Had seen Muay Thai boxing on an episode of
The Bachelorette (I’m afraid to admit how much I love that show but now my
dirty little secret is out!) and persuaded Steven we should go see a fight
while in Chiang Mai. It is also one of
“the” things to do according to many travelers and posters on Trip Advisor. I’ve never been to a fight before so I looked
forward to the evening with glee – a new life experience without the brutality
of a Big Fight.
· Able to get VIP tickets delivered to our guesthouse for only
600thb or $20 each; VIP meant second row seats so we could see the sweat
streaming off their faces (and be sprayed with it too), smell their liniment
and get up close and personal views of the fighters – what more could you
want?!
· The arena or “stadium” as it was called was all of a 5 minute walk
from the guesthouse and very bare bones but neater b/c of all that; it was
supposed to start at 9 but didn’t get underway til closer to 9:30.
- Saw from the program there’d be 7 fights with 6 different weight
classes; the first fighters seemed only to be about 12 and in the 102 lb weight
class; each fight lasted 5 rounds OR until one was knocked out! Each round varied in length from 3 minutes to
3:15
and there was about 1:30 between rounds according to my personal
timekeeper.
- The 2nd set was the 120 lbs weight class; the 3rd was the 112 lb weight class.
- · All the fighting, from the youngest to oldest, was done to the almost deafening roar of pulsating music
even as the fighters seemed to dance on their feet in time to the music. Each bout for each pair of fighters began
with the 2 fighters doing what seemed like an intricate, choreographed routine
very akin to a dance.
· Muay Thai boxing, although I am the first to admit I know NOTHING
about any fighting, appeared to be a combination of kickboxing and straight
boxing.
· There were lots of kicks to the head but no protective head gear,
only hands wrapped; I could sure see how Ali and so many other fighters have
developed Parkinson’s after thousands and thousands of repeated blows to their
heads year after year.
· Interesting seeing how the ref switched jobs with the judges – can’t
imagine that happens in regular boxing, does it?
· The 4th round, which was the 135 lb weight class, lasted the shortest of all as one of the
fighters was very conveniently knocked out right in front of our seats! We could see smelling salts being applied to
help him come to and had ice fly our way and land on our table – a tad too much
reality for me, thank you.
· The 5th fight was billed as a “special fight”: 4 guys came into the ring together and then
were blindfolded before the fighting even began! Hysterical watching that bout, especially
when the boxers would flail about not hitting anything or anyone at which point
the ref would intentionally push one or more fighter into another so the
audience could see some action; of course, sometimes the ref would get pummeled
too when he was in the wrong spot at the wrong time! Somehow, a winner was still proclaimed after
the bout ended – not sure how that was decided!
· As the evening progressed, the rounds got a little shorter; also
the men slipped more on the mat b/c of all the sweating from the earlier
matches – also not helped by some of them spitting, mind you. The 6th fight was for the 122 lb weight class and the 7th and final involved an Australian vs a Thai in the 140 lb weight class. There were a lot of Australians in the crowd judging by the cheers in support of the Aussie when he pummeled the Thai any time and finally won the match.
· A fun if late evening as boxing ended shortly after midnight.
· I had an absolute blast and loved every moment of the evening and
was thrilled that Steven indulged me into our going – what a great sport. Photos follow: I hope they're not too gory for you!
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