The Most Famous

BOXERS from Thailand

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This page contains a list of the greatest Thai Boxers. The pantheon dataset contains 496 Boxers, 4 of which were born in Thailand. This makes Thailand the birth place of the 36th most number of Boxers behind Puerto Rico, and Denmark.

Top 7

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Thai Boxers of all time. This list of famous Thai Boxers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.

Photo of Payao Poontarat

1. Payao Poontarat (1956 - 2006)

With an HPI of 50.47, Payao Poontarat is the most famous Thai Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages on wikipedia.

Payao Poontarat (Thai: พเยาว์ พูลธรัตน์, RTGS: Phayao Phuntharat, pronounced [pʰā.jāw pʰūːn.tʰā.rát]; October 18, 1956 – August 13, 2006) was a Thai boxer who, at the age of 18, won the bronze medal in the men's Light flyweight (-48 kg) category at the 1976 Summer Olympics. He was the first Thai athlete to win an Olympic medal in any sport.

Photo of Parinya Charoenphol

2. Parinya Charoenphol (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 45.48, Parinya Charoenphol is the 2nd most famous Thai Boxer.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Parinya Charoenphol (born 9 June 1981) (Thai: ปริญญา เจริญผล; RTGS: parinya charoenphon), nicknamed Toom, also known by the stage name Parinya Kiatbusaba and the colloquial name Nong Toom or Nong Tum, is a Thai boxer, former muay Thai (Thai boxing) champion, model and actress. She is a kathoey (ladyboy), a Thai word referring to what is often considered a distinct gender in Thailand and elsewhere generally considered to be gender-nonconforming men or transgender women. At the age of 18, she underwent gender-affirming surgery.

Photo of Phajol Moolsan

3. Phajol Moolsan (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 42.17, Phajol Moolsan is the 3rd most famous Thai Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.

Phajol Moolsan (Thai: ผจญ มูลสัน; RTGS: Phachon Munsan; born September 13, 1968) is a Thai boxer. At the 1988 Summer Olympics he won a bronze medal in the men's Bantamweight category, together with Jorge Julio Rocha of Colombia. Even though he was not a hopeful athlete for the Thailand national team, the hopeful boxer was Chatchai Sasakul in the men's Mini-flyweight category, which was eliminated earlier. In Muay thai his name was Put Keitlansang. (Thai: พุฒ เกียรติลานสาง)

Photo of Manus Boonjumnong

4. Manus Boonjumnong (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 41.26, Manus Boonjumnong is the 4th most famous Thai Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Manus Boonjumnong (Thai: มนัส บุญจำนงค์; RTGS: Manat Bunchamnong, born June 23, 1980) is a Thai boxer who won the Olympics at Light Welterweight (60–64 kg) at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He is the older brother of Non Boonjumnong.

Photo of Vichairachanon Khadpo

5. Vichairachanon Khadpo (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 40.99, Vichairachanon Khadpo is the 5th most famous Thai Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.

Vichairachanon Khadpo (Thai: วิชัย ราชานนท์; born March 3, 1968) is a Thai boxer. At the 1996 Summer Olympics he won a bronze medal in the men's bantamweight division, together with Raimkul Malakhbekov of Russia. In Muay thai, his name was Chingchai lookphraatit (ชิงชัย ลูกพระอาทิตย์)

Photo of Wijan Ponlid

6. Wijan Ponlid (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 40.53, Wijan Ponlid is the 6th most famous Thai Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Police Lieutenant colonel Wijan Ponlid (Thai: วิจารณ์ พลฤทธิ์; RTGS: Wichan Phonrit; born April 26, 1976) is a Thai boxer who competed in the Men's Flyweight (– 51 kg) division at the 2000 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal. He returned to Thailand to a hero's welcome: honored with a new house, over 20 million baht, a job promotion (as a police officer in Sukhothai), and paraded at the head of a procession of 49 elephants through the city of Bangkok. He has the nickname "Thai Pea", in reference to another great southpaw defensive boxing master, Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker.

Photo of Pornchai Thongburan

7. Pornchai Thongburan (b. 1974)

With an HPI of 39.82, Pornchai Thongburan is the 7th most famous Thai Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.

Pornchai Thongburan (Thai: พรชัย ทองบุราณ; RTGS: Phonchai Thongburan; born July 1, 1974) is a boxer from Thailand who competed in the Light Middleweight (– 71 kg) at the 2000 Summer Olympics and won the bronze medal.

People

Pantheon has 7 people classified as Thai boxers born between 1956 and 1981. Of these 7, 6 (85.71%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Thai boxers include Parinya Charoenphol, Phajol Moolsan, and Manus Boonjumnong. The most famous deceased Thai boxers include Payao Poontarat. As of April 2024, 3 new Thai boxers have been added to Pantheon including Phajol Moolsan, Vichairachanon Khadpo, and Pornchai Thongburan.

Living Thai Boxers

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Deceased Thai Boxers

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Newly Added Thai Boxers (2025)

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