BAY AREA COLLEGE STUDENT WINS MUAY THAI WORLD TITLE

San Francisco, CA -- October 5, 2006 -- San Francisco native Michael Mananquil, a student at City College, brings home the first Muay Thai World Title in years. Muay Thai, a form of kickboxing from Thailand, has grown ever popular in recent years with the boom of Mixed Martial Arts.  Mananquil defeated six-time World Champion Danny Steele at World Championship Muay Thai in North Hollywood.  

Growing up Mananquil watched Steele and many other legendary fighters become superstars in the fighting world.  He told his dad at the age of nine, with the utmost determination a nine-year old could give, that he wanted to be “the Champion of the World!”  Whether he really intended to reach that goal by age 24 and do it with such class and humility no one knows.  We do know that he is one of the few non-Thai fighters to have brought home to San Francisco a World Title in five years.  Yet this is only the beginning for Mananquil as many fighters will now want their chance in the ring with him.

Mananquil has been guided and trained by Kru Sam Phimsoutham at World Muay Thai Team USA for almost ten years.  The feat of raising a fighter from nothing to World Championship status by itself is extremely difficult.  Not many fighter/trainer teams have what it takes to stick it through all the way.  Most fighters move on from their original trainer to get their chance at the World title.  However, when you watch these two train in the ring the pure fluidity of their chemistry is immediately noticed.  They simply bring out the best in each other.

When you ask Mananquil if he now feels like the King of this sport, he will bow his head and give you the most modest answer you can imagine – that there are so many other fighters who are better and who he would like to fight one day.  He feels no better than any other fighter and that each fight is just the product of hard work and training, no matter who the opponent is and the title that is on the line.  He’s just a college kid who loves Muay Thai like Michael Jordan loves basketball.

Contact: Brittany Huynh
World Muay Thai Team USA, LLC
2575 Ocean Avenue
San Francisco, CA  94132
415-333-3496
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