01x02 - The Justice?

[bunniefuu]

IN A BOXING MATCH,

THERE IS A REFEREE

AND THREE OFF-RING JUDGES.

ALL OF THEM ARE TRAINED AND TESTED

TO MEET THE STANDARDS SE

BY THE SPORTS AUTHORITY OF THAILAND.

UPHOLDING THE RULES AND JUSTICE

IS THE KEY DUTY OF A REFEREE.

A REFEREE HAS THE AUTHORITY

TO GIVE BOXERS WARNINGS AND STOP THE BOU

WHEN BOXERS VIOLATE RULES

OR INTENTIONALLY HOLD THE FIGHT.

BUT IF A REFEREE'S JUDGMENT GOES AGAINS

"THE MAJORITY OF THE BOXING GURUS,"

HE MAY HAVE A CHANCE

OF GETTING HURT, INJURED, OR EVEN k*lled.

GOES AGAINS

"THE MAJORITY OF THE BOXING GURUS"

GOES AGAINST "THOSE WHO LOSE THEIR BETS

AS A RESULT"

INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS

Gamblers are the core

of the boxing industry at present.

We have to admit

that they play a major role in it.

Banning them is like taking

the heart out of the body.

It will k*ll the industry.

But it's been confirmed

that 98 to 99 percent of boxing bettors

always take when they win,

pay when they lose.

And they keep their word.

Yes, hello?

Den Chaomeungphet?

Yes, speaking.

You're in the main event tomorrow.

Throw the fight.

What do you mean?

200,000 baht.

At the end of round four,

throw the fight.

What time is it?

Shh. Go back to sleep.

Meanwhile here's

a tragic incident

about boxing that shook

the entire industry in the country.

Right.

A very young

professional boxer, aged 13,

has been reported to have received

many severe blows on the chin

from his opponent during the match.

As a result, the 13-year-old child boxer

was sent headfirst into the ground

WE'RE ALL THAI PEOPLE.

WHY DON'T WE JUST COMPROMISE?

and later pronounced dead.

This has called for us to take another

look at the countries existing boxing law.

Referring to the 1999 Boxing Act.

The National Legislative Assembly

has proposed a draft bill

to amend the Boxing Act.

It especially emphasizes young boxers

to ensure child protection.

Specifically, section 14 states

that children under the age of 15

are not allowed to participate

in professional boxing matches.

To prevent the risk

of severe injuries or death.

And those age 12 to 15 have

to be registered,

and have their permission secured

from the registry in order to compete.

Protective gears must be provided,

and appropriate rules and regulations

must be maintained.

That means the amendment

will ban children under the age of 12

from participating

in professional matches.

INCOMING CALL: BOSS MANOP

As for those between 12 and 15,

they must be granted permission

and the protective gears are required.

Yes? Hello?

Hey, Wirat. Can we talk?

Yes, sir.

There's a major event tomorrow.

Can you come?

Sure.

You'll be the referee for that major bout.

Oh, yeah? Thanks for that.

But this time

the big boss placed a huge bet on blue.

So I need your help. Don't let me down.

I'll wire the money to you now.

YOU HAVE A NEW MESSAGE.

YOUR ACCOUNT IS CREDITED

WITH THB 300,000. BALANCE: THB 553,205.90.

Running out of time

Either get out or get in ♪

Days are slipping by

Won't wait to begin ♪

'Cause I'm losing

All my feathers in the wind ♪

Digging out a memory

Of who I was before ♪

And how I got involved

In this endless w*r ♪

The ones who win

Don't always need it more ♪

I'm ready for release ♪

I wait for the pain to come ♪

I beg it to believe ♪

Hailstorms coming

Baby bring it on ♪

I'm waiting for the blow ♪

I'm reaching out

To take what's mine ♪

Whichever way it rolls ♪

I dance my way

Through hailstorms anytime ♪

THE JUSTICE?

Why are you in a hurry, Dad?

I have a long schedule tonight.

I won't have time to eat.

Oh.

Here. It's your favorite dish.

You should eat more too.

You have to work right after class, right?

How's your mom, by the wy?

She's doing fine.

Goes to the hospital sometimes.

The hospital?

Is she all right?

Old people sometimes get sick.

Hmm.

Oh, here.

Take it.

It's for your tuition fees.

You can keep the rest yourself.

And pay the rest of it

for your mom's rent.

Just take it.

Where did you get this money?

Take it. It's yours.

I worked and earned it.

Don't tell me you bet on boxing again?

When are you going to stop

with this horrible business?

This was the reason

why you and mom separated.

And you know I hate it, remember?

But you just wouldn't stop doing it.

You know what? I thought you changed, Dad.

Isn't it because of this dirty money

that our family is broken?

Nan, listen to me.

Just take the money.

You don't have to struggle.

And your mom is also sick.

Just take this, please.

I won't struggle?

You actually think this money

will make me happy?

You think my mom will be happy?

I was hoping that

if you could only get a different job,

we could all go back to how we were.

Because I miss you terribly, Dad.

You can have your stupid money back.

I don't want it.

I'm Boat, Nattadech Vachirarattanawong,

the promoter of Petchyindee Fights,

and the head of Petchyindee Academy.

A promoter organizes the fights

and does the matching for boxing events.

NATTADECH VACHIRARATTANAWONG,

MUAY THAI PROMOTER

To be a successful promoter,

you have to arrange bouts

that will surely attract the audience.

You have to match boxers

from two training camps

who you think will guarantee

a very entertaining fight in the ring.

And also keep the boxing fans

always happy and anticipating

because a promoter makes money

basically from sponsorships

and the tickets sold

to everyone who watches the bouts.

Hey, hurry up.

Come on now. On the scale.

Hey.

Step on.

65.8 kilograms.

145 pounds. Den Chaomeungphet.

Passed.

65.4 kilograms. 145 pounds.

Eakanan S. Wichaithong.

Qualified.

There will be an extra 400,000

for the main fight.

I could say that gambling

has been a big part of Muay Thai

for many decades

ever since our parents generation.

Hmm.

It has been keeping

Muay Thai alive up till present.

I believe the downside is Muay Thai

is not gonna last very long

if it relies on gambling.

Let's go, Eak.

A sport is a sport.

But the moment gambling is involved

in any sport,

theres a high probability that it will

totally corrupt any sports industry

and it will cause it to deteriorate.

Why are you eating so fast, Den?

I'm really hungry.

Which match are you betting on?

The fifth one and the main one.

Here.

The rate of the major bout is quite high.

Blue.

Yes, sir.

Is everything going great?

Looks good so far.

You saw the amount I transferred, right?

Do me a favor.

In the main event, don't let blue lose.

I put a lot on him.

Sure.

That's a deal, then.

If anything goes wrong,

you won't be the only one

who'll get in trouble.

Okay, sure.

Would you like more drinks?

No, thanks. We're good.

That's my favorite.

All right.

Yeah, this is fo table seven.

Muay Thai is also a sport

that is regulated

by the Sports Authority of Thailand.

But there's a big difference

between that and soccer.

While there are certified

national referees for soccer,

Muay Thai referees are different

in each stage and match

as they are individually recruited

by the promoter of each bout.

Of course I can say that chances are

there are going to be conflicts

of interest in every game

depending upon the results.

For the main event, Wirat,

You're going to be the referee.

As for Dul, Sorn, and Chart,

you three will be the judges, understood?

Yes, sir.

Okay, in the main event,

red is gonna do well.

He's promising.

I'm sure there's gonna

be a lot of betters today.

- Yeah.

- They're putting in a lot of money.

Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure.

The referees are

just like us human beings.

They're not better than us.

But people always accept

whatever they say.

It's strange but true.

For one to be successful in Muay Thai,

or in whatever industry,

I have to tell you honestly,

one has to be egotistic,

or even cruel in nature.

SURAPOL NARATRIKUL, FORMER PROMOTER

What I mean by being cruel is

that he will not help the others.

He will only do things

that will benefit himself

and his crew.

I'm Lieutenant Colonel

Sudhichai Chokekijchai, MD.

I personally started to get interested

in Muay Thai, our national martial arts,

as early as when I was still

a student in medical school.

At first, I was just a spectator

a mere enthusiast on the sport.

SUDHICHAI CHOKEKIJCHAI, RINGSIDE PHYSICIAN

But after that,

an acquaintance had suggested

that I step into the game.

So I had a chance to get involved

in supporting Muay Thai

and own a boxing training camp.

After a while, people in

the Muay Thai industry started to notice

and realize that I have a background

in the medical field.

So they asked me to take up

the role as a ringside physician,

and that's what I did.

S. WICHAITHONG

CHAOMEUNGPHE

From my experience

in the boxing world,

I've witnessed some matches

that were fixed from the start.

Like, most of the time, the boxer

who intended to throw the fight

would show some signs during the match

or wouldn't even attack his opponent

as much as he should.

Or sometimes, he would just let himself

get struck by the other contender.

There are many ways to fix a fight.

For example, if a boxer is in debt,

he'll take the money

to throw the fight he has.

WICHAI YASARA, PROVINCIAL PROMOTER

AND OWNER OF BOXING CAMP

When he gets a 10,000 prize, his boss will

take half and leave him with the rest.

But if he throws a fight,

he gets more all to himself.

No need to split it.

But there's one more way to throw a fight.

A boxer is not paid directly

to intentionally lose.

Here, drink this.

From my experience

as a ringside physician,

there were cases

where boxers were drugged.

It is safe to say that the person

who has the best opportunity

or is most likely to drug a boxer,

is someone really close

to the boxer himself.

They can drug a boxer anytime.

Right before the boxer fights,

he drinks anything that his staff

gives him without any question.

It's set up. They put stuff there.

How was it?

It went just as planned.

I had them bet 100,000 for blue.

But right now, red keeps pushing the odds.

Good.

Keep it that way.

Watch out for blue too.

I guess the real reason

why boxers are paid to throw a fight

or are being drugged

is because of the benefit

that results from it.

If you trace back to the root, you can

find that it's none other than gambling.

I personally think it's fine

to gamble and bet on boxing.

But when it gets really out of hand,

or to the point where winning or losing

is so crucial that people get corrupted

and start to come up

with bad ideas to play dirty to win a bet,

it will inevitably lead to boxers getting

drugged and then throwing their fight.

You know this, right?

This morning, during the weigh-in,

the odds were in red's favor. It was 3/2.

But now it's 7/4.

Someone's manipulating it.

So, who's selling the story?

Hey, Kom, do we go for this match?

They set it at 9/2.

Sure, place it.

Yes. Yes, I will.

That's exactly the reason why

we can never get past

the corruption in this industry.

There are deals and profits

to be made everywhere,

whether between the stadium owner

and the promoter,

the promoter and the referee,

and the referee and the stadium owner,

or even the referee and the fans.

They all benefit from a deal.

Do your best, both of you.

Let's have a clean fight.

No foul play at any point. And you must

obey what I tell you, understand?

Good luck.

May the gods protect you

and grant you victory.

Yeah, yeah. I knew it. I knew it.

- Whoo!

- Yeah!

Come forward.

Round one.

Fight!

Come on. Hurry.

Fight!

Fight!

I have to say

boxing referees really are something.

Because we make judgments every second.

WANCHAI PONGSRI, BOXING REFEREE

To stop,

break,

disqualify.

Do we disqualify them

because they're not fighting or foul play?

Or do we or do we not count a boxer

who's just knocked down?

Everything has to be decided

within just one or two seconds.

No investigation. No witness hearing.

Nothing at all.

We have to make the call.

You know what I like

the most about boxing referees?

They're fast thinking,

smart, tactful,

and quick to make decisions.

Because otherwise, there will be disputes.

Hey! Come on! Fight back!

The fight's just starting.

They barely touched each other.

They're going in hard.

There might be odd behaviors,

such as boxers

just running around the ring

since round one.

Well, explaining this is not that simple.

I can go on all night.

But roughly speaking,

you can see boxers holding back,

punching lightly.

You can tell from how he fights.

Like he's known to be a brawler,

but now he rarely throws his punches

and only uses his knees.

That's a sign.

You'll then realize

something's not right.

SAMING KAO, BOXING CRITIC

It's usual.

Drugging their own boxers.

Dealing with big bettors.

The big bettors manipulate

the smaller one to bet more.

But most importantly, don't forget,

there's no secret in this world.

Let alone in any boxing stadium.

If a boxer takes money to throw a fight,

he can never let his trainer

find out about it.

Otherwise, the trainer

won't let him fight.

That's it. He'll get withdrawn.

If he agrees to throw it.

Now, fight!

Hey! Use your damn leg!

Damn, man! Red is looking good!

Now, fight!

Move forward! Go!

Stop! Break!

Fight!

- His form is f*cking great.

- I told you.

Stop!

You have to keep attacking.

Knock him down.

Keep it going. He won't last long.

- Got it?

- Yes, coach.

You're holding back a lot.

Throw more punches.

Right now, most are betting on red.

In round two, start attacking

and use your kicks more.

You're bigger than him, okay?

[bell ringing

Round two.

Fight!

Fight!

Fight!

Go, kid.

Break. Break!

Hey, stop!

Hey! The ropes, the ropes, the ropes!

Referee, the ropes!

The referee plays the biggest role

in cheating.

They do it by accepting money

from the bettors.

Sometimes big bettors pay

the referee monthly or yearly.

Like, if red is about to score,

the referee breaks them

after one strike so he can't.

- What the hell was that?

- Fight!

The worst kind of referee

is the crooked one.

I confirm there's no such thing.

Well, I never had anyone coming to me,

asking me to help some

bettors fix a fight.

Come on. It's already hard

for us to survive.

But then I

I can't speak for others. I can't confirm

if what you heard

is true or not.

I'll leave it up to you

to make a conclusion.

Use your kicks!

You better stop f*cking around!

Kick! Kick him!

Fight!

Good! Good!

Get up!

Yeah. Let's go.

Red, punch him. Come on!

Good! Good!

You ask me,

what if a boxer was drugged

while the other was paid to throw a fight?

That's a tricky question.

It's hard to answer that.

It's a tough nut to crack.

If that's really the case,

then I have to ask.

Has the drug taken effect yet?

Certainly one

of the symptoms is frequent urination.

Usually, you won't see it happening

in the ring during the fight itself.

The symptoms usually

starts showing before the fight.

That particular drug that

causes frequent urination in the boxer

will weaken him

and reduce his ability to compete

by causing dehydration.

His body will lose water

and essential electrolytes.

After the drug has taken effect,

the boxer weakens.

He begins to lose his confidence,

he falls down easily.

Then the odds are reversed.

Hey, what's wrong with you?

Are you worn out, huh?

You have to pull yourself together.

Sway and kick. Sway and punch.

Remember? You hear me?

I really need to pee.

What? Right f*cking now?

- Can you hold on for a while?

- Yeah, I can.

Okay.

Hang in there.

What the hell was that? I saw it?

Why didn't you punch him? Huh?

When you get him, punch him.

Throw the first punch.

What the f*ck were you waiting for? What?

Right now, your odds are equal again.

Attack more. Throw a punch.

Strike first. Use your kicks.

Fight as you were trained.

You hear me?

Seconds out!

Round three.

Fight!

The odds are equal,

but they're leaning towards blue.

Fight, fight, fight!

Hey, go for it! Go for it! Go! Go!

Yeah!

Red's down! Red's down! Red's down!

Hey, red is down! Good!

Come on!

Fight!

- Keep fighting! Keep fighting!

- Attack him! Attack!

Get closer. Closer dammit.

Just do it! Closer! Yes, closer!

Hey, red's already exhausted! Finish him!

One!

Two!

Three!

Four!

Five!

- Red! Red! Red! Red!

- Six!

Red, I'll pay you 40,000 extra! 40,000!

Seven! Eight!

All right!

Fight!

What are you waiting for? Finish him!

Stop!

Break!

S. WICHAITHONG

They won't drug a boxer

to the point that he can't fight anymore.

They'll only use a small dose

on him instead.

Because it won't benefit anyone

if the boxer can't compete.

What they actually want is for that boxer

to get into the ring and fight

with the drug unnoticed.

And lastly, without being able

to defend himself well enough.

Damn, I need to pee.

I can't hold it.

Why didn't you knock him out?

He's done with a few punches.

Fifty thousand is too little.

I'm going with blue.

Five hundred thousand, are you in?

I really need to pee.

Do it right here. Just pee here. Come on.

For the next round, raise your hand.

Keep your guard up.

We'll win in no time.

Just hang in there!

All right, you're betting on red?

Good. Good.

Let's check on him, man.

All right. You too? It's clear. All right.

Hey, come on, I'm switching.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. A thousand.

There are good

and bad referees in boxing.

It won't be fair to say

they're all crooked.

Are you all right?

Yeah. I can do it.

We decide with our feelings,

not with a computer program.

There's controversy surrounding

the word "justice" or "fairness."

Who should determine what's fair?

Is it the audience?

Or the rules and regulations?

Or should we base it

on the view of the referee?

Fight!

You f*cking idiot! Use your brain!

Go in! Go in! Punch! Punch!

Kick him!

- Hey, Phat.

- What?

The odds for blue are going strong.

You should hedge your bet.

Leave me alone.

Every boxer in the ring

is a fighter.

So isn't it pitiful that some

of them get drugged just like that?

The drugged boxer is

drained and shattered.

Don't forget that the drug

could induce heart failure.

Could die from a heart attack

during the fight.

Yeah! It's over! It's over!

It's over! It's over! All right!

Five!

Six! You okay? Seven!

I can do it.

Eight!

Give me a chance.

I beg you!

If you could get a different job,

we could all go back to how we were.

I beg you!

Because I miss you terribly, Dad.

Come on! Fight!

Yes! Yes!

Hey, what the f*ck?

Stop!

Break!

Fight!

Hey, he's done already! Come on!

You m*therf*cker!

The fight is f*cking over!

- How could you let him continue?

- Keep going!

- Yes! Yes! Keep fighting!

- Good! Good! Keep it up!

Son of a b*tch!

m*therf*cker! I'll f*cking get you!

f*cking as*h*le! I'll f*ck you up!

- You m*therf*cker!

- What's his problem?

- What's going on?

- Do you how how to do your job?

How could you let him keep going?

No way! It was clearly a knockout!

What more do you want?

It's a knockout.

- You lost a long time ago!

- Don't be a sore loser!

Why did you let red go on?

I'm so sorry.

I'll pay you back. I promise you.

You think you can afford

to pay us back, huh?

Everyone's now in deep sh*t,

and it's because of you!

You're a f*cking idiot!

f*ck you, you idiot!

All of you are idiots!

You f*cking bow down to him!

Stand up for yourself!

- I said stop!

- No, you stopand listen to me.

If you live like this, you'll always have

to f*cking bow down to him, you idiot!

A well-trained boxer

with a fighting spirit who, unfortunately,

got drugged before his fight.

And a boxer who got

in the ring to throw a fight.

These instances jeopardize the industry.

It's sending a message

to the outside world

that people are free to do,

pretty much, all kind of things there.

I believe that people

who are truly passionate about it

won't let these things happen.

Like I said, in the end,

it's all up to their conscience,

be it boxing camps heads,

trainers, boxers, or referees.

Let's do our part if you want change.

But as you see,

if we keep turning a blind eye,

there won't be an end

to this vicious cycle.

There will always be a scandal popping up.

1 NEW MESSAGE 9 MISSED CALLS FROM DAD

EVERYTHING I DID,

I DID IT FOR YOU AND YOUR MOM.

PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

Dad.

Hey, Den.

Meet me at the gym afterwards.

What's up, coach?

You think you can fool me?

Who bought you off, huh?

No, coach. Nobody.

- Hey, what the

- Come here! Come on!

Let me go! Let me go!

- Go!

- Come on!

- Let's go.

- I told you to let me go!

Who paid you?

- Nobody.

- No one?

- Stay still.

- Let me go! f*ck you!

- Who paid you?

- You're hurting me! Let me go!

Who wants you out?

- I said no one!

- Nobody?

- Let go of me!

- You think you can fool me?

Huh?

What you did was a disgrace, you fool!

You b*stard!