Bangkok, Thailand: It's a tin roofed hovel. The electrical system that snakes along the ceiling looks decrepit and liable to fail any minute. Rickety fans (you know the spinning kind) are your only source of ventilation and I wouldn't recommend sitting under them. There are mosquitoes galore and lizards run along the ceiling. With the wooden benches, the garbage and the smoking that goes on in the 2nd and 3rd levels it's a miracle this deathtrap hasn't gone up in flames. The scoreboard looks serviceable for an inner city high school gym. It doesn't even count down the time second by second it counts down by minutes. Yes I’m talking about Lumpini Stadium.
That being said this place is glorious. Lumpini Stadium is the big daddy, the grand daddy, in fact, any large daddy type figure you can think of, of Muay Thai. What it lacks in amenities and cleanliness it makes up for in ambience and atmosphere. The low slung (tin!) roof makes the action seem up close and personal even if you are in the 2nd and 3rd levels. This place is a must visit for any fan of Muay Thai. Be quick though; a new Lumpini stadium is being built and should be done by next year.
If you ever get the chance to come and visit Bangkok, fights are held at Lumpini Boxing Stadium Tuesdays and Fridays starting at 6 pm and Saturdays starting at 8 pm.
Any hopeful Muay Thai fighters must meet some simple requirements. You must be 15 years of age. You must have completed Junior High. You must be at least 100 lbs. Oh yeah and you must be good and tough as hell.
Bangkok, Thailand: I got the chance to spend a weekend at Lumpini Stadium. Well not actually at Lumpini Stadium, but a chance to see the fights on Friday and Saturday.
Now you don’t really have to bother with the first two matches unless it’s a super event. The first 2 are usually kids getting experience. The first real fight of the evening was a seesaw battle between two youngish featherweights that the crowd absolutely loved. A great start to the night.
In the third fight of the evening it got interesting as Nontanant Giat Nong Luang was cruising to a victory when Chatri Sit pa Yong landed a slicing elbow. That one blow and the cut that resulted instantly changed the complexion of the fight. The bettors started hollering and the place became alive. The doctor checked the cut near the end of the 4th and though it looked bad he let it continue. The 5th round was all action as Chatri, down on points, tried desperately to open that cut up even more and get the stoppage. Full credit to Nontanant though as not only did he defend his cut he scored with strong kicks and knees. A bloodied but not beaten Nontanant took a unanimous judges decision.
The fight before the main event was a corker: Naruphon Sakhonsin took on Namsaknoi Yuthakarnikhamthorn in a junior welterweight clash. Namsaknoi is a stable mate and training partner of K-1 MAX GP entrant Buakao Por Pramuk and is no soft touch himself. Current Lumpini Stadium champ at 135 lbs, former Lumpini Stadium champ at 112 and 130 lbs, and Fighter of the Year in 1996. He’s fought and won against a veritable who’s who in Muay Thai with 3 wins over Samkor, 2 wins over Penjunsuk, and two wins over Kaolan. He fights at 140 because there is no one left to fight at 135. Namsaknoi is also a former winner of the best Wai Kru award. He did not disappoint and performed his intricate routine flawlessly.
But Naruphon is a spritely 21 compared to the “ancient” Namsaknoi who is 25. Naruphon is also the current Champion of Thailand at 140 lbs and with the weight and age advantage Naruphon came into the fight as the favorite. And this fight was close, as close as one bumper to another in the middle of Bangkok’s rush hour (hour being a severe misnomer). You could have given rounds 3, 4, and 5 to either fighter. Namsaknoi was coming forward and being the aggressor while Naruphon was playing the role of the counter striker. As the fight came down to the last 30 seconds they both stared at each other and raised their arms in victory, each sure of a victory.
And youth triumphed as the judges awarded Naruphon the decision in a razor thin fight.
The main event had ex-Lumpini champ Yodbua-Ngam Lugbaanyai taking on Phet-tho Sit Chaowphor. Phet-tho and his twin brother Phet-chek are two big name Songchai fighters (Songchai being the biggest promoter in Thailand). This was another close evenly matched battle. In the always important 4th round Phet-tho rocked his opponent with elbows. That and Phet-tho’s stronger knees were enough to ensure the win.
A solid night of fights in the Mecca of Muay Thai; Lumpini Stadium. The crowd was large and rowdy, the atmosphere was great and I get to come back tomorrow when one of the fighters from my gym has a bout…
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