Somchai Ropkwaen (; born October 13, 1966), known professionally as Changpuek Kiatsongrit () is a Thai former professional

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

fighter and kickboxer. He is credited as being one of the first Muay Thai fighters to go abroad and fight other fighters of other martial arts styles, often stronger and heavier than himself, bringing to the world an understanding of the effectiveness of Muay Thai. Changpuek is a seven time world champion who has fought some of the world's best fighters at middleweight to heavyweight and has wins against world class fighters such as

Rob Kaman Robert Diem Kaman (5 June 1960 – 30 March 2024) was a Dutch nine-time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion. He was often called "Mr. Low Kick" because of his feared low kicks which he used to set up his devastating offensive attacks. Biog ...

(x3), Rick Roufus, Peter Smit and Tosca Petridis. After ending his career as a professional fighter while working for Sitpholek gym in Pattaya, Thailand, he continued his employment at that gym as a Muay Thai trainer.

Biography and career

Changpuek was born and raised in a small village some 30 km from the town of Prakhonchai, Buriram in northeastern Thailand, one of seven children. A young Changpuek became attracted to Muay Thai from watching local fighters and started training at home alongside his brothers under the tutelage of their father. He had his first fight at 14 and by 18 had left home to join the Kiatsongrit Gym in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, where he would remain for more than sixteen years. Changpuek fought at the lower weights in his early years spent on the Bangkok circuit, weighing as little as 49 kg (108 lbs) on his Rajadamnern Stadium debut. After fighting for a number of years in Thailand, Changpuek found it increasingly difficult to get fights domestically as his weight (70 kg) was not typical for a Thai where competitive bouts at tend to be at the lower weights. As a result, he started to fight abroad facing the K.I.C.K. world champion Rick Roufus in a non-title fight in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

in 1988. Changpuek's leg kicks proved too much for Roufus, despite being knocked down in the first and suffering a broken jaw, won via knockout in the third round. The knockout was due to a culmination of low kicks that the American fighter was unprepared for. In 1989 Changpuek faced another top class fighter in Rob Kaman. Changpuek won the first match of four between the two by decision in Paris setting the way for a rematch in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

the following year this time with the added bonus of the I.M.T.F. light heavyweight world title. Kaman gained his revenge in Amsterdam knocking out Changpuek in the last round of their match. The third match between the pair followed two months later with Changpuek taking a decision victory and the belt which Kaman had only just won. After his trilogy of fights with Kaman, Changpuek would continue to fight some of the top light heavyweight fighters in the world between 1990 and 1992, losing one and winning one against Peter Smit, defeating Luc Verheye by

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

and decisioning Orlando Wiet. In this period he would lose and regain his I.M.T.F. world title and claim the first ever W.M.K. world belt. In 1993 Changpuek was invited to compete against some of the world's top heavyweight kickboxers at the inaugural

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

world grand prix, losing to eventual winner

Branko Cikatić Branko Cikatić (4 October 1955 – 22 March 2020) was a Croatian heavyweight kickboxer, the first Croatian-born fighter to achieve international success. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers of all time. He ...

by knockout at the quarter-final stage. He was invited back by the organization to take part in a world title fight - defeating Taiei Kin over five rounds to claim the vacant U.K.F. belt. 1993 would continue to be a busy year for Changpuek, he fought on cards throughout the year in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

picking up several victories as well as losing to legendary karateka Andy Hug at the karate world cup. At the end of the year he fought in the K-2 Grand Prix '93 a tournament held by

for light heavyweight fighters. As the smallest fighter at the event weighing only 75 kg, Changpuek faced

in the fourth (and final) match of their quartet of fights, winning a grueling match by decision. A victory in the semi-finals against Tasis Petridis meant a final match against future four-time

world champion Ernesto Hoost. Changpuek managed to push the much larger Hoost into an extra round only to lose eventually via a head kick

. Although Changpuek would never again quite hit the peak of his success of the early nineties, he fought a number more times with the

organization, the highlight being a victory against Nobuaki Kakuda to claim the W.M.T.C. cruiserweight world title and wins against the likes of Kakuda were tempered by defeats against Michael Thompson, Ivan Hippolyte and Manson Gibson. Changpuek fought a number of fights in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

around the turn of the millennium winning the W.K.U. world title in 2001 but found victories harder to come by as the toll of career of 300+ fights set in and he retired around 2006 at the age of 40. He currently resides in Pattaya, Thailand where he is the father of two children and is a Muay Thai coach.link to homepage of password protected website: His nephew, Kongsak Sithboonmee, was named Thailand's top Muay Thai boxer in April 2011.

Titles and accomplishments

Muay Thai

* World Muay Thai Council ** 1996 W.M.T.C. Cruiserweight World Champion -86 kg * International Muay Thai Federation ** 1992 I.M.T.F. Light Heavyweight World Champion -79 kg (1st title defence) ** 1990 I.M.T.F Light Heavyweight World Champion -79 kg (retained title after losing it the same year) ** 1990 I.M.T.F Light Heavyweight World Champion -79 kg * World Muaythai Kickboxing ** 1991 W.M.K. Heavyweight World Champion

Kickboxing

* Kickboxing Superstar ** 2003 Kickboxing Superstar WGP Qualifications Tournament Runner-up * World Kickboxing Union ** 2001 W.K.U. Cruiserweight World Champion *

** 1993 K-2 Grand Prix Runner-up -79 kg * Universal Kickboxing Federation ** 1993-94 U.K.F. Light Heavyweight World Champion -79 kg (0 title defences)

Fight record

, - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2010 , , Loss , , align=left, Martin Sithpolek , , Fairtex Stadium , , Pattaya, Thailand , , TKO , , 2 , , , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2006-12-27 , , Loss , , align=left, Johan Gouaida , , Sitpholek Muaythai Promotion , ,

Pattaya Pattaya is a city in Eastern Thailand, the second-largest city in Chonburi province and the List of municipalities in Thailand, eighth-largest city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, and h ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, , KO (Punches) , , 1 , , , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2006-11-25 , , Loss , , align=left, Martin van Emmen , , Only the Strongest , ,

Ter Apel Ter Apel (; Gronings: ''Troapel'') is a village with a population of 9,914 residents in the municipality Westerwolde (municipality), Westerwolde in the northern Netherlands, in the province Groningen (province), Groningen in the region Westerwolde ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, , KO , , 1 , , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2003-05-17 , , Win , , align=left, Frédérique Bellonie , , Kickboxing Superstar WGP Qualifications, Final , , Milano, Italy , , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2003-05-17 , , Win , , align=left, Babis Papadoupolous , , Kickboxing Superstar WGP Qualifications, Semi finals , , Milano, Italy , , Decision (Split) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2002-11-24 , , Loss , , align=left, Igor Ivosevic , , , ,

Fiume Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and in 2021 had a po ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, , DQ (Kneeing Opponent) , , 2 , , , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2001-12-14 , , Loss , , align=left, Manson Gibson , , W.C.K. @ Palms Casino Resort , , Las Vegas, NV, USA , , KO (Spinning Heel Kick) , , 2 , , 0:48 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2001-11-03 , , Win , , align=left, Martin van Emmen , , Gala in Steenwijk , , Steenwijk,

, , KO (Right Hook) , , 2 , , , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2001-03-03 , , Loss , , align=left, Ashwin Balrak , , WPKL Muay Thai Champions League IV , , Rotterdam, Netherlands , , KO (Right knee to the body) , , 3 , , , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1999-07-11 , , Loss , , align=left, Ryuji Murakami , , The Kakidamishi 1 , ,

Okinawa, Japan is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west ...

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1998-10-25 , , Win , , align=left, Ryuji Murakami , , MA Kick "Kickboxing Champion Wars All Star Matches" , ,

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1998-04-26 , , Loss , , align=left, Manson Gibson , ,

Shoot boxing , commonly written as Shootboxing, is a combat sport. Shoot boxing is also a stand-up fighting promotion company based in Tokyo, Japan. The organization was founded by former kickboxer Caesar Takeshi in 1985. Shootboxing, the combat sport, ...

"Shoot the Shooto XX" , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#c5d2ea" , 1997-07-13 , , Draw , , align=left, Hassan Ettaki , , Night of the Titans , ,

Rabat, Morocco Rabat (, also , ; ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. It is also the capital city of the Rabat-Salé ...

, , Decision Draw , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1997-04-29 , , Win , , align=left, Nobuaki Kakuda , , K-1 Braves '97 , , Fukuoka, Japan , , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1997 , , Loss , , align=left, Stéphane Nikiéma , , Muaythai Gala in Paris , ,

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, , KO (Punches) , , 3 , , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1996-03-01 , , Win , , align=left, Hiromitsu Kanehara , ,

UWF International Union of Wrestling Forces International, better known as UWF International, U-Inter, or simply UWFi, was a shoot style professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1991 to 1996. The UWF international was the successor to the ''Newborn UWF'' th ...

, ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1995-10-08 , , Loss , , align=left, Gurkan Ozcan , , The Test of Courage , ,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, , KO (Punches) , , 1 , , 1:58 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1995-07-16 , , Loss , , align=left, Ivan Hippolyte , , K-3 Grand Prix '95 Quarter-final , ,

Nagoya, Japan is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, , KO , , 2 , , 0:20 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1995-03-25 , , Win , , align=left, Takashi Sugiyama , , K-1 K-League Opening Fight , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1994-09-18 , , Loss , , align=left, Michael Thompson , , K-1 Revenge , ,

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 3.7 million in 2023. It lies on Tokyo B ...

, , KO (Left Spinning Kick) , , 3 , , 0:02 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1994-03-04 , , Loss , , align=left, Taiei Kin , , K-1 Challenge , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1993-12-19 , , Loss , , align=left, Ernesto Hoost , , K-2 Grand Prix '93 Final , ,

, , TKO (Right High Kick) , , 4 , , 0:40 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1993-12-19 , , Win , , align=left, Tosca Petridis , , K-2 Grand Prix '93 Semi-final , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1993-12-19 , , Win , , align=left,

, , K-2 Grand Prix '93 Quarter-final , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1993-12-05 , , Win , , align=left, Stéphane Nikiéma , , Thailand , ,

, , KO (Left Low Kick) , , 4 , , , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1993-10-03 , , Loss , , align=left, Andy Hug , , K-1 Illusion 1993 Karate World Cup Quarter-final , ,

Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a populatio ...

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 1 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1993-10-03 , , Win , , align=left, Shin Ushikoshi , , K-1 Illusion 1993 Karate World Cup 1st round , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 1 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1993-09-04 , , Win , , align=left, Toshiyuki Atokawa , , K-1 Illusion , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1993-06-25 , , Win , , align=left, Taiei Kin , , K-1 Sanctuary III , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1993-04-30 , , Loss , , align=left, Branko Cikatic , , K-1 Grand Prix '93 Quarter-final , ,

, , KO (Right Straight) , , 1 , , 2:35 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1992 , , Win , , align=left, Orlando Wiet , , , , Olham, England, UK , , Decision (Split) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1992 , , Win , , align=left, Stéphane Nikiéma , , , ,

Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, , KO (Left Low Kick) , , 4 , , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1991-05-24 , , Win , , align=left, Marlon Benjamin , , Yamaki Gym the 6th anniversary memorial event , ,

, , KO (Left Straight) , , 2 , , 2:18 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1990-12-15 , , Win , , align=left, Luc Verheye , , MAJKF , ,

, , TKO (Knee strike) , , 3 , , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1990-11-27 , , Win , , align=left, Peter Smit , , Lumpinee Stadium , ,

, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1990-09-28 , , Win , , align=left, Glenn Brasdorp , , A.J.K.F Inspiring Wars "Heat-928" , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1990-08-31 , , Loss , , align=left, Peter Smit , , Lumpinee Stadium , ,

, , KO (Punches) , , 2 , , , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1990-06-30 , , Win , , align=left, Dale Cook , , AJKF "Inspiring Wars Heat 630" , ,

, , KO (Right Hook) , , 2 , , 1:28 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1990-05-18 , , Win , , align=left, Hideo Suzuki , , MA Nihon Kick , ,

, , KO (Low Kicks) , , 2 , , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1990-04-24 , , Win , , align=left,

, , Holland Goes to Thailand, Lumpinee Stadium , ,

, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1990-02-18 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , Holland vs Thailand 1990 , ,

Amsterdam, Netherlands Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the urban area and 2,480,394 in the metropolitan area. Located in the D ...

, , KO , , 5 , , , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1989-12-31 , , Win , , align=left,

, , , ,

, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1988-11-05 , , Win , , align=left, Rick Roufus , , Sands Hotel & Casino , ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , KO (Left Low Kicks) , , 5 , , 1:23 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1988- , , Win , , align=left, Mongkoldej Kiatprasarnchai , , , ,

, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1988- , , Win , , align=left, Payap Premchai , , Lumpinee Stadium , ,

, , KO (Low kicks) , , 1 , , , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 1987-10-30 , , Loss , , align=left, Krongsak Na Teerawong , , , ,

, , KO , , 3 , , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 1987-04-24 , , Win , , align=left, Payap Premchai , , Rangsit Stadium , , Pathum Thani,

, , DQ (threw a kick), , 4 , , , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 1987-03-20 , , Win , , align=left, Raktae Muangsurin , , Rangsit Stadium , , Pathum Thani,

, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 1987-03-06 , , Win , , align=left, Krongsak Na Teerawong , , , , Ubon Ratchathani province,

, , Decision, , 5, , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , ? , , Win , , align=left, Samart Prasarnmit , , , ,

, , Decision, , 5, , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 1986-10-31 , , Win , , align=left, Punthai Pinsinchai , , Rangsit Stadium , , Pathum Thani,

, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 1986-08-08 , , Loss , , align=left, Raktae Muangsurin , , Rangsit Stadium , , Pathum Thani,

, , KO (Right cross) , , 3 , , , - style="background:#fbb;" , 1982-12-08 , , Loss , , align=left, Rungsiri Na Pattaya , , Rajadamnern Stadium , ,

, , Decision, , 5, , 3:00 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

Mixed rules

, Draw , align=center, 0–0–1 , Yoji Anjo , Draw , UWF U-Cosmos , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , -

References

External links

K-1 Sport.de profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiatsongrit, Changpuek Living people 1966 births Middleweight kickboxers Light heavyweight kickboxers Cruiserweight kickboxers Heavyweight kickboxers Changpuek Kiatsongrit Changpuek Kiatsongrit