I knew this was going to be one of the more unusual experiences in my life but the evening was unforgettable. Before the bout proper began, the contestants did a kind of shadow-box dance. I found the music and the movements most pleasant. Boonlert told me that the seasoned spectators could tell by the movements which school the boxers came from. This prelude was thus a kind of public acknowledgment of one’s guru.
The music began to warm up and so did the crowd. Boonlert very helpfully informed me that the stirring music was to give the boxers a sense of rhythm and also to cheer them on. It was clear that the spectators got very aroused too. I had read in my guide book that it was not unusual for the crowds to get violent especially when angered by a referee’s decision. I hoped that would not happen. I was not keen on too much excitement.
Their bodies glistening with sweat, the two boxers leapt into action, punching and kicking one another. Fans yelled loudly, egging on their heroes while gamblers signaled their illegal bets to bookies hiding in the shadows. Gambling is very much a part of Thailand’s favorite sport-kick boxing.
The boxing ring looks like one everywhere else in the world. Thai boxers also use the familiar boxing gloves and shorts but here the similarity to Western boxing ends. The two men I was watching used their feet, elbows, legs, knees and shoulders – in short, nearly every part of their body! However, they attacked most with their bare feet. A boxer’s size is often not a good measure of his ability. The smaller man we were watching floored his much larger opponent with a well-aimed kick. Martial art training is part of the regimen. It is a well-known fact that a good Thai boxer is almost impossible to beat.
Boonlert could see I was not very comfortable with the amount of physical contact I was witnessing. With unconcealed glee, he told me that until fifty years ago, the boxers did not wear gloves. Their hands were covered with a kind of hemp to which ground glass was added. Fights went on until one boxer dropped. At least in the fight I was witnessing, the boxers wore gloves and the referee stopped the fight when one of the boxers was injured. I convinced Boonlert that in spite of these controls. Thai kick boxing was almost too thrilling a spectator sport for me.
