Against the Odds: Bpaet Becomes a Muay Thai Fighter

Photos by Boom Watthanaya

The fights were being held during the day. Bpaet, his friend Mo, and a university student named Silalek were all scheduled to compete. Fighting on a card of this caliber was a big opportunity for all of them, in particular Bpaet. He was the most unassuming of the three; his ragged clothes hung from his scrawny body. As they approached the venue, the gamblers were quick to write him off, assuming he was only a spectator.

He was scheduled to fight his former foe, whose ring name was Mama Noodles. The pair were tied 1-1. Bpaet beat him in their first encounter on sheer grit, but the second time he lost focus in the gym and it showed in the ring; Mama Noodles took the decision. This time though, Bpaet was ready, and for the first time in his career the village was behind him— financially, at least. A bet was collected amassing over 12,000 Baht. For someone just starting out, this was no small feat. The money was put down at ringside, and quickly matched. But not by Mama Noodles, a last minute replacement was brought in: local favorite, Blaifaa. Confidence in Bpaet dropped quickly. The villagers asked to pull their bets, but it was too late. Gamblers were calling odds while the wai kru started, Blaifaa a veteran of over 60 fights, was the favorite to win 5-1.

The only person left that still believed in Bpaet was his trainer Boom. He saw the fighter within and told him, "You can beat this guy."

The first minute of the first round was difficult to watch. Bpaet was completely out classed, getting tossed around in the clinch like a rag-doll. Blaifaa was cocky and confident. He threw Bpaet down one last time, and while there on the mat, he kicked Bpaet in the head like a soccer ball. His auntie Dee walked away, "It's over, Bpaet lost, the money is gone!"

Bpaet is only 12-years-old. He lives with relatives in a small village in Thailand's Northeast region, commonly referred to as Isaan. His parents split up when he was two years old— his Dad went to embark in a career in menial labor in Rayong Province, Thailand's primary industrial zone. A short time later his mother drove her 1997, 110cc Honda Wave, more than one hundred kilometers from her home in Roi Et Province to Bapet's father's family home in Khorat Province. Bpaet was strapped to her back with just a single piece of handmade fabric, a paa-kaa-maa. She left him with the only able-bodied relative there, his auntie Dee. Bpaet hasn't seen his mother since.

His Dad remarried when he was 8 and had another child, at which point he stopped sending money home. For the last four years Dee has been struggling to feed, clothe, and support Bpaet. His attitude isn't good. He has anger issues, and acts out in school. Bpaet is merely a statistic; it's estimated that 80 percent of children in Isaan live with grandparents or extended relatives. Children like Bpaet, raised without the presence of their mother or father are statistically proven to be at a disadvantage physically, emotionally, and intellectually.

His aunt has now begun to worry, watching Bpaet approach adolescence. She worries that he will sink into the same patterns of drinking and gang violence that most young men in the village fall prey to. It's a dead zone: no work, no support, nothing. Boredom breeds insanity and the most vulnerable— like Bpaet, fall through the cracks. There are no role models in the village to look up to. Instead those left behind are unable or unwilling to work, the elderly, and children. For the lucky few, with the right connections, a government job may be available; for Bpaet this was not an option. Nepotism is a nationwide problem in Thailand, and the country still lacks infrastructure needed for social mobility. Born into a family of subsistence farmers, Bpaet's best hope, if he could make it through adolescence, is for a career in menial labor like his father.

That was until a Muay Thai Gym opened up in his village. In January of 2015, a few people started training in the dirt, and a bag was hung from a tree—all that was needed to start Wor. Watthana Muay Thai Gym. Bpaet was the first to arrive.

In the past year and a half, Bpaet has fought in six provinces, even travelling as far as Kanchanaburi (Western Thailand) hoping for an opportunity to step over the ropes. He has amassed over twenty fights, and made over ten-thousand Baht putting food on the table for him and Dee. This was no average first year of fighting. Bpaet had made a name for himself as a fighter, he was even called in to compete at well known Suraranee Military Stadium in Khorat City. It's wasn't the money that kept Bpaet going, it was the love of the fight. Bpaet was fighting to survive.

Since opening, Wor. Watthana has produced over 20 fighters, but only 6 remain. There comes a point in each fighter's career where they make the decision whether to really be a fighter. Most people in the village didn't think Bpaet would make it, they didn't think any of the kids would make it for that matter. Jealously of success destroys and holds people back, it's an oppressive place to live. But Bpaet was about to prove them all wrong.

The referee pulled Blaifaa from the action, giving him a stern warning. Boom approached the apron, sure that the fight was over. It is illegal in Muay Thai to kick someone while down. But in reality, illegal stuff happens all the time and for Bpaet, being kicked while down was nothing new.

Bpaet got up and kept fighting. He threw punches like he had never thrown punches before. Straight right, left hook, uppercut. Again, and again until completely overwhelmed, Blaifaa went down crying. The gamblers roared.

Bpaet, victorious, walked out of the ring, only to faint from the excitement. One of the other boys reached for the Poy Sian menthol inhaler hoping the smell would retrieve him while Dee grabbed the towel and started fanning for air. Bpaet came to, with a big smile on his face. It was this very moment that the village learned, Bpaet was going to be a fighter.