Muai Thai venues

[ceejay]

During my next visit (soon now :compress: ) I want to see an evening of real Muai Thai.

Any opinions on which is the nicer place to visit - Lumpinee Stadium or Rajadamnern Stadium? Or doesn't it make any difference?

Thanks

[nanette]

I've been to the Lumpini stadium once, with ring-side seats for foreigners going for B2000, but I was given a B200 discount..
The venue was virtually full(90% Thais), the air electric, with ten pairs of boxers of various classifications doing their bouts, some very bloody...
Those who bought ring-side seats could pose with the fighters at the end of the session for a souvenir photo..
Beers & other drinks were sold throughout the evening by waiters doing their rounds of the stadium...
Never been to the other venue, maybe next time...since I enjoy watching those glistening bundle of muscles and sinews punching and kicking away...

B2000 for a ringside seat????? did you have a part in The Deerhunter and watch the brains being blown out?????

Lumpini Stadium is Thailand's Madison Square Garden; history has been made at Lumpini Stadium, and it is easily reached from Silom. Lumpini Stadium would be my first choice.

[thanatorn-old]

I have been to an evening at Lumpini and believe me the 2000 baht is well worth it.

I initially had no interest in going but took some friends I was showing around Bangkok, so ended up paying 10000 for everyone. After much cursing about how it was a rip off, I can say that I had an absolutely brilliant evening and would recommend it to anyone - so much better than the show bouts in bars.

It is definately the atmosphere that makes it, and the hard muscles help!!!

I used one of Purple Dragon's tours for my night out of boxing which really helped for a newbie like me. The guide recommended Ratchadamneon over Lumpini because it was "better". As I recall the ringside seats were something around 1200 baht each (but this was 2 years ago and my memory is not what it used to be). I believe the venue is smaller than Lumpini and I found it a bit ... ok, how do I say this so not to sound negative.... how about "down to earth". There were only a few other people ringside including an Army/Policeman bigshot (didn't know the uniform) with his wife. All of the other spectators were up in the "balcony" seats.
The place was reeking with testosterone.
Its defintely a Man's venue in a Hemingway sense.
Its not just the boxers that are the attraction but the whole scene. The bizzare Thai orchestra playing to the action in the ring; the spectators shouting, point / counterpoint everytime their favorite scores a hit; the frenzied betting going on between rounds that looks like the Commodity trading pits in Chicago; the parade of beer swilling men going in and out of the men's room.....

As I remember we made quite a night of it. First we went to dinner by the river, then the boxing. After we checked out some of the gay karaoke venues around Ratchadamnoen and finnally topped the evening off with a visit to Tawan. Most of these were the guide's ideas which is why I like using Purple Dragon for a first time visit to things.

My favourite piece of Muay Thai history must be Parinya refusing to strip naked for a weight in, it caused a huge scandal but (s)he beat the officials, as well as a lot of her/his opponents. An incredible site to see a boxer in makeup, mince about the ring and then viciously beat an opponent into a pulp.

You sound like a left over from the Victorian era when visiting Freak Shows (http://www.bl.uk/learning/cult/bodies/freak/gallery/freakgallery.html) was all the rage.

[lonelywombat]

My favourite piece of Muay Thai history must be Parinya refusing to strip naked for a weight in, it caused a huge scandal but (s)he beat the officials, as well as a lot of her/his opponents. An incredible site to see a boxer in makeup, mince about the ring and then viciously beat an opponent into a pulp.

I assume Parinya was the person the film Beautiful Boxer was based on.

One of my favourite movies.

One problem with visiting Muay Thai events is that even when paying for ringside, to get a good centre front seat you need to get in early. This is a problem as the first half of the evening will be taken up by the junior fights. Only the later fights feature the fully grown.

Another problem is the authenticity of the bouts. This is highly questionable at some seaside resorts e.g. Hua Hin, though others e.g. Phuket do mount authentic regional contests.

[Beachlover]

I've seen some real looking fights in tourist towns... although I'm no expert, they looked reasonably real to me. I saw 14 year old boys being knocked out (ref immediately stops the fight) etc.

I've seen some real looking fights in tourist towns

I have too. In fact I've never spent an evening where there wasn't at least one bout that I believed to be genuine. But it is a crashing bore when it is started with several bouts from kindergarten, followed by the seat number prize draw and the "hands-up those from Finnland" welcome, a couple of good bouts followed by the town has been being amicably chased round the ring by the up-and-commers he'd clearly rather kiss, like I saw one night in Hua Hin.

When I go to the boxing, I want to see boxing. Maybe it's because my grandfather was a boxing champion in Punah.

How long does a typical Mauy Thai boxing night last?

[ceejay]

Thank you all for your help.

My favourite piece of Muay Thai history must be Parinya refusing to strip naked for a weight in, it caused a huge scandal but (s)he beat the officials, as well as a lot of her/his opponents. An incredible site to see a boxer in makeup, mince about the ring and then viciously beat an opponent into a pulp.

I assume Parinya was the person the film Beautiful Boxer was based on.

One of my favourite movies.

Yes "Beautiful Boxer" is based on Parinya's life story. The last I heard of her she was teaching Muay Thai in Pattaya. It is, also, one of my favorite movies.

How long does a typical Mauy Thai boxing night last?

My one expierience at Ratcha they had 10 matches. Figure 3x3 minute rounds and 2x2 min rests and your looking at 15 minutes per fight. Add in all the waiting, prep time, wai kru etc and you're looking at a 4 hour night. That's a lot of Singha!
Of course you don't have to stay for the whole thing. There is usually one "main event" match ( in my case it was match #7) which is the top draw of the evening and is either a championship fight or some kind of "qualifying" fight. We came in the middle of the 3rd match and you could tell the quality of the boxers was not at the same level as the "main event" boxers. The last 2 fights were the "kiddie" matches and most of the audience had left by then. The final match was "Marquess of Queensberry rules" (regular Western style boxing) and hardly anyone stayed for that.
I got the impression that the earlier matches we saw were being used to rank boxers but I don't follow the sport so I couldn't say for sure. They didn't seem to be junk-entertainment matches for tourists.

There's an enjoyable little blurb in Wikipedia about Ratchadamnoen Staduimen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajadamnern_Boxing_Stadium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajadamnern_Boxing_Stadium)

The only thing that makes me sad in Thailand is Thai boxing

[Beachlover]

You know how the ref sometimes reaches down with his hand, cups the boxer's crotch and gives it a bit of a rub? (He is checking that the boxer is wearing a protective cup).

Does anyone else get slightly turned on by this? :drunken: