'punching boxing') is an umbrella term for the ancient unarmed martial arts of Thailand prior to the introduction of modern equipment and rules in the 1930s.

He commanded his officers to gather fighters of exceptional skill to perform as part of the funeral ceremonies.

Three fighters in particular stood out and were granted titles of muen as a means to promote the quality of muay, which had been diminishing at the time.

From these grew a few different styles of muay: Lopburi, Khorat, Chaiya, and Thasao respectively.

These soon became an integral part of Thai culture with fights being held at festivals and fighters from the different areas of Thailand testing their styles against each other.

Fighters began to wrap their hands and forearms in hemp rope which not only protected their fists from injury but also made their strikes more likely to cut an opponent.

[7] Muay boran fighters were highly respected and the best were enlisted into the King's royal guard.

Differently from Muay Korat, Lopburi focuses on speed and agility, with boxers trying to distract their opponent to find an opening for an attack.