Rajadamnern Stadium ( th, สนามมวยราชดำเนิน; ), also spelled ''Ratchadamnoen'', is a sporting arena in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. Along with Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Rajadamnern is one of the two main stadiums for modern

muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterise ...

. It hosts fights every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. The stadium has its own ranking system and championship titles up to

middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

(160 lbs).

History

In 1941, the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Plaek Phibunsongkhram Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram ( th, แปลก พิบูลสงคราม ; alternatively transcribed as ''Pibulsongkram'' or ''Pibulsonggram''; 14 July 1897 – 11 June 1964), locally known as Marshal P. ( th, จอมพล � ...

, gave orders to build a national boxing stadium on Rajadamnern Avenue. Impresse Italiane All' Estero-Oriente won the construction rights, and the 258,900

baht The baht (; th, บาท, ; sign: ฿; code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. SWIFT ranked the Thai baht as the 10th-m ...

project

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

was laid on 1 March 1941. Due to the lack of construction supplies during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the project was halted until August 1945. When construction resumed, it took only four months to complete it. The first boxing match was held on 23 December 1945. Tickets were priced at between 70 and 300 baht. Pramote Puengsoonthorn became the first stadium manager and remained in the post until his retirement in 1947. The original stadium was open-air, resembling a Roman amphitheatre in design. Six years later, in 1951 a concrete roof was added, making it weather-proof. After seven years of government ownership, the stadium was losing money, and on 24 May 1953, Chalerm Cheosakul, the stadium manager at the time, asked permission from the

Crown Property Bureau The Crown Property Bureau (CPB) ( th, สำนักงานทรัพย์สินพระมหากษัตริย์; ) is legally the administrative agency responsible for managing the property of the King of Thailand. It has no ...

to run the stadium and founded the "Rajadamnern Co, Ltd." Rajadamnern Co., Ltd. operates it to this day, and it has become one of the chief muay Thai boxing stadiums in Thailand. Chuwattana Muay Thai & Boxing camp is the official promoter for Rajadamnern Stadium, licensed by the Thailand Boxing Commission. As part of Rajadamnern World Series, on 22 July 2022, Rajadamnern Stadium hosted the first four female Muay Thai fights in its almost eight decade-long history. The first female bout was between Aida Looksaikongdin and Zahra Shokouhi.

Gambling

Gambling is legal and takes place at the second level. The

betting Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elem ...

is done by hand-signals, as on a

stock exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for t ...

trading floor. Often such signs are misunderstood by one side and fights may erupt outside the ring between gamblers. The security service at Rajadamnern Stadium is managed by armed

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...

. Foreigners usually occupy the expensive ringside seats, while gamblers and aficionados prefer the second or third ring of seats upstairs.

Current champions

References

External links

Rajadamnern Stadium Rankings
{{Martial arts Indoor arenas in Thailand Kickboxing in Thailand Professional Muay Thai organizations Sports venues in Bangkok Boxing venues in Thailand Pom Prap Sattru Phai district Sports venues completed in 1945 Muay Thai venues in Thailand Muay Thai venues in Bangkok

History

Gambling

Current champions

See also

References

External links