june-2011

and connecting with his feet. His
combination of strength and youthful
endurance work in his favor. By the fi h
and final round, Tee U.S. is in trouble.
Chai comes at him with a series of kicks,
which catch him in the chest and head
with wicked accuracy. As the round
winds down, even Tee U.S.’s mighty
elbows seem to be of li le use. He loses
in a decision.
Five minutes a er the fi ght concludes,
I spot a dejected-looking Tee U.S. standing
alone backstage by the dressing room. He
wears a gold-colored robe; his gloves are
off and his hands have been untaped. I
ask him how it feels to leave Rajadamnern
without the championship, without the
big party. “Win or lose, I feel the same,” he
says, a bit unconvincingly, demonstrating
a no-regret a itude, the Thai version of
manning up. He keeps rolling his head
from side to side, fi dgeting as if he can’t
wait for the conversation to end. He insists
that there is nothing he could have done
to turn things around. “It must go one of
two ways for each of the fi ghters, and I
don’t feel bad about it.” Chai was bigger
and younger, he says. Tee U.S. was not
aggressive enough. The fans ra led him.
By the time we’re done talking, he’s forcing
a smile and planning his future. “I take
a break for three or four days,” he says.
“Then I’m back to work, ge ing ready
for my next fi ght.”
Whether he wins or loses, MICHAEL KAPLAN,
the author of three books and countless
articles, always feels bad after a fi ght.
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