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NOVEMBER 2013
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HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
the toughness for it, and the smarts. Then,
three years ago, at the age of 23, hewas con-
victed of drug trafficking and sentenced
to 10 years.
Sawangsuk spent his first year inprison
the way most inmates in Thailand do:
He smoked black-market cigarettes; he
allowed a friend to cover his entire torso
in an elaborate tapestry of ballpoint-ink-
and-sewing-needle ta oos; he grew fat; he
lost contact with his family.
At the beginning of his second year,
he heard about theMuayThai program. To
be eligible, you needed only to have a sen-
tenceofadecadeormoreandabackground
in Muay Thai. Sawangsuk had both. So he
set about ge ing himself back into shape.
He had always been a natural fighter––
patient and outwardly calm, with a
capacity for explosive brutality that
could stunhis opponents into submission.
And yet, in the outside world, the trap-
pings of the gangster life had too easily
distracted him.
In prison, there wasn’t a lot of room for
distraction. Sawangsuk trained relent-
lessly, typically from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with
a two-hour break at midday, when the
tropical heat congeals into a damp, impen-
etrable soup. He ran, he jumped rope, he
sparred. He also meditated.
“It was a big change tomy life,” Sawang-
suk says. “I think the program has helped
me become more focused. I’ve slowed
down. I think about thingsmore. I’mmore
reasonable. I’ve seen myself grow up.”
Although many of the prison tourna-
ments are staged among inmates, the bout
we’re witnessing today pits the Klong
Pai guys against pro fighters fromAustra-
lia, North America and Europe. The bill is
the work of a thirty-something Estonian
businessman named Kirill Sokur, who
teamed up with the Thai Department
of Corrections earlier this year to help
stage fights, such as this one, between
inmates and outside professionals.
The name of Sokur’s organization, Prison
Fight, is simple and straight to the point.
In exchange for se ing up the bouts
and providing the equipment, Prison
Fight receives a fee from the Thai gov-
ernment; it also has the opportunity to
scout top talent from the prisoner pool.
Fighters like Sawangsuk, when free, rep-
resent incredible potential for a savvy
promoter––the bad guy turned good.
The prisoners, in turn, have a shot at
going legit.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 114
»
“I THINKTHE
PROGRAMHAS
HELPEDME
BECOMEMORE
FOCUSED. I’VE
SEENMYSELF
GROWUP.”
BACK IN
THE GAME
Chalernpol
Sawangsuk
takes a break
