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While he entered professional
boxing with significant
experience from Muay Thai
Kickboxing, as is the norm in
Thailand, former WBF World
Bantamweight Champion
Fahprakorb
Rakkiatgym had quite a rough
start to his career in
traditional boxing.
Born Prayat Saway-ngam on August
7, 1975 in Khon Kaen, about 450
kilometers north-east of
Bangkok, Rakkiatgym made his pro
debut at seventeen years of age,
in September of 1992, winning on
points against a fellow
first-timer on a big show at the
Crocodile Farm in Samut Prakan.
Taking on the name of the
gymnasium where he trained, the
Southpaw was off to a good start
and the future looked bright and
promising. But seven months
later his record stood at a
rather mediocre 5-2, having lost
two fights after venturing to
Bangkok.
But in between those losses he
had also impressed local
insiders by defeating former
Thai Strawweight and Light
Flyweight national champion
Pornchai Sithpraprom (26-6),
proving that he was capable of
competing at a certain level.
Between June of 1993 and August
of 1994, Rakkiatgym put together
a string of ten consecutive
victories, improving his record
to 15-2 (8) and setting up a
challenge for the vacant WBF
World Bantamweight title against
Boualem Belkif from France.
On October 22, 1994, in Bangkok,
Rakkiatgym put on what was close
to being a boxing exhibition,
flooring his foe en-route to a
wide and dominant unanimous
decision. 120-107, 120-108 and
119-106 were the scores after
twelve one-sided rounds.
That night would be the start of
a very successful reign as WBF
world champion for Rakkiatgym,
which lasted over three years
and included seven defenses of
the title. All his challengers,
which included skilled
Nicaraguan Sergio Gonzalez
(14-1-1) and Australian champion
Lucas Matthew (15-9), were
dispatched inside the distance!
After stopping tough South
African challenger Vuyani Moss
(10-5) in December of 1997,
Rakkiatgym was inactive for
twenty months. When he returned
in a non title-fight in August
of 1999, stopping Rolando Pritos
(10-7-5) from the Philippines,
it became clear that he was
having trouble making
Bantamweight.
After two more stay-busy fights,
he finally made the official
jump to Super Bantamweight the
following December, and started
his chase for a second world
championship by winning the IBF
Intercontinental strap with a
split decision over Indonesia’s
former world title-challenger
Adrian Kaspari (22-1).
He climbed the rankings of his
new division, beating the likes
of Edison Valencia Diaz (17-4)
and Nestor Martin Farias
(46-7-1), defending his IBF
title three times to secure a
crack at world champion Manny
Pacquiao (34-2-1) in October of
2002.
Unfortunately for Rakkiatgym,
the now legendary Filipino was a
step too far. Pacquiao, only
twenty-three at the time and a
true whirl-wind of speed and
power, overwhelmed the Thai and
scored four knock-downs to win
by first round technical
knockout.
Despite the devastating defeat
to Pacquiao, Rakkiatgym had
another run at world glory in
him. He moved up in weight
again, to Featherweight, and won
the IBF Pan Pacific title a year
later with a unanimous decision
over another Filipino, the much
less intimidating Roberto
Dalisay (12-9-3).
After ten defenses of that
title, Rakkiatgym was awarded
with another world championship
opportunity, this time the
vacant IBF Featherweight crown
against undefeated Brazilian
Valdemir Pereira (22-0) in
January of 2006 at the Foxwoods
Resort in Connecticut, USA.
Rakkiatgym held his own against
the man from Sao Paolo, but
Pereira was just the sharper man
on the night and ended up
winning by deserved unanimous
decision. This would turn out to
be Rakkiatgym´s last fight,
after almost fourteen years in
the game.
A WBF world champion at
Bantamweight and IBF world
title-challenger at Super
Bantamweight and Featherweight,
he retired with an outstanding
51-4 (33) record, and a winner
of twenty-three of twenty-five
championship fights. With a
title on the line, only Pacquiao
and Pereira managed to defeat
him.
Certainly not bad for a boxer
who lost two of his first seven
outings.
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