Muay Thai boxing

Muay Thai boxing

Thailand’s National sport is Muay Thai boxing. According to popular tourist blog a Muay Thai boxing fight is a must-see event for tourists. A decade ago, I attended a boxing event at a popular venue In Phuket – called Patong Boxing Stadium, on Sainam yen Road, near Patong Beach.

What is Muay Thai?

I stumbled upon an excellent online publication which details the history of Muay Thai, and Muay Thai training. The blog is called Tiger Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts a Thailand publication.

The series of black and white photos in this blog post are coverage from an evening at the Patong Boxing Stadium. You’ll notice in the imagery, foreign fighters as westerners are included in the line-up. The fighting was intense, with relentless punches, crushing elbow strikes, and powerful kicks – all part of the mix. Plus, a knock-out on this occasion. Subsequently, the knock-out photo received an FWA photo award in 2010.

The people in the audience watching the fight are worth scanning for their energy. Some look stunned, while others cringing perhaps feeling uncomfortable with the violence, and pain the fighters are enduring.

Muay Thai matches are legal gambling arenas, and the bookies are obvious with their fists full of Thai bhat with their customers in close proximity.

For more photography taken while I was living in Phuket Thailand visit this link.