Sandra Hoyn

Fighting for a Pittance Boxing matches with children starting at six years in Thailand. Muay Thai, the national sport of Thailand, is one of the hardest martial arts worldwide, often connected with fighters sustaining serious injuries. Many people earn their living by it, therefore children fights for tourists and Thai bettors are part of the everyday life. There is no minimum age for the fighters. Two or three times a month, they are boxing for a pittance and they are pushing themselves to their physical and mental limits. Only few of them become a rich and popular boxing idol. At 25 years, the career is usually over. While travelling through to other countries, I try always to come close to local people and live with them. My photographs document people conditions and show them in their environment. 2011 I was on vacation in Thailand and watched by chance a Muay Thai competition in an arena near Bangkok. I saw 6 year old boys fighting and was surprised about their young age. The next day I tried to establish contacts with the coaches and children. For four weeks I accompanied the children at home, during the training and the competitions. In Thailand this child fightings are not unusual. They belong to poor families, many fighters hope that Thaiboxing is a way out of poverty. For this reason parents send their children to professional training at a very early age. The pressure on these children to win is high, because their parents bet a lot of money. Money bets are illegal in Thailand, but hardly anyone cares for that. The stakes are high, a lot of people lose all their money in one night.