On a brisk April night in 2004, the world of kickboxing got a jolt of electricity, courtesy of a certain Muay Thai dynamo named Buakaw Por Pramuk, eventually becoming Buakaw Banchamek. Up until that moment, Banchamek was a respected name in the Thai stadiums, a tough, technical fighter with a penchant for body kicks that echoed through the rafters. But on this night, he stepped into the K-1 ring for the first time, squaring off against New Zealand’s Jordan Tai, and the legend of Buakaw was officially born.
Video: Buakaw Banchamek’s Bone-Crunching Kicks Announce His Arrival in K-1
From the opening bell, the Thai striker wasted no time introducing Tai, and the global audience, to the not-so-gentle art of Muay Thai.