening. He mostly used his right hand to figure out how far away his opponent was.

Developing His Skills

As Khaosai gained more experience, he became a better boxer. He learned to throw combinations of punches. This made his deadly left hand even more effective. His favorite punch was a straight left punch to the middle of the body. This punch was so strong that people called it "the left hand that drills intestines."

Khaosai was incredibly strong. No opponent could ever overpower him. Other boxers tried to use "stick-and-move" tactics, which means hitting and then moving away quickly. But Khaosai was fast on his feet. He could block their movements easily.

Khaosai's Professional Boxing Career

First Fights and First Title

Khaosai started his international boxing career in December 1980. He won his first six fights. This earned him a chance to fight for the Thailand bantamweight (118-pound) title in 1981. He fought against Sakda Saksuree and lost by a points decision. This was the only fight he would ever lose in his entire career.

Khaosai then won his next three fights. He claimed the Thai bantamweight title in 1982. He went on to win 15 fights in a row by knockout. This helped him climb the world rankings. By the summer of 1984, he became the required challenger for the WBA super-flyweight world champion, Jiro Watanabe.

Becoming a World Champion

Jiro Watanabe did not defend his title against Khaosai. So, the WBA took the title away from Watanabe. They then set up a fight between Khaosai and Eusebio Espinal for the empty championship in 1984. Espinal had never lost a fight before. Khaosai knocked out Espinal in the sixth round. This win started the longest title reign in the history of his division.

Defending His Title

Khaosai defended his WBA title 19 times over the next seven years. He won 16 of these title fights by knockout. In the mid-1980s, Mike Tyson was the world heavyweight champion. He was knocking out everyone he fought. Because Khaosai also won so many fights by knockout, boxing fans nicknamed him The Thai Tyson.

Khaosai only fought once outside of Asia. This was in 1986 when he defended his title against Israel Contreras in Curaçao. Contreras was also undefeated at the time and later became a WBA bantamweight titleholder. Khaosai also had two title fights in Kōbe, Japan, one in South Korea, and one in Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia. All his other fights were in Thailand. There, he often earned more than $100,000 for a fight. He fought in front of huge crowds. Because few top fighters wanted to challenge him, he was not very well known in Western countries.

Twin World Champions

In 1988, Khaosai's twin younger brother, Kaokhor Galaxy, won the WBA bantamweight title. This made the Galaxy brothers (also known as the Saenkham brothers) the first twins ever to become world boxing champions.

Khaosai Galaxy in 2007

Khaosai's Retirement

Khaosai fought his last match on December 22, 1991, in Bangkok. He beat Armando Castro over 12 rounds. A few weeks later, he announced he was retiring from boxing. His final record was 47 wins and only one loss. He never tried to make a comeback.

Life After Boxing

Becoming an Entertainer

After retiring from boxing, Khaosai decided to try the entertainment business in Thailand. He first released a song called "Khob Khun Krub," which means "Thank You." Then, he started acting in TV shows and movies, especially comedies. His first acting role was in the TV series Poot Mae Nam Khong (1992). He also appeared in Mon Rak Luk Thung (1995), The Legend of Suriyothai (2001), and The Bodyguard (2004). In 2005, while filming, a fan who had been drinking punched him in the face. The fan wanted Khaosai's shirt but was told no. This incident made the news. A photo showed Khaosai with a bandage on his face, but he was smiling next to the man.

In 2006, he was in a music video for a song by other boxers, Somluck Kamsing and Samart Payakaroon. In the video, Khaosai played a shy man approached by a young woman.

Family Life

After retiring, Khaosai married Yumiko Ota, a Japanese woman. He had met her during a trip to Kōbe, Japan, for a fight in 1989. They were married for only one year before they divorced.

He later married Sureerat "Fah" Saenkham (born Niwesram) from Buriram. They did not have children together, but Khaosai adopted his wife's nephew as his stepchild.

In March 2013, he married Wannapa "Nung" Kamboonsri. That same year, at 54 years old, he became a father for the first time when his wife gave birth to a daughter. In late 2016, they welcomed their second daughter.

Current Activities

Today, Khaosai owns two Muay Thai gyms. One is in Bangkok, and the other is in Phuket. He also helped train Denkaosan Kaovichit for a fight in Japan in late 2008. Denkaosan won by knockout and became the next WBA flyweight champion.

Khaosai has also been involved in politics. In the 2007 election, he ran as a candidate for the Puea Pandin Party but did not win. In the 2011 election, he ran for the Chartthaipattana Party in his home province of Phetchabun. He received 8,485 votes but did not win the seat.

Khaosai's Legacy

A National Hero

Khaosai's incredible fame started a special tradition in Thailand. Politicians or private companies would organize world title boxing matches. They allowed the public to attend these fights for free. In return, the sponsors got publicity on TV. Their names were announced, and they presented gifts to the fighters before the matches.

This tradition started with his ninth title defense in 1989. This fight was at the Crocodile Farm, Samut Prakan, against South Korean challenger Chang Tae-il.

People often said that whenever Khaosai fought, traffic in Bangkok would get much lighter. This was because everyone rushed home to watch him on TV!

Hall of Fame

Khaosai was chosen to be part of the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 1999. This was a huge honor for an Asian boxer, as it happened less than ten years after he retired. He is still a very well-known boxer throughout Thailand. At the Hall of Fame ceremony, many fans showed their admiration. People waited for more than three hours to get his autograph. Many female fans were in line to show their respect.

Professional Boxing Record