Wednesday 20th October
Got back from Pai at about half 4, maybe 5. The rain was pissing down and half of Chiang Mai was flooded. I could see tuk-tuks starting to float and lads loading scooters into the back of pick-ups to get them out of the water.
All the same, when I got to the hostel (Spicy Thai again), everyone seemed up for the Muai Thai - apparently I'd picked a good night to turn up for. I've heard from loads of people that Chiang Mai is the place to see Muai Thai because down south it's very much for the tourists and/or fixed, or just exhibitiony. I wanted to see what Thai people go to see.
The ring itself was in a kind of ex-pat area, lots of bars generally populated by older western guys and Thai hookers but we more or less skipped over that and headed straight into the "stadium", which is at the end of two rows of bars, including the Shamrock bar - the most half-arsed Irish bar I've seen yet!
It's basically just a large ring surrounded by chairs. Noom, the Spicy Thai co-owner/manager sorted out the tickets for us, so that was awesome. We grabbed seats, some drinks and settled in. The first match was on about twenty minutes after we arrived. Presumably Noom timed it so we wouldn't be sitting around in the place for ages before it started.
Fight One
These two guys seemed to be about 8 years old, maybe 9, which is about standard for the start of a Maui Thai career. Bear in mind here that these kids are basically professional fighters at this age, getting their "first blood" (first time in the ring) maybe.
You might be thinking, well that's awful, and in many ways it is. These kids have no education prospects, and even if they did they probably couldn't take that education very far. Money is a premium and even if they don't physically see the money from this particular fight, there is every chance some of it is feeding the family. Of course it's terrible that 8 year olds spend more time kicking down bamboo trees than learning to read, but given that western imperial influence and interference in the South East Asian region is largely responsible, it's all very well for you to sit there and judge, but there is very little other future for these guys. As a professional Maui Thai fighter, these kids will grow up as respectable members of society, with a decent earning potential, especially as they move from fighter to trainer in their early or mid twenties and maintain a very real link to an authentic Thai history. So yes, kids beating lumps out of each other isn't all that great, but for them, it's a future.
It's also very respectful and although I didn't tape it, both fights bow to the crowd, and pray in the ring centre before the fight. Afterwards, each combatant goes to the other fighter's trainer and is given a cup of water. Animosity is minimal.
Before you watch the fight, some general pointers. Punches don't get any points in a Maui Thai match, it's on kicking and skill in general, so don't be surprised that you don't see much in the younger kids. They're just focused on kicking here. As they get older and tougher, punches enter the mix as a way to break down the opponent. You'll probably notice this as the fights progress.
Round 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcK9awhVf34
Round 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf5XWcPLIl4
Round 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J13KW6_FC08
Round 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7CA7fdYz50
Fight Two
This fight I reckon was somewhere in the 13-14 year old age range and unfortunately I didn't tape this fight. My battery was running low so I thought I'd film the later rounds instead. Big mistake. It only lasted about a minute and a half.
At the start it was fairly even, but somewhere around half way the red fighter seemed to realise that he well out-classed the other and just finished it. There were some punches, knees and then a sudden burst of energy. The purple shorted fighter doubled up, the red clasped him behind the head and took him with a knee in the face and followed with an elbow in the back of the head. The ref broke them up and they continued, which proves just how hard these guys are, but in the next exchange the purple guy hit the ropes and went down and it was all over. He was okay, walking after a minute or two, but I imagine this morning he feels a little worse for wears!
Fight Three
This was a girl-fight, probably about 10 or 12, hard to tell with girls. One was kinda dainty while the other looked like a miniature rugby player and she battered the other girl, but still, it went the full five rounds, which was good.
Fight Four
Things got heavier here. Older guys, one built like a brick shithouse and one wiry little fucker. The black shorts guy is the bigger guy and look at him show off! The other guy is just standing in the corner staring him out of it!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Y4lpgnqUE
Guess who won?
Round 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At89iSDDJZY
Round 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbRZgCEf-uA
Good guess - if you guessed the smaller guy! He just seemed to tire out and then batter the other fella around!
Fight Five - Mess Fight!
Three blindfolded guys mess fighting for our entertainment! Hilarious!
Fight Six
Don't actually remember much about this fight, if was fairly even. Someone won, but that's probably obvious to you.
Fight Seven
This was the big fight of the night. You can tell because all the Thai people showed up for it!
A Canadian guy was fighting a Thai, and it was obviously a big deal. A guy I met in Spicy Thai last week told me exactly what to expect from a Westerner fighting a Thai, and he was spot on. Basically, he doesn't stand a chance in a kicking match, because the Thais spend their entire lives training to kick things. The only way they can win is with a knock out, because they'll never score enough points. Because of this, the matches tend to be fast and hard. Lots of punching and lots of knees.
Round 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq-hlDm1IVI
Round 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV3JcvRnVW8
And as you can see, that is exactly what happened here!
I would have prefered to see the Thai guy win I think, but it was still awesome to see it. Totally worth coming back from Pai for. A definitively Thai experience and it was good fun. Unfortunately, after the fight, the Thai boxer didn't go over to the Western guy's team for a cup of water, which I think might have been bad form, but it isn't for me to judge, now is it.
Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the videos.
See you next time,
Shane!
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