Kaotaem Returns To Face Xavier Gonzalez In The Inner Circle Main Event
Kaotaem Fairtex was building towards something when life interrupted. Three straight wins, including a vicious third-round TKO over Tuanthong Paesaisi, had established the 21-year-old Phetchabun native as one of the more compelling prospects on The Inner Circle circuit. Then a back injury forced him to the sidelines, and the demands of his final year at Thailand National Sports University meant the timeline for his return stretched further than expected.
He returns this Friday, April 3, in the flyweight Muay Thai main event of The Inner Circle at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok against Spain’s Xavier Gonzalez — and he has used every minute of the time away purposefully.
“Even though I’ve been away from the ring, I’ve been training the whole time,” he said. “I’ve been itching to fight, but last year I really had to put my education first to get everything sorted.”
The gap between his last performance and this one has not dulled his edge. If anything, it has sharpened his self-awareness. Kaotaem listened to what fans and coaches were telling him — that for all his volume, cardio, and aggression, his guard was a weak point — and went to work on it.
“Fans usually tell me I fight well, have great cardio, and throw a lot of volume, but they also say I’m still lacking in defense,” he said. “My guard has been a bit loose in the past, so I’ve been working hard on staying tucked in and not dropping my hands. I’ve also built up more durability — I’m not going down easily if I take a hit.”
Gonzalez is not the kind of opponent who lets those details slide. The Spain-based fighter who has made Thailand his home since 2019 presses forward with heavy hands and high-volume boxing combinations, never relenting and always looking for the opening that ends things early. There is no easing into a fight against him.
Kaotaem welcomes that.
“He’s strong, loves to move forward, and has heavy hands,” he said. “His punch is definitely his biggest weapon. But I’m a fighter who never gives up easily.”
His game plan is built around patience first, then timing. He intends to feel Gonzalez out in the opening stages, identify the rhythm, and then start countering the punches with elbows — a classic Thai response to a heavy-handed puncher. His kicks, which he has focused on heavily throughout camp, will be the tool he uses to neutralise the forward pressure and keep the Spaniard honest.
But patience has its limits, and Kaotaem has never been a man to grind his way to a decision when the finishing opportunity presents itself.
“There’s a high chance this won’t go the distance,” he said. “If I see an opening to end it, I’m taking it immediately. I’ve already bagged two bonuses, and I’d love a third.”
READ MORE: Takeru Is Retiring On His Own Terms And Rodtang Is The Only Fight That Could Have Made That Possible
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