Long before organized tournaments, weight classes, and judging systems became part of modern Lethwei, there was already a widely understood way of recognizing the sport’s greatest fighter.
Rather than being crowned by a governing body or winning a tournament, the Openweight Champion was the fighter recognized by the Lethwei community as the best fighter of their era.
Unlike the Golden Belt Championship, which was introduced in 1996 and crowns tournament winners across multiple weight classes, the Openweight Championship is not an officially bestowed award. It has no unique trophy, no annual tournament, and no governing body that confers the title. Instead, it is a historical lineage passed from one champion to the next through direct succession, confirmed by the Lethwei community.
Because the Openweight Champion is a community-recognized status, the process of becoming one is not exactly set in stone, and the identity or inclusion of a champion can occasionally be disputed.
In general, there can only be one Openweight Champion at a time. That recognition remains with them until they are defeated by another fighter, voluntarily relinquish it, or another fighter is recognized by the Lethwei community as the new Openweight Champion.
A fighter may defeat the reigning champion without immediately being accepted by parts of the community as the next Openweight Champion. Instead, recognition sometimes develops gradually as the fighter continues to prove themselves against other elite opponents, eventually earning broad consensus within the Lethwei community.
The Modern Lineage of Openweight Champions
Because Lethwei’s early history was transmitted largely through oral tradition and incomplete historical records, the dates associated with many early Openweight Champions should be regarded as approximate rather than definitive.
Historically, the Openweight Champion was also commonly equated to being the First Division Champion. This terminology originated from Lethwei’s traditional flag tournaments, where fighters were grouped into divisions and the first division represented the highest level of competition. The champion of the first division was therefore widely recognized as the best Lethwei fighter of the time.
Although many renowned Lethwei fighters lived before the modern era, no continuous lineage or single nationally recognized household name can be established with confidence from that period. For this reason, the modern Openweight Championship lineage is generally traced back to Moe Kyoe, from whom the succession of champions can be followed with reasonable, general certainty (although there can always be debates over a fighter’s status).
Moe Kyoe (1971 to 1978)
Moe Kyoe (မိုးကြိုး) is widely regarded as the first nationally recognized Openweight Champion of the modern era. He played a key role during a transitional period in Lethwei history, helping usher the sport toward the current era.
One of the defining rivalries of his career was a trilogy against Thamann Kyar. However, due to incomplete historical records, the exact point at which the championship recognition passed between the two remains uncertain. After retiring from competition, Moe Kyoe entered monkhood in 1998.
Thamann Kyar (1978 to 1984)
A former police officer, Thamann Kyar (သမန်းကျား) became one of the defining figures of Lethwei during the 1970s and 1980s.
Known for his devastating spinning elbow, he is remembered as both a pioneer and one of the sport’s enduring legends. His reign came to an end when he lost to Shwe War Tun in 1988, after which he retired from competition.
Shwe War Tun (1984 to 1995)
The son of the Lethwei fighter Phyu Gyi, Shwe War Tun (ရွှေဝါထွန်း) continued his family’s fighting legacy.
Among his notable achievements was fracturing the elbow of a Thai challenger with a headbutt, a feat that became one of the memorable moments of his career.
Shwe Du Wun (1995 to 1998)
Shwe Du Wun (ရွှေဓူဝံ) succeeded Shwe War Tun and continued the championship lineage during the mid-1990s. He had a long rivalry with Shwe War Tun, facing each other repeatedly in challenge fights in the era of 15-rounds bouts.
Wan Chai (1998 to 1999)
Wan Chai (ဝမ်ချိုင်း) held the Openweight Championship during the late 1990s before the title passed to Shan Lay Thway.
Wan Chai is renowned for his blistering speed and tactical brilliance. He excels in the heat of exchange and can transition into a relentless barrage of attacks at will. While his style may look messy, he has dismantled numerous technically superior opponents.
Shan Lay Thway (1999 to 2003)
Shan Lay Thway (ရှမ်းလေးသွေး) carried the lineage into the new millennium before eventually being succeeded by Shwe Sai. Shan Lay Thway has the reputation of endurance, strong punches, and kicks.
Shwe Saing (2003 to 2006)
Shwe Saing (ရွှေဆိုင်း) held the championship until 2006. Shwe Saing is renowned for his heavy straight right and punishing low kicks. Furthermore, he is a widely respected clinch specialist.
Lone Chaw (2006 to 2009)
Lone Chaw (လုံးချော) became Openweight Champion after defeating former champion Shwe War Tun in an officially sanctioned “openweight bout” between the top contenders. He held the recognition for three years before losing it to Saw Nga Man.
Saw Nga Man (2009 to 2014)
Known as the “Shark,” Saw Nga Man (စောငမန်း) became famous for his powerful takedowns and his ability to land headbutts while bringing opponents to the ground. His reign established him as one of the defining champions of modern Lethwei.
Tun Tun Min (2014 to 2016)
Tun Tun Min (ထွန်းထွန်းမင်း) became the youngest Openweight Champion in modern history, earning recognition at just 21 years old. Renowned for his aggressive style, devastating punches, and powerful headbutts, he later participated in what many regard as the biggest fight in Lethwei history against Dave Leduc.
Dave Leduc (2016 to 2023)
Dave Leduc (ဒေ့ဗ်လက်ဒု) became the first non-Myanmar fighter to be recognized as Openweight Champion.
He successfully defended his recognition nine times, including three appearances in Japan and one in the United States. His rivalry with Tun Tun Min became one of the sport’s most famous, culminating in a trilogy remembered as the biggest rivalry in modern Lethwei.
Later on, Dave voluntarily relinquished his recognition, allowing a new successor to be determined.
Thway Thit Win Hlaing (2023 to Present)
Following Dave Leduc’s relinquishment of the Openweight Championship recognition, Thway Thit Win Hlaing (သွေးသစ်ဝင်းလှိုင်) became the latest fighter to continue the Openweight Championship lineage after defeating Tun Tun Min (the previous champion) by point.
Winner of the 2019 Breakthrough Lethwei Fighter of the Year award, he is known for his patient counter-striking style and tactical approach inside the ring.
He’s currently on hiatus from active competition.
A Record of Legacy
Unlike championship belts or trophies that are defended within a promotion or tournament, the Openweight Championship represents a lineage of succession. Each champion is remembered not simply because they won a title, but because they were recognized as the fighter who succeeded the previous Openweight Champion.
Today, the lineage that began with Moe Kyoe remains one of the most respected traditions in Lethwei.
