It’s March 17th again, one of the most celebrated days in the Muay Thai Calendar, also known by many as Muay Thai Day.
History tells us about the achievements of Nai Khanom Tom, during the year of 1767. The Burmese King back then, Hsinbyushin (know in Thai as King Mangra) gather a lot of Siamese and moved them to Burma as prisoners. Between the ones that were rounded up, there were a lot of Thai Boxers.
Once there King Hsinbyushin wanted to see how Muay Boran would compare itself to Burmese Lethei, or Burmese Boxing. Having among the prisoners a renowned Muay Thai Fighter of the time, Nai Khanom Tom was then selected to fight against the Burmese Champion.
Performing the Wai Kru before the start of the fight, in order to pay respect to his trainers and ancestors, as well as the spectators and everyone involved in the event, Nai Khanom Tom impressed everyone, and most connected that act to Black Magic.
Once the fight was on, didn’t take long until the Art of 8 Limbs showed its advantages and Nai Khanom Tom won it easily. The Burmese referee said that the Burmese Champion was distracted by the “dance” and declared the knockout invalid. The King ordered the Muay Thai fighter to perform again, ending up fighting 9 Bouts in the same evening, without breaks and winning every single one.
After that, he was declared victorious and no one ever challenged him again. With his victory he was also awarded freedom and 2 Burmese wives that he took back to Thailand.
The folklore tells us that once returned to Thailand, everyone found about about his journey and that he spent the rest of his life teaching Muay Thai. He was also often referred to as the father of Muay Thai.
After centuries his legacy is still remembered by all the Muay Thai community every March 17th. Everyone around the globe takes time to reflect, and be thankful to the ones that passed on the teachings all the way to the present times. Happy Nai Khanom Tom Day to all!!
