Punching out of poverty: Despite risks, 9-year-old Thai fighter eager to
return to ring
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[April 07, 2021]
By Athit Perawongmetha and Jiraporn Kuhakan
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Nine-year-old Thai
kickboxer Pornpattara "Tata" Peachaurai is eager to get back in the
ring after coronavirus curbs brought his fight season to a halt more
than five months ago. The money he earns is vital income for his
family.
"All the money from boxing, the regular payment and the tips, it all
goes to mum," said the lean young fighter.
"I'm proud to be a boxer and to earn money for my mum."
Tata's last fight was in October, before a second COVID-19 outbreak
in Thailand shut down sports events as bans on large gatherings were
reimposed.
"I cannot box. I haven't practiced boxing, too ... I help my mum
sell things."
Tata lives with his mother and 16-year-old sister, Poomrapee, who is
also a boxer with the national youth team.
The family is banking on Tata's earnings as a way out of poverty and
hopes he can make it as a professional Muay Thai fighter, or
represent the police or army in the ring and be rewarded with higher
ranks and bonuses.
"He usually gives his income to mum," said Tata's mother, Sureeporn
Eimpong, 40.
"Sometimes he asks for some toys after a fight."
HARMFUL EFFECTS
Child fights in Thailand can be as popular as adult bouts and take
place at tournaments, festivals and temple fairs. There are an
estimated 300,000 boxers under the age of 15, according to the
Professional Boxing Association of Thailand.
Some medical experts are calling for a ban on boxing for minors,
though, saying it could cause stunted growth, long-term neurological
problems, brain damage and disability.
Parental consent is the only present requirement for child boxers.
"I'm not worried about boxing," said Sureeporn, adding that boxers
were trained to protect themselves.
"There are not a lot of injuries in child boxing. I am confident in
the system."
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Pornpattara Peachurai,
known as Tata Por Lasua as his fighter name, 9, a child Muay Thai
boxer, trains at a gym in Bangkok, Thailand, October 3, 2020. "All
the money from boxing, the regular payment and the tips, it all goes
to mum," said Peachurai. "I'm proud to be a boxer and to earn money
for my mum." REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
But the system doesn't always work.
In 2018, Tata fought in the same tournament where a 13-year-old boy
died of brain haemorrhage after being knocked out in the ring.
Sureeporn said the referee had been too slow to intervene.
Adisak Plitponkarnpim, director of the National Institute of Child
and Family Development at Thailand's Mahidol University, is part of
a research team that did brain scans on 250 child boxers, some of
which showed extensive damage that could impact brain development
and intelligence levels.
"Boxing creates brain injury as we can see clearly in the older
boxers," Adisak said.
"The parents who rely for income from their kids at the age of eight
or nine years old should ask themselves what they are actually
demanding from them."
Some Thai lawmakers have sought to ban boxing for those under the
age of 12, but a draft bill failed to reach parliament and would
likely have faced resistance because of the popularity of child
fights and the revenue they generate.
Sureeporn said boxing was her son's life.
"I'm from the lower class and I just make enough money to survive
and don't have savings or fancy homes," she said.
"The future of Tata is in boxing."
(Reporting by Athit Perawongmetha and Jiraporn Kuhakan; Writing by
Martin Petty; Editing by Tom Hogue)
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