Petchdam Petchyindee Academy Recalls His Father’s Reaction To First Big Win
Petchdam “The Baby Shark” Petchyindee Academy has been diligently preparing for his upcoming foray with ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon at ONE: NO SURRENDER.
Although Petchdam has already shared the ring with Rodtang on two other occasions outside of ONE Championship, it will be the first time he clashes with “The Iron Man” on the global stage – and for a World Title.
Before “The Baby Shark” tries to capture the gold from his compatriot in Bangkok, Thailand, next Friday, 31 July, he looks back on the bout that most pleased his father.
“I got a fight on True4You TV as part of a smaller Petchyindee promotion,” he said. “It was a five-round Muay Thai fight against Manachai Lukmakamwaan.”
What made the bout so special wasn’t that he was competing live on Thai national television. It was because the bout was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication, all of which Petchdam learned from the early days of training with his father – and he wanted to be sure he made his family’s patriarch happy.
“My dad was really excited,” he said. “He told everyone in the village I was fighting and asked them to watch and cheer me on.”
The support worked, because Petchdam put on a stellar display of Muay Thai and got the outcome that he and everyone in his hometown were hoping for.
“I won the bout on points,” he said.
Though his teammates immediately embraced him in celebration after the contest, what felt more satisfying for “The Baby Shark” was the sentimental phone call he received from home.
“After the fight, [my father] called to ask if I was okay – if I had gotten hurt. I told him I was fine, and he told me to do better next time and that I needed to keep working hard and stay focused,” he said.
“I was really happy to make my dad’s dream come true. I will never forget that fight.”
ONE Championship returns to live action for the first time in nearly five months with ONE: NO SURRENDER, a closed-door, audience-free card set for Friday, 31 July, in Bangkok, Thailand. Catch the event live and for free by downloading the ONE Super App.
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