Samasak Payakaroon, legendary world champion boxer, agrees with Nabil Anan joining the Thai amateur boxing selection for the 2028 Olympics.
On 16 Aug 2026 GMT+7, after ONE Championship, the Boxing Association of Thailand, and the National Olympic Committee of Thailand under royal patronage jointly held a press conference, it was announced that Nabil Anan, former Muay Thai bantamweight world champion, will join the selection for amateur boxing competition at the 2028 Olympic Games.
Somrak Khamsing, former 1996 Olympic gold medalist and current advisor to the Boxing Association of Thailand, posted a clip asking Samasak Payakaroon, legendary Thai world champion boxer, whether he agreed with Nabil Anan's situation.
Samasak said, "It's definitely good. Our boxers currently lack contenders. If we can get Nabil, he’s tall and has good punches. But whether he can reach the Olympics depends on his endurance and training commitment. He must go through many matches and Olympic qualifiers. We support him joining the Thai national team, but can he endure the training system? Muay Thai training lasts one to one and a half months, but amateur boxing requires long-term training with constant weight monitoring. Do I agree? Yes, because right now, no one here has reached that level. We lack contenders."