june-2011

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROB COX (PREVIOUS) AND NARCISO CONTRERAS (THIS PAGE)
FIGHT NIGHT Previous page, Tee U.S. in blue trunks;
this page, a bout in Bangkok’s Nonthaburi district
and the fans are pouring into Bangkok’s Rajadamnern
Stadium. The venue’s concrete exterior is adorned with
bright red and yellow banners and oversize portraits of
tonight’s title fighters blowing in the breeze above the
entryway. Keeping a careful watch of it all, wearing a blackand-gold
sport shirt set off by a diamond-encrusted Rolex, is
Songchai Ratanasuban. Unfl appable and fl eshy, he’s reputed
to be the most successful muay Thai promoter in Bangkok,
operating with a fl a ering and unwieldy nickname: “Golden
Hand, Diamond Brain.” He sits at a folding table between a
couple of food vendors, munching fruit spiked with sugar
and chili, and slugging down a one-shot energy drink.
This is his show.
The time closes in on 6:30 p.m., and tonight’s fi rst fi ght, the
one for the championship, is poised to begin. The contenders
are the 22-year-old favorite Ki i Phromlert—nicknamed Tee
U.S.—and a younger, shorter, thicker fi ghter named Phra Chan
Chai. They step into the center of the ring. As is muay Thai
tradition, a three-piece band situated at the front of the stands
kicks up a rollicking song with throbbing drums and hypnotic
horn lines played from an Asian-style clarinet called a pi chawa.
Tee U.S. and his opponent unspool a swirling traditional
prefight dance, with rolling arms and twisting torsos, as a
thanks to their trainers and supporters.
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM • JUNE 2011
87