https://www.patreon.com/posts/45322120https://www.patreon.com/posts/clinch-of-35-6845897Kevin talks about the important things beyond the controversial decision, the beautiful ways this fight reflected the refereeing style of the Golden Age, and how we got to see a throw-back version of Yodwicha who won FOTY when he was 16. You can study Yodwicha in the Muay Thai Library here, here and here. 

In this discussion of abstract, demonstrated knowledge and more social driven, traditional, invention of technique, Kevin tells a story of how I suffered under a very good lock in the clinch and how it benefited me.

This fight yesterday between the consensus two best young fighters in Thailand had been in the works for months and created quite a buzz. Yodphetek is 12 years old and Jojo 13 and both represent well-known gyms: JoJo (red) is from Dejrat Muay Thai Academy ค่ายมวยเดชรัตน์, where the Thai National Team trains under the harsh but proven methods of Arjan Surat (he's in the Muay Thai Library)...Yodpetek is the young fighter who commands the highest purse for his age, and hails from the Boomdeksian gym, which is almost entirely a gym of very young fighters and which has included Karuhat who has been a mentor/advisor in training. It's a classic strong, "dern" Muay Khao fighter in Jojo (red) versus the technical, evasive Muay Femeur of Yodpetek (blue). read more and watch the fight.

These are thought to be the next superstars of the sport.

This first time I've seen this issue publicly stated:
"Sia Riam" the head of FA Group gym in Bangkok is quoted as being heartbroken by the pattern of international fighters coming to a gym and being welcomed with training, sleeping, eating as a group. They come with "no name" but after gaining some recognition or "fame" other gyms become interested and these fighters are swayed by promises elsewhere. - read more about his statement and what it means

I've always seen parallels between ballet and serious Muay Thai. Each train the body rigorously, and at the highest level require technical sharpness & personal expression. I recently re-watched Black Swan which I loved when it came out. While it spins out artistically, the core issue that it's protagonist Nina faces is the chasm in art between technical correctness and emotional expression. She is a technically perfect dancer, very controlled and small. To play this role in ballet she must escape controlled technical execution and faith-leap into expression, which includes her own suffocated sexuality. It's ..a brilliant tale of how art and spirit isn't about perfection, but about adjustment and expression. This is very key to Muay Thai and as a woman in the sport, swimming upstream in male-dominated gyms, the castration from sexuality is an interesting element, which I've written about on my blog. You can find all my articles written on the gendered experience in Thailand here. Over 40 articles.

Not a lot is seen of the Sor. Supawan Gym, which Karuhat fought out of as a Golden Age legend. See this promotional video which shows Karuhat, the gym, and the gym's owner who was a woman. In video of his fights you'll see her approach the ring apron and even slap on the canvas, rings that in modern times Thais would not even let women touch. You can study tons of Karuhat in the Muay Thai Library, links here.

They fought 4 times, this is the final fight between them: Loss, Win, Draw, Win. This just a stunning fight, in part because of what Somrak Khamsing does not do. He hardly throws a meaningful punch until the 5th round, yet he was a top Amateur Thai western boxer and would represent Thailand as a boxer in the '92 Olympics a year from this fight, then winning Gold 4 years after that in 1996. He almost refuses to box, yet wins with exquisite defense. He looks to have some size though.

There are a lot of legend in the library, and a lot of brilliant, old time krus. The library is so huge it's easy for sessions like this one to slip through the cracks, but Kru Cha taught me something I still think about today. This very basic "close the door" is great defensive practice, and I find myself returning to it to sharpen up my sense of defense.