“Tourists would give us tips” - Tawanchai recalls first fight in a bar at seven years old

We all just live life making do with the cards we're dealt. Unfortunately, for someone like Tawanchai PK Saenchai, he was dealt a pretty bad hand.

ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai's foray into martial arts started in a bar by the beach. A professional Muay Thai bout, without safety gear and no paycheck. He opened up about his beginnings in an interview with Mark Abbott:

"Nope, it was full [professional] Muay Thai. I didn’t get paid. It was at a tourist bar by the beach at Pattaya. The tourists would give us tips. I got lots of tips for knocking out a 4-year-old kid."

He was a seven-year-old knocking out a four-year-old - barely old enough for school, but apparently enough to be duking it out in the ring. It sounds crazy, but it's the reality back then.

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"That's all I ever wanted" - Tawanchai PK Saenchai recounts how signing with ONE Championship turned his family's fortune around

Those early fights meant everything for Tawanchai, who followed the path laid out in front of him and eventually came out on top.

"I competed for the first time when I was just seven years old. It was a three-round fight in a bar and I got 200 baht (US$5) after winning by knockout. A few months later, I fought in a boxing ring and earned 700 baht (US$20)."

His search for better opportunities eventually brought him to Bangkok, fighting everyone they put in front of him. And now, at ONE Championship, he's finally able to give his family the life he wants for them.

"I moved to Bangkok and kept fighting until I signed with ONE, and it changed my life. I could finally tell my family they never had to worry about money ever again. That's all I ever wanted for them."

Since joining ONE in 2021, Tawanchai has become one of the most fearsome Muay Thai athletes on the roster, claiming the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world title in 2022.

At ONE 172, the Thai legend hit a speed bump in a failed attempt to capture kickboxing gold against Japan's Masaaki Noiri - his first loss in over two years. It was a tough night for Tawanchai, but if his past is anything to go by, it's only a matter of time until he bounces back stronger.

ONE 172 is available via replay on watch.onefc.com.