Joe Louis watches a Muay Thai fight
There is something about two men, fighting mano a mano, that has captured the interest of sporting spectators for centuries. Boxing used to be the method of deciding honor and identifying champions. Lately the sport has taken a swoon in popularity for a variety of reasons including the realization of long term health impacts and the fragmenting championship belts. Instead mixed martial arts leagues such as the UFC have gained large followings combining aspects of boxing, wrestling, and other fighting forms. When I hear the words Muay Thai though, my mind jumps to exotic locales where the air is thick and the sweat heavy. I have mental associations to John Claude Van Damme movies as well as the Street Fighter character Sagat. Although it is similar in structure and skills to other forms of fighting, Muay Thai is special in that it originates in Thailand and exudes a tropical rawness unique to its homeland.
The best place to watch a Muay Thai fight is in a stadium where the headliners are top fighters. There are three stadiums in Chiang Mai alone and each usually hosts fights a couple days a week. The way we learned the fight schedule was just by walking around the city – there are ubiquitous posters promoting specific fights on specific nights. If you want a more specialized type of fight such as one with an international card or with female fighters, you should probably plan ahead.
Because we decided to go on an off-night, we ended up going to Loi Kroh Stadium, conveniently located in the shady neighborhood (where our hostel was) teeming with lady boy prostitutes and their older, foreign patrons. The stadium isn’t a traditional arena as you may think of one. It’s actually a ring surrounded by dive bars with some chairs in between. Fortunately we didn’t have to pay a cover and instead funneled our money to the adjacent bars serving Tiger and Chiang beers.
Sadly, the quality of the matches was poor. These were clearly show fights and the competitors were not trying very hard. Still, we had a great time, betting each other on blue shorts or red shorts and lapping up drinks. After three rounds of actions, the fighters came out of the ring and walked around with donation boxes asking for tips. They seemed nice, although they were hesitant to pose for pictures with us. If you are looking for some more hardcore battling, I would recommend one of the other stadiums. But for a more relaxed night, Loi Kroh served up a decent Muay Thai experience.
See what other websites are saying about Muay Thai:
“Muay Thai isn’t a solitary sport. You may be the only one in the ring against your opponent when you fight, but your trainers and sparring partners, your entire gym family, are what builds you into a fighter.”
–Fightland
“Nak Muay (Thai boxer) has five ways to bring the pain: foot thrust, kick, knee, elbow and the fist. These can act as weapons or as armor, depending on the situation of the match. It takes years to master 15 major and 15 minor tactics. While boxing has been known for its showmanship Thai boxers aspire to be discipline and modest.”
–Chiang Mai Spotlight
