|
December is a month full of festivities nearly everywhere in the world. Here, it's all about the
Christmas spirit and the approach of a new year. In Thailand, there is another factor in the equation
honoring the nation's King for his birthday, on December 5th is a priority. Doing so with an extraordinary
fight promotion complete with boxing and the country's national sport, Muay Thai, has been the norm for
the last several years.
Mega-promoter Songchai Ratanasuban, Thailand's equivalent of Don't King, has always bent over backwards to bring in the best hired guns showcase their pugilistic skills in his event that hosts over 100,000 fans annually. This year, he bent a little further and brought in machines in the 160-pound division-Denmark's Ole Baguio Laursen. "I always wanted to fight on the Kinds Birthday. This year, I finally got my chance," says Laursen via cell phone from Thailand. Only two weeks after the tournament, which marked what was arguably his finest overseas showing to date, the 25-year-old has just completed another grueling training session inside the barriers of the Sohsakuipari Muay Thai Camp. Located in weeded isolation outside the town of Kachanaburi, Sohsakulpan has long been a breeding ground for Thai champions promoted by Ratanasuban. Much like everything about the sport, from the ceremonial Wai Kru performed by fighters before the opening bell to the prajied (hand-made bands) worn on the arms of combatants to bring good luck, the training methods at the site are traditional, sometimes monotonous for someone like Laursen, who has paid his dues and knows the ropes. "Right now, I'm thinking about leaving this camp where I'm at. You know, I've done this before," says Laursen, whose trip to Thailand marks the fifth time of this career. "I've been to these camps, and I've lived the primitive life of getting up early in the morning to run 10 kilometers to the go back and hit the bags for two hours. It's three hours in the afternoon. The rest of the time, you just eat and sleep. I'm more of a new school fighter. The Thais-I know they do it this way, but I think you can be just as good with a different kind of training program." |
 |