Sticky in Chennai

Esmerelda wagered100 bhat that the

fighter in the red trunks would die by round 3.

Of course no visit to Bangkok is complete without some Thai Kick Boxing! 

Esmeralda and I are great consumers of Kung Fu movies. (Fyi, this is arguably one of the legs upon which our marriage stands.) Of course Kung Fu movies are a far cry from actual Thai Kick Boxing, but we had to check it out.  We were a little apprehensive as I had heard a lot about the sheer brutality and viciousness of Muay Thai.  Supposedly Thai kick boxers are very aggressive, brutal, and matches often degenerate into horribly bloody spectacles.  I was a bit nervous that it might prove a bit much for Edmerelda’s sensitive side.  But, despite our doubts, we knew this was part of the unique cultural life of Thailand, so we wanted to at least try.   (Note: Prior to this event my primary source of knowledge about Thai Kick Boxing was the much cherished classic movie: KICKBOXER.  I have also completed additional research by viewing its equally lauded sequel:  KICKBOXER II.   Have yet to see KICKBOXER III.)

Getting ready for another brutal round of mortal combat.

We paid double the usual rate to get the special foreigners VIP treatment (Basically we got seated in a front row area with all the other white people, and a few Bangkok ‘girlfriends.’)  We could feel the excitement in the air as the crowd began to build.  The bell rang and the first fighters walked into the ring.  My best guess is that the first kick boxers were about 10 years old.   And, as far as I could tell, it looked an awful lot like your average school yard scuffle.   Hey, don’t get me wrong.  It was fun watching two kids duke it out.  But it was far more reminiscent of a mundane confrontation between two 5^th graders than say, a scene from Lethal Fists V with international action hero star Jean Claude Van Damme.   I was actually thinking to myself: "Hey, I can take these kids on!"  They were cut, in awesome shape, but they were still little kids.

I actually think this might be a great sport:  12 year old Thai Kick boxers versus middle aged, bald, paunchy, spectacled, very white Jewish business men.  I am sure there is a great investment opportunity here.  Or at least a fantastic reality TV show. If anyone has the connections needed to make this happen let me know.  I am ready to start training immediately.  

Happily the later matches involved older and more developed fighters, but even the heaviest were still quite young and quite slim.  But it was a fun and interesting evening.  I was surprised that the fighting was aggressive, but actually quite tame and humane.  A few fights were ended early when the match became too one-sided, and overall I felt they had a high concern for the safety and well-being of the fighters.   As far as a fighting event can - it felt quite civilized.  Worth an evening if you are ever in Bangkok.