muay-thai-entertainment Muay Thai in Thailand

This post follows up on the earlier post about the Muay Thai Holiday. For those who missed that post about the various gyms and schools you can visit to learn Muay Thai on your holiday, this post is about the entertainment aspect of the holiday.

If you are looking at Muay Thai as entertainment, here is a low down on the activities you can plan for in Bangkok, Thailand. You can visit two major Boxing stadiums in Bangkok to catch some all-out Muay Thai fights.

Muay Thai in Thailand

The first one is the Rajadamnern Boxing Stadium, which opened to the public in December 1945 and is located in the Pom Prap Sattru Phai district; it is one of the two significant stadiums for modern Muay Thai.

With its own ranking system and championship title up to Middleweight, the stadium draws a steady flow of fans every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. It was such an honour for me to be behind the scenes of one such fight when I was in Bangkok that the experience will forever stay with me.

Entering the venue via the fighter’s entrance, I felt like a gladiator walking into the centre of the ring for a fight with fans cheering loudly for blood. The venue gave off a very gritty atmosphere, and the battles felt rawer as the fighters went all out to put on a show for the crowd and attack their opponents, intending to kill them.

I get the chills just thinking back at the few hours I spent in the stadium. If I were a fighter entering the ring in that stadium, the energy from the gamblers shouting and cheering at the warriors pumped up the adrenaline already coursing through the system.

Rajadamnern-Stadium Muay Thai in Thailand

Muay Thai fighters at Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok

After their fights, the fighters I talked to confirm it; as they prepare for their battles, they first get nervous, and when they strip down and get into their gear, they get pumped up for the fight.

When they step into the ring and perform the Wai Khru, their adrenaline levels shoot through the roof, and they use instinct and training in their fights.

They finish their battles, which usually last between a K.O. to either fighter to the end of the 5th round. They would be so drained of energy that it took some time to cool down enough to wash up and go home.

What interested me throughout the fight was the gambling at the 2nd level of the stadium, where bets are placed using hand signals, just like in the Stock exchange. Because gamblers may occasionally fight, foreigners are advised to occupy the more expensive ringside seats.

Even though the Military Police officers manage the stadium’s security, there will be times when the fights get so out of hand that it’s hard for the M.P.s to do anything if a travelling fan is caught in the middle. If you like an environment like ‘Blood Sports’, this is the place to go for your Muay Thai entertainment.

The other major Muay Thai stadium is the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, located at Ram Intra Road. In February 2014, the stadium moved to its present venue from its original location at Rama IV Road. They needed a bigger venue to accommodate the growing interest in sports. With a capacity of 9,500, the new Lumpinee Boxing Stadium is quite a testament to the Royal Thai Army’s aim to modernise sports even more.

I think the stadium is still very new, so for tourists, it’s advisable to get a Muay Thai tour package so that transport will be arranged as the only constant public transport available in the taxi service. The planned train station will only be ready soon.

Bus-wise, I’m not too familiar with the bus service in the area, so the best mode of transport I know of to get from your accommodation to Lumpinee Stadium is by taxi. Fights at Lumpinee Stadium are only on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, so if you plan to visit the place to catch some of the fights, you can plan your trips around those days.

Just like Rajadamnern Stadium, Lumpinee Stadium also has its own ranking system, with championship titles from mini flyweight (105 lb) up to the super welterweight (154 lb). I’m proud to say that I got to train with Sam-A, one of the reigning Lumpinee titleholders, during my stay in Bangkok.

Only three farangs (foreigners) have been awarded the most prestigious belts in Muay Thai, Lumpinee Champions. The first three are French-Algerian fighter Morad Sari, French fighter Damien Alamos, and Ramon Dekkers.

Unlike the Rajadamnern stadium, though, the Lumpinee stadium felt like any other regular sports stadium. Even though it was as noisy and packed as the other stadium, the atmosphere felt a bit tamer and controlled.

The various rooms (management office, medical, weight-in room and changing rooms) are appropriately segregated and spread across the rear of the stadium, with plenty of modern facilities for the fighters.

You can visit a massive shop for fans attending the match to buy boxing gear, and the ringside seats are nicely spread out. Check out the entrance below the VIP seating area to glimpse the next fighter coming out to fight.

Unlike Rajadamnern, where the fighters stand on a platform before their fight, the soldiers in Lumpinee get a nice sitting area to relax and get into the zone before entering the ring.

It’s quite a different environment, and when comparing both stadiums, the Lumpinee is much more structured and more civilised in terms of atmosphere, while Rajadamnern is much rawer.

Muay-Thai-Live-Bangkok Muay Thai in Thailand

Muay Thai Live cast in Bangkok

If watching Live competitions is not your tea, head to Asiatique and check out Muay Thai LIVE!, a daily stage performance by actual Muay Thai exponents. In a 90-minute spectacle, you’d be in awe at the flexibility of the performers on stage as they leap and perform impossible moves that you never know are possible. Created and Directed by Ekachai Eukrongtham, there’s plenty of action as he brings the story of Muay Thai to live.

It took the fighters 5 months to train and rehearse all the necessary scenes, and all the hits and kicks they execute are real. These guys are only alive and kicking because they rehearsed the moves so well that they could easily pull off those banned moves.

Yes, you read it right. A lot of the moves in the show are classic Muay Thai moves, but because they are so deadly, the Promoters and Governing Bodies for Muay Thai competitions have banned them from competitions.

When you catch the performance, don’t think the fighters choreograph their moves to the sound effects they seem to hit on cue. Truth be told, many of the sound effects and stage effects are all keyed in as they go.

So the magic not only appears on stage, but a man or a team is sitting high up on a stage with concrete control panels working the magic to ensure all the sound and stage effects appear and happen as the performers hit their mark.

After the show, I spoke to the performers and the director and found out that these guys and ladies are so well trained that they can switch roles easily when it is their turn to take the leading roles.

One of the biggest stars at the show is Asante Suwan, the actor who portrayed the Kathoey fighter Nong Thoom in Beautiful Boxer. Of course, fans would know that he has also acted in many other movies, but in terms of popularity, he is a beautiful boxer. Like all fighters, he’s pretty shy, but when I got him to talk about how trained he is to get in the shape he is in for this role, his eyes just lit up.

The main similarity all the actors in this show have in maintaining their bodies for Muay Thai LIVE! is eating clean, training well, and staying away from alcohol and cigarettes. For great abs, consistently do 500 ab crunches, and you will get the 6 or 8 packs you want.

As for the plans for Muay Thai LIVE! Ekachai mentioned that he has some plans for Christmas, so if you’re visiting Bangkok, check out Muay Thai LIVE! It is definitely a performance you should not miss. Check out the above activities if you plan to visit Thailand for the Muay Thai Holiday minus the training.

And now, for the contest to win some goodies, I brought back from Thailand. All you need to do is answer some simple questions, and five lucky people with the correct answers will walk away with a pair of exclusive Muay Thai shorts.

Win 5 Pairs of Muay Thai Shorts Contest

The contest runs from November 11th to November 17th, 2014. Participants should follow the instructions for the contest giveaway and email their answers as instructed in the widget.

This article was written by Mike Yip for those interested in Muay Thai. He enjoys this sport and attended the first-ever Muay Thai blogger Tour in Bangkok, Thailand. He spent five days there exploring the sport’s sports and entertainment side.

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