Muay Thai vs. Lethwei

Discussion in 'Thai Boxing' started by Pitfighter, Oct 31, 2006.

  1. Pitfighter

    Pitfighter Valued Member

    Here's a fun vs. thread. Howbout competitive Muay Thai fighters participating in Lethwei tournaments. Do you think they could win against those headbutting, crawkicking, backpunchers?
     
  2. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    I believe there are some that have fought in such competitions. The last Lumpini champ prior to his against Lamsongkram was Wanlop Sithpolek (not to be confused with the younger Wanlop Weelasakreck). He's an all round tough nut and a very scrappy fighter... In 2005 when I was working with the WMC/S-1/Kings (Princes) Birthday Cup promotions in Bangkok the word was that he had somewhat of a bad rep. for having fought in such comps on a regular basis.

    Check out Wanlop here: http://www.sitpholek.com/boxing/data/wanlop/Wanlop Sitpholek.htm
    (this is 2004 at the Kings Cup)

    Many of the techniques that are allowed in Lethewei were most likely legal in Muay Thai up until very recently. A full footy kick to the crotch was legal up until the 1980's. Additionally knee's the the crotch were legal until then as well. This was a favorite technique of Diesal Noi.

    I have no doubt that many of the fighters that have been shown on Lethwei DVD's and VCD's have trained and fought in Muay Thai.

    There are numerous clips on the web including westerners competing. I'd think their background was squarely in Muay Thai - so I don't think it's such a massive jump from one to the other.

    Here's another clip:
    Wan Chai vs Doug Evans - Lethwei fight
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkPmwV_Fr5g&mode=related&search="]Wan Chai vs Doug Evans - Lethwei fight - YouTube[/ame]

    Note the knee to the sternum KO! :eek: :D
     
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2006
  3. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    And here are some fun scrappy bareknuckle fights... these taking place in Thailand. But for all intents and purposes probably very similar to Lethwai.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukqmCiedafU"]YouTube[/ame]
     
  4. Hiroji

    Hiroji laugh often, love much

    Gees whats with that slip? does that still go on and is it legal? I find that quite disturbing.
     
  5. spirez

    spirez Valued Member

    Which part do you find disturbing? Most of the damaging techniques were kicks or knees which you would find in a standard Muay Thai bout anyway aren't they?

    There was a mighty fine fist to the solar plexus though!
     
  6. Hiroji

    Hiroji laugh often, love much

    The bit when that guy gets KOed. And they just carried him away like they do with dead dogs at illegal dog fights! :eek:

    Looks no different to backyard boxing to me.
     
  7. Pitfighter

    Pitfighter Valued Member

    Thanks for the vids slip.

    I figured their would be a lot of crossover between Lethwei and Muay Thai. Prior to rule changes in Muay Thai I think the main difference between the two was whether or not the competitior was from Thailand or Burma.

    Personally I'd like Lethwei more but I don't like the idea that it's legal to get your nuts cracked :eek:
     
  8. TheMightyMcClaw

    TheMightyMcClaw Dashing Space Pirate

    Cool stuff.
    I have a question - is Lethwei the same as Bando? If not, what's the difference?
     
  9. SCP_Kensei

    SCP_Kensei www.taintedlover.com

    It's still more or less legal in Muay Thai too, When I was watvhing fights in Thailand there were a lot of intentional groin kicks ignored by the ref.
     
  10. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Hiroji, yeah seeing people get KTFO'd is not really pleasant. It's a risk that comes with the territory. Personally I haven't got a problem with it. Though in 2005 I saw a very young kid (14?) take one of the hardest right crosses to the chin and get KO'd - he was out before his knee's even buckled. It wasn't pleasant to watch. Even worse was the site of the ref and the trainer struggling to remove his mouthpiece as the kid went rigid from head to toe and his jaw clamped down. He was dragged onto a stretcher and arms dangling off he was brought back to where the med tables were... err... which is to say... righ next to the sigle port-a-potty that was serving 100K+ people. At least the sheer amonia reek brought him around. :D

    I do however think that people need to realize it's part and parcel with fighting. There is simply no way around it... at least not for the forseeable future. It is simply an element of fights.

    The bareknuckle and wraps-only fights that they have in Lethwai are often more scrappy than straight Muay Thai bouts... people stand the chance of being KO'd much more easily as the guard does less to protect. It's not all the hard to punch straight through someones guard if you're wearing no gloves... this is something you generally don't see in matches with gloves.
     
  11. fire cobra

    fire cobra Valued Member

    bare knuckle/handwrap boxing is safer for the boxer due to the fact that (it is easier to get a ko) and to get stopped by cuts,rather than the acculmative damage to the brain over a long duration of rounds with 8oz(eg)gloves on,of course no ko is "safe"but they does come with the territory as slip says. :)
     
  12. mai tai

    mai tai Valued Member

    one of my training parners is from Myanmar (burma).
    and his style is Lethwei.

    now while he is the only guy i know from there ...he cant really be used to judge all burma guys but.
    this is what he is like
    1. he goes full go all the time....if i say 50% he goes 100% if i say 80% he goes 100%.......so now i only spar him about once a month.(and never before a fight. sparring him is like a fight.

    2. seems to hate mauy tai....thai people in general and anything related to thailand

    3. style seems to look like MT.....but he says that MT looks like Lethwei and that the thai stole it from them....since the were using "it to repell the thai invaders" ...this i highly doubt....since invaderes would probably use like uh "weapons"

    4.he hits real hard and is a real tough nut

    5.tends to use alot of wacky attacks......jump elbows, jump knees spinning back fists.....which is how i ALWAYS beat him......we start out fairly even, if i stay patient he will get fustrated and try alot of flying stuff.....at which point i jump all over him. (note to beginners the fancy stuff is some of the least effective stuff and really opens yourself up if you miss....also works best with the ellement of suprise...if you know its comming its less effective)

    6. thinks we are wimps cause we use gloves, shin pads....he ussally wants to fight without ether...sometimes i endulge most times i dont. once went at it with just mma gloves.....i tore him up since i am a better puncher (but that didnt diswade him from wanting to allways go like that.....i think he might be crazy)

    7 his shins must have lead in them
     
  13. fire cobra

    fire cobra Valued Member

    he he he,thats a great post mai tai,you got one funny :) friend there!
     
  14. fire cobra

    fire cobra Valued Member

    ive been into burma(border)several times and couldnt belive that even though its literally just over a bridge from thailand everything is so different,language,money,dress,food,beer(very nice)martial arts!crazy! :)
     
  15. mai tai

    mai tai Valued Member

    yeah..thats kinda neat

    i dont remeber if you are american or not but its kinda like that with the U.S. and mexico...just a step accross the boarder and everything is so different...streets dirt, buildings painted brighter colors, people , food , language ......even the sun seems brighter

    unlike us to canada ......most lings seem similar...execpt no litter in canada...ehh
     
  16. fire cobra

    fire cobra Valued Member

    Im from the uk mai tai ,and i cant think of a example from this country that i can relate to my burma/thailand experience,exept maybe people from scotland wear kilts!! :D
     
  17. Hiroji

    Hiroji laugh often, love much

    Yeh i realise people get violently koed even in a pro-boxing and its just part of it.

    Also i guess this type of fighting is part of their culture. Just cant help thinking it looks pure brutal! :eek: :D
     
  18. Cuchulain82

    Cuchulain82 Custodia Legis

    THe problem w/pro boxing, as fire cobra said, is that the gloves allow the fighters to hit harder and take more shots. They just stand there because they can't get KOed, taking shots and rattling their brain around inside the skull. Muhammed Ali is the A#1 example. Some of his former trainers have said that the reason he's a shambling mess today is because of the beatings he took in the Frazier-Ali III and the subsequent handful of fights after. It's really pretty sad.
     
  19. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    I can understand his sentiment on this one to be honest. You may say how can that be after the time I've spent living in Thailand and the appreciation of Thai culture as a whole that I have... and obviously that I've trained and fought Muay Thai for quite a while now...

    It comes down to Thailands relations with it's neighbors is less than stellar. The Khmer's of Cambodia often feel the same. They hate the Thai's with a passion - much like the Burmese.

    A very large part of this in both places has to do with Thai military leaders in control of those areas playing the problems of those countries for their own financial gain. The Thai's have a very dark history of this. They had all sorts of dealings with the Khmer rouge when they ran Cambodia into a genocidla hole... they have also dealt with many different factions in Burma - the military junta that runs the country now - the Wa State Army who runs most of the drug trade - The Shan Army - playing each of them off against the other when it suited them best financially.

    Thai nationalism is one of the best things about Thailand and one of the worst. Many things that our generations have come to know as Thai are actually Khmer in origin. Much of the hatred for Burma is based on shakey factual ground by Thai nationalist. But people in Thailand eat it hook, line and sinker. But they sure don't moan about the Burmese that come down and build so many of the roads in Thailand for far less than it'd cost to have Thai's do the same. They don't moan when they can hire Burmese for cheap labor on their land projects - and burn them on payment and send them back.

    Thailand is not all just a land of smiles. It's far more complex than that. Burma has to be one of the most absolutely fascinating places in the world with a rich and varied history. But most of the world has no idea becuase Burma's tourist industry is very small because of the junta running the country.

    Of course Thailand is not going to kick up a fuss - because Thailands de facto government IS the military. They're certainly not going to set an example for their own people to follow. Why would they?

    Ok before I start to rant... just thought I'd get that in. :D
     
  20. fire cobra

    fire cobra Valued Member

    another good post slip,I to find burma a facinating country and one i would like to spend more time visiting in the future.
     

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