Coban Lookchaomaesaitong
Encyclopedia
Coban "The Cruncher" Lookchaomaesaitong (born August 4, 1966) is a Thai
former Muay Thai
kickboxer and World Champion. He won his first world title in 1985. He retired in 2000 after a 23-year career in Thailand
and moved to New York to coach. He formerly coached at New York Jiu Jitsu in lower Manhattan and Daddis Fight Camps in Philadelphia, PA. Coban now splits his time between Buriram, Thailand at Camp Lookchaomaesaitong
and Coban's Muay Thai Camp in New York City.
, Thailand near Cambodia
n border to a farmers' family of seven. One day while attending a local temple fair, he noticed that fighters were making what looked like easy money with their exhibitions. Seeing this as an opportunity to help his family, he resolved to become the best fighter in Thailand, and dreamed about fighting in Lumpinee stadium someday.
At 11, he started to train muay thai. With no money or resources, he made his own equipment by stuffing rice hulls and sawdust into canvas rice bags. Mimicking the moves of local fighters he practiced daily after attending school and completing his farming chores. That same year he entered his first fight at a local temple, which resulted in a draw. The little money he earned went towards his family and education. Thus his career was born.
It was at this time that Banlu acquired his fight name "Coban", meaning cowboy in thai. A teacher once said he looked like a cowboy (Charles Bronson
) while riding on his buffalo and since then the name stuck. Later on his career he was named " The Cruncher", by his fans and friends.
In 1990 "Camp Lookchamaesaitong" closed. To honor the camp, Coban adopted Lookchamaesaitong as his "fighting last name".
Coban fought more than 270 fights in his 23-year career. His last fight was against former student Danny Steele at the Warrior’s Cup in California
on September 2000. Coban won, even though he hadn’t fought for 3 years.
In 2010, Camp Lookchaomaesaitong in Buriram, Thailand re-opened. Camp owner, Mr. Nipon Chotison (renowned and well-respected in the Muay Thai circle) and his son-in-law, Namkabuan Ratchapuekcafe (retired fighter) decided to re-open the original site after being closed for almost 20 years. Coban has also joined the team, and their mission is to preserve the ancient and authentic art and lifestyle of Muay Thai.
His toughest fights of his career was against Ramon Dekkers
. He fought him a total of four times, two wins and two losses. The Coban vs. Dekkers fights have been rated as the best by any standards, by Muay Thai fans worldwide.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
former Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
kickboxer and World Champion. He won his first world title in 1985. He retired in 2000 after a 23-year career in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and moved to New York to coach. He formerly coached at New York Jiu Jitsu in lower Manhattan and Daddis Fight Camps in Philadelphia, PA. Coban now splits his time between Buriram, Thailand at Camp Lookchaomaesaitong
and Coban's Muay Thai Camp in New York City.
Young age
Coban was born as Banlu Anwiset in BuriramBuriram
Buri Ram is a town in Thailand, capital of the Buriram Province, about 410 km northeast of Bangkok. The town covers the whole tambon Nai Mueang of Mueang Buriram district...
, Thailand near Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n border to a farmers' family of seven. One day while attending a local temple fair, he noticed that fighters were making what looked like easy money with their exhibitions. Seeing this as an opportunity to help his family, he resolved to become the best fighter in Thailand, and dreamed about fighting in Lumpinee stadium someday.
At 11, he started to train muay thai. With no money or resources, he made his own equipment by stuffing rice hulls and sawdust into canvas rice bags. Mimicking the moves of local fighters he practiced daily after attending school and completing his farming chores. That same year he entered his first fight at a local temple, which resulted in a draw. The little money he earned went towards his family and education. Thus his career was born.
It was at this time that Banlu acquired his fight name "Coban", meaning cowboy in thai. A teacher once said he looked like a cowboy (Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
) while riding on his buffalo and since then the name stuck. Later on his career he was named " The Cruncher", by his fans and friends.
Stardom
One day in 1978, while training at the recreational center, a ringside doctor, Sam Rhung Jong Gon, noticed him. He was so impressed with Coban’s determination that he became his official sponsor and mentor. When Coban was 13, Doctor Gon sent him to a Muay Thai camp called Lookchamaesaitong where he trained for the next 9 years. By age 15 he had already fought more than 35 fights. And at 19, Coban had won his first World Championship at Lumpinee stadium.In 1990 "Camp Lookchamaesaitong" closed. To honor the camp, Coban adopted Lookchamaesaitong as his "fighting last name".
Coban fought more than 270 fights in his 23-year career. His last fight was against former student Danny Steele at the Warrior’s Cup in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on September 2000. Coban won, even though he hadn’t fought for 3 years.
In 2010, Camp Lookchaomaesaitong in Buriram, Thailand re-opened. Camp owner, Mr. Nipon Chotison (renowned and well-respected in the Muay Thai circle) and his son-in-law, Namkabuan Ratchapuekcafe (retired fighter) decided to re-open the original site after being closed for almost 20 years. Coban has also joined the team, and their mission is to preserve the ancient and authentic art and lifestyle of Muay Thai.
His toughest fights of his career was against Ramon Dekkers
Ramon Dekkers
Ramon "The Diamond" Dekker is a retired Dutch kickboxer and an eight time Muay Thai world champion.-Early years:Dekker was born in Breda, North Brabant . He began learning martial arts at age 12, studying Judo for a few months. He then started boxing for a year. After that, Dekker started...
. He fought him a total of four times, two wins and two losses. The Coban vs. Dekkers fights have been rated as the best by any standards, by Muay Thai fans worldwide.
Record
| Kickboxing record | |
|---|---|
Legend: |
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See also
- Muay ThaiMuay ThaiMuay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
- List of K-1 events
- List of male kickboxers
- List of kickboxing organizations
External links
- http://www.muaythaionline.net/features/cobaninterview.html
- http://www.teamcoban.com
- http://www.siamfightmag.com/interviews/interviews_anglais/coban_lookchaomaesaitong/interview_coban_lookchaomaesaitong.html
- http://lookchaomaesaitong.com/index.php