Femi Akinade, aka Femii Thai, is a singer/songwriter/thai boxer hailing from London, England. I met Femi in Bangkok in early 2009 while training at Chuwattana Gym. As that was over two years ago, my mind scrambles when I try to recall how long we trained together, I can't remember if it was for a few weeks, or over a month. Nonetheless, what I do remember is Femi's dedication to the art and the respect he extended to everyone around him. Femi also brought home a win from Rajadamnern Stadium that year. Since skipping back to England, Femi continues to train but has switched his focus to music, his most recent single being released without a … [Read more...]
Beginnings: The Kru
This is the only video I've been able to find of my trainer/kru. He comes in at 1.46 and at 1.54 gets KO'd. When I saw this, it wasn't the KO that I took great note of, it was how hard he tried to get up. His fight name is Sataban Tor Ratonakiet, nickname Gai and he never won a belt. Belts are cool, but not having one doesn't define you as a less than great fighter in my opinion. Neither does getting knocked out on YouTube. I equate it to assuming all the smartest kids got the best grades in school. Granted, some of them did, but not all of them. And realistically, fighting is like anything else, we all get knocked out eventually. But do we … [Read more...]
Beginnings: The City – Buriram, Isaan
The Buriram I live, may not be the Buriram you know. More often than not, when I tell Thai nationals who aren't born of this region that I live in Buriram, my statement elicits a variety of mixed reactions - confusion, shock, and disdain generally being the top three. Adding that I train muay thai doesn't work in my favour. The region of Isaan, situated in the North East, is Thailand's poorest. Buriram, in the southern hemisphere is one of the poorest provinces of the region - it's also one of the major suppliers of sex trade workers to Pattaya and Bangkok. Among the lower classes, a proportionate number of females work the bars and … [Read more...]
Beginnings: The Country – Thailand
The Thailand I live, may not be the Thailand you know. I haven't been able to find a reference point for it in any literature I've found. I know few people who relate to it. I train Muay Thai or Thai boxing, fulltime. Tourist attractions and most things status quo rarely interest me. As a result, I've tried to follow my own path in this country, as well as within the culture of Muay Thai. At the time of this writing, Thailand has been my base in Asia for approximately two years. Thailand has changed me. At times I feel as though there is a Western me and an Eastern me, neither really fitting into either stereotyped … [Read more...]