Muay Thai Boxing In Thailand

You can basically say that sports is immersed in every culture some way or another. The Greeks are known for the first Olympics, soccer booms across Europe while basketball and American football are the thing all over the USA. One of the traditional and most loved sports in Asia is the Muay Thai Boxing in Thailand. Throughout this article, we’re going to run you through the most popular arenas to watch these fights, where you can watch it for free and even where you can take part in a fight yourself!

The origin of Muay Thai boxing in Thailand dates back several hundreds of years and was essentially developed as a form of close-combat sport that used the entire body as a weapon.

Muay Thai Boxing in Bangkok

Besides a beautiful river and a set of majestic temples, Bangkok also hosts the two largest and most popular Muay Thai stadiums in Bangkok which are the Lumpinee Stadium and Rajadamnern Stadium, the latter kind of acts as the national stadium. The Rajadamnern stadium has a capacity of 8,000 spectators and fights are held every night on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. At the Lumpinee Stadium, on the other hand, fights are held on the other days of the week being Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Tickets can be bought through their official websites and cost between 1,000 baht (approx. €30) and 2,000 baht (approx. €60) per person. In our opinion, (and when compared to Thailand’s standards and cost of living) this is an absurd price to be paying for a night out.

How About a Free Local Muay Thai Experience?

It’s not a complete visit without experiencing Muay Thai boxing in Thailand, especially if you are a sports enthusiast in some way. Spending the above mentioned amount of money on entrance tickets was not really an option for us, especially after we learned about the Channel 7 boxing stadium.

It’s exactly as it sounds. The Channel 7 boxing stadium is used to broadcast live fights on TV every Sunday afternoon. What’s mostly cool is that you can go and be a spectator during these fights for FREE. This only happens once a week – on a Sunday afternoon and the first fight starts at around 14.00 hrs. Be prepared to arrive at least an hour before to find a good spot to sit.

DRESS CODE – Yes, there’s actually a dress code to attend a Muay Thai fight at Channel 7. It’s much more of a tourist scam rather than a dress code. Stuarts will be at the entrance gate forcing everyone not following the dress code to rent their clothes. Otherwise, you will not manage to pass the gate into the stadium. Attempting to avoid the scam, you must follow the following dress code:

Taking Part in Muay Thai Boxing in Thailand      

Muay Thai stadiums are scattered all around Thailand in cities such as Bangkok and Phuket. All of them offer great entertainment when watching these skilful men fight. But, what if you are not just interested in watching a Muay Thai fight? 

Attempting to test your fighting skills (legally), your best chance would be at a very unique bar on Phi Phi island south of Phuket, called Reggae Bar. There is no entrance fee but you’ll have to buy a drink in order to enter. Situated at the centre of the bar is a boxing ring that besides trained Muay Thai fighters, it also hosts non-fighters, most of the time tourists (obviously against other non-trained fighters).

All you have to do is turn up at the bar and sign up. You’ll be provided with a fighting kit, gloves and headgear. Besides, you’ll be given a reward at the end of the fight if you volunteer and get in the ring – an alcoholic bucket of your choice. Now that’s a real opportunity really experience Muay Thai boxing in Thailand and if you survive, get wasted!