BKK Post – Blood Sweat & Dreams
June 25, 2009 by nopstar
Thanks Matt for passing along this article. They bring up some interesting points on the darker side of our sport. That being said, I disagree with a lot of the claims made in this article. For instances… there’s this gem:
Ramazanov agrees there is corruption in the sport involving “some Thais”, but says when it comes to foreigners, “we will fight to win, not to lose. No one has ever come to ask me to lose”.
Firstly, most of those foreign nakmuay’s aren’t trying to eek out a full time living from fighting. They didn’t grow up in the camps and certainly didn’t start their professional careers at 10… so these fighters aren’t going to be the same perspective on fighting. No one ever starts off the career thinking, yeah I’m going to make a living as a tomato can… things happen choices are made. To simplify the situation by saying no one has ever come to ask me to lose, is just a ridiculous statement.
Anyway stupid statements aside, the article is still worth a read.
If you guys don’t see me at training this week, it’s because I wrecked my motorcycle and my knee and him hurt like shit. I’m going to take a little break from training… if any of you have any motivational training vids you like, def send it my way.
There’s no question like any fight sport Muay Thai also struggles with dishonesty and maintaining integrity. Agreed about some of th dumber claims the article makes.
Hope you heal up quick Nop. And I’ll send along any motivational vid I can find.
Hi Nop,
Check the following link which contains the training footage of Rob Razor Mucullough. It invovlves both grappling and pad work. Though mucullogh is into MMA he’s really good at Muay thai. This training footage is good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDYQbGwPq2Y&feature=related
This is a very interesting and eye-opening article on the dynamics of betting and associated corruption that goes with Muay Thai in Thailand.
“To simplify the situation by saying no one has ever come to ask me to lose, is just a ridiculous statement.”
Why? Ramazan is just saying that because he is a foreigner, he’s never been asked to throw a match. Thai fighters are sometimes asked / threatened / poisoned into doing so, as the rest of the article tells us.
Did anyone watch today’s fights on NBT?
There was a Canadian vs Thai woman’s fight, the most one sided fight I have seen in ages, difference in Thai scoring or not the outcome was beyond any possible doubt.
At the final bell the Thai is sitting on the ground, trying to recover from the battering she received, when the referee starts pulling her arm her up, even she doesn’t understand what he is trying to do, so he pulls more “stand up you won” “stand up…” for a few seconds she looks even more confused before finally getting up…. laughable.
Put me off watching the other fights.