The bell rings and the two boys return to their respective corners. Both beginning fighters, neither has had more than a dozen matches. Twelve-year-old Mo's team coaches him, gives him water, rubs his arms and stretches his legs. Get back in there and do it, they tell him. You got this one.
Mo hasn't won a fight in months. He's been on a 12-fight losing streak. But his gym, Wor. Watthana, doesn’t give up on him. As long as he wants to fight, management will keep getting him matches. They know it takes fighters time to come into their own; everyone hits their stride at different speeds. And Mo is just a beginner, only 12, a year into his fighting career.
Mo takes a deep breath and rises from his stool in the corner, comes to the center of the ring for Round Two. The other child meets him halfway. They briefly make eye contact, then the other boy averts his gaze.
The ref drops his hand and the boys go to work. Mo jumps in with a few solidly placed kicks. He is more aggressive than usual. After a long series of losses, he doesn't want to lose again.
Less than a minute into the second round, Mo unleashes a sloppy but effective combination, sending the other child running. Mo pursues the fleeing kid like a crazed butcher chasing a chicken making a break for it.
The ref calls it off, raises Mo’s hand. Mo gives no celebratory dance or cheer or even smile upon the end of his losing streak. Just heavy exhales and a look of intensity. Maybe relief. Maybe slight annoyance.
Mo steps down from the ring, his heart rate slowing to normal, his family enveloping him in hugs, his teammates congratulating him on the TKO he just achieved over another child fighter. This marks his first win of 2016, and his second fight since the year began. It’s January 2. The new year is only two days old so far.Mo is not the exception to the rule. All over rural Thailand, fighters take up gloves with high frequency, especially during the holiday seasons. Far from Bangkok and most regulating authorities, which mandate boxers must stay out of the ring for three weeks after a fight, fighters in rural Thailand take advantage of the lax enforcement of rules to gain ring experience, exposure, and money when Muay Thai business is good.
Up next is 13-year-old Ann, Mo's teammate from Wor. Watthana Gym. She makes quick work of her opponent, winning this fight just like she won her fight yesterday, overwhelming the other girl with precise kicks and knees, throwing her opponent down in sweeps like she’s made of sticks. The re
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