Emmanuele Sitjemam-Muay Farang vs Royboro MT Training Center Sopmei

Emmanule fully embodies the essence of Muay Farang so we would like to call him Em Muay Farang for today! Mr. Corti manages the camp Sitjemam-Muay Farang Norther Thailand  and this makes us happy because an italian who teaches and fights Muay Thai in Thailand it is one of the concrete evidences of how the Muay Farang philosophy was spontaneously and  naturally born, and gets more consensus day by day. Now discovering that Emmanuele imposes himself by clinch on an opponent of the level of Royboro makes us pride both as italians and Muay Farang!! Hereby what Emmanuele declares to Muay Farang staff:

“I accepted a match planned for the last night of the Loy Kratong festival as the only farang invited, scheduled as side-match of the main event hosting Trakulpetch Sor. Sommai (Raja Champion 54 kg), I should fight against the young #1 challenger at 61 kgs for the Northern Thailand Belt, but unfortunately he had to drop 2 weeks before due to injury.

They offered me then Royboro Muay Thai Training Center Sopmei as replacement, kind of instituition in this part of Thailand carrying an incredible number of matches on his back, working as a trainer in the gym that has been lately producing a consistent number of champions.

I then made clear that I wouldnt been able to go down my natural 61 kgs without extreme weight cutting , but they answered me that Royboro was so sure about winning that he would let me keep 2 kgs advantage, and they also added that this match would be one of the most important matches of the night for the gamblers and in order to make make everything even more interesting it would be the only fight of the night rewarded by a KO bonus.

After having talked with my trainer, we agreed in following a different strategy for this time, and also considering that my right hand and my right ankle were not in perfect shape, we decided to focus on clinching and use my little weight advantage in opposition to a pure bred kicker of experience.

During the first round we went easy, as we both knew that the 3rd and the 4th would be decisive.

During the second round, despite I initially cashed a few kicks more than I should, I found the rhythm and eventually started working closer in clinch; a frustrated Royboro tried a head kick but I caught him with a right timed teep that made him land on the ropes, the round ended with clinching action.

My strategy seized everyone by surprise and even the speakers of the match were highlighting to the crowd how unusual it was seeing a farang using knees so much.

Third round: a determinated Royboro started with low kicks, kicking even on my blocks, I was somehow able to dam his action and I then counterattacked in clinch bending him and scoring a first knock down; I followed once again the same strategy while he tried to stop me with low kicks of such power that my left shin’s skin got split, but unfortunately for him and the major part of the gamblers, at the end of the round I found the way of getting close again with my knees and I sent him on the canvas with the referee counting the knock out.

I got then the KO bonus, with commentator of the night Mr Somchit Jonjohor (Gold Medalist in Boxing for Thailand at Beijing Olympics) congratulating me.

Chok Dee