Phuket Muay Thai, Thailand

Thai boxing in Phuket

One of the most popular spectator sports in Thailand, and now gaining world renown, is the martial art of Muay Thai.

Exciting enough on TV - the furious punches, crushing elbow strikes, lethal kicks and artful feints are even more riveting when seen live.

Atmosphere

Patong Boxing Stadium

Witness the passion and drama of Thailand's national sport amidst crowds of onlookers whose cheers blend with the strains of high-pitched Javanese clarinets, drums and finger cymbals that accompany the fights from beginning to end. Phuket Boxing Stadium on Phuket Road, Amphoe Muang, Phuket Town features live matches on Fridays at 8.00pm.

For tourists in the Patong Beach area, nightly displays of Thai Boxing are carried out in specially built stadiums on Soi Sai Namyen or on Bangla Road.

If you don't mind the violence, a Thai boxing match is worth attending for the pure spectacle and the wild musical accompaniment, the ceremonial beginning of each match, and the frenzied betting around the stadium.

Traditions and Ceremonies

Paying respect to the teacher

The training of a Thai boxer and particularly the relationship between the boxer and teacher is highly ritualized. As the boxers enter the ring, they perform a special pre-fight dance known as the 'ram muay'. During the dance, the fighters wear a headband given by their trainer.

It is a sacred talisman earned after many years of dedication to the art. The dance starts with 'wai khru' -- each boxer kneeling and bowing three times, a show of respect to his teacher. With the ceremonies complete, the fight begins.

The Fight

Each fight consists of five rounds of three minutes each. Accompanying the fight is music stimulated by action in the ring, rising and falling as the boxers battle it out. All surfaces of the body are considered fair targets, and any part of the body except the head may be used to strike an opponent.

Common blows include high kicks to the neck, elbow thrusts to the face and head, knee hooks to the ribs, and low crescent kicks to the calf. A contestant may even grasp an opponent's head between his hands and pull it down to meet an upward knee thrust.

Punching is considered the weakest of all blows and kicking merely a way to ‘soften up' one's opponent; most matches end with a knee or elbow strike.

History

The origins of this martial art and sport are claimed to stretch back to the wars with the Burmese during the 15th century. Thailand's first famous boxer was one, ‘Nai Khanom Tom' who was said to have single-handedly defeated nine Burmese fighters in a wager for freedom. A Thai king, Phra Chao Seua (The Tiger King) is said to have been an incognito participant in many boxing matches in the early part of his reign.

The sport has changed a lot from the days when boxers would wrap their fists in thick horsehide trimmed with cotton soaked in glue and broken glass for maximum impact with minimum knuckle damage. Many changes initiated to make the sport safer have reduced the incidence of death and injury. But Thai boxing is still a violent contact sport and considered by many as the ultimate in unarmed combat. Demonstrations of Muay Thai are held in many of the tourist areas but they are mostly for show.

How to Get There...

Catch a Thai Boxing Fight at Patong Boxing Stadium

Muay Thai – the ancient art of Thai boxing – is fascinating to watch. This sport involves every part of the body and fighters train long hours as well as steeling their resolve and nerves for the task.

Come with us ringside to witness this enthralling spectator sport.
Mondays and Thursdays.

Patong Boxing Stadium Review

Basically, there are two types of Thai boxing in Patong: the staged stuff and the real McCoy. For the real article look no further than Patong Boxing Stadium on Sai Namyen Road. Talk about an atmosphere. The stadium is filling up with macho-looking types with their Thai girlfriends, middle-aged, broad-shouldered Thai guys and a large contingent of Muslims from neighbouring province Phang Nga, there to cheer on their relatives. Surrounding the ring are the more expensive seats and further out are blue-painted bleachers providing a bird's eye view of the proceedings.

The Muay Thai Girl: Sindy Huyer

Sindy Huyer is no ordinary visitor to Phuket. She's on a mission. Back home in Milan she is a professional kick boxer. But Thai boxing had fascinated her for years, so she headed for Phuket to get some authentic training. Phuket.com talked to her a day after “The Thorn of the Rose” – her fight name – had won a match. We learned why this 20-year-old dumped her dream of becoming a clothes stylist to pursue her new dream of becoming a professional Thai boxer.

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