Unreported World

Kickboxing Kids (2014x3)

Air date: Apr 25, 2014

This powerful edition of Unreported World documents the lives of Thai children as young as seven who fight in the brutal sport of Muay Thai, knocking out their opponents with elbows, knees and feet, as well as fists. It can leave the kids brain-damaged, but adult gambling on these unpredictable fights is big business, and their families put enormous pressure on the kids to fight and win. The film records one child as he runs miles inside a rubber suit in 30-degree heat to make the weight for his fight. Reporter Mary-Ann Ochota and director Daniel Bogado follow 11-year old Nat Thanarak, one of the best child boxers in the North of the country. He is preparing for the biggest match of his career so far, against a 12- year old champion from another province. Nat will get a fee for the fight, but his chance of earning big money comes from gambling. His whole village has raised a stake to bet on him. If Nat wins, he’ll get a cut. There are more than 30,000 professional child fighters taking part in Muay Thai, which is considered one of the toughest martial arts in the world. Although they sometimes fight for a fee of as little as £4, their winnings can make them breadwinners for their families and local heroes in their villages. Nat trains seven days a week, four hours a day, before and after school. As well as getting fit for the fight, he also needs to make the weight for his category. And to do this, he needs to shed three kilos – ten per cent of his body weight – over the next week. He dresses in a rubber sweat suit designed to help him lose water while he runs 8km in temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius. Nat’s mother works as a nanny in Bangkok, sending home money when she can, but it’s not enough to support the family. Nat’s dad doesn’t have a job and tells Ochota that if his son wasn’t boxing, he would have to find work in Bangkok, leaving Nat to live with their grandparents. While Nat trains, the team films some of the fights held ev