Lethwei, Let-hwei or Lek Whay ( or , ; , IPA: ), also called Burmese boxing, is a full contact combat sport originating from Myanmar and is considered one of the most brutal martial arts in the world.
Lethwei fighters use stand-up striking techniques such as kicks, knees, elbows and punches. The use of headbutts is also permitted. Fighters compete bareknuckle, wrapping their hands with only tape and gauze. Disallowed in most combat sports, headbutts are important weapons in a Lethwei fighter's arsenal, giving Lethwei its name of the "Art of nine limbs". In traditional rules, each corner is allowed one two-minute timeout per fight to revive a KO’d fighter. This, combined with its bareknuckle nature, gave Lethwei a reputation for being one of the bloodiest and most violent martial arts.
Although popular throughout Myanmar, Lethwei has been primarily and historically associated with the Karen people of the Kayin State; the vast majority of competitive Lethwei fighters are ethnolinguistically of Karen descent.Green, T. (2001). Martial Arts of the World An Encyclopedia (Vol. 1). Draeger, D. F., Smith, R. W. (1980). Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts. Japan: Kodansha International.
History
The traditional martial arts of Myanmar are regrouped under a term called "thaing", which includes bando, banshay, naban, shan gyi and Lethwei. According to researchers, thaing can be traced in its earliest form to the 12th century of the Pagan Kingdom dynasty.
In Bagan, some carvings on temples and pagodas in the central Myanmar plains appear to show pairs of men locked in combat, suggesting the sport is potentially over a thousand years old.
In ancient times, matches were held for entertainment and were popular with every stratum of society. Participation was opened to any male, whether noble or commoner. At that time, matches took place in sand pits instead of rings. Boxers fought without protective equipment, only wrapping their hands in hemp or gauze. There were no draws; the fight went on until one of the participants was knocked out or could no longer continue. Back then, Burmese boxing champions would enter the ring and call for open challenges.
Lethwei went through many years of suppression during the British colonial rule of Burma. The sport was revived under General Ne Win's nationalistic government.Burmese Boxing Sees Revival. Black Belt magazine. September 1970. Unlike Muay Thai, in Lethwei, punches are generally favoured over kicks because of their ability to draw blood more easily. Traditional matches include the Flagship Tournament, which are still fought throughout Myanmar, especially during holidays or celebration festivals like Thingyan. In rural areas, having a skilled child fighter has been a way of escaping poverty.
The New Era In modern times, the sport is kept alive in Lower Burma in Mon State and Karen State where matches are held for events such as New Year's celebrations.
Kyar Ba Nyein, who participated in boxing at the 1952 Summer Olympics, pioneered modern Lethwei by setting in place modern rules and regulations. He travelled around Myanmar, especially the Mon and Karen states, where Lethwei is more actively practiced. After training with some of the fighters, Kyar Ba Nyein brought some to Mandalay and Yangon to compete in matches.
In 1996, the Myanmar Traditional Lethwei Federation (MTLF), a branch of the Myanmar's Ministry of Health and Sports, added the modern Lethwei rules for the occasion of the Golden Belt Championship in Yangon. The bouts, along with the undercard fights, were organized by the Ministry of Sport, Myanmar Traditional Lethwei Federation and KSM group. This marked a big addition to the art of Lethwei and potentially would make Burmese boxing more marketable internationally.
On 18 July 2015, ONE Championship held the first Lethwei fight in its history inside a cage at the occasion of ONE Championship: Kingdom of Warriors in Yangon, Myanmar. The fight showcased Burmese fighters Phyan Thway and Soe Htet Oo in a dark match and the result was a draw according to the traditional Lethwei rules.
In 2017, ONE Championship and World Lethwei Championship officially entered into a partnership to share athletes to fight in each other's organization. On June 30, 2017, ONE Championship held a Lethwei match at ONE Championship: Light of a Nation between Thway Thit Win Hlaing and Soe Htet Oo. Thway Thit Win Hlaing would end up winning a decision according to WLC point system.
In 2016, Myanmar's first international Lethwei promotion called World Lethwei Championship (WLC) launched its events using the tournament Lethwei rules.
In 2019, the WLC marked history by broadcasting WLC 7: Mighty Warriors, the first Lethwei event, internationally live on UFC Fight Pass.
Opening to the world From 7 to 12 July 2001, twelve years after Burma changed its name to Myanmar, the first international event took place in Yangon with professional fighters from the United States facing Burmese fighters under full traditional Lethwei rules. The delegation of three American fighters brought by the IKF were Shannon Ritch, Albert Ramirez and Doug Evans. Ritch faced Ei Htee Kaw, Ramirez faced Saw Thei Myo, and Evans faced openweight Lethwei champion Wan Chai. All three Americans lost to the Burmese. A revenge match involving American, Cambodian, and European fighters was canceled at the last minute by Lethwei promoters and the military in 2002. This landmark event would have been the first time top Cambodian fighters would compete against the Burmese either in Myanmar or Cambodia.
From 10 to 11 July 2004, the second event headlining foreigners took place with four Japanese fighters fighting against Burmese fighters. They were mixed martial arts fighters Akitoshi Tamura, Yoshitaro Niimi, Takeharu Yamamoto and Naruji Wakasugi. Tamura knocked out Aya Bo Sein in the second round and became the first foreigner to beat a Myanmar Lethwei practitioner in an official match. International matches continued with the exciting Cyrus Washington vs. Tun Tun Min trilogy. Their first fight in 2014 ended with a spectacular knockout win for Washington.
In 2016, after having previously fought to an explosive draw, Dave Leduc and Tun Tun Min rematched at the Air KBZ Aung Lan Championship in Yangon, Myanmar. The rematch was sweetened by an added bonus: ownership of the Lethwei Openweight
Championship Belt. Leduc became the first non-Burmese fighter to win the Lethwei Golden Belt and become Lethwei world champion after defeating Tun Tun Min in the third round due to a knee injury which caused Tun Tun Min to forfeit the match.
On April 18, 2017, for his second title defense under traditional rules, Dave Leduc faced Turkish Australian challenger Adem Yilmaz at Lethwei in Japan 3: Grit in Tokyo, Japan. This marked the first Lethwei World title fight headlining two non-Burmese in the sport's history and for the occasion, the Ambassador of Myanmar to Japan was present at the event held in the Korakuen Hall.
Sanctioning worldwide Due to the violent ruleset, Lethwei is difficult to sanction and is illegal in most countries outside of Myanmar. Even though headbutts are allowed in Lethwei, they are banned from most other combat sports including mixed martial arts, kickboxing, and Muay Thai(bare-knuckle Muay still is fought yearly). Technically, it is not banned in Thailand and bare-knuckle full rules are fought yearly in the televised Thailand vs. Myanmar shows fought during Songkran that have gone on since 1986. The competitions go back even farther, probably since the early 1900s. Thailand uses the full ancient Muay rules including headbutts, throws and two referees in the ring. As of 2022, Myanmar Lethwei is only legal in the following countries: Myanmar, Japan, Singapore, Slovakia, Austria, Thailand, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States (only the state of Wyoming), New Zealand and Poland. The World Lethwei Federation has the responsibility to sanction and support the growth of Lethwei worldwide outside of Myanmar.
In popular culture
Lethwei has been featured in variety of popular culture and mass media, including written works, live-action film and television and animation in Myanmar and occasionally abroad. Media documentation of Lethwei includes Vincent Giordano's multi-part documentary series Born Warriors. Active research and filming for the project began in 1999, and the first installment premiered at the Myanmar Film Festival in 2014. In 2016, international media coverage of the sport gradually increased following the arrival of Canadian fighter Dave Leduc, who won the openweight Golden Belt championship that year under traditional rules. In 2018, Frank Grillo travelled to Myanmar and featured Lethwei in the Netflix documentary FightWorld. In 2019, Lethwei was featured in The Joe Rogan Experience podcast by Joe Rogan with Leduc as guest. The sport has also been featured in the popular Japanese manga series Kengan Ashura. In the series, the Burmese Lethwei master named Saw Paing, is so indestructible that an opponent shatters every bone in their hand trying to punch him.
Traditional gesture Lekkha moun The lekkha moun is the traditional gesture performed by Lethwei fighters to challenge their opponents with courage and respect. The lekkha moun is done by clapping 3 times with right palm to the triangle shaped hole formed while bending the left arm. The clapping hand must be in form of a cup, while the left hand must be placed under the right armpit. The lekkha moun is done at the beginning of the Lethwei yay and can also be done while fighting.
This invitation to fight is inspired from the birds of prey, like the eagle, as they flap their wings when flying and hunting.
Lethwei yay The Lethwei yay could be described as a fight dance. It is performed before the fight as a way to showcase the fighter's skills and as a victory dance after the fight. The lekkha moun is usually confused with the lethwei yay, but the lekkha moun is done along with the Lethwei yay.
Before modernisation, especially in colonial times, the pre-fight dance was more commonly referred to as han yay (ဟန်ရေး). Performed in accordance with the tempo of the traditional orchestra (ဆိုင်း), it incorporated a much more elaborate dance and show of skills. Boastful poetry was sometimes recited along with the dance.
Rules
Permitted techniques
Headbutts All punches All elbow strikes All knee strikes All kicks Extensive clinching Sweeps, throws and take-downs
The use of the feet, hands, knees, elbows and head is permitted.
Rounds
Each bout can be booked as a 3, 4 or 5 round fight with 3 minutes per round and a 2-minute break in between rounds. Championship bouts are 5 round fights with 3 minutes per round and a 2-minute break between rounds. When a knockout occurs the match is done, if no knock out occurs the fight is rescheduled or called a tie.
Fighting attire
The Burmese bare-knuckle boxing rules prohibits the use of gloves.
The fighters must only wear tape, gauze and electrical tape on their hands and feet. The fighters shall wear only shorts, without a shirt or shoes. The fighters must wear a groin protector. The fighters must wear a gum shield.
The fighters are required to apply the wrapping in front of the fight officials, who will endorse the wraps.
Referee
One referee oversees the fight. The referee has the power to: End the fight if he considers one fighter to be significantly outclassed by his opponent. Stop the fight and refer to the doctor if a fighter is heavily wounded. Warn the fighters. He makes sure the fight proceeds fairly and in compliance with the rules.
Traditional rules