Sagat Petchyindee

Wirun Phonphimai (Thai: วิรุฬห์ ผลพิมาย; born November 30, 1957), known professionally as Sagat Petchyindee (Thai: สกัด เพชรยินดี), is a Thai former professional Muay Thai fighter, kickboxer, boxer, trainer, and actor. He is a two-time Lumpinee Stadium champion, a two-time Rajadamnern Stadium champion, and also challenged for a WBC Super Bantamweight title in boxing.^[1][2] He is widely considered one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters of all time.^[3][4][5][6]

He amassed a total of 317 Thai boxing fights with 266 wins, 40 losses and 11 draws, 151 of those victories coming by way of KO/TKO.

Sagat also fought Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn twice in 1984, on June 7 and October 6, but lost both fights to Dieselnoi on points.^[7]

Sagat fought Pete Cunningham and Ronnie Green.^[8]

Moreover, Sagat Petchyindee (in the name Sagat Porntawee) has a total of 14 professional boxing fights with 12 victories (8 KO/TKO) and 2 defeats. He lost to Wilfredo Gómez in boxing.^[9] The bout with Gómez was for the WBC's World Super Bantamweight Championship and was preceded by a major tragedy when part of the stadium collapsed. According to Virat Vachirarattanawong, who would later become Sagat's manager, tickets for the fight were priced at 500 baht, with scalpers reselling them for up to 1,000 baht amid overwhelming demand. Virat himself was among the event's sponsors. At the time, Sagat had only two professional boxing bouts to his name and had trained exclusively with Muay Thai fighters such as Wichannoi Porntawee and Roengsak Porntawee. Nevertheless, many in Thailand's boxing community believed he would prevail, particularly as the fight was held in his hometown of Nakhon Ratchasima and the country had no reigning world champion at the time. The tragedy began during the first undercard fight, when one side of the grandstand started to tilt under the weight and excitement of the crowd. Eventually, two of the more than ten grandstands gave way, yet most spectators stayed and the event continued. The main event commenced at 8:29 pm (ICT), with Sagat pressing forward relentlessly against Gómez. Despite his inexperience in international boxing, his punches carried the heavy power of a seasoned Muay Thai fighter, but none landed cleanly. Gómez’s sharp combinations gradually wore him down, and Sagat was stopped in the third round. During the chaos, a third grandstand collapsed, an incident coinciding with the harrowing scene of a pregnant woman whose baby was tragically delivered amid the turmoil. After the fight, electrical currents leaked across the ground, forcing the crowd to scramble for higher ground. Although the event continued with further bouts after this incident, most spectators had already lost interest and began leaving the stadium. Based on Virat's account, the exact number of casualties was never officially disclosed, but he estimated that around a hundred people had been affected. According to BoxRec, however, 10 people were reported killed and approximately 300 injured.^[10][11]

Since retiring, Sagat works as a kickboxing trainer.^[12][13]

Sagat taught Firas Zahabi, who later co-founded the Tristar Gym, the art of Muay Thai.^[14]

Sagat was likely the inspiration for the character Sagat in the Street Fighter video game.^[15][16][17]

Sagat was born into a boxing family. His grandfather was Sukh Prasarthinpimai, a renowned Muay Thai fighter in the 1950s, known by the nickname "Yak Phi Khomot" (the Ghost Giant).^[17]

• Rajadamnern Stadium
  • 1976 Rajadamnern Bantamweight (118 lbs) Champion
  • 1984 Rajadamnern Light Welterweight (140 lbs) Champion (1 defense)

• Lumpinee Stadium
  • 1985 Lumpinee Stadium Lightweight (135 lbs) Champion (1 defense)
  • 1988 Lumpinee Stadium Lightweight (135 lbs) Champion

• World Kickboxing Association
  • WKA World Light Welterweight (140 lbs) Champion

• 1986 WBC Asian Boxing Council Lightweight (135 lbs) Champion
• 1986 Thailand Lightweight (135 lbs) Champion
• 1986 OPBF Lightweight (135 lbs) Champion (2 defenses)