Thai Boxing Legend Chartchai Chionoi: A Fearless Warrior
Chartchai Chionoi was the ring name of Thai flyweight Naris Chionoi. He became only the second world boxing champion from Thailand, after his idol Pone Kingpetch. Chionoi’s story is best understood through the bouts that brought him two WBC reigns and a later WBA title.
A breakthrough against Walter McGowan
Chionoi first reached the world stage by challenging Scotland’s Walter McGowan in Bangkok on December 30, 1966. After being knocked down twice, he rallied to stop McGowan in the ninth round and win the world flyweight championship recognized by the British and European authorities. WBC recognition followed in 1968. That victory made Chionoi the second Thai boxer to win a world title, following Kingpetch.
Chionoi lost the WBC crown to Mexico’s Efren “Alacrán” Torres by eighth-round technical knockout in February 1969. He regained it from Torres with a 15-round decision in Bangkok on March 20, 1970, then lost the title to Erbito Salavarria by second-round stoppage that December. The World Boxing Council’s history records Chionoi among the few flyweights who won back its championship.
A later WBA championship
Chionoi’s WBA title came later. He challenged Masao Ohba in Tokyo in January 1973 but was stopped in the 12th round. After Ohba’s death, Chionoi fought Fritz Chervet for the vacant WBA flyweight title in Bangkok on May 17, 1973, stopping him to become a world champion for a third time. He made two successful defenses. In October 1974, after Chionoi failed to make weight for a bout with Susumu Hanagata, he could no longer retain the title; Hanagata then stopped him in the sixth round.
Chionoi continued fighting after losing the WBA championship and retired in 1975. His recorded professional total was 61 wins, 18 losses, and three draws, with 36 wins by knockout. The WBC remembers him as one of its notable flyweight champions. His career helped establish Thailand’s place in world boxing, and his example remains part of the story of the country’s fighters.
Sources
- World Boxing Council: Some of the greatest WBC flyweight champions — McGowan win and WBC title history.
- BoxRec: Chartchai Chionoi — bout chronology and recorded career results.
- World Boxing Association: Flyweight champions and title bouts — WBA reign and title dates.
- The Fight City: Chartchai Chionoi, 1942–2018 — career context and legacy.
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
