Written by Jonny Betts, Thursday 29th Mar 2012
Tough love

Phalangphet (better known by his nickname E) has really been getting beasted by the trainers recently. His brother Yodbuaphet (Kok) is still recovering from an injury so the full focus of the trainers in the fighters ring has been on E. Still in his early teens, he is a bright prospect known for his slick technical fighting style and will soon be following in his brothers footsteps and fighting in the big shows in Bangkok. His main trainer is Nontachai, who comes from the same part of Buriram as E and has known him since he was a small kid, so they are like family and Non prepares E for his fights with a lot of “tough love”. It may seem cruel seeing him kick and trip E all over the place, but it’s all done to toughen him up and prepare him to fight with the best fighters in Thailand, and it’s the same treatment that Nontachai and the rest of the top fighters had to endure as they came up through the ranks.