Somphot Thotla
November 28, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
It’s fitting that this be the first instalment as this is the story that inspired me to create this section on the site in the first place. Rosalie - the owner of Scorpion gym in Pattaya, Thailand - was briefly telling me about how her husband got involved with Muay Thai. Somphot Thotla - who now has over 300 professional fights under his belt - got his start in the sport in an interesting way. This is his story..
As a child, Somphot used to spend his afternoons hanging out at a Muay Thai club. He was 5 years old at the time and rather than going in and participating, he would look through the gate and watch his brother - along with about 20 or so others - kicking the heavy bags, doing pad-work and sparring. One of the head instructors picked up on Somphlot’s curiosity and eventually came out to personally to invite him in.
Reluctant at first, Somphot followed the instructor into the club and decided to give it a try. Fast forward a year and Somphot found himself in the center of the ring in his first Muay Thai fight at the tender age of 6. Most Muay Thai fighters I’ve encountered say that an addiction to fighting comes via their first knockout victory. Somphlot won that day but it wasn’t the knockout that served as his motivation.
Rather, it was the 30 baht ($1 US) that he earned for the fight. Give most 6 year old children a dollar and you can rest assure that it will be spent on candy at the convenience store. Not in this case however. When Somphot was awarded his modest winnings, he was brimming with excitement as he rushed home to see his mother.
His mother - who at the time had 5 children to take care of - was having a difficult time providing for the family. Times were hard. Somphot walked in and instinctively handed his mother the 30 baht he had earned for the fight and he did so with a huge smile on his face for he - at only 6 years old - was able to help out his mother financially.
The sense of self-worth he gained from the experience served as his motivation and he soon found himself fighting at Lumpinee stadium. He ended up losing a hard fought decision in his first fight at Lumpinee but he was invited back regardless for putting on such a good show.
The rest is history …
Fighter Stories - How They Started (Intro)
It seems to me like the other MMA-related sites and publications are all asking the same questions when they get interviews with the fighters. More often than not, the questions are limited to a fighters game planning, training routine and expectations in their upcoming fight. From the time a fighter books a fight until the time he steps into the ring/cage, he must field the exact same questions about 20-30 times. While the future is important, we at FightPassport.com are going to take a different approach.
How’s this for a concept?
Rather than ask the usual, repetitive questions regarding a future fight, we’re going to switch things up a bit. As a matter of fact, we’re not going to focus on the future at all, but rather - we at FightPassport.com are going to focus on the past. We’re going to focus on how the fighters got where they are today. Everyone has a story and when dealing with professional fighters, those stories seem like they’d be a lot more interesting than those of an accountant or dentist.
From what prompted them to partake in their first martial art class to how they felt prior to their first fight; from fighting on the streets to sleeping in cars while trying to make ends meet - we’ll be covering it all. Not only we will be covering the fighters who are currently at the top of the ranks, but we will also be profiling fighters who are currently struggling to make it - giving them some needed exposure and just telling their stories.
So, keep checking back. This should be interesting. And in the meantime, feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think of the concept..
