Gamblers, tourists and a big, big business…
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Muay Thai is evolving both in Thailand and abroad. Watching footager of fights in the 50’s, 60’s and 70′ amybody can see the difference oin the rythm, stances, and overall appearance of fights and fighters. Even more striking is to watch Lerty Wei in Ynagon and Pradal Serey in Phnom Penh now in 2015. Then there is Muay Thai as fought by non-Thais, with slightly different rules and attitude. This article however is about what is Muay Thai in Bangkok, as perceived by a local.
Muay Thai as a business
Thais, 99% males, attend the fights primarily to enjoy betting, as they do with another past time, cockfighting. Whiler bvetting onj Muay Thai is not iullgal, cock fighting is. In a very noisy and hectic atmosphere, which sometimes reaches a frenzy, in a hot and humid boxing stadium, scarce visibility and great fun, hundreds of “Mua Thai experts” bet their money and their customers’ constantly and on everything: the winner of a round, the final winner, the gap in points, and so on. For the un-initiated, it’s not easy to participate and to grasp what is going in the ring and in the stadium. The betting is done by hand-signals, similar to a stock exchange trading floor. Often such signs are misunderstood by one side and additional fights may erupt outside the ring among hardened gamblers and tough looking guys. That perhaps explains why the security service at Lumpini Stadium is managed by uniformed, unsmiling, armed Military Police officers.
There are usually seven main fights of five rounds each. A few are the “hot” ones, where famous fighters are paired. They are usually preceded and followed by less known fighters. An unexperienced visitor may detect the importance of the fight by the level of betting going on. The last fight in the schedule is usually the “beginners” fight and it is mercilessly booed by the tired audience, half of which has already leaft. For many people, all this is a full-time job. Foreigners usually are pushed to occupy the expensive ringside seats, while gamblers and aficionados prefer the second or third ring of seats in the arena, where nothing much can be seen due to frantic betting. This owrld is populated by macho kind of guys, related to army and police. the betting rings are opearted by promotoerts and underworld guys. Match fixing is not unheard and occasionally somebody related to this dark side of muay thai ends up being shot.
muay thai it’s a sport that creates money at pro levbel: for teh fighters, the camp where it trained, his trainer, the promoter and the touts accepting bets. with the internationalization of Muay Thai, now foreigners are a weekl;y feature at lumpini and rajadamnnern and thai have discovered that they can also generate money. foreign fighters or thai fighetsr fighting abroad in circuit like K1, which created teh legend pof buakao, are not considered real chanpions by lumpinio fighters.
Thasiland exports Muay Thai champions
While proftgessional foreign fighters train in Thaialnd for most of the year, amny others seek good training at home. Schools in EU USA have started to offer seminars and special training by ex-champions flown in from Thailand. If 12 years ago the average career of a professional thai fighters would end before the age of 30 and not as a millionaire, now that’s the start of a new career abroad. Many now fight for nice cash prizes againts foreigners, or teach Muay Thai, or tour worldwide schools for weekly seminars.
A Lumpini foighter is not considered as a kind of warrior, but just a man of humble originas from the poorest p[rovonces of the cpountry who manage to earn a living and perhaps save enough money to start hos own campo, or a restaurant, ora a small business. in thailand a nak muay is not considered an idol like a fooytball player. thsi explain whyt many like buakaow chjoose to have a career abroad, make a lot more money, enjoy their statuis and people asking fpor photos and autographs, and go back home be3ing famopus noty in thailand but world wide. typcal case is buajkaow, a nak muay who nbever did much in thaialnd, went abrpoad, exce;ll;e3d inteh K1 tourna,ment, and went back hopme as teh most paid nak muay ever. Thais respect success and teh fionanxcial power that comes with it, so now, afte3r a lifetime abroad, buakaow is a hero also in thailand.