An American Has Become a Major Lethwei Star in Myanmar

When I was in Yangon recently I saw a familiar face staring down at me from an enormous billboard in the city center. I'd already seen Cyrus Washington fight a few times in Phuket and Bangkok but was surprised to see him plastered across posters in such an obscure corner of the region. It turns out that while in Thailand he is just one of the hundreds of foreign Muay Thai fighters in Myanmar the man is a superstar.

Washington is originally from Lansing, Michigan and is a veteran of 70 Muay Thai and kickboxing matches. Nowhere is he more famous than in Myanmar where the American stand up specialist made a name for himself by beating <75 kgs 'Golden Belt' Lethwei champion Saw Nga in 2010.

Lethwei is Myanmar's answer to Muay Thai but there are some crucial differences between the two sports. In Lethwei fighters compete without gloves and head butts are allowed. While Muay Thai has a variety of titles in Lethwei there can be only one champion in each division, the Golden Belt champion.

In 2010 Washington travelled to Yangon to take on reigning Golden Belt champion Saw Nga for his <75 kg title. It was an eagerly anticipated matchup in Myanmar but the American was surprised by some of the rules and regulations. He dropped the local favourite with a perfectly timed elbow in the second round only to see him given several minutes to sit down recover,

"He got up walked around with the referee giving him a 20 count and then his corner decided to call a two minute rest / timeout. It was crazy," he told me.

The fight was initially declared a draw but after some controversy organizers decided to award Washington both the win and the belt. It would be his first time making headlines in Myanmar but it would not be the last. Few fighters are keen to travel to a strange country and compete bare knuckle under borderline incomprehensible rules but the American says he had no hesitation,

"The opportunity came about back in 2010 because a mutual acquaintance introduced me to the organizers for Lethwei and that's when I fought Saw Nga at 75kg. I wasn't get nervous about the fighting style, I didn't pay it too much attention and I was just pleased to fight with less interference from the referee with rules and such."

Washington would have to wait until December, 2014 to enjoy his finest hour in Myanmar. He took on a famous champion called Tun Tun Min and knocked him out with a spectacular spinning back kick to the jaw in the third round (see that finish along with some interesting sound effects here).

Min would avenge that loss in a subsequent rematch which, according to Washington, was marred by more confusion about the Lethwei ruleset,

"I was never beaten by KO in that fight. My trainer and I misunderstood the rules and in the 5th round we tried to call time out but there are no time outs allowed in the 5th round. So my trainer who came with me who is Thai just threw in the towel. I had already knocked Tun Tun Min once during that fight so I was in line to retain my title. When my Thai trainer did that I was upset but I can't be mad at him. In December I will get my belt back!"

Last month Washington was in action in front of a full house at the Thein Phyu Indoor Stadium in Yangon, taking on another famous local fighter, Ton Too. The American was knocked down in the fifth round but this time he was able to take a two minute time out. Once again there was confusion and controversy when the referee surprised both boxers by having them fight for two more rounds after the bout had been declared a draw.

He still competes regularly in kickboxing and Muay Thai but says that Lethwei will always have a special place in his heart,

"I do like the Lethwei rule set because you have to KO to win the fight, if no KO no win. I'm well known there now and I have earned respect through fighting but also just showing love and kindness to the people who are very nice people."

Although Washington has been living and training in Thailand for the best part of a decade he didn't start out as a Muay Thai fighter. The American is a Taekwondo black belt who is known for throwing unconventional spinning strikes such as the one which knocked out Tun Min. He grew up watching action movies and by travelling to obscure corners of Asia to fight local champions Washington is following in the footsteps of some of the fictional childhood heroes,

"I've been in martial arts since 5 years of age. My mom and I loved martial movies and I'm an '80s child so the best martial arts movies came out while I was growing up through the '80s and '90s. I got into it heavy at 10 years of age and I can't think or see me doing anything else but this."

Washington has a match coming up in Australia when he will be facing multiple time world champion John Wayne Parr in a Caged Muay Thai match. But fight fans in Myanmar will be more interested in the rubber match with Tun Tun Min which is set for December 27th and is already being talked about as one of the biggest dates in the Lethwei calendar.