If you are a Muay Thai fighter, practitioner, or fan in America, odds are that Surapuk Jamjuntr has influenced you in some way. Surapuk Jamjuntr, better known as Kru Puk has helped the growth of the sport since he first arrived in the United States in 1978. His influence, and contributions have earned him the nickname "The Godfather of Muay Thai".
Kru Puk has been involved in Muay Thai since he was a child. Growing up in Sisaket a north-eastern province in Thailand, Kru Puk would walk past a Muay Thai gym on his way homefrom school. He would watch the fighters train and when they were done he would pick up a pair of gloves and repeat what he had observed the fighters doing.