Payao Poontarat

Phoontharat Phayao ( Thai พ เยาว์ พูน ธ รัตน์; * October 15, 1957 in the district of Bang Saphan, † August 13, 2006 in Bangkok ) was a Thai boxer.

Amateur

With 18 years Phoontharat won the bronze medal in the light flyweight ( up to 48 kg) at the Summer Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976. He could be in the quarter- final against Hungary György Gedó, Olympic champion from 1972 to prevail, but lost in the semifinals to advance the North Koreans Byong -Uk Li He thus became Thailand's first athlete who was able to win an Olympic medal.

Professional

In 1981 he became a professional boxer. On November 27, 1983, he dethroned the Venezuelan Rafael Orono and was WBC world champion in the light bantamweight. He lost the belt by one point defeat on July 5, 1984 in his second title defense on the Japanese Jiro Watanabe, also the rematch on November 29, he lost, this time even prematurely. After another defeat, he finished his career in 1985.

Policy

After his professional boxer career, he joined the Democratic Party and was elected to the Thai Parliament constituency MP for the province of Prachuap Khiri Khan in 2001. A year later he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. On August 13, 2006, he died of the disease in the Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok.