Thai Boxing in Hua Hin can be watched in two locations where weekly fight nights are held. On Sundays and Thursdays at the Grand Sports Arena, in front of the Grand Hotel. On Tuesdays and Fridays you can go to Mr. Chop Rawee's Thai Boxing Garden, located on Poonsuk Road, behind the Temple, near City Beach Hotel.
Both venues are open to the public from 9.00 p.m. on fight nights and tickets are about 350bath at the Grand Sports and 250bath at the Thai Boxing Garden.
Usualy 5 matches are held on every night, till around 11:30. To announce each fight as well as each fighter, both GS and Thai Boxing Garden offer English speaking hosts too. During the whole evening they will explain a little about Muay Thai basics and rules and regulations of the fights.
Muay Thai is much different from Western boxing and the fighters may use their feet, elbows, legs, and knees to strike their opponent. Many young Thai men start learning boxing from an early age. It takes many years to become a champion. Only the best and toughest make to the top. Recently Thai woman have started learning Muay Thai and competing in this sport too.
Although Muay Thai is a full contact sport, injuries or major bloodshed doesn't occur very often. Muay Thai is a clean sport and it can be great to watch, especially the high kicks and other gracious movements.
This can be an enjoyable, exciting and entertaining evening in one of Hua Hin's stadiums.
The first Thai boxer to win a world boxing title was Pone Kingpeth from Hua Hin. Pone won the world flyweight belt in 1960. After the first nationwide Muay Thai-competition ever held, Pone Kingpeth was the first champion of Thailand. On a small square not far from the Railway Station there is a statue to the fighter.