Muay Thai

Last night we went with a bunch of friends to a Muay Thai Kickboxing event. Nothing too cultural. Just 26 men facing off and then beating the crumb out of each other. Because we knew some people (who knew some people who knew some people...), we got VIP seats right behind the judges. This is a blessing because the NYC and Philly crowds who were in the general seating were pretty wild.

When I studied abroad during college, I went to a Muay Thai event or two in Bangkok's famous Lumpini Thai Boxing Stadium. We had such bad seats that it took us a long time to realize that all the bouts we could afford were young kids. And the loser of the match often left on a stretcher. Some times both fighters would leave on stretchers. It was a little too intense so we stopped going.

Luckily, the amateur fights that we saw yesterday were college-aged kids with protective gear and the ref would stop the fight if someone was getting pummelled without having the energy to protect himself. It may it much more enjoyable to watch!