ក្បាច់គុណប្រដាល់ខ្មែរប្រដាល់, លោកជា Somneang Vs ថៃបាន PNN ប្រដាល់ 24 ខែតុលាឆ្នាំ 2015
Khmer Boxing, Chea Somneang Vs Thai, PNN Boxing, 24 October 2015
During the chaos of the Vietnam War, Cambodia was undergoing its own civil war. On April 17, 1975, the Maoist Communist rebels, theKhmer Rouge, overthrew the government of the Khmer Republic led by Lon Nol. The Khmer Rouge's plan was to eliminate modern society and create an agrarian utopia.[12] The Khmer Rouge executed educated people, others who had ties to the old government or anyone who was believed to be advantaged by the old society (doctors, teachers, soldiers, actors, singers, boxers, etc.) and forced the remaining Khmer population into labor camps, in which many died of starvation and diseases, to be re-educated under the new government. Traditional martial arts were banned at this time and many boxers were executed or worked to death, which nearly caused the death of pradal serey. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians or 21% of the population died during the Khmer Rouge regime according to the studies of the Cambodia Genocide Program of Yale University.[13] This lasted for four years until 1979 when the Vietnamese along with ex-Khmer Rouge officers, including current prime minister Hun Sen, overthrew the Khmer Rouge. During the relative peace since the departure of the Vietnamese and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the country's traditional arts were revived, including pradal serey.[14]
Pradal serey is making a strong comeback since its prohibition in the 1970s.[15] Cambodia is making an attempt to market their style of boxing at the same caliber as Muay Thai even though its status as a fourth world country renders a lack of financial funding. Numerous gyms have opened and large masses of students, local and foreign, have come to train in Cambodia. There are weekly matches held, the majority televised live, and many of Cambodia's best have traveled internationally to compete. There are currently approximately 70 boxing clubs nationwide.[16]There have been concerns about the betting and rowdiness among pradal serey fans.[14] Cambodian trainer Chiit Sarim had this to say about the difference between the boxing scene then and now, "I traveled from pagoda to pagoda to box at competitions during the water festival. Pagodas were the traditional venue for boxing matches ... They [the current fans] act inappropriately. They raise up their hands and scream noisily. They gamble and do not respect the boxers. They think of only winning their bet. During my time, there was no such thing. Fights were organized nicely and were very popular. Now fans have no morality".Pradal serey is administered in Cambodia by the Cambodian Boxing Federation (CBF), formerly the Cambodian Amateur Boxing Federation (CABF), which was established in 1961. All referees, judges and fighters must be licensed by the CABF. Television stations which hold Khmer boxing tournaments do so under the supervision of the CBF. The individual stations are responsible for organising boxers, trainers, medical staff and musicians. The CBF supplies the match referees, judges and time-keepers. The current president of the CBF is Major-General Tem Moeun.[17][18][19] Abroad, Cambodian boxing is promoted by four organizations. These organizations include the European Khmer Boxing Federation based in Germany, the Fédération des Arts Martiaux Khmers also called FAMK, based inFrance, the Anh Binh Minh Khmer Martial Arts Association in Vietnam and Kun Khmer Australia based in Australia. Other newly created organizations can be found in Spain and Italy, while Belgium is in the process of forming its own Khmer boxing organization.[20] The International Sport Kickboxing Association based in the United Kingdom have held matches involving Cambodian boxers. Khmer boxers have fought abroad in countries such as Korea.[21]
Tournaments are screened live on national television. TV5 Cambodia holds live tournaments on Friday and Sunday, CTN holds live tournaments on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.[22] Bayon Television holds live kickboxing tournaments on Saturday and Sunday,[23] while TV3 holds a single tournament on Sunday and Apsara TV has added a single tournament on Thursday.
Recent exposure to pradal serey in the western world have come from travel journalists and tourists. In addition, pradal serey was featured on The History Channel's Human Weapon and mentioned on the Cambodian episode ofGlobetrekker.[24] In February, 2009, American footballer Dhani Jones filmed an episode of his series Dhani Tackles the Globe in Phnom Penh, training with Long Salavorn at the Salavorn Keila club and fighting Pan Phanith at the CTN arena.[25]
Songchai Ratanasuban, the number one promoter in Thailand, brought his S1 Promotion to Phnom Penh in June 2005. In the Cambodian S1 World Championship, Bun Sothea won the tournament. He defeated Michael Paszowski, Dzhabar Askerov and Lor Samnang in front of 30,000 people at the Phnom Penh National Olympic Stadium.
In 2008 Cambodian Television Network (CTN) screened a pradal serey reality television series called Kun Khmer Champion. The show featured 65 kilogramme boxers and was produced by Ma Serey and Aaron Leverton and co-hosted by Ma Serey and Cambodia's most famous kickboxer, Eh Phoutong. The first series was followed by a second in 2009 and a third in 2010, both co-hosted by Vorn Viva.
On August 28, 2008, Cambodian boxers Vorn Viva and Meas Chantha won the ISKA Middleweight and Welterweight world titles in Phnom Penh. It was the first time a Cambodian had held a kickboxing world title.[26]
As of 2012, there are over 50 Kun Khmer fights held every week in the Phnom Penh region
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