A Chiang Mai boxing camp has attracted a large number of girls and young women, making them strong in more ways than one.

ALIVE AND KICKING: Rungjira 'Noon' Ketraksa is a 23-year-old Chiang Rai native, known in local media as 'The Beautiful Boxer'. Photos: Chumporn Sangvilert

Lieutenant Yai first started Thai boxing when he was 18 years old and four decades later, he is still involved with the sport, but not quite in the way he may have imagined.

Born in Ratchaburi, he joined the army in the early 1980s, first in Lop Buri where he served two years before transferring to Chiang Mai. In the military, he continued to practise his Thai boxing skills and competed in local temple fairs or sports events held by the military.

Twenty years ago, he moved to Ban Ton Phueng village, located in the Mae Rim district of Chiang Mai, with his wife and two children. He bought himself a humble wooden house in the community where his family was based. As the remote village was far away from the distractions of the city, drug abuse had become a major problem, especially among young people.

Local authorities attempted to solve the drug problem by encouraging sports activities, with the village headman establishing a "sports centre" in Ban Ton Phueng, near Lt Yai's home.

When it first opened, locals flocked to the facility. But it didn't attract the target group the centre was intended for -- young people. Lt Yai noticed things weren't going to plan, so he volunteered to teach local kids boxing skills.

Over the years the boxing training camp has turned into something quite unusual. It is now a centre that caters almost exclusively for young women who want to learn how to box and win purses. Today, there are about 20 girls, aged 13 to 25, and two boys attending the camp.

GIRLS' CAMP

The Ban Ton Phueng "sports centre" is a lot humbler than the name suggests. It's little more than a concrete floor with wooden supports holding up a tin roof.

The training facilities consist of pads arranged to look like a boxing ring, old tyres for the trainees to test their foot speed and agility on, and punching bags and tyres hanging perilously from the roof supports. When Spectrum visited, practice kicks from his young female boxers sent the tin roof rattling.

"Don't worry. It won't fall down," joked Lt Yai, who is now aged 56 and recently retired from the army.

Eleven years ago when Lt Yai set up his boxing school it was mainly boys who came to train. For them, it was only the start. Once they gained experience and improved their skills, the better ones moved on to Chiang Mai city to train at professional camps and fight on big stages for good purses.

But with the classes free and open to everyone, Lt Yai noticed a trend five years ago when more local girls, some as young as 10, came to ask for training. They had the same ambition >> >> as the boys: to fight and earn money to help support their families. The girls eventually supplanted the boys, but instead of moving on to the city, the majority were happy to fight at the Poy Luang, or temple fair, held most months. There are no age or gender restrictions on the bouts.

FIGHTING FUTURE

Nareerat "Fern" Buadruen and Jiranya "Aung" Kantathip, both aged 13, are the youngest boxers at the camp and best friends. Although they are not especially big for their age, both are ferocious fighters.

Fern said she became fascinated by Thai boxing when she saw her first fight at a temple fair. But it was not only her love of the sport that drew her to fighting. She knew there was the chance of making good money to support her, her younger sister and mother after her father abandoned the family.

"I know how hard my mother has to work in order to support the whole family. I want to be able to do what I love and earn money for my family at the same time," Fern told Spectrum.

Fern came to Ban Ton Phueng camp a year ago and was trained personally by Lt Yai. She was a quick learner and picked up the basic techniques.

Over the past year, Fern has fought 149 times at venues all over Chiang Mai. She has only lost four times and usually earns 500 to 1,000 baht for each fight.

The proceeds from the fighting have helped pay for her and her sister's education.

Aung had always passed the boxing camp on her way to school, stopping on her bicycle to watch the other girls train. Six months ago she plucked up the courage to ask Lt Yai to join the camp.

She is trained by the best female boxer in the camp who has a good reputation among other boxing camps in Chiang Mai for her skills.

Aung, who like Fern, has no father in her life, has had six fights for three wins. She realises she has to train harder to match Fern's record, but is also hoping to one day help financially support her family.

BEAUTIFUL BOXER

Rungjira "Noon" Ketraksa is an attractive 23-year-old Chiang Rai native who turns heads wherever she goes. Her waif-like good looks have earned her fame in the local media as "The Beautiful Boxer", even though she has yet to have a fight.

She graduated from college after studying hotel management and tourism and despite getting a scholarship to continue her studies in China, instead decided to join her friend at the boxing camp.

Noon, who was also abandoned by her father, said she had always been interested in fitness and sport. When she arrived at Lt Yai's camp, she was assigned to work with one of his best female boxers, Nong Praew. She quickly became the talk of boxing circles after she went to see her friend fight in Chiang Mai and was approached by promoters while sitting ringside.

"The owner of the boxing stadium in Ta Pae asked me to put on a boxing uniform and pose as a boxer," she told Spectrum. "Then he took my picture and uploaded it on the boxing stadium's Facebook page. Next thing I knew, there were many people who contacted me. I was very surprised to learn that many people wanted me to fight on their stage. I guess they want to add a bit of colour to the regular fight. After all, I have never fought before in my life."

The media attention has earned her invitations to appear at well-promoted boxing events.

Her first fight was scheduled for last Friday at Siam Discovery Centre in Bangkok to celebrate Mother's Day for which she will receive 10,000 baht and free accommodation and air fares.

"It's going to be my first fight and I'm excited about it," she told Spectrum before the fight. "Although I have zero experience, I'm confident that I can win as I have trained so hard everyday over the past two months."

Next Thursday she is scheduled to fight a Chinese boxer at a big-ticket event in Chiang Mai billed by the promoter as "Dangerous Beauties".

DREAM COMES TRUE

Despite his own faded dream of being a boxing champion, Lt Yai says helping the 200 girls who have been through his gym gives him a sense of achievement he had not expected. "It had always been my dream to be a professional boxer," he said. "Since I can't be one myself, it's a true blessing that I get to make young people's dreams come true."

Lt Yai bears all the costs of the camping including electricity bills and feeding his charges. In return, they give him a gift of 200 to 500 baht in appreciation from their fight fees. In the long run, most of Lt Yai's boxers don't stay with him. If they show real promise they will transfer to better equipped and run camps in Chiang Mai for training from professional boxers.

All the females at the camp call Lt Yai "Poh Yai" which means father in Thai. The respect they have for him is what drives them to improve and achieve greater results to make him proud.

"No matter how famous I become or where I will be in the future, I will always tell everyone that Poh Yai is the one who trained me to be who I am," Fern said.

Noon has been approached by another boxing camp in Chiang Mai offering her a monthly salary, uniform and a greater shot at fame fighting on its promotional card of "beautiful and dangerous women".

Lt Yai would be happy for Noon if she left and took up the opportunity but she wants to stay where she is.

"I need a lot more lessons and experience before I feel confident enough to move to another boxing camp," she said.

Lt Yai said he didn't care about money or fame as he was old and had his government pension to rely on.

"These young girls have their whole future ahead of them and I want to be the one who sends them to where they want to be."

PACK A PUNCH: The Ban Ton Phueng sports centre is known for attracting young female fighters, with 20 of them aged 13 to 25 now being trained. Photos: Chumporn Sangvilert

RING LEADERS: Jiranya 'Aung' Kantathip, left, Rungjira 'Noon' Ketraksa, centre, and Nareerat 'Fern' Buadruen, second right, with fellow boxers at the Ban Ton Phueng sports centre.