Much like in the US boxing in Thailand has seen better days. In the US, with the exception of a few solid showdowns every year boxing has been pushed aside by the likes of UFC and in general MMA's explosion of popularity. With an all but forgotten about heavy weight division, fans are flocking to the octagon for their blood sport fill. Muay Thai boxing, Thailand's national sport, has suffered a similar fate at the hands of professional wrestling and the growth of interest in foreign sports such as English primer league soccer.
Bastardized and overpriced versions of so called authentic fights can be found at almost every tourist destination. But if you hang around with the some of the older crowd long enough, they will inevitably begin to tell you about the glory days. When Thai boxing wasn't about brute strength and when the boxers needed to master a half dozen techniques that all melded into one beautifully destructive and brutal fighting form. They drop the names of the greats like your grandfather references Marciano, Ali and Frazier, with the sort of by gone nostalgia that horse racing garners where words like "beautiful" don't seem out of place.
My landlord loves to tell me about how great things used to be, how he now rarely watches matches on TV and hasn't been to one in years. I asked him once if he had ever fought, he laughed and popped out a good portion of his lower teeth. His jaw was on the receiving end of an elbow that sent him to the canvas cold.
Below, video proof on just how punishing these little guys can be.
Ong-Bak style
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