"The Lonely Planet Guidebook for Thailand tells visitors to be sure to take in a Thai boxing match. Nothing beats a big stadium in Bangkok, with the music and the ritual and the frenzied betting that accompany the sport.
      This guidebook and other histories agree: Muay Thai has long been a favorite among peasants and kings. In the late 1500s, King Naresuan decreed that the entire army should know Muay Thai. During the 1920s, the Thai government banned the sport because too many people were getting killed. The fighting didn't stop, it only went underground. So in the 1930s, the law was reversed and the rules were tightened. Since then, fighters have worn gloves, and the bouts are limited to five three-minute rounds.
      Today, there are about 60,000 boxers in Thailand. Several Thai boxers have gone on to win international boxing championships. The Lonely Planet Guidebook opines, "No one trained in any other martial art has been able to defeat a ranking Thai nak muay and many martial art aficionados consider the Thai style the ultimate in hand-to-hand fighting."