Kaokor Galaxy

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Khaokor Galaxy
Statistics
Real name	Virote Saenkham
Nickname(s)	Rote
Weight(s)	Bantamweight
Height	5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Nationality	Thai
Born	(1959-05-15) May 15, 1959 (age 62) Phetchabun, Thailand
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	26
Wins	24
Wins by KO	19
Losses	2
Draws	0
No contests	0

Kaokor Galaxy, also written as Khaokor Galaxy (Thai: เขาค้อ แกแล็คซี่, born, May 15, 1959) is a former Thai professional Bantamweight and World Boxing Association (WBA), earned twice world champion in his own right. He won World Bantam Title in May 1988 and July 1989, a weight class in combat sports (118-pound). Khaokor is the twin brother of boxing star Khaosai Galaxy (the record holder for the world's mostest Junior bantamweight title defense 19 times).

Muay Thai career[]

Khaokor Galaxy was born as "Virote Saenkham" (Thai: วิโรจน์ แสนคำ, nicknamed: Rote) and raised in Ban Chaliang Lab, Tambon Na Pha, Mueang Phetchabun, Phetchabun, Thailand) He was born after Khaosai as twins. They both are the son of Mr. Kan Seankam and Ms. Kam Seankam, they have five children. In fact, he was born after Khaosai. However, with the belief of Thai people since ancient times that twins the person who were born first was a younger brother, so he became Khaosai's older brother through this belief.

Khaokor was graduated at Phetchabun Technical College same as Khaosai. Khaokor and Khaosai always liked boxing and flighting from the child. Their parents bought the Muay Thai Boxing Gloves for playing at home. Until their parents took them to meet their first Muay Thai Boxing trainers, Prakan Vornsiri and Mana Lhawpradit, they then started practicing Muay Thai particularly.

Khaokor was named as Denja Mueangsritep (Thai: เด่นจ๋า เมืองศรีเทพ) for Muay Thai competition, which is related to Khaosai as Dawden Mueangsritep (Thai: ดาวเด่น เมืองศรีเทพ). Both of them got in the competition around Phetchabun and other provinces nearby. Khaokor started joining the competition before Khaosai and he used to join the contest in the name of Khaosai. Later, Niwat Lhawsuwanwat (Thai: นิวัฒน์ เหล่าสุวรรณวัฒน์) accepted and took them to Bangkok for the professional training program and joined many competitions in Bangkok.

Boxing career[]

Like his brother, Sura Saenkham started his career in the sport of kickboxing and later switched to orthodox boxing. After became a sport star in his native country, he followed a long-standing Thai custom of adopting an attention-getting ringname and thus became known as Khaokor Galaxy (Thai: เขาค้อ แกแล็คซี่) after Khaokor, a renowned natural tourist attraction at his birthplace.

As his professional international boxing career began after he had trained with his brother, Khaosai, until earned the Thailand Bantamweight (118-pound) by 1981. Khaokor wanted to go to the international contest, he also won and beat many top-ranking boxers.^[1] Khaosai won the Thailand Bantamweight title and claimed the WBA Junior bantamweight world champion, became popular and joined many international contests after then.^[2]

Khaokor Galaxy made his professional boxing début in 1985, winning his first seven fights before capturing the Thailand Bantamweight title in July 1986. He held that crown until 9 May 1988, when he upset Puerto Rico's Wilfredo Vazquez to take the WBA Bantamweight title.^[3][4] With the victory, the Galaxy brothers became the first twins ever to be the world champions.^[5] Khaokor was also the first Thai boxer to be a world champion in this weight class. Before that, there have been many Thai boxers who have challenged the world championships in the Bantamweight category but without success, for example Chamroen Songkitrat in 1950s, Venice Borkhorsor and Thanomchit Sukhothai in 1970s.

Khaokor lost the title three months later in his first defence against Korean Sung-Kil Moon, when an accidental clash of heads caused a sixth-round stoppage with Khaokor behind on points. He bounced back with five straight wins to earn a rematch with Moon on 9 July 1989.^{[6] [7]} This match, Khaokor won easily, took all 12 rounds on two scorecards and eleven of the twelve on the third. Once again though, Khaokor lost the title in his first defence three months later, against Luisito Espinosa. Surprisingly, he retired at that point with a record of 24 wins and just two losses. The defeat to Espinosa was unexpected, but Khaokor was caught with a left hook, and about 20 seconds later just collapsed out of thin air. Retirement followed defeat, no doubt the possibility of severe injury was the uppermost thought in Khaokor's mind.^[8]

After Khaokor and Khaosai were titled world championships, Tam Pai Doo, a variety TV show on Channel 9, organized a special contest to find between Khaokor and Khaosai who is the greatest boxer, the contest was produced at Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok, Khaosai beat Khaokor by the scores eventually via three rounds.

Retirement[]

After Khaokor lost the champion, two months later, Khaokor and Khaosai were heading to their home, Phetchabun. They had the event to meet their fans in Phetchabun, while driving went home, they had a car accident, driven by Khaosai. Khaokor got a serious injury, was in the ICU room for 21 days and got a big scar on his chin, but Khaosai just got a little bit injury and could come back to join the contest after that not very long.

Khaokor decided to retire after his recovery from the car accident, but he still helped Khaosai train the boxing as same as before. Until Khaosai also decided to retire, Khaokor went back to look after his business full-time, snook club.

A while his retirement, he got a film job as a main actor for a low-budget Thai movie titled "My name is..Mahingsa" (Thai: ข้าชื่อ..มหิงสา), and Khaokor was also a boxing trainer for Siriporn Thaweesuk (Thai: ศิริพร ทวีสุข), a first Thai female professional boxing world champion.^[9] In his retirement time, Khaokor had many businesses such as snook club, selling car roof accessories, and restaurant in Bangkok. Also he used to work as a recreation attendant for the Phetchabun Government and worked for pawnshop.

Personal life[]

Khaokor used to be very rich from boxing competitions but spent a lot of money with his ex-girlfriends. Once, he became very poor but still got many opportunities to get the jobs and becomes settled again. Currently, Khaokor married Tak Jirapwan (Thai: แต๊ก จีรวรรณ) and they have two sons, with four years age difference.^[10][11]

Khaokor Galaxy opponents[]

References[]

External links[]

• Boxing record for Kaokor Galaxy from BoxRec