Muay Thai originated as a national form of martial arts in which people fought with bare hands. It is a tradition to organize various Muay Thai matches during festivals.
Today, Thai boxing is a globally recognized sport practiced by thousands of people. In Thailand, it is an extremely popular sport, and every province has a large stadium where matches are held.
A Muay Thai match takes place in an almost square ring that is no more than 120 cm above the ground.
Each side of the ring must measure between 5.70 and 8.20 meters. The ring must be enclosed by 4 ropes, each of which may be between 4.90 and 7.30 meters long on each side of the ring.
The ropes must be supported by 4 corner posts and may have a maximum diameter of 2 cm. The ropes must be wrapped in leather or soft linen to protect the fighters.
The floor outside the ring must be covered with soft mats. No one may enter within a 1-meter radius outside the ring except cornermen, judges and the doctor.
Thai boxing equipment:
If a match is held in a stadium, the following items must be present:
- stopwatch
- gong
- alarm bell
- boxing gloves of different sizes that comply with the guidelines
- water bottles
- shorts, handwraps, mouthguards and headbands
Rules for Muay Thai matches:
- Matches in Thailand must always have government approval
- A Muay Thai match lasts no more than 5 rounds, and each round lasts a maximum of 3 minutes
- There is a 2-minute break between rounds
- Fighters must wear boxing gloves, which may not weigh more than 6 ounces (172 grams) - Exceptions:
- Fighters must have a doctor's certificate
- Fighters must be weighed naked and assigned to a weight class based on their weight
- Fighters may not use Vaseline
- Fighters may not wear shoes or a T-shirt, but wearing a groin protector is mandatory
- Each fighter may have two cornermen in their corner
Decision in a Muay Thai match:
The outcome of a match can be determined in five ways:
- KO (when a fighter goes down after a punch from their opponent and is unable to get back up within 10 seconds)
- TKO (a referee's decision when a fighter is no longer able to continue fighting)
- Concession (if a fighter stops the match)
- Disqualification (if a fighter commits a serious foul)
- The judges award their points, and the fighter with the most points wins
Scoring points in thai boxing:
Judges have the difficult task of awarding points for punches and kicks. Awarding a point depends on the effectiveness, target, strength, and impact of the punch or kick.
Points are awarded for defensive strength as well as attacking strength. If both fighters have the same number of points, the more attacking fighter wins.
Assessing fouls in thai boxing:
There are a large number of things prohibited in the ring:
- talking or behaving inappropriately
- deliberately using the head to hit the opponent
- attacking the eyes, pulling hair, and spitting
- deliberately bringing the opponent down and kicking them
- deliberately kicking a downed opponent
- continuing to strike an opponent when they are hanging on the ropes
- evading attacks by hiding behind the referee
- deliberately kicking the opponent in the groin
Thai boxing weight classes (Thailand):
- Mini Flyweight no heavier than 105 Ibs. (47.6 kg)
- Junior Flyweight no heavier than 108 Ibs. (49 kg)
- Flyweight no heavier than 112 Ibs. (50.8 kg)
- Junior Bantamweight no heavier than 115 Ibs. (52.2 kg)
- Bantamweight heavier than 118 Ibs. (53.5 kg)
- Junior Featherweight no heavier than 122 Ibs. (55.3 kg)
- Featherweight no heavier than 126 Ibs. (57.2 kg)
- Junior Lightweight no heavier than 130 Ibs. (59 kg)
- Lightweight no heavier than 135 Ibs. (61.2 kg)
- Junior Welterweight no heavier than 140 Ibs. (63.5 kg)
- Welterweight no heavier than 147 Ibs. (66.7 kg)
- Junior Middleweight no heavier than 154 Ibs. (69.9 kg)
- Middleweight no heavier than 160 Ibs. (72.6 kg)
- Light Heavyweight no heavier than 175 Ibs. (79.4 kg)
- Heavyweight heavier than 175 Ibs. (+79.4 kg)
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