Sea boxing: Thailand's next big sport?

Thai boxing makes a splash in Samut Prakan with Muay Talay.

Kids in Samut Prakan have given Thai boxing a wet twist, dubbing their reincarnation of the popular sport “Muay Talay” (talay being the Thai word for sea). 

Blogger Richard Barrow, a resident of Samut Prakan, just outside of Bangkok, took in some Muay Talay fights at the Bang Phli Riverside Market Festival last weekend, and offers a recap on his blog.

As he explains, two people sit astride a pole laid out over a stretch of water. There are three rounds with each round lasting three minutes.

“Punches and kicks are allowed but you have to do your best to keep your balance,” he says.

Rather than knockouts, the kids just end up wet and the loser is, of course, the first one to hit the water.

Muay Talay takes us back to the “American Gladiator” battles in the 1990s that featured menacing fighters with names like Nitro, Blaze and Laser. There’s nothing menacing about these kids though. Some of them even giggle while they fight.

The Bang Phli Riverside Market Festival is on every weekend in Samut Prakan till the end of September.