Former Olympic boxing champion Manus Boonjumnong’s bad boy image continues to haunt him even after he successfully turned pro last month, beating Indonesia’s Jame Jalarante on points.
Looking anything but physically fit during the fight only gave people more reason to poke fun at him, despite his ability to win his first fight in five years. In his defence, he tried to shift the attention on the fact that he had lost 15kg in a month for the fight. Currently at 80kg, he hopes to reach his target weight of 70kg soon.
“I still have the bite in me to succeed as a professional boxer,” said Manus, in a telephone interview with Life.
At 35, he knows only too well that time is not on his side, especially if he is to make it to the big fights. The man has to be given credit for trying, especially when few supported his decision to turn pro.
Manus was with the national team for two decades before retiring three years ago.
After being under the constant supervision of coaching staff for half his life, he was happy to finally lead a life according to what he felt right. After living on a strict diet for years, he began binging on whatever took his fancy. Despite his weight gain, he still practised boxing in the evenings.
Manus, one of the most attractive boxers of his time, shot to fame in 2004 when he clinched the light-welterweight gold medal in Athens and emphatically broke down in tears when he received a congratulatory phone call from Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej. However, after lavish celebrations in the wake of his triumph, he gained a reputation for being an ill-disciplined playboy, squandering much of the thousands of baht he had made from his gold medal earning on drinking, betting on soccer and women.
He has vehemently said on a number of occasions that he has turned a new leaf, leaving behind his wayward ways to concentrate on earning a decent living by selling cornflake bars. Also, of course to pursue his dreams of turning professional one day.
Manus’s boxing talent was first spotted at the national youth games when he was just 15. He was groomed by none other than legendary Cuban coach Juan Fontanils, who trained Thailand’s seven Olympic medallists, including 1996 Olympic gold medallist Somluck Kamsing, 2000 Olympic champion Wijan Ponlid and himself at the 2004 Olympics.
Talking about his bad boy image, Manus said he has always been a rebel. During his days with the national squad, it was no different. Coaches never liked him because he was not one to follow regulations to the T, always having the perfect excuse to go against the wishes of his trainers.
However, in retrospect, he said it was only when he was not training that he allowed his wild nature to surface.
“When I knew that I had to compete in a tournament, I always obeyed the rules because I never pulled strings to get selected for a tournament. I knew my responsibility and always did my best. Whatever tournament I competed in I never disappointed my coaches and brought home a medal,” he remarked with pride.
“It is a pity that despite my turning a new leaf today and having matured as a boxer, some individuals in the boxing industry still have a poor image of me. I hope to show that I have changed for the better. I am struggling with losing weight, but I will continue to persevere. Now that I have fought my first professional fight, I am looking to the future with renewed confidence.”
Manus said that he had been rather blessed to have had individuals in his life that played an integral part in making him the person he is today.
Gen Taweep Chantaroj, a former president of the Amateur Boxing Association of Thailand, in particular, had a soft spot for the boxer despite his wayward ways. The senior official saw potential in Manus and took it on himself to see that he trained properly prior to events.
Manus said Gen Taweep was like a second father to him, always advising, rebuking and disciplining him when the need arose. The boxing official had a knack with knowing how to control each boxer under his care, recalls Manus, because he took a genuine interest in each of their lives.
Coach Juan Fontanils also had a special place in the heart of Manus because it was him who trained him from the time he was a teenager. The Cuban never favoured the flamboyant boxer, often disciplining him when he disobeyed.
On the topic of coaches, Manus said: “There have been a handful of them who have had a profound influence on my life. One among them was Fontanils who hand picked me when I was barely out of my teens. Despite the fact that we grew close during his coaching tenure with the national side, he was always impartial when it came to the selection process prior to events. Today, I believe this is not the case. The Cuban believed in me and gave me confidence to reach for the stars.”
He went on to explain: “Apart from the Cuban, I was rather lucky to have had Thai coaches Kamanit Manirat and Chumpol Chamnarnmat train and guide me. They loved me so much that on days that I was too sick to get up from bed because I was exhausted from training, they washed my clothes and fed me. I am eternally grateful to them.”
