The old Fairtex was something else. No bigger than our studio is now, it was barely starting to get some recognition. Fighters from all over the world would drop by to train with us. We were among the few fighters who trained with Bunkerd, Ganyao, Enn, and Jong. Back then, it was almost customary to spar anyone who stepped into the ring, even if they were over 200 lbs. I could never refuse a challenge. During intense sparring sessions, the trainers would sit on top of the ring ropes, laughing every time someone got nailed. It was a real treat for everyone watching. And when we went at it, we really went at it, male or female. I remember the sight of blood on the ring, always checking to see if it came from me. Yep, those were the good ol’ days. The thing is, no matter how hard we sparred and how much we proceeded to put the ‘beat down’ on each other, it was never personal. To me, that type of camaraderie is hard to find. After our grueling training, we usually went out and had some Thai food, watched the pay-per-view fights together, and pulled pranks with each other. It was like family and it was great times. The last opportunity I had to visit Fairtex was sometime after the new ownership was established. Alex passed away and there were plenty of business altercations that followed after his death. It turned a bit ugly (but I won’t get into that). All I can say about Fairtex today is that it’s not what it used to be. Yes, it’s a bigger facility now, and there are more branches around, including a few in Thailand and Japan. But the family feeling it once had is nothing more than a distant memory. Bunkerd went on to open another gym. Enn eventually left to help out another school. Jong and Ganyao are still around, but who can blame them. Everybody needs work. As far as the new Fairtex is concerned, its equipment sales seems to be on top of the food chain, considering that’s their ‘bread and butter’. There may still be newbies who enjoy how Fairtex is today. I do wish them the best. But from my own personal experience, the best that Fairtex had to offer was once upon a time – when we were all together as one big happy family.