Poverty fueled Tawanchai to success: “I promised myself that I will never be starving again”

Tawanchai PK Saenchai knew early on that his early struggles in life would be the catalyst to his unwavering martial arts resolve.

Before he became one of the best Muay Thai artists of his generation, Tawanchai had to push through abject poverty during his childhood days.

Tawanchai told ONE Championship in an interview that even though his family struggled to make ends meet, the guidance he received from his father was what helped him achieve the heights of his career.

The reigning ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion said:

“I have my father as the one and only home to me. He always did his best to raise me the best he could. The poverty and adversity in my childhood are always been my motivation to push myself harder to get a better life and come to this point. Because I promised myself that I will never be starving again.”

After tearing through the local Thai scene, as well as the regional circuits, Tawanchai arrived at the global stage when he signed with ONE Championship in 2021.

Tawanchai went on to win three of his first four fights in the promotion eventually earning a world title shot against Petchmorakot Petchyindee for the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world title.

Things didn’t go as smoothly as possible, but Tawanchai barged through Petchmorakot’s defenses and captured the gold via unanimous decision.

Tawanchai immediately solidified his reputation as one of the best strikers of the current era and he strengthened that claim when he defended his belt for the first time at ONE Fight Night 7 this past January.

While his world title triumph needed the judges’ scorecards, his world title defense against Jamal Yusupov lasted just 49 seconds after he practically paralyzed the Turkish star with a cracking kick to the right leg.

After his stunning victory over Yusupov, Tawanchai is set to make his kickboxing debut in ONE Championship when he takes on Davit Kiria at ONE Fight Night 13 this Friday at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

ONE Fight Night 13 is ONE Championship’s eighth Amazon card of the year and is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.