Channel Seven network made an announcement on air on July 27 that it would put a lifetime ban on the “boxer who fought at Channel Seven matches and who obviously staged his fight.”

The television network has also sent letters to affiliated muaythai fighters. The letter listed “the effects of betrayals to one’s profession” and specified the punishments for the fighters who committed frauds.

According to the letter, the effects of muaythai frauds include damages to the national martial arts and the society as well as the muaythai industry, losses of reputations to the fighter’s family and descendants, losses of trust and acceptance from those who believed in the fighter, and a lifetime ban imposed by the network on the fighter.

It also stated that the network would set up a committee to investigate into the frauds to process charges on the fighters and other collaborators.

The letter also stated that the bribe would become cursed money that would yield disasters, rather than successes, to the fighter.

Earlier, Channel Seven promoter “Sun Kietpet” or Peerapong Theeradejpong has summoned muaythai managers to a meeting where he asked the managers to certify that their fighters were ready to fight in the matches next week.

Peerapong encouraged the managers to bring in their fighters for examination, in an attempt to prevent sick or unready fighters to enter the ring.

The network seems to follow the moves of Om Noi Stadium that has a procedure to investigate into the frauds before handing the cases to the police. The other major stadiums, including Channel Seven until the announcement, have no formal policy regarding frauds.

Although the police has been unreliable on processing the frauds charges and alleged fighters tend to be set free, the move of the Channel Seven is seen as a major step to counter the widespread frauds in the industry.

The muaythai fighters, who receive little shares of the earning, are often lured into staging the fights with promises of handsome bribe money. Although the fighters may use the boxing act to file charges on the unfair employment or sharing of earning, many would simply choose to make more money by staging fights.

The Thai muaythai fans, too, are often blamed for their tendency to easily forgive the wrongdoing boxers. Adding more complication to the situation are the lobbying attempts of dubious promoters.

The masterminds and the operators of the frauds rarely receive punishments, as the attention tends to be all on the fighters. This is also due to the ineffective legal procedure and enforcement that fail in the investigation and examination processes.
An analyst pointed out that the Channel Seven’s banning does not cover the frauds committed at other stadiums. He suggested that the attempt to counter frauds would be more effective if all the stadiums cooperate and impose punishments to frauds committed at other stadiums.

The fighters too, suggested the analyst, must be courageous enough to fight the unfair employment and sharing of benefits rather than committing frauds.

News: Muaysiam number 1815