Ramon Dekkers interview - Metro Eireann

Rob Carry

I was lucky enough to interview Muay Thai legend Ramon Dekkers last week and the interview below is in our current edition of Metro Eireann (which you can get in Easons etc). There's also a column on sumo wrestling in this edition. This interview is a bit fawning, basically because I'm a very big fan of the bloke, but there ya go. He was sound to talk to. He actually came across as fairly quiet, which surprised me a bit, although he was very funny and had me in stitches a few times. I did an interview with Ian Freeman a while back which I'll stick up if I can find it. This is the pre-subbed version so there might be a few typos in it some where.

Sports Interview – Ramon Dekkers

By Robert Carry
Pictures sent
30-9-07


“I haven't fought in Thailand for 10 years, but people there still know me,” says Ramon Dekkers, a Dutch Muay Thai fighter who showed the world that a westerner could fight and win against Thais in their national sport. “My name is in the record books forever.”

Dekkers, who grew up in Breda in the Netherlands, first got involved in martial arts as a young teenager. He tried judo and boxing but when a Muay Thai instructor called Cor Hemmers opened a club in his home town, Dekkers found the fight style he had been made for. “I went along to a class and I liked what I saw,” he recalls.

The devastatingly effective South-East Asian martial art of Muay Thai permits punches, kicks, elbow strikes and knees but while the sport has been deeply engrained in Thai life for centuries, in the late 1980s when Ramon first discovered it, Muay Thai was a relative unknown in the western world. However, it wasn’t long before the teenager began making waves in the embryonic Dutch Muay Thai scene. He took his first fight at just 16-years-old when he knocked out an experienced older fighter.
Fights started to come in quick succession and encouraged by Hemmers, Dekkers began to develop his own super-aggressive style of Muay, which involved chasing down his opponent and unleashing a barrage of heavy blows until he knocked them out or left them too badly injured to continue. By the time he turned 18, in 1987, Dekkers was Dutch Muay Thai champion, winning by knockout against title holder Ramkisoen in the second round.

In the years that followed Dekkers fought and beat everyone who came his way and by 1990 the 20-year-old had two European Championship titles under his belt. Next up was a world title shot – against a Thai.

Dekkers went up against top-rated Mungkordum Sitchang in France and after a grueling bout he won on points to claim his first world title. Although the fight caught the attention of fighters in Thailand, the title was dismissed by many on the basis that it was from the International Muay Thai Association (IMTA). To be a considered a true world champion in the eyes of the Thais, Dekkers would have to fight for an International Muay Thai Federation (IMTF) belt.

Dekkers secured a title shot against the reigning IMTF world champion and Thai favourate Nangpon in 1990 and Amsterdam was chosen as the venue. Although much of Europe was unaware of the clash, it was beamed live into millions of homes across Thailand with most expecting their champion to easily dispatch the European upstart. When the bell rang Dekkers threw himself into the fight with characteristic aggression while Thailand held its breath. It wasn’t long before Nangpon began to struggle. He was dropped by heavy shots twice, but the dogged Thai kept dragging himself to his feet. The fight went the distance but there was only ever one winner.

“It was very strange for the Thais,” recalls Dekkers. “They didn’t know where Holland was, then all of a sudden there was a fighter from this place they had never heard of beating their champions. They didn't know what to think.”

A rematch was called just two months later and this time Dekkers would be fighting in Muay Thai’s ancestral home. Lumpinee Stadium, a cauldron in the middle of Bangkok, is the Holy Grail for all Muay Thai fighters and it was packed out for the event, but Dekkers was enjoying himself. “It was a great feeling,” he recalls. “I liked everything about what I saw. I liked the atmosphere, the temperature; it was great.”

Dekkers dominated the bout but when he failed to knock his opponent out and the result went to the all-Thai judges, he knew he would be returning home without his belt.

In the years that followed Dekkers clocked up a stunning number of fights, many of which were in Thailand. By the time he retired he had some 215 fights to his name. He won 175 of these bouts and knocked out 90 men. Dekkers believes most of his loses were on poor points decisions, in front of partisan Thai crowds, and his record supports his claim. In 215 fights, he was only knocked out once. “There were times when I fought in Thailand and they told me I lost when I new I had won,” he recalls. “But I would always be proud of myself.”

The grueling bouts took their toll and Dekkers began to suffer with injuries. He smashed his right ankle so badly and so often that he had to undergo surgery on dozens of occasions. He eventually had to fight while only able to kick with one leg.

One of Dekkers’ most celebrated bouts was against Thai legend Orono and the fight is widely considered as one of the greatest of all time. However, Dekkers was in poor shape. “I was injured in both of my legs,” he recalls. “I wanted to put some tape on
my ankles but the referee wouldn’t let me.” But despite his sometimes antagonistic relationship with the Muay Thai hierarchy, Dekkers remains full of praise for the country he ranks as his favourite in the world.

Sadly, the injuries caught up with Dekkers and he simply couldn’t fight on. “I didn’t want to quit but I had to. I wanted to keep on fighting but I was only at 50 per cent. I had so much pain in my hands and my legs. It had to stop.” Dekkers made brief comebacks in the lucrative Japanese mixed martial arts K1 tournament but by 2005 his fighting career was over.

However, Dekkers is still very much involved in the sport which with him as its flag bearer has grown exponentially in the west in recent years. He trains a number of fighters for both Muay Thai and K1 competitions and one of his men went up against Muay Thai’s current poster boy Buakaw por Pramuk, and lost narrowly on points.

Dekkers believes there is no real secret to how to become a champion: “You need the discipline to train every day and to do the same thing every day, over and over.” He continues, “In Muay Thai you will get hurt, but when you are in pain or have an injury you have to keep going.”

Buakaw is celebrated as one of the greatest fighters of recent times and while Dekkers rates the Thai highly, he fells he has went up against better. “I don’t think he (Buakaw) is as good as some of the fighters I’ve fought. I think I would have beaten him.”

Ramon ‘The Diamond’ Dekkers might not be a household name in Ireland, but everyone who knows Muay Thai knows exactly who he is and what he has done for his sport and there’s a clip of a few of his fights on Youtube that has nearly a million views. Dekkers is to Muay Thai what Pele is to football. He went to Thailand and fought the best fighters on offer in their sport and under their rules – and he beat them. But while he might have hurt the pride of a lot of Thai fighters during the course of his stunning career, he also earned the respect of the Thai people – and helped bring their sport to the world.

ENDS

paddyc

excellent rob keep it coming


paddy

droc

Nice work, Ramon Dekkers is my hero.

Between your columns, my brothers MMA event reviews and now this ME is becoming the best MA source in Ireland.

DROC

Rob Carry

Cheers. He's a big hero of mine too. Chuffed to bits to get to chat with him. He still does seminars - it would be great if the different Muay Thai clubs in Ireland chipped in to fly him over for a few.


Re Metro Eireann - there's also an excellent weekly boxing column from Bernard O'Neill. Deals mostly with the ameatuer scene in Ireland but also some of the bigger pro fights.

Im2Lazy

Ramon Dekkers! Im green with envy, I'm a huge fan.

That was a nice read as usual.

I've sent you a PM Rob

Scramble

Good stuff, Rob.

How come 'Irish Fighter' has never managed to approach this kind of quality? It seems to be cover-to-cover with congratulatory grading announcements every month.

Roper

droc wrote:

Nice work, Ramon Dekkers is my hero.

Between your columns, my brothers MMA event reviews and now this ME is becoming the best MA source in Ireland.

DROC

www.irishmmaonline.com :eek: I'm flabbergasted. Absolutely gasted by that flabber...:D

droc

You can't read websites on the bog and don't gimme that 'get a laptop' lark, it burns your legs.

DROC

RedRaven

Good stuff Rob,
I also think Dekkers is a legend...

The article is pretty one sided(without being disrespectful) and what I mean by that is as follows,

He won alot of fights by way of K.O. beacuse in Thailand kick elbow and knee score better that punches What dekkers and alot of westerners failed to understand is that not a great deal of points were given for landing punches so if he has peppered an opponent for 5 rounds with punches and they have been using the other weapons he wouldnt be given the decision under Thai scoring.

In a way he raised the standard of Thai fighters for the better... because he was knocking out the best they could throw at him with very deep stance punches, when they started to keep him at distance with teps or covering up better his game plan was not as effective.

He also changed after a while because he realised why he was not winning rounds...the Thai scoring system does not regard hands as great scoring technique like they are scored in europe.


So in short He beat them with strong hands which they didnt use much (he has changed that for the better IMO), he was out scored under Thai rules and got the hump because of it until he found out why.


I still think he is a legend and would have loved to see him fight.

As for Buakaw whom I have met and watch him beat Jomhod in Sweden for a world title, believe it or not he is not really regarded as a legend(yet) in Thailand, he is an amazing K1 fighter to me and you but amongst his own kind he still has a bit to go, He is not (as far as I know) ranked highly in the bangkok stadiums.

Khannie

RedRaven wrote:

He is not (as far as I know) ranked highly in the bangkok stadiums.

After plumping up for K1, I'd say he might be too heavy now to compete under normal MT rules in Thailand. Last I heard he was around 70KG odd.

dlofnep

Great interview. Very well constructed! Dekkers is a legend.

RedRaven

Khannie wrote:

After plumping up for K1, I'd say he might be too heavy now to compete under normal MT rules in Thailand. Last I heard he was around 70KG odd.

Got a text last night for one of our guys who is training in the Por Pramuk Gym at the moment, he was out on the piss with Buakaw last night.

He was not too happy with his performance against Masato on Wed in the K1 max, Souwer went on to finish what Buakaw started, he finished off masato with leg kicks it didnt take too many because of the amount buakaw lasted into him.

Khannie

Just had a chance to read that article now. Really nice read. Dekkers really is a living legend.

Rob Carry wrote:

He actually came across as fairly quiet, which surprised me a bit

Yeah, I saw a documentary on him before where one of his mates was the interviewer. He seems fairly shy for such an animal.

RedRaven wrote:

he was out on the piss with Buakaw last night.

W*nker. So jealous.

RedRaven

Khannie wrote:

Just had a chance to read that article now. Really nice read. Dekkers really is a living legend.



Yeah, I saw a documentary on him before where one of his mates was the interviewer. He seems fairly shy for such an animal.



W*nker. So jealous.

I was out with him in stockholm when he beat Jomhod....I must be a w*nker aswell!!!;)

Khannie

And I quote......

RedRaven wrote:

I must be a w*nker aswell!!!;)