There’s no room for fear when faced with an opponent in the tough, unforgiving world of Cambodian professional kickboxing, says heavy-weight champ Phan Phanath who in the past three years has rocketed to the top of square-ring stardom.
Since the tall, 22-year-old was first plucked from obscurity in the provincial kickboxing circuit of northwestern Cambodia, Phanath has become a household name among the country’s fight enthusiasts.
But the humble kickboxer from Mongkol Borei district in Banteay Meanchey province remembers that it wasn’t always like that.
Debuting in the ring at a provincial fight when he was 19 years-old, Phanath was happy to draw with his first-ever opponent.
“When I drew with my opponent that first time, I was more encouraged,” Phanath said.
A combination of unfaltering commitment to the fight game, exhaustive training regimes and a sense of national honor have made Phanath a hero to his fans.
“When I get in the ring, I am never scared,” said the strong-bodied Phanath during a break in training at the Military Police Headquarters boxing gym in Phnom Penh’s Toul Kok district. As he practiced, a dozen other boxers went through their paces in a gym where the air is suffused with the smell of sweat and boxing glove leather.
Phanath has won all but five of his 60 professional fights, and is now the champion at the 67kg weight class, the fight category one step below Cambodian heavy weight kickboxing legend Ei Phouthang.
The two heavy-hitters have traded punishment on three occasions, with closely fought matches resulting in one draw, one point decision to Ei Phouthang and, in their last match, Ei Phouthang won by TKO after landing a well-placed elbow just above Phanath’s eye.
But Phanath’s record is impressive in the Cambodian boxing circuit. There’s no shortage of new fighters emerging from provincial areas ready to battle for fame and a small paycheck in Phnom Penh’s boxing stadiums.
Like so many other aspects of Cambodian culture, kickboxing was outlawed during the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime and many of the famous fighters of the period died or struggled to merely survive.
Though there were small provincial bouts during the 1980s, it was kickboxing matches in Thailand that Cambodians watched on television until the early 1990s, when the country’s indigenous kickboxing scene re-emerged to now become one of the mostly popular and fastest growing sports in the country.
Oum Yourann, first vice president of the Cambodia Amateur Boxing Association, said there are 78 kickboxing clubs now in the country and around 400 experienced fighters.
Unlike orthodox boxing and the Karate-influenced version of kickboxing popular in Europe and the US, Cambodian kick boxers use almost every part of their body to inflict punishment on an opponent. Kick boxers trade powerful fists, elbows, kicks and knees to head, stomach and thighs during the five, three-minute round, matches a professional is expected to fight.
For the hopeful boxers, the dream of making the big time and winning one of the weekend bouts in Phnom Penh’s TV5 and TV3 television stations keeps them training.
Phanath is the heavyweight champion, but his winners purse is far more humble than his title. He is paid about $20 per month by the Military Police Headquarters’ boxing stable, but can earn $75 if he boxes in a bout broadcast on Cambodian televisions.
The prize money is important, said Phanath, because without good food Cambodian kick-boxers are not at their physical peak for their wildly popular bouts against foreign fighters.
Losing to a foreigner is the worst feeling for a Cambodian fighter, Phanath said.
“When I fought with the foreign boxers I have never been afraid,” he said. “But I was really embarrassed when a foreign boxer defeated me.”
Phanath believes Cambodian kickboxing technique are superior to the foreign boxers’ style, but stamina and strength is a problem against the better-fed fighters from France, Israel, Australia, Japan, Britain and the US.
Perfecting the winning techniques takes plenty of practice, said Phanath. He jogs 10 km every morning through the streets of Phnom Penh, spars and practices technique for 90 minutes, then punches and kicks a leather bag long into most afternoons.
It was Phanath’s height, build and his potential to be a champion, that inspired coach Troeung Soh Say to bring the Banteay Meanchey boxer to Phnom Penh.
But it’s been Phanath’s commitment to the rigorous training that has led to success, Troeung Soh Say said.
“Phan Phanath is determined, patient, tenacious and well-mannered,” he said.
His hard work may pay off on Dec 29 when he takes on an Israeli kickboxer in Phnom Penh, the coach said.
Phanath says he’s determined to win.
“For our honor and the nation, I try my best to fight,” he said.
