Saman Sorjaturong

He was born into a poor farming family in Kamphaeng Phet province, located in the upper central of Thailand. He was one of four siblings. Due to the family's poverty, he did not grow up with his parents, who had to move to another village in search of better opportunities. As a child, he was ordained as a novice monk and went to live at a temple with his grandfather, who was also a monk. He remained there until he completed his primary education, finishing grade six. Later, he continued his Buddhist studies at Wat Pho in Bangkok, where he spent five years in monastic education. During that time, he successfully completed the third level of the Pāli studies examination, earning the title Maha, a respectful prefix granted to monks who reach this academic level. ==Boxing career==

Saman turned pro at the age of 21, which was considered quite old for a boxer. Motivated by his passion for professional boxing, he had written a letter seeking help from M.R. Naris Kridakorn, the editor of World Boxing Magazine. In response, M.R. Naris recommended that he go to "Sorjaturong Boxing Gym" that run by Suchart Theerawuttichuwong, who was both the owner and the head trainer at the time. Saman won the WBC, IBF and lineal junior flyweight titles during his career. He would later go on to make history as the third Thai boxer to win a world championship title without ever having competed in Muay Thai. (the first being Pone Kingpetch, and the second being Chartchai Chionoi). He became the first Thai and Asian boxer to hold world titles from two major sanctioning bodies simultaneously, a record he still holds today. Before that achievement, he had been seen merely as an ordinary fighter, lacking the potential to become a world champion. In 1993, he challenged the undefeated Mexican champion Ricardo López for the WBC strawweight title. However, the bout ended in disappointment, as he was defeated in just the second round. He defeated reigning champion Humberto González in a thrilling fight that was named Ring Magazine's Fight of the Year in 1995 to win the IBF and WBC titles. Both fighters were knocked down twice during the fight. He defended his IBF and WBC titles simultaneously only once, during his first title defense, before immediately relinquishing the IBF belt as a gesture of loyalty to the WBC, in line with his manager’s intentions. He went on to successfully defend the WBC portion ten consecutive times, before eventually losing to Yo Sam Choi of South Korea in 1999 via a unanimous decision. Their rematch was postponed seven times before it finally took place in 2001, when he was knocked out in the seventh round. He retired from boxing in 2005 after being knocked out in the first round by a Japanese Kōki Kameda. ==Life after boxing==

After retirement, he opened a Khao man kai (Thai version of Hainanese chicken rice) and Khao mu daeng (rice with red pork) restaurant, a family business that had been passed down long before his boxing career, in Ban Fah Lagoon Village, Rangsit, Pathumthani, where he still resides today. ==Professional boxing record==