Somjit Jongjohor

Somjit Jongjohor ( Thai : สม จิตร จง จอ หอ ; born January 19, 1975 ) is a Thai boxer . He was world champion in 2003 and Olympic champion in 2008 flyweight.

Career

Jongjohor only appeared on the international boxer scene at the age of 24 when he won the light flyweight title at the 20th Southeast Asian Championships in Brunei with a victory over Sapok Anak Biki from Malaysia. A first success that was to be followed by many more successes. First, however, he lost at the 20th Asian Championship in 1999 in Tashkent in flyweight against Bolat Shumadilow from Kazakhstan and could not place himself in this championship.

In Asia he achieved the following outstanding victories: He won the 2001 flyweight division of the 21st Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur with a victory over Rahib Ahmad from Malaysia. In 2002 he won both the 21st Southeast Asian Championships in Seremban / Malaysia and the 14th Asian Games in Busan / South Korea. In Seremban he defeated Mai Kangde from China in the final of the flyweight division and in Busan he defeated Karim Nouman from Pakistan on points (26: 7) in the final of the same weight class.

In this context, it was mentioned in various publications that Jonghohor had achieved this last success as a "teenager". When he was born in 1975, however, he was already 27 years old in 2002, which fueled speculation that he was born later than 1975. It would also be extremely unusual for the Asian region that he only started his international boxer career at the age of 24 (1999).

At the 23rd Southeast Asian Games in 2003 in Hanoi / Vietnam, he again won the flyweight title. There he defeated Nothin Holapatiphone from Laos in the final battle. In the same year he achieved the greatest success of his boxer career up to then in Bangkok , also in Asia . He became an amateur flyweight champion. He won over Ramazan Ballioglu from Turkey by breaking off in the third round, over Batonmunku Wankijew from Belarus (10: 5), Yuriorkis Gamboa from Cuba (23:22), Rustam Rachimow from Germany (12: 5) and in the final battle over defending champion Jérôme Thomas from France (24:17) on points.

Jongjohor had no luck at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens . After defeating Kim Ki-suk from South Korea on points (22:12) in his first fight, he met Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa again in the second round, to whom he was defeated on points (21:26) despite a good fight this time. He was eliminated from the Olympic boxing tournament. At the Asian Cup in 2005 in Ho Chi Minh City, he was defeated in the quarterfinals against Karim Nouman and came in the final at this championship only in fifth place. At the 2005 World Cup in Mianyang , China , he lost his first flyweight fight against Cuban Andry Laffita just on points (14:16) and was eliminated without a place.

Jongjohor gave very good performances at the 15th Asian Games in 2006 in Doha and at the 2007 World Cup in Chicago . In both championships, he took second place in flyweight. In Doha he defeated Anvar Yunusow from Tajikistan (25:20) and Mirat Sarsenbajew from Kazakhstan (20:11) on points and won over Yang Bo from China by breaking off in the third round. In the final, he was surprisingly defeated by Violito Payla from the Philippines, whom he had previously beaten three times on other occasions, on points (15:31). At the World Championships in Chicago, he defeated Mirat Sarsenbajew (17: 8), Rafael Kaczor from Poland (15: 3) and Vincenzo Picardi from Italy (13: 2) each superior on points. In the final battle he lost just under (9:13) against the American Rau'Shee Warren on points.

With this placement, Jongjohor secured simultaneously qualifying for the in 2008 in Beijing discharged Olympics . He won the flyweight tournament at the Kings Cup in Bangkok in April of this year with victories over Kyousuke Sawada from Japan and Luwsantserengiin Dsorigtbaatar from Mongolia. In the final fight of this tournament, the reigning world light flyweight champion Zhou Shiming from China did not play against him due to a slight injury. In May 2008, Jongjohor also took first place in the flyweight division at the 1st AIBA President's Cup in Taipei / Taiwan. He beat four tough opponents: Walid Cherif from Tunisia, Jackson Chauke from South Africa, Luis Yáñez from the United States and Anvar Yunusow from Tajikistan.

In August 2008, Jongjohor then took part in the Olympic Games for Thailand and became Olympic flyweight champion. With points wins over Eddie Valenzuela from Guatemala, Samir Mammadow from Azerbaijan, Anvar Yunusow and Vincenzo Picardi, he reached the final and was able to prevail there against the Cuban Andry Laffita 8: 2.

After his career, Jongjohor worked as a presenter on Thai television. He is a qualified sports teacher and received an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Education at Ramkhamhaeng University .

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, Hfl = light fly weight, Fl = fly weight, up to 48 kg or 51 kg body weight)

1999, 1st place , 20th Southeast Asian Championship in Darussalam / Brunei, Hfl, ahead of Sapok Anak Biki, Malaysia;
1999, 9th place , 20th Asian Championship in Tashkent , Fl;
2001, 1st place , 21st Southeast Asian Championship in Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia, Fl, ahead of Rahib Ahmad, Malaysia;
2002, 1st place , 21st Asian Championship in Seremban / Malaysia, Fl, ahead of Mai Kangde, China;
2002, 1st place , 14th Asian Games in Busan / South Korea, Fl, ahead of Karim Nouman, Pakistan, Zhou Gang, China and Kim Tae-Rue, South Korea;
2003, 1st place , 22nd Southeast Asian Championship in Hanoi / Vietnam, Fl, ahead of Nothin Holapatiphone, Laos;
2003, 1st place , World Cup in Bangkok , Fl, ahead of Jérôme Thomas , France, Rustam Rachimow , Germany and Alexandar Wladimirow , Bulgaria;
2004, 3rd place , 22nd Asian Championship in Puerto Princesa / Philippines, Fl, behind Violito Payla, Philippines and Kim Ki-Suk, South Korea a. before Tuliaschbeg Daniyarov, Uzbekistan;
2004, 3rd place , Olympic test tournament in Athens , Fl, behind Yuriolkis Gamboa , Cuba u. Alexander Nalbandian, Armenia, together with Ron Siler, USA;
2004, 9th place , OS in Athens, Fl, winners: Yuriolkis Gamboa ahead of Jerome Thomas, Rustam Rachimow and Fuad Aslanow, Azerbaijan;
2005, 1st place , 23rd Southeast Asian Championship in Bacalud / Philippines, Fl, ahead of Tran Quoc Viet, Vietnam;
2005, 5th place , 23rd Asian Championship in Ho Chi Minh City , Fl;
2005, unpl. , World Cup in Mianyang / China, Fl, winner: Lee Ok-sung , South Korea ahead of Andry Laffita , Cuba, Rau'Shee Warren , USA a. Mirat Sarsenbajew , Kazakhstan;
2006, 2nd place , 15th Asian Games in Doha , Fl, behind Violito Payla, Philippines a. before Yang Bo, China a. Katsuaki Susa, Japan;
2007, 1st place , 24th Southeast Asian Championship in Korat / Thailand, Fl, ahead of Godfrey Castro, Philippines;
2007, 2nd place , World Championships in Chicago , Fl, behind Rau'Shee Warren u. before Vincenzo Picardi , Italy a. Samir Mammadov , Azerbaijan;
2008, 1st place , Kings Cup in Bangkok, Fl, ahead of Zhou Shiming , China a. Luwsantserengiin Dsorigtbaatar , Mongolia;
2008, 1st place , 1st President's Cup in Taipei / Taiwan, Fl, in front of Anvar Yunusow, Tajikistan a. Luis Yáñez , USA;
2008, 1st place , OS in Beijing / China, Fl, before Andry Laffita , Vincenzo Picardi , Anvar Yunusow;

International battles

2002 in Astana (World Cup), Thailand against USA , Fl, points winner over Ron Siler,
2002 in Astana (World Cup), Thailand against Romania , Fl, points winner over Bogdan Dobrescu,
2002 in Astana (World Cup), Thailand against Cuba , Fl, points winner over Yankiel León (8: 2),
2005 in Moscow (World Cup), Thailand against Cuba, Fl, points winner over Andry Laffita (+24: 24),