A Thai boxer accidentally started fighting the referee in front of laughing spectators after becoming disorientated during a bout last week.

Hundreds of villagers attended the traditional Muay Thai field boxing at Huay Chorakhe Temple Fair in Nakhon Pathom, central Thailand last Friday.

Footage from the event shows the fighter in blue taking two right hooks to the head – knocking him down onto the hay-covered ground.

When he climbed to his feet the referee came between the two opponents to break up the tussle – but was inadvertently caught in the cross-fire.

The boxer, appearing to believe that the officiator was his opponent, began wrestling, punching and kneeing him.

Spectators laughed and cheered before the judge eventually shouted loud enough to make the boxer in blue shorts stop.

He later apologised for the accidental attack.

Pachara Klasongkram, who captured the video, said: 'He just wanted to win so much that he just punched whatever or whoever was near him and he didn't even hear what the judge was trying to say.'

The fighter in blue first took two right hooks to the head – knocking him down onto the hay-covered ground (left). When he got back up he mistook the referee (right) for his opponent and tried to fight him