Muay Thai Fights in Koh Phangan, Thailand

"Our Experiences from Inside Thongsala
Boxing Stadium in Koh Pha Ngan"

muay thai fights foreign preparations for fight koh pha ngan koh phangan thailand backpacking tips asia
Muay Thai Fights

Last updated on April 19, 2012
All information below is subject to change

The first thing my boyfriend reacted to when we landed on Koh Phangan harbor was not the beautiful view, but to a trailer with loud speakers promoting that night's muay thai game!

Since I try to be a good girlfriend, I thought why not? ;-)

We bought the ringside tickets through Had Yao Beach Resort.

Price: 800 B per person (ringside), 600 B for ordinary seats

Since this was our virgin trip to a muay thai game in Koh Phangan, we didn't know what to expect.

When we arrived at Thongsala outdoor stadium, we noticed that the audience was mostly foreign. On the leaflet, we saw that some of the big stars were actually Western muay thai boxers (Germany, Sweden, Australia, Switzerland and France).

muay thai fights foreign audience koh pha ngan koh phangan thailand backpacking tips asia

First thing first: we bought Chang beer (100 B for a big bottle). Then we tried to find ourselves some good seats near the ringside. Our neighbor was an Australian man who had watched too many muay thai fights in his life.

muay thai fights kickboxing koh pha ngan koh phangan thailand
Two Thais

Our last impression of that night's muay thai fights was mixed.

Most of the fights were uneven –- you could easily see that some of them had a lot more training experience.

First round was a match between two Thai kids. It was heartbreaking to see kids in such a brutal fight.

Then it was two Thais fighting --

Watch my video clip from the muay thai fights in Koh Phangan:

After that -- matches between foreigners and Thai locals were on the program. Just imagine a tall European against a short Thai.

And I remember the last fight very well: it was a match between a Thai boy and a French girl. According to the leaflet there was supposed to be a "girl match".

I guess they had to improvise and put it in a boy instead. As I said -– very uneven!

All in all: it was entertaining.

Our Australian neighbor advised us to watch a muay thai game in Bangkok if you wanted the real stuff. Apparently this game wasn't the real stuff for him.

muay thai fights kickboxing preparing koh pha ngan koh phangan thailand
Preparing for battle

He told us that many of the Western boxers that night had a lot of boxing experience because they had been traveling around for a longer time than the Thais. It's apparently common for boxers to just travel around and join muay thai fights as they come.

The winner that night was actually not a Thai -– but a German dude I think.

Where: Thongsala stadium

Where do you want to go next?

Back to Koh Pha Ngan Main Page?

Heading off to Had Yao beach on Koh Phangan?

Visiting Thong Nai Pan Beaches on Koh Phangan? Welcome to some of the best beaches in Thailand!

Heading off to Hadrin beach on Koh Phangan?

Return from Muay Thai Fights Koh Phangan to Backpacking Tips Asia Homepage.





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