Three Generations of Muay Thai: Sasiprapa Gym

Photos by Matthew Yarbrough

As with most gyms, we heard the sounds of Sasiprapa before we could see it, tucked away in a long alley in Bangkok's Bang Kapi District. A local ice cream seller pointed the way. "Walk along the waterway, turn left at the mosque, and keep going," he told us.

The journey from across town had been time-consuming, but at least there was no traffic. The waterways were clear, with boat passengers jostling for space, swaying along with the river motions, moving toward the center of the vessel to make room for new passengers. It was a relief to disembark at Wat Klang Pier, stepping off a rush-hour-packed Bangkok boat onto dry land just a 10-minute walk from the gym.

Sasiprapa was crowded, fighters everywhere—hitting pads or bags, lifting weights, running sprints outside. Monitoring it all were father-and-son team Thakoon and Ratkamphon Ponsupha, two-thirds of the Sasiprapa dynasty.

In the natural life cycle of Muay Thai gyms in Thailand, few camps survive more than one generation. Many fall apart after a few years or decades, usually when the founder loses interest or passes away. Sasiprapa, however, is turning 51 this year, having been established in 1965 by Chanai Ponsupha, a soldier in the Thai military. Now Chanai's son, Thakoon, is the big boss, raising up his own son Ratkamphon, better known as Arm, as his successor.

"My grandfather loved Muay Thai," Arm says when asked why Chanai started a gym. "Everyone knew him at the stadium," though Chanai fought only a handful of times. At his first gym, the tiny Suan Miskwan, Chanai made a name building Muay Thai champions. His gym later found sponsorship and its current name under another military man, General Attadej Sasiprapa. The gym moved to a bigger space, continued developing fighters, and found additional fame training athletes who went on to become Olympic boxing medalists.

Chanai's son, Thakoon, is continuing his father's success. When asked about how many Muay Thai champions Sasiprapa has made, Thakoon's son Arm has to pause to count on his fingers. "I'm not sure how many, but it's a lot," he says. He estimates "nine or ten Thais, and four or five foreign champions."

Foreign fighters are indeed a major cornerstone of Sasiprapa. The gym is open to walk-ins and hobbyists, but it is a far cry from the "Muay Thai holiday" camps popular in other, more tourist-friendly areas of Thailand. Sasiprapa regularly arranges matches for its active foreign boxers, such as Greek fighter and gym owner Fani Peloumpi, who recently won the headlining female fight against Nong Am at the annual Wat Santai Festival in Chiang Mai.

Part of Sasiprapa's popularity with international fighters is due to owner Thakoon's history abroad. Thakoon spent years in the United States, "working and studying," as his son Arm puts it, before returning to Thailand to help his father expand their Muay Thai family business in 1990. Arm credits the gym's international fame to his father's ability to market their gym online in English, as well as the gym's presence at promotions abroad. "When my dad came back from the U.S., he started promoting the gym through the website," Arm says. "And foreigners come here because we take care of them around the world. We fought in the U.S., Japan, Ireland, and they see us win."

Arm reports a total of 25 to 30 foreign fighters currently training at Sasiprapa, a large group compared to the gym's "seven or eight" resident Thai fighters. Add to that five Thai trainers, all of whom are former fighters originally from Isaan or the south of Thailand, and you have a total gym population fluctuating somewhere around 40 to 50, depending on how many neighborhood kids show up any given day.

Sasiprapa isn't large, and accommodating so many foreign and Thai fighters can be challenging. "With foreigners, sometimes there are so many that you really have to manage the pad-holders, make sure everyone gets a turn on pads," Arm says.

But the high number of students is good for business. Arm reports plans to buy a neighboring house and expand the gym. "We want to make another ring, put in more mats, and build a house for foreign fighters," he says. The Thai trainers and fighters live at the gym, but the gym can accommodate only two or three of its non-Thai fighters, something management hopes to change.

Sasiprapa's strength lies in its family dynasty: Chanai built the foundation, Thakoon is a shrewd businessman growing the gym, and his son Arm is proving to be a quick study. A communications major in college, Arm is working toward becoming a promoter, apprenticing himself to his father, who promotes regularly at major venues in Bangkok. Arm is close to another famous son of another Muay Thai dynasty, refers to Petchyindee's own Boat Yindee as his brother. "I ask him advice on how to run a gym," Arm laughs. "He's good, gives me a lot of good advice." Arm, now only 24 years old, estimates he'll be ready to promote his own shows independently in another three or four years.

While the next generation of the Ponsupha family learns the trade, Thakoon proudly keeps his father's creation alive. "It's known as one of the top five best, oldest gyms in Bangkok," he says. And judging by the way he says it, coupled with the work he and his son put into it, this Muay Thai family plans to keep it that way.