THE LAND OF MUAY THAI

Thailand is renowned for its delicious cuisine, beautiful beaches and friendly people, but as the writer discovers on his travels to Chiang Mai, the country can also boast of its own unique form of boxing: Muay Thai.

Discovering its’ rich history and culture

After taking in a beautiful sunset and grabbing dinner in the night market’s food court, we head straight for the arena. This is one of the many must-do’s on our journey through Thailand — not that we could miss it if we tried. On the bustling streets of Chiang Mai, the largest city in northern Thailand, Muay Thai is inescapable. Poles are plastered with flyers touting the upcoming fights. Young men hug the corners at every turn, passing out handbills for one of several Muay Thai arenas in the city centre. Trucks roam the streets, blaring advertisements for the latest bout from loudspeakers strapped to their roofs.

As we come upon the entrance to the arena — or what looks more like a small shopping plaza — we’re greeted by several men who are the promoters for tonight’s Muay Thai matches. They collect our ticket stubs and we duck our heads under a giant banner that read “Real Thai Boxing”. A young woman leads us down a short walkway lined with shops, restaurants and bars to our seats. Our flimsy folding chairs are only a few metres from the action, so we’re immediately thankful we didn’t shell out an extra 200 baht for “ringside” seats.

The ring, drenched in a harsh light from the giant fluorescent bulbs above, rises up from the centre of a roofed-in courtyard, encircled by a few dozen tables and chairs. Nearly two metres off the floor, the canvas or surface of the ring is bordered by four ropes that climb another metre or so. It resembles the traditional boxing rings I’ve seen on TV, but seems much larger and more imposing in real life.

This is the ancient art of Muay Thai today, as practised for thousands of years from battlefields to Buddhist temples, in back alleys and stadiums. Unequivocally tied to the strong spirit of Thai nationalism and its images of masculinity, strength and power, Muay Thai is truly the national pastime. And although football has become quite popular among young

Thais, in recent years,

Muay Thai has seen a resurgence due to its use in, and the growing

international popularity of, mixed martial arts (MMA). From the beaches of Phuket in the south to the mountains of Chiang Mai in the north, Thais and farang (foreigners) alike are sweating bullets in Muay Thai training camps.

To see how important Muay Thai is to Thai culture, you need only examine the popular legend of Nai Khanom Tom. According to folklore, when the ancient Siam capital of Ayutthaya fell to the invading Burmese in the late 1700s, they took many Thai soldiers as prisoners. One of these prisoners, a Muay Thai fighter named Nai Khanom Tom, proved himself to the Burmese king by defeating 10 Burmese champion fighters, one after another. This story personifies the Thai national spirit perfectly, and Thais still celebrate

Nai Khanom Tom’s victory on Boxer’s Day every March 17th.

Soon a waitress arrives and we order a “big Chang” (the official beer of Thailand) to share and settle into our surroundings. On the table in front of us, a short program details the series of bouts for the night. There are six bouts listed, starting with young, 12- to 14-year-old boys and working their way up in age, weight and skill level.

Known as the “art of eight limbs”, Muay Thai encourages competitors to use not just their arms and legs in striking an opponent, but their elbows and knees as well. The fighters alternate between blocking and lashing out with swift punches and kicks. Some fights are quick and brutal, while others are slow and plodding battles that test even the audience’s stamina. The fighters’ entangled arms refuse to release as they trade sharp knee thrusts to the

abdomen. Generally, Muay Thai fights last five rounds of three minutes each, but the referee calls almost all the fights earlier because one of the fighters is physically unable to go on.

But it’s not all about fierce roundhouse kicks and spinning backfists. The rituals surrounding the practice are also very important and each fighter takes them quite seriously. Before each bout, both fighters enter the ring wearing a traditional headdress and armband talisman. They circle the ring, keeping one arm on the top rope at all times to keep out bad spirits. They perform a dance (ram muay) and a bowing ceremony (wai khru) which honour their gods, trainers and elders. A striking music plays throughout the wai khru and the ensuing bout, which builds a powerful energy in the room. The instruments — a pi java, or Japanese clarinet, two different sets of drums, and Ching, the tiny brass or iron cymbals played by the ensemble’s conductor — rise and fall with the blows exchanged between the fighters. A palpable tension fills the air with each passing round; as the fighters dance, the music quickens and the crowd roars with excitement.

Across the room from our seats, on the far side of the ring, the fighters, their trainers and entourage are milling about. We spy boxers sprawled out on mats, receiving Thai massage before and after their fights. A small group of Thai men keeps to the back, sometimes talking with certain members of each entourage, almost certainly exchanging bets on the fights. Before each bout, one of the men will work his way through the mostly Western crowd checking for bets among the tourists. Many shake him off quickly, but a few can’t resist the temptation in the air and lay a few baht on the line.

Although the rituals and history are certainly important, money is really what drives Muay Thai in Thailand today. Most fighters come from lower-class, rural communities, and fighting offers them a chance at upward economic and social mobility. Even the most amateur of fighters will be paid a pittance for his first fight.

Some fighters continue on at an amateur level as a source of extra money, while others train relentlessly for a chance at fame and relative fortune. Additionally, many of the regular, paying customers attending the fights are gamblers, and without them, the sport might not survive.

About halfway through the evening, there is a “blind fight”, where four boxers are blindfolded and set upon one another with flaying limbs. The referee takes turns pointing each boxer towards another, and hilarity ensues. This splash of ridiculousness amidst so much ritual and aggression is clearly a show put on for the tourists, but it is amusing nonetheless. There is also a female bout, a relatively new development for a sport that used to bar woman from the ring entirely, fearing that their femininity would undermine the masculinity so deeply tied to Muay Thai. In the finale, an international bout, a Thai fighter is beaten by a lanky, pale English kid in a fiveround decision. Quite a battle, indeed.

A night of Muay Thai is certainly a full sensory experience, the smells, sounds and sights of which should not be missed. But feeling as if we’ve taken a few punches ourselves after a long day, we exit the arena and slowly walk the quieting streets of Chiang Mai back to our guesthouse. What adventures will Thailand hold for us tomorrow? Only time will tell…