IN A BOXING MATCH,
THERE IS A REFEREE AND THREE OFF-RING JUDGES.
ALL OF THEM ARE TRAINED AND TESTED
TO MEET THE STANDARDS SET BY THE SPORTS AUTHORITY OF THAILAND.
UPHOLDING THE RULES AND JUSTICE
IS THE KEY DUTY OF A REFEREE.
A REFEREE HAS THE AUTHORITY TO GIVE BOXERS WARNINGS AND STOP THE BOUT
WHEN BOXERS VIOLATE RULES OR INTENTIONALLY HOLD THE FIGHT.
BUT IF A REFEREE'S JUDGMENT GOES AGAINST "THE MAJORITY OF THE BOXING GURUS,"
HE MAY HAVE A CHANCE OF GETTING HURT, INJURED, OR EVEN KILLED.
GOES AGAINST "THE MAJORITY OF THE BOXING GURUS"
GOES AGAINST "THOSE WHO LOSE THEIR BETS AS A RESULT"
INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS
Gamblers are the core of the boxing industry at present.
We have to admit that they play a major role in it.
Banning them is like taking the heart out of the body.
It will kill the industry.
But it's been confirmed
that 98 to 99 percent of boxing bettors
always take when they win, pay when they lose.
And they keep their word.
Yes, hello?
Den Chaomeungphet?
Yes, speaking.
You're in the main event tomorrow.
Throw the fight.
What do you mean?
200,000 baht.
At the end of round four,
throw the fight.
Meanwhile here's a tragic incident
about boxing that shook the entire industry in the country.
Right.
A very young professional boxer, aged 13,
has been reported to have received many severe blows on the chin
from his opponent during the match.
As a result, the 13-year-old child boxer was sent headfirst into the ground…
WE'RE ALL THAI PEOPLE. WHY DON'T WE JUST COMPROMISE?
…and later pronounced dead.
This has called for us to take another look at the countries existing boxing law.
Referring to the 1999 Boxing Act.
The National Legislative Assembly has proposed a draft bill
to amend the Boxing Act.
It especially emphasizes young boxers to ensure child protection.
Specifically, section 14 states
that children under the age of 15 are not allowed to participate
in professional boxing matches.
To prevent the risk of severe injuries or death.
And those age 12 to 15 have to be registered,
and have their permission secured from the registry in order to compete.
Protective gears must be provided,
and appropriate rules and regulations must be maintained.
That means the amendment will ban children under the age of 12
from participating in professional matches.
BOSS MANOP
As for those between 12 and 15, they must be granted permission
and the protective gears are required.
Yes? Hello?
Hey, Wirat. Can we talk?
Yes, sir.
There's a major event tomorrow.
Can you come?
Sure.
You'll be the referee for that major bout.
Oh, yeah? Thanks for that.
But this time
the big boss placed a huge bet on blue.
So I need your help. Don't let me down.
I'll wire the money to you now.
YOU HAVE A NEW MESSAGE.
YOUR ACCOUNT IS CREDITED WITH THB 300,000. - THB 553,205.90.
THE JUSTICE?
Why are you in a hurry, Dad?
I have a long schedule tonight.
I won't have time to eat.
Oh.
Here. It's your favorite dish.
You should eat more too.
You have to work right after class, right?
How's your mom, by the wy?
She's doing fine.
Goes to the hospital sometimes.
The hospital?
Is she all right?
Old people sometimes get sick.
Hmm.
Oh, here.
Take it.
It's for your tuition fees.
You can keep the rest yourself.
And pay the rest of it for your mom's rent.
Just take it.
Where did you get this money?
Take it. It's yours.
I worked and earned it.
Don't tell me you bet on boxing again?
When are you going to stop with this horrible business?
This was the reason why you and mom separated.
And you know I hate it, remember?
But you just wouldn't stop doing it.
You know what? I thought you changed, Dad.
Isn't it because of this dirty money that our family is broken?
Nan, listen to me.
Just take the money.
You don't have to struggle. And your mom is also sick.
Just take this, please.
I won't struggle?
You actually think this money will make me happy?
You think my mom will be happy?
I was hoping that
if you could only get a different job,
we could all go back to how we were.
Because I miss you terribly, Dad.
You can have your stupid money back.
I don't want it.
I'm Boat, Nattadech Vachirarattanawong,
the promoter of Petchyindee Fights,
and the head of Petchyindee Academy.
A promoter organizes the fights and does the matching for boxing events.
NATTADECH VACHIRARATTANAWONG, MUAY THAI PROMOTER
To be a successful promoter,
you have to arrange bouts that will surely attract the audience.
You have to match boxers from two training camps
who you think will guarantee a very entertaining fight in the ring.
And also keep the boxing fans always happy and anticipating
because a promoter makes money basically from sponsorships
and the tickets sold to everyone who watches the bouts.
Hey, hurry up.
Come on now. On the scale.
Hey.
Step on.
65.8 kilograms.
145 pounds. Den Chaomeungphet.
Passed.
65.4 kilograms. 145 pounds.
Eakanan S. Wichaithong.
Qualified.
There will be an extra 400,000 for the main fight.
I could say that gambling has been a big part of Muay Thai
for many decades ever since our parents generation.
Hmm.
It has been keeping Muay Thai alive up till present.
I believe the downside is Muay Thai is not gonna last very long
if it relies on gambling.
Let's go, Eak.
A sport is a sport.
But the moment gambling is involved in any sport,
theres a high probability that it will totally corrupt any sports industry
and it will cause it to deteriorate.
Why are you eating so fast, Den?
I'm really hungry.
Which match are you betting on?
The fifth one and the main one.
Here.
The rate of the major bout is quite high.
Blue.
Yes, sir.
Is everything going great?
Looks good so far.
You saw the amount I transferred, right?
Do me a favor.
In the main event, don't let blue lose.
I put a lot on him.
Sure.
That's a deal, then.
If anything goes wrong,
you won't be the only one… who'll get in trouble.
Okay, sure.
Would you like more drinks?
No, thanks. We're good.
That's my favorite.
All right.
Yeah, this is fo table seven.
Muay Thai is also a sport that is regulated
by the Sports Authority of Thailand.
But there's a big difference between that and soccer.
While there are certified national referees for soccer,
Muay Thai referees are different in each stage and match
as they are individually recruited by the promoter of each bout.
Of course I can say that chances are
there are going to be conflicts of interest in every game
depending upon the results.
For the main event, Wirat,
You're going to be the referee.
As for Dul, Sorn, and Chart,
you three will be the judges, understood?
Yes, sir.
Okay, in the main event, red is gonna do well.
He's promising.
I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of betters today.
-Yeah. -They're putting in a lot of money.
Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure.
The referees are… just like us human beings.
They're not better than us.
But people always accept whatever they say.
It's strange but true.
For one to be successful in Muay Thai, or in whatever industry,
I have to tell you honestly,
one has to be egotistic,
or even cruel in nature.
SURAPOL NARATRIKUL, FORMER PROMOTER
What I mean by being cruel is that he will not help the others.
He will only do things that will benefit himself
and his crew.
I'm Lieutenant Colonel Sudhichai Chokekijchai, MD.
I personally started to get interested in Muay Thai, our national martial arts,
as early as when I was still a student in medical school.
At first, I was just a spectator a mere enthusiast on the sport.
SUDHICHAI CHOKEKIJCHAI, RINGSIDE PHYSICIAN
But after that, an acquaintance had suggested
that I step into the game.
So I had a chance to get involved in supporting Muay Thai
and own a boxing training camp.
After a while, people in the Muay Thai industry started to notice
and realize that I have a background in the medical field.
So they asked me to take up the role as a ringside physician,
and that's what I did.
S. WICHAITHONG
CHAOMEUNGPHET
From my experience in the boxing world,
I've witnessed some matches that were fixed from the start.
Like, most of the time, the boxer who intended to throw the fight
would show some signs during the match
or wouldn't even attack his opponent as much as he should.
Or sometimes, he would just let himself get struck by the other contender.
There are many ways to fix a fight.
For example, if a boxer is in debt,
he'll take the money to throw the fight he has.
WICHAI YASARA, PROVINCIAL PROMOTER AND OWNER OF BOXING CAMP
When he gets a 10,000 prize, his boss will take half and leave him with the rest.
But if he throws a fight, he gets more all to himself.
No need to split it.
But there's one more way to throw a fight.
A boxer is not paid directly to intentionally lose.
Here, drink this.
From my experience as a ringside physician,
there were cases where boxers were drugged.
It is safe to say that the person who has the best opportunity
or is most likely to drug a boxer,
is someone really close to the boxer himself.
They can drug a boxer anytime.
Right before the boxer fights,
he drinks anything that his staff gives him without any question.
It's set up. They put stuff there.
How was it?
It went just as planned.
I had them bet 100,000 for blue.
But right now, red keeps pushing the odds.
Good.
Keep it that way.
Watch out for blue too.
I guess the real reason
why boxers are paid to throw a fight or are being drugged
is because of the benefit that results from it.
If you trace back to the root, you can find that it's none other than gambling.
I personally think it's fine to gamble and bet on boxing.
But when it gets really out of hand, or to the point where winning or losing
is so crucial that people get corrupted and start to come up
with bad ideas to play dirty to win a bet,
it will inevitably lead to boxers getting drugged and then throwing their fight.
You know this, right? This morning, during the weigh-in,
the odds were in red's favor. It was 3/2.
But now it's 7/4.
Someone's manipulating it.
So, who's selling the story?
Hey, Kom, do we go for this match?
They set it at 9/2.
Sure, place it.
Yes. Yes, I will.
That's exactly the reason why
we can never get past the corruption in this industry.
There are deals and profits to be made everywhere,
whether between the stadium owner and the promoter,
the promoter and the referee,
and the referee and the stadium owner,
or even the referee and the fans.
They all benefit from a deal.
Do your best, both of you.
Let's have a clean fight.
No foul play at any point. And you must obey what I tell you, understand?
Good luck.
May the gods protect you and grant you victory.
Yeah, yeah. I knew it. I knew it.
-Whoo! -Yeah!
Come forward.
Round one.
Fight!
Come on. Hurry.
Fight!
I have to say boxing referees really are something.
Because we make judgments every second.
WANCHAI PONGSRI, BOXING REFEREE
To stop,
break,
disqualify.
Do we disqualify them because they're not fighting or foul play?
Or do we or do we not count a boxer who's just knocked down?
Everything has to be decided within just one or two seconds.
No investigation. No witness hearing. Nothing at all.
We have to make the call.
You know what I like the most about boxing referees?
They're fast thinking,
smart, tactful, and quick to make decisions.
Because otherwise, there will be disputes.
Hey! Come on! Fight back!
The fight's just starting.
They barely touched each other.
They're going in hard.
There might be odd behaviors,
such as boxers just running around the ring
since round one.
Well, explaining this is not that simple.
I can go on all night.
But roughly speaking, you can see boxers holding back,
punching lightly.
You can tell from how he fights.
Like he's known to be a brawler, but now he rarely throws his punches
and only uses his knees.
That's a sign.
You'll then realize
something's not right.
SAMING KAO, BOXING CRITIC
It's usual.
Drugging their own boxers.
Dealing with big bettors.
The big bettors manipulate the smaller one to bet more.
But most importantly, don't forget,
there's no secret in this world.
Let alone in any boxing stadium.
If a boxer takes money to throw a fight,
he can never let his trainer find out about it.
Otherwise, the trainer won't let him fight.
That's it. He'll get withdrawn.
If he agrees to throw it.
Now, fight!
Hey! Use your damn leg!
Damn, man! Red is looking good!
Now, fight!
Move forward! Go!
Stop! Break!
Fight!
-His form is * great. -I told you.
Stop!
You have to keep attacking. Knock him down.
Keep it going. He won't last long.
-Got it? -Yes, coach.
You're holding back a lot.
Throw more punches.
Right now, most are betting on red.
In round two, start attacking and use your kicks more.
You're bigger than him, okay?
[bell ringing
Round two.
Fight!
Go, kid.
Break. Break!
Hey, stop!
Hey! The ropes, the ropes, the ropes! Referee, the ropes!
The referee plays the biggest role in cheating.
They do it by accepting money from the bettors.
Sometimes big bettors pay the referee monthly or yearly.
Like, if red is about to score,
the referee breaks them after one strike so he can't.
-What the hell was that? -Fight!
The worst kind of referee is the crooked one.
I confirm there's no such thing.
Well, I never had anyone coming to me,
asking me to help some… bettors fix a fight.
Come on. It's already hard for us to survive.
But then I… I can't speak for others. I can't confirm
if what you heard…
is true or not.
I'll leave it up to you to make a conclusion.
Use your kicks! You better stop * around!
Kick! Kick him!
Fight!
Good! Good!
Get up!
Yeah. Let's go.
Red, punch him. Come on!
Good! Good!
You ask me,
what if a boxer was drugged while the other was paid to throw a fight?
That's a tricky question.
It's hard to answer that.
It's a tough nut to crack.
If that's really the case,
then I have to ask.
Has the drug taken effect yet?
Certainly one of the symptoms is frequent urination.
Usually, you won't see it happening in the ring during the fight itself.
The symptoms usually starts showing before the fight.
That particular drug that causes frequent urination in the boxer
will weaken him
and reduce his ability to compete by causing dehydration.
His body will lose water and essential electrolytes.
After the drug has taken effect, the boxer weakens.
He begins to lose his confidence, he falls down easily.
Then the odds are reversed.
Hey, what's wrong with you?
Are you worn out, huh?
You have to pull yourself together.
Sway and kick. Sway and punch. Remember? You hear me?
I really need to pee.
What? Right * now?
-Can you hold on for a while? -Yeah, I can.
Okay.
Hang in there.
What the hell was that? I saw it?
Why didn't you punch him? Huh?
When you get him, punch him.
Throw the first punch. What the * were you waiting for? What?
Right now, your odds are equal again.
Attack more. Throw a punch.
Strike first. Use your kicks.
Fight as you were trained.
You hear me?
Seconds out!
Round three.
Fight!
The odds are equal, but they're leaning towards blue.
Fight, fight, fight!
Hey, go for it! Go for it! Go! Go!
Yeah!
Red's down! Red's down! Red's down! Hey, red is down! Good!
Come on!
Fight!
-Keep fighting! Keep fighting! -Attack him! Attack!
Get closer. Closer dammit.
Just do it! Closer! Yes, closer!
Hey, red's already exhausted! Finish him!
One!
Two!
Three!
Four!
Five!
-Red! Red! Red! Red! -Six!
Red, I'll pay you 40,000 extra! 40,000!
Seven! Eight!
All right!
Fight!
What are you waiting for? Finish him!
Stop!
Break!
S. WICHAITHONG
They won't drug a boxer to the point that he can't fight anymore.
They'll only use a small dose on him instead.
Because it won't benefit anyone if the boxer can't compete.
What they actually want is for that boxer
to get into the ring and fight
with the drug unnoticed.
And lastly, without being able to defend himself well enough.
Damn, I need to pee.
I can't hold it.
Why didn't you knock him out?
He's done with a few punches.
Fifty thousand is too little.
I'm going with blue.
Five hundred thousand, are you in?
I really need to pee.
Do it right here. Just pee here. Come on.
For the next round, raise your hand.
Keep your guard up.
We'll win in no time.
Just hang in there!
All right, you're betting on red? Good. Good.
Let's check on him, man.
All right. You too? It's clear. All right.
Hey, come on, I'm switching.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. A thousand.
There are good and bad referees in boxing.
It won't be fair to say they're all crooked.
Are you all right?
Yeah. I can do it.
We decide with our feelings, not with a computer program.
There's controversy surrounding the word "justice" or "fairness."
Who should determine what's fair?
Is it the audience?
Or the rules and regulations?
Or should we base it on the view of the referee?
Fight!
You * idiot! Use your brain!
Go in! Go in! Punch! Punch!
Kick him!
-Hey, Phat. -What?
The odds for blue are going strong. You should hedge your bet.
Leave me alone.
Every boxer in the ring is a fighter.
So isn't it pitiful that some of them get drugged just like that?
The drugged boxer is drained and shattered.
Don't forget that the drug could induce heart failure.
Could die from a heart attack during the fight.
Yeah! It's over! It's over!
It's over! It's over! All right!
Five!
Six! You okay? Seven!
I can do it.
Eight!
Give me a chance.
I beg you!
If you could get a different job,
we could all go back to how we were.
I beg you!
Because I miss you terribly, Dad.
Come on! Fight!
Yes! Yes!
Hey, what the *?
Stop!
Break!
Fight!
Hey, he's done already! Come on!
You *! The fight is * over!
-How could you let him continue? -Keep going!
-Yes! Yes! Keep fighting! -Good! Good! Keep it up!
*! *! I'll * get you!
* ! I'll * you up!
-You *! -What's his problem?
-What's going on? -Do you how how to do your job?
How could you let him keep going?
No way! It was clearly a knockout!
What more do you want? It's a knockout.
-You lost a long time ago! -Don't be a sore loser!
Why did you let red go on?
I'm so sorry.
I'll pay you back. I promise you.
You think you can afford to pay us back, huh?
Everyone's now in deep shit, and it's because of you!
You're a * idiot! * you, you idiot!
All of you are idiots! You * bow down to him!
Stand up for yourself!
-I said stop! -No, you stopand listen to me.
If you live like this, you'll always have to * bow down to him, you idiot!
A well-trained boxer with a fighting spirit who, unfortunately,
got drugged before his fight.
And a boxer who got in the ring to throw a fight.
These instances jeopardize the industry.
It's sending a message to the outside world
that people are free to do, pretty much, all kind of things there.
I believe that people who are truly passionate about it
won't let these things happen.
Like I said, in the end, it's all up to their conscience,
be it boxing camps heads, trainers, boxers, or referees.
Let's do our part if you want change.
But as you see, if we keep turning a blind eye,
there won't be an end to this vicious cycle.
There will always be a scandal popping up.
1 NEW MESSAGE 9 MISSED CALLS FROM DAD
EVERYTHING I DID, I DID IT FOR YOU AND YOUR MOM.
PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.
Dad.
Hey, Den.
Meet me at the gym afterwards.
What's up, coach?
You think you can fool me? Who bought you off, huh?
No, coach. Nobody.
-Hey, what the-- -Come here! Come on!
Let me go! Let me go!
-Go! -Come on!
-Let's go. -I told you to let me go!
Who paid you?
-Nobody. -No one?
-Stay still. -Let me go! * you!
-Who paid you? -You're hurting me! Let me go!
Who wants you out?
-I said no one! -Nobody?
-Let go of me! -You think you can fool me?
Huh?
What you did was a disgrace, you fool!
You bastard!