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| THAILAND
During my first trip to Bangkok in 1989, I was terrorized at a Go Go bar by a trio of Thai boxers. Ex-boxers, to be exact. They worked as bouncers at "Cinderella," near Patpong Road's Red Light district, and had decided to use me as sparring fodder. I had been lured into the club by a pre-pubescent kid whose job, unbeknown to me at the time, was to pluck unsuspecting farangs (foreigners) from the street. The club manager welcomed me with a suspicious grin, insisting that no cover charge was necessary. Therein lay the scam. I ambled toward the bar and ordered a bottle of Singha. When a bizarre strip show commenced, I paid for my unfinished beer and attempted to leave. Instead, the manager presented me with a bill for $16 "cover charge" he said, despite his earlier claim to the contrary.
Rather than engage in a 3-to-1 bar brawl and end up in intensive care, I did the smart thing. I ran. Before the would-be assailants could even think about throwing a punch, I bolted past them and burst through the exit. I didn't look back for 14 years. Although I'm back in Bangkok and far, far away from Patpong Road, Thai boxers continue to pose a threat. But this time the threat is vicarious. For 1,000 baht (US$23.00), I purchased a ringside seat at Ratchadamnoen stadium, one of two prominent Bangkok venues (Lumphini is the other) for professional Thai boxing. Muay Thai, as it is called, employs some 60,000 full-time fighters nationwide. Upon retirement, a few end up as bouncers who terrorize farangs at unscrupulous Go Go bars. But on this day at Ratchadamnoen, each of the 7 scheduled 5-round bouts matched one top-ranked fighter against a worthy opponent. I watched eagerly as the first two combatants entered the ring. Thin and yet ripped with muscle, both men performed the 5-minute Ram Muay boxing dance which precedes every match. Accompanied by the melodic sound of a ringside oboe and drum, the balletic ritual pays homage to each boxer's spiritual leader, or khruu.
As is allowable under Muay Thai rules, the boxers unleashed lightning-quick strikes using feet, knees, elbows, fists any body part except the head. The 18-year-old delivered a vicious knee to his opponents ribs. The 19-year-old staggered backward, collected himself, then responded with a powerful kick to the shin. From my ringside seat I could almost feel the force of contact. The men traded blows, showering me and other spectators with sweat. The haunting oboe melody continued throughout the fight, quickening and growing louder, in tune with the rhythm of the action.
As the fighter went down, the audience roared. I turned toward the crowd and saw hundreds of men in the cheap seats, their hands waving eagerly while attempting to place bets. That's when I noticed the barrier of chicken wire behind which they stood (this prevents rowdies from throwing of objects into the ring). Meanwhile, the fallen boxer staggered to his feet and was immediately rewarded with an uppercut. The crowd responded with a vociferous "Oooooh!" as if it had been hit in the collective gut.In retaliation for the punch, the boxer unloaded three rapid knee-jabs to the ribs. The crowd reacted, "Oooooh! Oooooh! Oooooh!" seeming to feel the recipient's pain.
Two men came out with a stretcher and removed the unconscious victim. The crowd exhaled. The next fight began. The loser left via a stretcher. When the emcee announced the 5th fight, the crowd yelled farang, farang! I looked at my fight program. A white guy by the name of Swartoski had been scheduled to face a Thai prodigy. Judging by the laughing, the heckling, and the maniacal waving of betting slips, the farang didnít stand a chance. Swartoski stepped into the ring and performed the Ram Muay. Afterward, he stood in one corner, receiving final instructions from his Thai-speaking manager. Swartoski then banged his gloves together and swaggered toward his foe at the center of the ring.
The stadium fell silent. Unlike other farangs who find themselves threatened by ex-boxers in Bangkok's Go Go bars, Swartoski would have nothing to worry about. click here for more images of Thailand Next
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