This is for Bobarino.
I remembered reading an article about Thai boxing in an issue of SAWADDI, a magazine published by the American Woman's Club of Thailand.
I have a library of issues that I've kept over the years and found the article in the Second Quarter 2005 issue.
A Night at the Fights by Dawn DelVecchio
"Knockout! A left kick to the jaw sends one man to the canvas. The audience grows silent as the young man in blue stands in momentary awe over his downed opponent. I can't help but wonder if the crowd surrounding me is disappointed at such a quick finish: no five rounds of action, no money to change hands following a gambling frenzy. ...
...The two boxers move to the center of the ring where the referee quickly wipes off each pair of gloves along his shirt front, ...
... A bout consists of five three-minute rounds with two-minute breaks in between. Contestants are matched according to weight, experience and record ... Thai-style boxers use an array of bodily weapons. Nak muay strategically punish each other with kicks, punches, elbows and knees. Strikes include shin kicks to all surfaces of the body, forward foot and knee thrusts, elbow strikes to the head and hooking, or curved knees, to ribs and tender organs. The groin and the back of the neck are off limits as targets, but all else is fair game. ...
... By the time the officially sanctioned fights are underway, the betting section of middle-aged man has grown to encompass about one-third of both the second and third tiers of seating. Many of these men were no doubt fighters themselves at one time. Now they enjoy the action of the ring as well as the intensive gambling that accompanies each event. This section becomes a madhouse of wagering as the night wears on--a roiling mass of waving arms and bellowing voices through to the final seconds of the main event.
In recent years the Thais have begun marketing their favorite sport to tourists, resulting in an audience comprised of Westerners and locals alike. Flyers, tour services and every guidebook advertise and extol the excitement of attending a muay Thai bout. Guests run the gamut: from an assembly of Thai men between the ages of 40 and 60 in short-sleeved, plaid shirts, polyester pants and plastic flip-flops to dread-locked, pierced and fully tattooed young foreigners with gorgeous blonds who look bored alongside their well-muscled boyfriends. Polite, yellow-vested boys and girls wander the arena serving drinks and snacks throughout the evening. ...
...Some criticize muay Thai as violent and obscene. I have spoken to many visitors to the Kingdom who refuse to attend an evening of fights because they cannot stomach such brutality....
...Perhaps it is the superior athleticism of its practitioners or its pristine and savage grace. Perhaps it is the true sportsmanship with which its practitioners engage their art. Perhaps it is my knowledge of a fighter's experience that allows me to enjoy these displays of mutual physical punishment and strategic challenge. ..."
"Muay Thai bouts can be seen in Bangkok seven nights a week."
Some captions under the pictures.
- The right round kick is the most frequently thrown weapon in the fighters' arsenal.
- A strong knee to the gut scores a point for the red boxer.
- The speed and fury of the fight are evident in the lightening movement of the opponents.
- The fighters prepare to punish each other with kicks.
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muay Thai is Thailand's national sport. It's considered by experts to be one of the most effective fighting arts on the planet. Aside from the official fights in two established locations in Bangkok, there are many bouts taking place around Thailand with boxers who are not yet ready for the big league. They set up boxing rings in open air store fronts where one can just buy a drink, grab a stool and sit and watch the young men train. There are as many as 60,000 nak muay (boxers) in Thailand. Bangkok is one of the nation's top venues, so the best fighters and their coaches go there from outlying provinces. It would be easy for any man to hang out with people training for this sport every night if they were interested imo.
