Here I found my selves in a big hall in the middle of Thailand's capital Bangkok. The famous Ratchadamnoen Boxing Stadium was full packed with thousands of enthusiastic people who called for blood and knockouts. People roared wildly each time one of the fighters' become stroked or punched down on the floor. I remember this from my tour in the Far East in 1987. It was really a shock to see such brutality appears. I started to wonder: is it really fun to see people get wounded so seriously?
Thai boxing, or muai-Thai as the Thai people call it, is a traditional art of self-defence of the Thais. It is quite different from international boxing. In the Thai way you also fights unarmed, but in contrary to the boxing most people know your are in addition to fists allowed to use feet, elbows and knees. You can almost fight the way you want and grab all opportunities. Regarding this Thai-boxing can be considered to be an excellent art of self-defence. Thai boxing matches lasts only five rounds of three minutes each, with a two-minute rest between rounds.
Since ancient times the Thai rulers have trained their soldiers and the ordinary people in the skills of hand-to-hand fighting, both with and without weapons. While the latter is known as muai, the former is called krabi-krabong, literally sword and baton, though the weapons used are not limited to these two.
Punching and kicking
Thai boxing is extremely brutal. Two small and tiny bodies are beating each other up the best they could. There is no mercy! All strikes are permitted anywhere on the body from head to toe including knees elbows, back fists, sweeps and head butts. The person on the photo was defeated because he failed to find an effective way to fend off the quick and powerful high kicking of the opponent. So therefore he was hit at the neck, and had to be carried unconscious out off the ring.
Almost in each match a fighter become carried out on a stretcher. Most of them were totally unconscious. Each time a gasp went trough the crowd, and so they started to feel sympathy for the beaten fighter for a while. They calmed down again and waited for a new bloody battle on the stage. The bets went fast and money went from hand to hand.
Photo: The Kick Boxing arena. The crowd rose up to new hights, and so....
The Kick Boxers are the modern Gladiators! They really fight for their life!
Photo: Cover from the great movie Gladiator.
Here you can see a Gladiator from the past, but has the game changed so much the since the old days?
Fighters were carried out on a stretcher almost each match. Kickboxing is probably not good for the health. When a new match starts the crowd rise up to new highs, jumps and shouts as mad pigs. The young men who live poorly see this as an opportunity to earn extra money. The defenders of the sport will refuse that it is barbaric or a kind of Roaster-match for humans.
There are both doctors and ambulances at the stadium. This is probably one of the arguments against that the sport should be forbidden. How many of the fighters who becomes brain damaged, paralysed or gets other serious injuries in for the rest of their life, I don't know, but there most be quite many of them. Regarding this I find it strange that the doctors don't protests, but the "money talks". Thai boxing is big business in Thailand! And it is also the country's national sport.
From 1919 big boxing matches were held at Tha Chang in Bangkok. As other halls in the Bangkok also this one was temporary. At that time the rules of Thai boxing were changed to require all boxers to wear boxing gloves during fights. The first permanent boxing stadium in Bangkok was built on RachadamnoenNok Road. It was first opened in December 1945. Half a century later, Ratchadamnoen Boxing Stadium is still one of the two major stadiums in the capital. Both Thai and international boxing matches are arranged there regularly. The other stadium Lumphini Boxing Stadium is located near Lumphini Park.
In Thailand the big matches are often displayed live on TV. You can also find many other boxing rings around in the country. So it is easy to find out how Thai boxing is like. For they who would like to try Thai boxing themselves, training is offered in Bangkok and in Naklua, north of Pattaya.
Hopefully your mother will recognise you after a training hour there. You should be aware of that the training is extremely challenging and involves full-contact sparring. Protection a certain part of you body is highly recommended.
Today the tradition still goes (beats) on. The matches are wilder and more brutal than ever. Big money controls the sport and it is though times. The fights are about surviving for the modern Gladiators - the Thai Boxers!
Stein Morten Lund, 10th November 2000
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Read about: Thrilling trekking in the Golden Triangle.
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