The Top 3 Muaythai Stadiums in Bangkok (and Thailand)


 

Mention Thailand or Bangkok and for many people those very words are synonymous with the graceful yet effective stand-up martial art of Thai boxing (muaythai).

Sometimes referred to in martial arts circles as ‘the art of 8 limbs’ (due to its use of hands, feet, knees, and elbows), more and more people have taken an interest in the national sport of Thailand in the last couple of decades, helped in no small part by the internet and the ever-growing popularity of MMA.

Many top MMA fighters these days have at least some background in muaythai as far as the stand-up, striking aspect of their game goes, and one of the top MMA promotions around at the moment — ONE Championship, which comes out of Asia by way of its half-Thai owner, has begun incorporating and featuring more and more muaythai fighters from traditional backgrounds into its huge event promotions.

But there is nothing quite like an authentic muaythai event in an authentic venue steeped in the history and culture of the country.  

And similarly to visiting a temple or two, going to a muaythai bout features on the itinerary of many tourists in the Thai capital, at least for first-timers.

Image by fredericfaile sourced from wikimedia commons

But there is quite a difference between some of the ‘demonstration’ muaythai shows that are arranged especially for visiting tourists, and authentic Thai boxing at its best.

Indeed, many of the muaythai ‘stadiums’ in other areas of Thailand such as the holiday island of Phuket and other tourist destinations such as Pattaya hardly qualify as authentic muaythai stadiums in real terms in the eyes of the natives and true, hardcore aficionados of the sport..

And while it may be true that some of these places play host to the odd televised event like  ‘Max Muaythai’ and such like, these events largely feature foreigners fighting ‘has-been’ or ‘never-were’ Thai fighters who clearly haven’t done much by way of training for the fight.

These venues may go some way towards serving a particular purpose, but those involved in the very grass-roots, and the very money-oriented world of real muaythai in Bangkok pay them little mind.

The majority of real muaythai fans in Thailand and especially the older generations would probably tell you that there are only actually 2 ‘real’ muaythai stadiums in the country –- and they are both located in the capital. 

Image sourced from creativecommons.org

These places have become institutions and in many ways an integral part of Thai culture in historic terms over the generations.

They regularly play host to some of the biggest names in the sport in Thai terms, as well as being the places where up and coming fighters with the right connections can showcase their skills in the hope of making a name for themselves.

The two main stadiums which are featured here, rather than being in competition with each other both do their bit to complement the sport by way of hosting their fights on different nights of the week.

And the latter muaythai stadium featured in this post restricts the televised bouts that it holds to Sunday afternoons, when they go out live on national TV, at a time when the other 2 stadiums are closed for business.

So let’s have a deeper delve into the top 3 muaythai stadiums in Bangkok – and indeed in Thailand.

1. Ratchadamnoen Stadium 

Image bt kojach from wikimedia commons

Ratchadamnoen (also spelled Rajadamnern) was the first Thai boxing arena in Bangkok, and was opened in December 23, 1945, although back then it was merely an open-air arena.

Obviously it was soon found that there were drawbacks to the fact that the arena had no roof, especially during the monsoon season, so the stadium was expanded in 1951 and had its roof installed along with some extra seating that had rapidly become a requirement.

The stadium is considered the original and best by many Thais, and has its own ranking system and championship titles up to Middleweight (73kg). It is renowned for the quality of its fights, which are highly professional, although bouts featuring amateur boxers are also held in the stadium several days a week.

Image by brokensphere from wikimedia commons

There are usually large crowds of devoted Thai boxing fans in attendance due to the fact that there are a few big promoters involved with Ratchadamnoen who always put on the best shows including many of the best up-and-coming as well as established fighters in their promotions.

There are 4 tiers, or classes of seating which start ringside and stretch back to the farthest recesses of the arena. The ringside seats are the most expensive, but not necessarily the best in terms of view.

The next level (second class or club) actually has better views of the fights, which generally tend to get progressively more intense and exciting as the programs unfold. There are nine fights in total, although the seventh is the main event.

The third class or level can include a few obstructions in terms of view by way of the checkerboard ceiling lights, and the fourth…mmm.

Image by kwankwan from wikimedia commons

As with all things in Thailand, be prepared to be singled-out as a foreigner immediately upon arrival to any muaythai stadium, and specifically this one, which is why pre-ordering tickets is the best option. You’ll still encounter the singling-out though, as you’ll have to collect the tickets at window, for which you will also need photo ID.

You will then be directed towards an area labelled ‘Foreigners’ (no, really).

That’s why trying to ‘mingle’ with locals in order to get a more authentic experience is virtually impossible, and they’d prefer it if you didn’t anyway as a large part of the culture of muaythai is about betting, with not entirely unheard of corruption of various types.

Image by shawnc from wikimedia commons

Ringside seats will set you back somewhere in the region of 2000 baht, and just slightly less than that at 1500 for the second class seats. There is also a club class ticket available at 1800 baht which facilitates similar views to the second class seats but offers a few different angles.

The stadium is located very close to Khaosarn Road, so if you’re staying in that area it is within walking distance. The area is not exactly within reach of any BTS stops, although there is a fairly recent addition to the MRT line (Sam Yot) which is about 2km away. Grab car or taxi is the best option if travelling any distance.

Image by brokensphere from wikimedia commons

Address: 8 Ratchadamnoen Nok Rd, เเขวง วัดโสมนัส Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok 10100
Hours: 6 pm-10 pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday
Phone: (+66) 02 281 4205
Website: https://rajadamnern.com/

 

2. Lumpinee Stadium

Image by Mr. Sayompoo from wikimedia commons

Lumpinee Boxing Stadium is the second of the two most prominent boxing arenas in the country.

It first opened its doors in the second half of the 1950s, and was originally located on Rama IV road in the Pathumwan district, just across from the former Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School, although it has just quite recently been relocated.

This top muaythai stadium in Bangkok was founded by the commander of the King’s Guard 1st Division, Major.General.Praphas Charusathien, and subsequently took its name from the nearby lush, green park (Lumpinee Park) in the city.

The stadium held its first muaythai bouts on 15thMarch, 1956, although the actual official grand opening ceremony didn’t occur until 8th December of the same year.

Image by Mark Rauterkus from wikimedia commons

The stadium developed and maintained high standards in terms of the quality of the bouts and the fighters involved in them, in parallel with the country’s other main boxing arena, Rajadamnern Stadium, although connoisseurs believe that the 2 stadiums’ fights are unique in their own ways.

Many Thai boxing as well as international boxing events took place here, including an early one featuring the first Thai world boxing champion, ‘Pone Kingpetch’ vs Pascual Parez in 1960.

As the former stadium gradually became more and more crowded and more than a little run down, the decision was made to move the famous name and venue to a much more modern building more in line with modern standards.

The new Lumpinee Stadium was purpose built, and was constructed in a much larger area, again close to a prominent army location, this time  within the Royal Thai Army Sports Centre, in the Bangkaen district.

Although the old stadium was past its best in many ways, it was something of an institution in Thailand, and specifically Bangkok, and was also located in a prime, easily-accessible, central region of the city (unless you tried to get there during Bangkok’s infamous rush-hour traffic).

Image by Mr. Peerapong from wikimedia commons

Many have complained that the new venue is much more difficult to get to and is too far out of the main centre of the city for one of Bangkok’s two infamous boxing arenas. This does make it somewhat more difficult to access in terms of public transport lines etc., but the thing to bear in mind if heading to Lumpinee – as indeed was the case with the previous venue — is to check the fight times and allow at least a couple of hours to get there.

In terms of tickets, the best advice again would be to pre-book tickets as you will be approached outside the venue by touts trying to sell them to you at inflated prices. Again you will be looking at 2000 baht for a ringside seat, which many people assume are the only ones available to non-Thais.

This is not strictly true, as you can request second class or third class seats at the box office, although as we previously stated don’t count too heavily on mingling inconspicuously without attracting attention.

Image by B20180 from wikimedia commons

The new stadium holds boxing bouts on Tuesdays and Fridays as it did previously, in order not to clash with the timetable of Bangkok’s other top muaythai stadium. 

Location: 6 Ram Inthra Road, anusawari, Bang kaen, Bangkok 10220
Hours: Tue/Fri 6 pm-10 pm, Sat 5 pm-midnight; closed on religious days

 

3. The Channel 7 stadium

Every Sunday, down at the Channel 7 TV station’s very own muaythai stadium, you can find the televised fights that are watched by a packed house.

The crowd is largely locals although there is the obligatory ‘foreign’ section, which in this case is ringside, and contains a handful of ‘in-the-know’ tourists who were lucky enough to find out about this opportunity to catch a few decent fights – and it happens to be free entry!

The stadium has a lively atmosphere with plenty of enthusiastic gambling in evidence, although it is not the most comfortable. But hey, it is free.

The Channel 7 stadium is in fairly close proximity to the Chatuchak weekend market, and if tied in with a trip there can make for quite an interesting day.

Image sourced from creativecommons.org

The thing about the fights in this Bangkok muaythai stadium is that they are notoriously slow to pick up pace, which a lot of foreigners find a little tedious if they are not hardcore fans of the sport. In fact it’s not that uncommon to see a few of them leaving after just a couple of fights.

But it is what it is. Any Thai boxing stadium experience at grass roots level is not exactly built for the purpose of comfort, and is uniquely Thai in many ways that ‘outsiders’ may not necessarily find that appealing.

As with the style and intensity of the fights and promotions from the other venues listed in this post, the action at Channel 7 stadium has its own approach, which as we already said is a bit on the slow side to begin with, often giving people watching a bout for the first time the wrong impression.

However, in the eyes of local enthusiasts, the fights from this Bangkok muaythai arena are still a pretty top-notched and they tend to feature many up and coming fighters who will eventually find their way into the 2 other stadiums if all goes well for them.

Location: 998/1, Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Chom Pon, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900

Planning a trip to Paris ? Get ready !


These are Amazon’s best-selling travel products that you may need for coming to Paris.

Bookstore

  1. The best travel book : Rick Steves – Paris 2023 – Learn more here
  2. Fodor’s Paris 2024 – Learn more here

Travel Gear

  1. Venture Pal Lightweight Backpack – Learn more here
  2. Samsonite Winfield 2 28″ Luggage – Learn more here
  3. Swig Savvy’s Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle – Learn more here

Check Amazon’s best-seller list for the most popular travel accessories. We sometimes read this list just to find out what new travel products people are buying.