The death of a 13-year-old boxer in the ring has caused shock and anger in Thailand. The boy crashed his head on the floor at the weekend after a strike of his approximately age-old opponent and contracted a brain hemorrhage. In a hospital near the capital Bangkok, he succumbed to his injuries on Monday evening, the clinic said. He had not worn head protection in the deadly fight.
The boy had started as a small child with the martial arts Muay Thai, also known as Thai boxing. According to a report by the television station Workpoint, he boxed already at the age of eight years for the first time for money.
The fights are played in front of a paying audience. The winner gets in this age group for larger events a prize money of about 3000 baht (about 80 euros). Often the boys come from poor backgrounds. Their martial arts help them to feed their families.
"I regret it"
Tasakos opponent in the fatal fight subsequently wrote on Facebook: "I regret it, but I have to fight and win to earn enough money for my education."
Boxing is extremely popular in Thailand. Tasakos death, however, has made new demands for a ban on such struggles between children. A bill is currently being drafted to ban the sport for children under the age of twelve.
Tasako denied, according to the station ThaiPBS more than 170 fights. According to the report, the boy grew up with his uncle, a boxing coach, after his parents split up. The death of his nephew had been an accident, said the uncle the transmitter. He advocated that children and adolescents under the age of fifteen should wear protective gear during such struggles to relieve shock to the head and body.