If you had a choice of a world title of any Sanctioning body, which would it be? Dont want to start any more rows, just curious as in boxing most would prefer a WBC title. So no negative comments about any orgs please, just the state the one you would most like to hold. Thanks.

WBC Muay Thai....

now that is a nice belt! Is WBC big now then?

I would prefer to win a title against a top thai or a top dutch fighter in their own country to gain a world title.
I would not really class a word title to be completely authentic unless it was between two real "world class" fighters.
World amature titles are very hard to win as you have to fight over a couple of weeks maby five times against very different styles of fighters.
I know there are a lot of world title fights in thailand at the moment that are held in very small arenas with fighters who are not very well known.
I feel that these titles are fought between farang fighters who base themselves in thailand for a long while,often the fighter will have the camp name as their own showing they are genuinly a member of the gym.

JMO

I dont agree that in boxing the WBC belt is the most prestigious.

how come Lee mate?

For me its IKF or WKN for a world title, WAKO-pro/WKU at British and below

The title doesnt make the fighter.
The fighter makes the title.

Sanchai Sor Kingstar could hold the WCSKLMTF World Title.
(World Committee for Sanctioning Kickboxing, Low-kick and Muay Thai Federation) :)
The fact that he hold that title gives that sanctioning body credability, due to the level of his skills.

i agree totaly rich, but, ok, if you could fight the best fighter in the world for a title and you had the choice, which would you prefer mate?

LOL....it wouldnt matter as I would be fighting the best fighter in the world!
People can "create" their own version of a world belt, under their own sanctioning body, hence the devaluement of titles.

I guess the pecking order would maybe go summat like....
RAJA/LUMPINEE (Stadium based)
WMC/WPMF (Thailand/ Stadium based)
ISKA (World)
WAKO-PRO (European based)

I guess its where the association is based, and how big the sport is in that particular country, hence why the Thai ones are more prestigious.
But then, where does K1/K1 MAX titles lie in the mix?

I guess the WBC would come along-side the ISKA belts as they are being contested on the world stage but not particularly in the stadiums in Thailand....but they are very quickly catching the WMC/WPMF, as top level thai's are competing for them (normally on foriegn soil).

DanUK

I think generally boxers regard IBF, WBC and WBA as equal, with WBO next and then 'the rest'.

If a boxer were to choose a belt as being 'the best' ie most legitimate, almost all would want a ring magazine belt.

WMC is the most prestigious Muay Thai World title IMO.

Just look at there current champions..

They are the best of the best.

From Now on just wait and see which one will be come the most popular one?!..LOL

I dont think Danuk was being out of order syaing that the WBC was the most prestigious. This is widely reported in the boxing press and Floyd Mayweather has regularly discredited other fighters (such as Oscar De La Hoya) for laying claim to having won world titles at different weights stating that his achievements are more respectable as he has always won WBC titles (apart from the IBF vs Judah which he acknowledged meant nothing after Judahs loss to Baldomir).

I agree that the ring magazine belt is widely accepted as the most desirable and respected title. i would like to add that i am only commenting on what i have read and seen. Obviously i am not a boxer and Lee is so is better able to comment on how boxers view titles, however, i think it was reasonable for Danuk to make this assumption.

In FC imho, its got to be ISKA, IKF and WKA based on history and worldwide representation with Wako Pro and Wkn etc following closely behind. Only based on what i know, if i'm wrong i'm happy to be corrected!

But i genuinely believe that the champion makes the title, a la John Orchard who constantly seeks to fight the best from around the world.

Lonsdale belt in boxing is my favourite!!! its really pretty, and I can wear it with heels!!

On a serious note Lonsdale belt's a cracking belt to hold, the oldest boxing championship belt, it has history instead of title that has been out a couple of years and have no history. You want to be able to tell people you hold the title that "the great................" fill in your own blank i.e. Henry Cooper held 3 of them. And he was a foooking legend.
And the belt itself is by far the best looking belt, ive seen some terrible looking belts on the thai boxing circuit. Ha! :-)

WPMF ! Are you having a laugh, you have to pay your own flight to Thailand to fight and you get peanuts when you get there!

WMC then WBC then ABCDEFJ and thats it in that order.

Pete

I got well paid and looked after when I won (and defended) my WPMF title, so this is why I believe they hold that prestige.

It appears you had a bad experience, but as DanUK says in his original post,
"no negative comments about any orgs please"

Hi Dan

Not wishing to be negative, but i do not think that the WKN are as big in the full contact world as WAKO and ISKA.

In Europe they have a few contacts, but not on true world level.

Are you at Colins show on Sunday? If so, come and say hi. I,m judging.

I think this is one of my favourite belts I have seen

I'll try again, not been on here much or tried attaching pics sorry

Just out of curiosity, what belts does Songchai give on his promotions?

Hi Mark, no not at Colins unfortunately but i'm at newark week after, staying at boom boom's!

Ryan: I think all the Songchai belts are S1.

Briancal, you should start your own sanction! you could make your tongue a belt and wrap it round the Bad Co waists lol

Mark, is wako that worldwide? Doesn't seem to be any British or American champs at european level or above, or many in the rankings?

W.M.C (formerly WMTC) would take the honors for being the only sanctioning body of Thai Boxing whose headquarters were actually started and based in Thailand.

Hard on their heels without a doubt would unquestionably be the W.B.C.. Allthough the new kids on the block, their Thai Boxing branch was started at the request of the King of Thailand, in order to promote Thai Boxing at the highest level.It appears to me that they really do have the creme of the crop fighting for the Championship of the world in all divisions. This is very unusual, as their Boxing history aint pretty as far as things go, but they must be listening to our experts concerning their ranking system because its better than most.

But just as someone has said,the strength of any sanctioning body lies not in its name,but rather in the true quality of Champions that it boasts.Anybody who can beat All other fighters in his or her division is to me THE WORLD CHAMPION.

Raja and Lumpinee are world titles as far as i am concerned................anybody who beats these champs is a world champion in my eyes.

Those two stadiums are the Mecca of Muay Thai in Thailand. 30 years ago nobody knew very much about Thai boxing, let alone the names of those two stadiums.Today Muay Thai has spread throughout the world. It is a world full of great fighters who wear World title belts and many have fought there way to the top, while some have fought for titles against fellow countrymen and yet neither of them could have beaten a real top ten ranked fighter.

While those two stadiums are places that have no mercy for pretenders or bullshit artists, they are not World wide sanctioning bodies, and it is not neccesarily true that being a stadium Champion means you can beat anyone outside of that enviroment.Thus the World title by definition is not reduced to mean 2 stadiums in Thailand.These stadiums produce national/stadium Champions and they may be the best,but only when you fight each countrys best fighter can you know you are the best of the best. Isnt that what World title used to mean in the old days.

Well said Norm.

Now Muaythai is growing world wide and at a world class standard, of course those two stadiums are of a mega standard especially in the motherland of Muaythai but it is beyond their that the true Champions blossom, whether they are of Thai heritage or from around the world! - the seeds of Muay thai start in Thailand and are taken to be grown world wide..

rajadamnern and lumpinee and WMC belts @ #1 K1 Max title too!!

then wbc (yod as champ= legitimate, but too early to compare them with the above titles) then the iska, wpmf and so on. . . not taking anything away from the other titles but i feel the top titles are a step above the rest. just my humble opinion.... on a side note..i feel all titles whether ametuer or pro are a sign of hardwork & commitment and that cant be taken away from nobody.

Bryce

rajadamnern and lumpinee and WMC belts @ #1 K1 Max title too!!

then wbc (yod as champ= legitimate, but too early to compare them with the above titles) then the iska, wpmf and so on. . . not taking anything away from the other titles but i feel the top titles are a step above the rest. just my humble opinion.... on a side note..i feel all titles whether ametuer or pro are a sign of hardwork & commitment and that cant be taken away from nobody.

Bryce

Can anybody fight for the Rajadamnern or Lumpinee stadiums title?

Yes, if they are appropriately ranked (it would mean fighting in Thailand to get ranked though). There has been only one European born Lumpinee Champion, Sari (France). A few Japanese have held titles at Rajadamnern. At the lighter weights it is very difficult for non-Thai's to win as the Thai boxers are just too good.

Alot of the belts e.g i.k.f wku w.f.k i.s.k.a. w.a.k.o w.k.a e.t.c are only just about good enough to hold ya kecks up all the prestige has gone to many chiefs not enough indians to many belts

Noi 666

Did the WMPF pay for your flight to Thailand? Do you have the belt at home?

It seems they just pick a couple of farangs out who happen to be in Thailand at the time.

No disrespect to you Mr C you are a very brave fighter.

Pete

They didnt pay my flight to Thailand, but I got very well paid.
I have both versions of the belt that I won at home (elasticatated version and the bigger leather version from my defence)

The fighter can make the title imho,win it ,defend it and keep defending it against all comers,what more can be expected of a fighter.

Thanks Tony Myers, no wonder i couldnt remember hearing of a stadium champion that wasnt a Thai. Sari must have been one helluva fighter-was he a heavyweight? and how long ago was that?

I think Sari won it at 63kg but don't think he held it for that long. He was a good fighter; although didn't have a classic MuayThai style. He trained with Kudair(possibly wrong spelling)in France and Pimu in Thailand at Pinsinchai gym at the time. I think Toshio Fujiwara was the first non-Thai to win a stadium title (Rajadamnern).

Thanks for that information Tony.Did Ramon Deckers ever get to fight for any of the stadium titles at all, or become ranked?

.

World Title WKA

wpmf is a weird 1...i hold that tile and some fighters are not experienced at all who have won them but the greatest fighter on the planet Seanchai Sor Kingstar holds the 122lbs wpmf which he won off one of the other best fighters in the world Nong O....also recall some other top thasis holding the belt...cant remember his name but one of them bashed Sato the top Japenese fighter for it a few years ago......another holder is top farang fighter in Thailnad Rudolph Duricca

Sakmongkol and Nitta have held WMPF titles

it was Changpuek Chor Sriprasert that fought Sato in a thriller at Lumpini and Masaki Kato also wo a WPMF title that night at Lumpini beating Kaoland Kaowichit

Lee, how does the ring magazine belt work then? Do they fight anyone for it? Who decides who fights who or who deserves it?