The biography of “Nai Khanom Tom,” the grand master of Muay Thai, who was claimed as Khmer by "Bak Boy"!
On 27 Jan 2026, "Bak Boy," a Cambodian influencer, boldly claimed that nearly half of Thailand once belonged to the Khmer and asserted that Nai Khanom Tom was Khmer, with his real name being Khah-Nom-Thom, meaning "I am great."
Thairath Sport has compiled the biography of Khanom Tom, the legendary boxer who won the favor of King Mangra of Burma using Muay Thai. This is documented in the Royal Chronicles, including the Royal Handwritten Chronicles and the Burmese Royal Chronicles, as well as the handwritten chronicles by Somdet Phra Phonarat of Wat Phra Chetuphon.
Nai Khanom Tom was born on a Tuesday in the second lunar month, Year of the Horse, 1750 CE (B.E. 2293), during the reign of King Thai Sa of Ayutthaya, at Ban Kum (now Ban Kum Subdistrict, Bang Ban District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province). His father was named Nai Koet and his mother Nang Ee. The records state that Nai Khanom Tom had a sister named Euay, who died young. At about age 10, he lived at a temple because his parents were killed by the Burmese.
Nai Khanom Tom was the only survivor captured as a prisoner during the second fall of Ayutthaya. As a young man, he began training in Muay Thai and gained great fame. During King Ekatat's reign, when Ayutthaya fell again to Burma, Nai Khanom Tom was taken to Burma and used his boxing skills to bring honor to Ayutthaya and the Thai nation. The chronicles record the following:
"When King Mangra (a renowned Burmese warrior king) ordered the major restoration and enhancement of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, the work was completed in 1774 CE (B.E. 2317). On the auspicious day, March 17, the king held a grand ceremony to hoist the great umbrella atop the pagoda. Burmese officials reported, 'The Thai boxer is very skilled.' King Mangra then ordered that Nai Khanom Tom, the skilled Thai boxer from the old capital, be brought to him."
King Mangra arranged for Burmese fighters to compete against Nai Khanom Tom before the throne. Nai Khanom Tom defeated nine or ten Burmese fighters before the rounds ended. The king clapped his hands on his chest in admiration and praised Nai Khanom Tom: "This Thai man has deadly skill; even unarmed, he can defeat nine or ten men. If only they had good leadership, unity, and put aside personal interests and clan rivalries, how could Ayutthaya have fallen to enemies as it has today?"
After Nai Khanom Tom defeated the Burmese fighters, King Mangra rewarded him by appointing him as a royal servant in Ava. However, Nai Khanom Tom declined and requested the king to release him and all Thai prisoners so they could return home.
King Mangra agreed, and eventually Nai Khanom Tom and the Thai captives were freed to return to their homeland, which was then the Thonburi Kingdom under King Taksin the Great. Nai Khanom Tom lived peacefully in his hometown but the date of his death is unknown.
Because of these events, Thailand designated March 17 each year as Muay Thai Day to honor the Thai boxer. Additionally, the people of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya collectively built a monument to Nai Khanom Tom at the Central Sports Stadium in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province as a memorial and an inspiration for future generations.