#3 Nong Toom

Nong Toom(Parinya Kietbusaba)is arguably the most famous Muay Thai fighter on the planet. Like La Motta, Braddock and Graziano before her, her fame is due to a film of her life story.

Jake la Motta will be remembered for the iconic moment in Raging Bull when he taunted Sugar Ray Robinson with; ‘You never put me down Ray'after their final meeting. If you ever see the real footage, you will see a downcast guy slumped on his stool, unable to even say ‘Where am I?’ after a savage beating.

The celluloid version has replaced the real history.

Jake La Motta is Raging Bull, Rocky Graziano is Paul Newman in Somebody Up There Likes Me and James J Braddock is that annoying bloke in that shit film.

Nong Toom is the Beautiful Boxer. Beautiful Boxer has the classic hook of all successful sports films- the struggle through adversity to achieve the ultimate prize. It differs from others in that Toom’s goal is not a title or a cup final victory. Nong Toom’s aim is to have his meat and two veg whipped off.

Nong Toom is a hero because she shows that anything is possible. She is proud of what she is and stood up for herself in the face of extreme hostility.

The film is no classic, although it is around a thousand times better than the awful Million Dollar Baby; surely the worst film ever to win an Oscar. Having said that, it contains some moments that I have found inspirational.

The young Toom, after leaving a Buddhist monastery, joins a Muay Thai camp in the hope of earning enough dosh to support his parents.

As we all know, fight training is brutal. In the ultra tough world of Muay Thai, it is ultra brutal. Part of Toom's training is running up a up a steep hill every day. Toom is exhausted and is on the verge of giving up. His trainer tells him to imagine the thing he wants most in the world is at the top. I run up a massive hill everyday. Each time I am at the bottom of it, I remember that line. To succeed, in the hurtbusiness and in life, you have to have clear objectives. Goals that you set, then focus your energy on achieving. Unlike Nong Toom, I don’t imagine myself meeting my elegant future female self a the top. We don’t share a tender fantasy moment together before my girlie alter ego vanishes leaving me more resolved than ever to have a sex change operation and unleash the woman trapped inside my body. That’s not me; alright. Although, if I was a transsexual, that’d be OK, because Nong Toom showed us that we should be proud of who we are. But just to clarify: I am not a trannie so drop it.

Toom’s determination got her all the way to Bangkok’s Lumpinee stadium, winning her first fight there in February 1998. She got to the Mecca of Muay Thai on merit, although the gimmick of wearing make up and kissing her opponents made her one of the more newsworthy boxers. Inevitably, she was sucked into the world of celebrity mags and TV and her boxing career was pretty much over as soon as it started. After a trip to Japan for a challenge match, she dipped under the public radar. She resurfaced in 1999. Nong Toom held a press conference announcing his retirement from boxing, his plans to become a singer and that he was soon to undergo sex reassignment surgery. I am willing to wager that, even in this wacky day and age, the contents of that announcement are unique in sporting history. Two out of three maybe, but never the hat-trick.

Beautiful Boxer brought Nong Toom back into the public eye. It was a smash across Asia and in poncey Western circles. Toom did bits of cabaret and generally enjoyed her notoriety.

In 2006, Toom won an exhibition match at the luxurious Fairtex Pattaya complex and stayed on to train guests there.

Nong Toom knew what she wanted and she fought for it in a business as tough as any in the world. She showed that you should be proud of who you are. That being tough is about being fighting for what you believe in.

Nong Toom- Muay Thai fighter – Film subject – Hard bender