Nong Rose fights Kompayak
Transgender boxer Nong Rose Bancharoensuk will take on veteran Muay Thai star Kompayak Singmanee next month.
The fight will take place at Bangkok’s Rajadamnern stadium and is being promoted by OneSongchai.
Nong Rose will give the ageing Kompayak a two-pound edge with the former fighting at 114 pounds and the latter at 116 pounds.
Kompayak, 48, will make a comeback to the ring after a 20-year absence to take on a powerful and formidable fighter in Nong Rose.
Kompayak is a former Lumpinee champion and brother of former Muay Thai superstar Hippy Singmanee. The brothers graced the Muay Thai scene in the so-called “golden era’’ of the sport in the 1990s.
It will be Nong Rose’s third bout at the famed Rajadamnern with her first two ending in fantastic fashion for the Nakhon Ratchasima native.
Born Somros Polchareon, Nong Rose said she identified as a woman at an early age and began wearing makeup and sports bras in the ring.
“Being a transgender doesn’t mean that we’re weak,” Nong Rose said after a recent fight. “We can achieve anything as well.”
The 21-year-old started boxing at eight, following in the footsteps of an uncle, a Muay Thai fighter who encouraged her to train. Her twin brother is also a Muay Thai fighter.
In the rural towns where she has done most of her fighting, her appearance disconcerted some of her male opponents.
“They would say they didn’t want to fight with a gay person, as it would be embarrassing if they won or lost,” she said. “I still face those insults, but I don’t care about them.”