Jérôme Le Banner (107kg) vs. Nokveed Devy (72kg), K-1 World GP 1995

It has often been said that when the legend becomes fact, print the legend. But you don’t have to embellish the life story of Wichit Somboon, aka Nokweed Davy, the legendary Muay Thai champ and trainer who died suddenly last week at age 51 in Thailand. Like a million “nak muay” (Thai boxers) before him, Nokweed Davy came from a background of grinding poverty that makes Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist look privileged. Born and raised in Nakorn Si Thammarat, South Thailand, Nokweed started boxing at the age of 7 and battled his way to the top of the fight game in the 1980s and 1990s to become one of the biggest draws in the professional sport. A three-time Rajadamnern champion in three different weight categories, he also held the WMC 147llb title and fought oversized opponents in K1 matches. With fearsome round kicks, and a supercomputer fight brain to match, his encounters with Issara Sakgreerin, Danny Bill and Jeff Ortzow, to name but a few, are still much discussed and examined by fight aficionados and other armchair experts.