This bout probably took place in the early '00s. It features Namsaknoi Yutthakarnkamtorn against one of Japan's best-known fighters, Satoshi Kobayashi. Kobayashi now works in some managerial capacity for the AJKF. Those who follow Muay Thai should know Namsaknoi as one of the most dominant fighters of his era, accumulating something like 280 wins to 15 losses with Lumpini belts in three weight divisions.
This fight shows a good contrast in fighting styles because, even without their obviously different training backgrounds, both these fighters have distinctive fighting styles in themselves. Kobayashi puts emphasis on speed, something common on the Japanese circuit, as well as combination boxing, throwing long combinations with body shots. His wide-open, freely aggressive stance he takes makes exciting bouts, and generates a lot of power, but it leads to him taking a lot of damage. The consequences pile up when his opponent is faster and smarter than him, or if he underestimates his opponent.
Namsaknoi wears white trunks in this match. Kobayashi has a rainbow on his shorts.
Thanks to Cacti45 for the video. Namsaknoi fights extremely well by one set of sensibilities, that of dominating your opponent technically through superior defense, movement, and ring control. Like many technical fighters, he doesn't actively look for a knockout. It just happened to be there this time. His fluid movement, well-rounded skills, and fighting acumen make Namsaknoi one of my favorite fighters. The only thing he seems to lack is power in his hands, though he rarely uses them so it's hard to judge. Kobayashi is extremely talented, it's just that he was outclassed in this fight. A wily fighter like Namsaknoi is also a bad match for him. When you put Kobayashi up against a fighter that likes to trade, a very explosive bout emerges.
No comments:
Post a Comment