Changpuek Kiatsongrit

Somchai Ropkwaen (; born October 13, 1966), known professionally as Changpuek Kiatsongrit is a Thai former professional Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer. He is credited as being one of the first Muay Thai fighters to go abroad and fight other fighters of other martial arts styles, often stronger and heavier than himself, bringing to the world an understanding of the effectiveness of Muay Thai. Changpuek is a seven time world champion who has fought some of the world's best fighters at middleweight to heavyweight and has wins against world class fighters such as Rob Kaman (x3), Rick Roufus, Peter Smit and Tosca Petridis. After ending his career as a professional fighter while working for Sitpholek gym in Pattaya, Thailand, he continued his employment at that gym as a Muay Thai trainer.

After fighting for a number of years in Thailand, Changpuek found it increasingly difficult to get fights domestically as his weight (70 kg) was not typical for a Thai where competitive bouts at tend to be at the lower weights. As a result, he started to fight abroad facing the K.I.C.K. world champion Rick Roufus in a non-title fight in Las Vegas in 1988. Changpuek's leg kicks proved too much for Roufus, despite being knocked down in the first and suffering a broken jaw, won via technical knockout (TKO) in the fourth round. The TKO was due to a culmination of low kicks that the American fighter greatly underestimated and was drastically unprepared for. In 1989 Changpuek faced another top class fighter in Rob Kaman. Changpuek won the first match of four between the two by decision in Paris setting the way for a rematch in Amsterdam the following year this time with the added bonus of the I.M.T.F. light heavyweight world title. Kaman gained his revenge in Amsterdam knocking out Changpuek in the last round of their match. The third match between the pair followed two months later with Changpuek taking a decision victory and the belt which Kaman had only just won. In 1989, Changpuek participated in the professional wrestling event U-COSMOS promoted by the Universal Wrestling Federation. The event was built as a "interstyle combat matches" where UWF shoot wrestlers would face of fighters from other martial arts and combat sports. Changpuek fought Yoji Anjo to a five-round draw.

After his trilogy of fights with Kaman, Changpuek would continue to fight some of the top light heavyweight fighters in the world between 1990 and 1992, losing one and winning one against Peter Smit, defeating Luc Verheye by knockout and decisioning Orlando Wiet. In this period he would lose and regain his I.M.T.F. world title and claim the first ever W.M.K. world belt. In 1993 Changpuek was invited to compete against some of the world's top heavyweight kickboxers at the inaugural K-1 world grand prix, losing to eventual winner Branko Cikatić by knockout at the quarter-final stage. He was invited back by the organization to take part in a world title fight - defeating Taiei Kin over five rounds to claim the vacant U.K.F. belt.

1993 would continue to be a busy year for Changpuek, he fought on cards throughout the year in Japan picking up several victories as well as losing to legendary karateka Andy Hug at the karate world cup. At the end of the year he fought in the K-2 Grand Prix '93 a tournament held by K-1 for light heavyweight fighters. As the smallest fighter at the event weighing only 75 kg, Changpuek faced Rob Kaman in the fourth (and final) match of their quartet of fights, winning a grueling match by decision. A victory in the semi-finals against Tasis Petridis meant a final match against future four-time K-1 world champion Ernesto Hoost. Changpuek managed to push the much larger Hoost into an extra round only to lose eventually via a head kick knockout.

Although Changpuek would never again quite hit the peak of his success of the early nineties, he fought a number more times with the K-1 organization, the highlight being a victory against Nobuaki Kakuda to claim the W.M.T.C. cruiserweight world title and wins against the likes of Kakuda were tempered by defeats against Michael Thompson, Ivan Hippolyte and Manson Gibson. Changpuek fought a number of fights in Europe around the turn of the millennium winning the W.K.U. world title in 2001 but found victories harder to come by as the toll of career of 300+ fights set in and he retired around 2006 at the age of 40. He currently resides in Pattaya, Thailand where he is the father of two children and is a Muay Thai coach. His nephew, Kongsak Sithboonmee, was named Thailand's top Muay Thai boxer in April 2011.

Titles and accomplishments

Muay Thai

World Muay Thai Council 1996 W.M.T.C. Cruiserweight World Champion -86 kg

International Muay Thai Federation 1992 I.M.T.F. Light Heavyweight World Champion -79 kg (1st title defence) 1990 I.M.T.F Light Heavyweight World Champion -79 kg (retained title after losing it the same year) 1990 I.M.T.F Light Heavyweight World Champion -79 kg

World Muaythai Kickboxing 1991 W.M.K. Heavyweight World Champion

Kickboxing

Kickboxing Superstar 2003 Kickboxing Superstar WGP Qualifications Tournament Runner-up

World Kickboxing Union 2001 W.K.U. Cruiserweight World Champion

K-1 1993 K-2 Grand Prix Runner-up -79 kg

Universal Kickboxing Federation 1993-94 U.K.F. Light Heavyweight World Champion -79 kg (0 title defences)

Fight record

Mixed rules Draw

Yoji Anjo Draw UWF U-Cosmos

Tokyo, Japan