Nickname(s) Tong Name Tong Trithara | Nationality Thailand | |
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Born March 27, 1952 (age 71)
Banpan Ayutthaya Province ( 1952-03-27 ) | ||
Tong Trithara News Feature
Arjarn Tong Trithara (born on the 3rd of March, 1952 in Banpan, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand) is a Thai-born Muay Thai instructor and former Muay Thai boxer. He is also known for being one of America's First Muay Thai instructors. He founded the Muay Thai Academy in Springfield, Missouri in 1989 and the Muay Thai U.S.A. Association in the same year as its president. Later, he became the Muay Thai Technical Advisor for Fighter International Magazine.
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Muay Thai career
He was born 27 March 1952 in Banpan, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. His first encounter with Thai fighting techniques when he was twelve years old when his uncle trained him. Tong fought in Central and Southern Thailand winning around 22 fights. On May 5, 1971 at the age of eighteen, Tong traveled to the United States of America to train at the Thai Boxing Academy and was trained by another famous western style boxing champion and Muay Thai champion named "Niyom Prasertsom" The place where this training took place was at the Thai Boxing Academy in Hollywood, California.
Instructor
Saving his money and with help of a Vietnamese Thai Fighter tong was able to open up his own school in the Down Town Los Angeles, California. In 1979 he moved to Springfield, Missouri where he began teaching as well as promoting small Muay Thai events until 1985.