If you like boxing, you’ll love Muay Thai
‘LIVE One Championship Friday Fights,’ flashed up on my YouTube app and despite having never watched Muay Thai before, with boxing being in its post-Christmas slumber, I succumbed to my curiosity and clicked on the link.
What unfolded was some of the most exhilarating action I have seen.
I can’t profess to be an expert in the sport but here’s what I’ve learned so far.
Known as the ‘art of eight limbs,’ allowing the use of punches, kicks, elbows and knees, there is always an angle of attack from which there is an opportunity to render an opponent senseless, meaning traditional methods of defensive evasion that may utilised in boxing are largely ineffective. The very nature of the sport necessitates the strategy whereby attack is the best form of defence – and this can lead to some spectacular drama.
With only three 3-minute rounds for non-title fights or five 3-minute rounds for title fights, the short time limits and rounds may seem peculiar to fans of boxing but it is a big factor in what makes Muay Thai so exciting. There is a frenetic ebb and flow as the combatants clash and the contests resemble an intricate dance that have potentially diabolical consequences. The fighters furiously exchange unleash lethal combinations, and take a ‘kill or be killed’ approach making it imperative that the fighters not only demonstrate their superiority through skill but also impose their sheer force of will on their opponent.
The importance of winning is heightened further as there is no possibility of fights ending in an unedifying draw, which places the emphasis on competitors to make as great an impression on the judges if they can’t score a knockout.
The fighters are incredibly well conditioned which is evident from their ability to absorb the type of punishment that would dismantle a mere mortal. Their toughness and endurance enables the most wounded of warriors on the brink of defeat to suddenly land a momentum swinging salvo and dramatically snatch sweet victory in the unlikeliest of manner to leave viewers as stunned as their stricken opponent, and can lead to them receiving an additional £50,000 performance bonus. See 3.16–3.27 for one such jaw-dropping example https://www.youtube.com/live/WlXuYneOjtU?feature=shared.
A major criticism, particularly of the boxing world, is the infrequent activity of their superstars and the need to meander through litigation and political minefields to land the biggest and most significant fights that would ultimately allow the sport to transcend to the masses and grow in popularity.
The superstars in Muay Thai not only fight often but have no qualms or difficulties in challenging themselves against their contemporaries.
Last year the legendary Rodtang who at 26 years old has already amassed a staggering record of 324 fights, 271 wins, 43 losses, and 10 draws, was edged out by the irrepressible Superlek – who at 28 has a similarly absurd record of 170 fights, 137 wins, 29 defeats and 4 draws – in a super-fight that became an instant classic.
After three rounds of pulsating warfare, the two men embraced and bowed their heads in respect and gratitude for the blood, sweat and tears that each of them shed, acknowledging that only the other man could truly understand the way in which they bared their soul over those 9 minutes. Check out the fight here https://youtu.be/xZtadif15WU?feature=shared.
And whilst there are always individuals that seek controversy in any walk of life, respect is not a surprising element to a pre-fight rivalry, it is an expectation central to the art of Muay Thai that is held sacred through the fighters mutual recognition of their adversaries dedication to their craft and willingness to sacrifice everything in pursuit of glory.
Animosity has often been the special ingredient that boxing promoters have cynically used to sell pay-per-view events, particularly when those fights don’t warrant the attention that they crave.
Thankfully, One Championship hasn’t relied on the tired, old tactic – in fact it’s quite the opposite considering Friday Fight Nights are available for free on YouTube. Instead, they have gained a loyal and growing fan base by routinely creating great fights between great fighters, and inadvertently leaving me with the feeling that my first love of boxing is – dare I say – stale by comparison.
That isn’t to say that I have abandoned boxing but One Championship has made me a fan of Muay Thai and I would encourage any fight fan to spend their next available Friday afternoon watching this most fascinating of sports.
