All credit to Lynchburg for posting this elsewhere http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W42pOf6jkQ0&feature=player_embedded#!
:deal That's a staged fight for foreigners to earn those guys, probably ex fighters and current tuk tuk drivers an extra 500 baht and whatever the crowd donates after the fight. I used to be involved with these over a decade ago in Bangkok, whenever one of the pad men or ex fighters needed some extra dough. They tend to be in tourist spots usually redlight areas. That one looks like it could be Chang Mai, but can't really tell. Money for old rope with drunk tourists.
Let's all watch this one instead. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnRmvugK8TE&feature=related[/ame]
This is common in Thailand. I went to a few of these fights when i was there a couple of weeks back. Its the equivalent of the WWE. That said a lot of those guys come from professional backgrounds. They just stay within the tourists areas/bars as its the only way for them to scrape a living. They get paid peanuts for it even when they do get tips when the bucket goes around after their bout. That said some of the blows are real. And some of the take a serious pasting for pittance in return all to entertain us Westerners...
Yep, that's the truth of it, but most of the serious pastings the Thais take in these kind of arenas are when you get a fresh fit foreigner in town for a few weeks who fancies taking on a Thai while he's in town. So the foreigner gets matched against an unfit ex fighter who's been retiered for 10 years, has the pre fight diet of 20 cigarettes a day and half a bottle of Sang Som whisky! There is usually 3-4 divisions difference in weight class and the foreigner acts like he's fighting Tong Po from the movie "Kickboxer"!:rofl In other words a total farce. :-( The Thai has enough ring smarts to deflect or roll with most of the shots to avoid getting hurt too bad and then crumble when needed and let the pumped up foreigner get his victory and photos for all his mates on face facebook. The foreigner flies home thinking he's Ramon Dekker and the Thai goes home with a little bit of extra dough (as stated a pittance) knowing that if he was fit and fancied it the foreigner wouldn't have lasted 1 round whatever the difference weight class. :yep
Thanks Rob for that little gem form the vaults of the Golden Age of Muay Thai! If you wanna level the playing field when fighting a good Thai that's the way to do it, wade in there in Rd 1 with tight heavy punches to catch him cold before his jucies get flowing!:yep Coban got his revenge though in the brilliant rubber match! Two of my absolute ATG favs going at it waaaaaaarrrrrrr::scaredas: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xfyge_ramon-dekkers-vs-coban-iii_sport No not Thai English, an honorary Thai . I've lived there since the Late 90s. My wife and son are Thai, my business is Thai related etc etc. Ex Muay Thai fighter who knows the Thai scene pretty well.
