We have recently had an influx of Canadian visitors from Intermap and have been making the rounds of dinners, drinks, and Thai cultural evenings to keep our guests properly entertained. After the temples were viewed and the local cuisine tasted, we decided to take them all out for a night of Muay Thai, or Thai Boxing as it is known by the less informed. We have been meaning to go to an event since we got here, but now that our time has become limited and the idea of home is looming over our heads, Ryan and I are more intent than ever in making our Thai experience all that it can be. That said, Ryan and I suggested we show our visitors an authentic Thai night - the boxing arena.
Ryan had one of his employees arrange the tickets for us and we ended up with VIP ringside seats! We were very excited to be finally going, let alone being so close to the action. Although I will say, I was more than a little nervous about being sweated on!
For those that don't know, Muay Thai is a type of boxing that allows the use of punches, kicks and knees. Before each match, the fighters perform a ritual dance in which they bless their trainers, their opponent and I guess their being there? After they both dance, the fight begins - it lasts 5 rounds and is judged very similar to other sports of the same.
As some of you know, I am a fan of Ultimate Fighting, so I had an idea of what I was getting myself into. Of course, Ultimate Fighting is a bit more intense (and bloody) than Muay Thai, but there was an awful lot of knocking around going on. The first two rounds were kind of lame - the fighters just appeared to be feeling each other out (or perhaps putting on a bit of a show to make the crowd feel they got their money's worth) but then the third, fourth and final rounds were quite intense.
The energy in the arena was absolutely incredible - we have a video, but I am going to have to remember how to post those again. Everytime a puch or knee was thrown the crowd would cheer or groan in unison. It was a really amazing experience. The best part was the live music that was played throughout the match. The music would begin when the fighters did their dance, and then as the fight began they would play with a bit more vigour. Then, as the fighting became more intense, the music would become faster and louder - it really added to the whole experience.
Ok, try number one:
The main event that night was a Championship match between two fighters. It was a really good fight, although one guy appeared to forfeit in the end. I think we need to learn a bit more about the rules of Muay Thai before we go see it again since we couldn't understand why he seemed to give up. We figured that he was so far down in points that he couldn't win - unless there was a knock out - so he just conceded. Maybe it is the Western culture influencing us, but we couldn't understand why he wouldn't just go for that knock out punch . . .
After the seventh fight we had had enough and were ready to head out. The main event was over and there were still three fights to go, but we were tired and had seen enough. I think one can only take so much of seeing two men pound the crap out of each other! Plus, it was a little odd watching them; the heaviest fighter was 125 lbs, and most averaged around 105-110, so often it was like watching children fight. They all seemed so small and fragile (but man could those men fight!)
By the end of our night, we had seen one man's face swell up so that he looked like he had grapefruits growing under his skin, and another man carried out on a stretcher, but for the most part the fighters didn't appear to get too hurt. It is a very exciting and exhilirating sport to watch live and I will definitely not pass up the opportunity to go again. And the best part: no, I did not get sweated on (although I did cover my beer a few times for preventative purposes!)
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