Burmese boxing in the 30's

Burmese boxing in the 30’s

A dive into the archives of the Myanmar National Library (Yangon)

Since April 2021 me and a Yangon native have been ploughing through the Myanmar National Library (Yangon)'s newspapers, magazines and journals, reading every single page, initially in search of some much-needed context on Burmese boxing from the 1960's.

We had been going at it for a few months until we noticed the staff at the library started to digitise the Thuriya (The Sun) newspaper, one more commonly publishing extensive coverage of the sport than others. It was even more ideal because the paper was almost entirely published during the colonial era.

For a substantial period of time their website had gone offline. We’re not quite sure why, but we have made our guesses. It presumably has nothing to do with the initial outages of official government websites, since it was able to stay online during and after these restrictions. It did host a very large amount of pro-democracy and anti-military material from prior coups, most of which seem to have been removed. From the handful of papers they had started to upload we found near-complete coverage of a tournament in 1932, an event in 1933, some festivities in 1935 and a few snippets from the 1940's. This does however give us a chance to see what it was like back then, what rules they followed and how events played out compared to other decades. How did they go about their business?

A bustling street in downtown Rangoon in the early 20th century. Hindustani, Burmese and Jewish text can be seen on shop and road signs. Imagine a thoroughfare for a population divided into immigrant Indians and Burman natives, merchants in a country politically wedged in between India and the British Empire where large Bagdadi Jewish and Surti Muslim communities have taken root. By 1893 some 433,000 Indians had already migrated into the country. The Chinese population at that time was about 10% of that number. By 1931 the total population of Rangoon was at roughly 400,000. Burma was about to separate from India and at the same time were leaving the depression years behind in which poverty, economic and social crisis in the countryside led to the peasant revolt of 1930-1931, led by Saya San. The climate was by no means stable. They were soon looking towards Japanese occupation and a second world war in the years ahead. The history of Burma knows peaks and troughs in a never ending wave of unrest.

The Rangoon city centre offered a great many places to witness sports. Dalhousie Park surrounded by the Royal lake (later Kennedy Island) but also across the courthouse near the Sule pagoda, the corner of Montgomery and Stockade, King Carnival Stadium along Dalhousie street, along York road and the grand Jubilee Hall along the Shwedagon Pagoda road near the race course, built to honour the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897.

In this article I’ll try to paint a picture of Burmese boxing in the 30’s, looking at ruleset progression and with an emphasis on the retelling of U Ba’s championship tournament in 1932.

The Administrators

One name that stands out in the articles is that of U Thein Maung (Ohn Khaing). Ohn Khaing is added to differentiate him from other more notable men of the same name. He is not to be confused with Dr. Thein Maung, the first Burmese ambassador to Japan, and former Minister of Justice Barrister-at-law U Thein Maung.

U Thein Maung (Ohn Khaing)

U Thein Maung

U Thein Maung (Ohn Khaing) pictured in an article on football.

Thuriya - October 18, 1933.

I haven't been able to collect additional information on U Thein Maung for that exact reason—perhaps his role was small. This photograph of him was featured alongside an article on football. At the time he was managing and supervising a team from lower Burma and would travel with them to Mandalay for the matches together with teams from upper Burma. It seems he was involved with sports in general and found an interest in Burmese boxing in the early 30s.

On December 23, 1932 he wrote in the Thuriya newspaper that they hoped to bring glory to Myanmar and prevent Burmese boxing from disappearing by hosting this tournament. Aside from his involvement in the tournament to which U Ba granted his name, he also held a fundraiser in January 1933 for the growth of Myoma National High School in Rangoon by hosting a Burmese boxing event. He also expressed his desire to host a shield awarding competition in boxing.

I wouldn't compare him or his efforts to that of Kyar Ba Nyein in the 50s, though their willingness to keep Burmese boxing in the spotlight was all the same. Thein Maung was often named alongside those with whom he governed the boxing events; U Tun Yin (Chairman of the Myanmar Bus Development Association), U Phoe Han and U Ba Dunn (It is not specified whether this refers to the secretary of the Burma Legislative Council, bar-at-law U Ba Dun).


Initiating reform

Something that immediately catches the attention from the batch of clippings from the 1930's are the editorials printed prior to the coverage of the tournament held in 1932. They all seem to urge for reform of some of the customs observed in Burmese boxing matches. I was always of the assumption that there was a clear-cut change between one set of rules to the other and that there were few, if not only one such change. But it seems they have been going back and forth between rulesets/customs, continually trying out variants of previous combat rules. One of the writers here suggests limiting the input from the audience by appointing a handful of chosen "officials" to determine which boxers should be facing each other, as to eliminate possible size and weight advantages. Another suggests eliminating the intermittent match format where single rounds are fought for different pairs of boxers and instead have single fights consisting of multiple rounds. They are suggesting three or four rounds per match with two minutes per round and a resting period of two minutes in-between them.

Even now, in 1932, the single-match format isn't new as they have been doing that for a long time prior. There are many ways of letting a match play out. If we look at the previous century, various journals already reported on Burmese boxing matches with continuous rounds or a match that went on continuously until a victor emerged:

  • 1853; China Pictorial, Descriptive, and Historical. 3 rounds.

  • 1878; The Living Age vol. 138, Fraser’s Magazine. Quoted as “at every round” and “continues (..) for a considerable time”

  • 1889; The Globe and Traveller. Describes action until 4th round, when one gave up.

  • 1892; The Search Light. Until blood is drawn. Describes action until 5th round.

  • 1894; The Western Champion, QLD. Until blood is drawn. (Re-interpreted from The Search Light’s entry).

An account of a Burmese boxing match in February 1924, as printed in the Singapore Free Press, describes the action as if it were a flag tournament final with the exception that it was just one match played as an interlude among bouts of English boxing:

"His second walked round him on inspection bent, but did nothing beyond baling a handful of water on to his knees and ankles. Meanwhile his opponent, who was evidently pleased with the other's downfall, paraded round him giving more whacks on his folded arm. Everyone thought the end had come, but it was not so. The crestfallen one had plenty of life in him."

The custom of whacking the folded arm is still seen in flag finals today. If the downed boxer does not get up, and is left without intervention, the standing boxer will circle the grounds three times, giving a challenging whack at the completion of each round. The difference with the above match in 1924 is that it is only performed in the last round of an intermittent match (not continuously fought, and with longer rest periods between the rounds as other pairs take the stage meanwhile).

Coverage of an event on January 25, 1933 along Dalhousie road tells us the rounds were extended to 5 minutes each, for a total of 4 rounds. Most of the boxers that night complained about the rounds going on too long and would rather see them being 3 minutes. Of note is that the sport of professional boxing enjoyed a short revival at this time, with George Goudie (lightweight champion of Burma) and Kid D'Silva (featherweight champion of India and Burma) at the forefront. Interest in the sport was only temporary and, along with the construction of a new boxing stadium, boxers from Singapore and India would later be invited to help revitalise the boxing scene in Rangoon.

Headline of the May 4, 1935 Thuriya article. “One in a thousand born, a true and heroic man / Famous Burmese boxers starting to compete for gold medal.”

On May 2nd, 1935 a tournament was underway at the Royal lake to celebrate the 25th anniversary of King George V’s accession. The boxers fought for 4 rounds and were awarded points for their performances. A tied game earned 1 point whereas a winning game earned 2 points. It seems a league style format was in place in which they fought to earn gold medals. Unfortunately we only found coverage of the matches on May 2nd, and those scheduled for May 4th.

The use of a ring in Burmese boxing also seems to be a fairly new concept when reading through these newspapers. As mentioned above, Burmese boxers who entered a ring before the 1930's only seem to have done so when they were on the same card as English boxers, who were already using a ring to fight in. The newspaper of December 24, 1932 dedicates an en passant paragraph to the use of a ring/stage:

"As this event aims to boost the Burmese boxing sector, we the Myanmar people should be there watching the games to show our support. The entrance fees are 50 Pyas, 1 Kyat, 2 Kyats and 3 Kyats respectively. At this event, unlike the usual boxing matches, boxers will have to box on the stage and the audience will be able to view from the front while sitting in chairs. As the stadium is huge, the viewers do not have to jostle or push (each other) around to view the matches. There are also fans available."

The stalling tactics and pre-fight rituals employed by the boxers both in- and outside the ring presented another problem. Especially in colonial times Burmese boxing was overflowing with tradition. Poetry and elaborate in-ring gymnastics were much more a part of the scene than it is today. In the March 1, 1968 issue of Forward, a feature written by Kyar Ba Nyein presented two pre-fight poems previously used by Thar Han, a boxer during the reign of King Mindon (1853-1878), and “The Flying Indian” Kular Pyan. These recited verses were used to inform the audience of the skills you possessed and how successful and blessed you were. It was a practice that has been completely eliminated nowadays. The festivities sometimes had boxers themselves partaking in choreographed ‘don’ dances to entertain the visitors. Don dances can still be seen at festivals in the south that also host lethwei events today, but they are not performed by boxers and mostly associated with celebrating a particular historic day. One of the writers suggests that prayers, blessings, talisman and amulet preparation, reciting mantras, drinking potions, massages and rest are only to be done in between matches and should not be used to delay an upcoming or ongoing match. In some ways you may compare these supernatural customs with those performed in Senegalese wrestling where a substantial amount of time is reserved for the combatants to prepare for the battle ahead and to gain possible advantage over their opponents (préparation mystique).

The extent to which religion and the supernatural were ingrained in Burmese boxing became clear to me in an interview that U Than Shwe, a former boxer in the 1960's, gave in 1999. Besides teaching us various mantras and customs he explained one of his many pre-fight rituals:

"Just before the match started and the fight began, I drank holy water, used mantra recited oil and had it sprayed and rubbed on my face and body. As for the mantra recited pepper, I chewed it diligently into paste and had it rubbed on my face and head. (...) Afterwards, before the referee announced the first round, we would go to our opponent’s corner and recite the mantra “BetMar Mi...Ar”, before returning back to our respective position."

Regarding stalling tactics; In the December 29 issue of Thuriya, in the middle of the 1932 tournament, one of the reporters openly roasts one of the boxers for stalling and wheedling, suggesting the boxers' name should be changed to "Pi Law" (Tapioca)–likely in reference to its thickening properties.

"His guileful acts when boxing to get the audience on his side made Pyi Taw Pyan frustrated and annoyed. (...) After a round of four, Kyar Aye Sein was extremely tired and in agony and had started becoming wearied like a brooding chicken (...) If the audience asked Kyar Aye Sein whether he was tired or not, he would just say “Not at all. I can fight until I die” but his words were like a person in tears saying “the chilli isn’t spicy at all” while making the ‘Shuu-Shuu’ sound. When punched, he falls. But he still acted as if he was dusting himself off. It was taking forever so the referee warned them (...)"


The tournament

It was organized by U Ba (Sir Maung Ba), a judge and member of the Executive Council of the Governor of Burma. He had just succeeded Sir Joseph Augustus Maung Gyi as Minister of Home Affairs. It was common to see entrepreneurs, politicians and governors' names involved with Burmese boxing events around this time. Many of the colonial governors handed out medals or awards. And as part of their farewell festivities boxing matches were played.

Left to right; Pyi Taw Pyan, La Yaung, Kular Pyan & Ba Aye, Thuriya - October 18, 1931

This was not the first time U Ba's cup was competed for, as previous excerpts shared online showed boxers in contention for the cup in 1931. Kular Pyan, Ba Aye, La Yaung and Pyi Taw Pyan were the semi-finalists (pictured).

One other photograph showed Kular Pyan and Ba Aye and mentioned that Ba Aye had broken Kular Pyan's wings and had won their match (His nickname was “The Flying Indian” which referred to the Indian roller bird. Kular or ‘Kala’ can also be used as a racial term in negative sense).

The December 26, 1932 paper proudly presented Pyi Taw Pyan as the first-class winner, and Sein Dway as the second-class winner of the tournament the year before, and thus we can deduce that Pyi Taw Pyan defeated La Yaung and Ba Aye to become the owner of U Ba’s cup.

Some of the boxers who are mentioned in connection with this event have gotten recognition in publications later on in the 60's. In Draeger and Smith's book "Asian Fighting Arts" first released in 1969, Kular Pyan, Pyi Taw Pyan and a certain Phyu Kalay are mentioned as famous boxers in the 40's. Phyu Kalay can be interchanged with Phyu Lay, and this in turn is sometimes interchanged with Phyu Lay Gyi. The only curious absentee in that list is Bala Sein, giving me some reason to believe he had quit just before the war. In the March 1967 and March 1968 issues of Forward, written by Maung Min Han and Kyar Ba Nyein respectively, nearly all participants from the 30's are named and remembered. The tally for Kular Pyan, Pyi Taw Pyan and Bala Sein however is definitely higher than those of others. Kular Pyan did not partake in this event, and we learn in January 1933 that he was recovering from a hand injury.

There were three classes competing this year, divided based on skill and achievement. The final day of the tournament was not found in the coverage on the Library website, and we lack the information needed to see how the brackets progressed for second and third class. Thanks to the efforts of some seniors in the industry, an image shared online mentioned the winners of first and second class; Bala Sein and Chit Phyu respectively. Doubtlessly the biggest names this year are Bala Sein and Pyi Taw Pyan. As far as Bala Sein is concerned, we only know about his activities in the 20's and 30's. He was reportedly quite young, even at the time of this tournament. He is credited with a patient boxing style, waiting for openings and not rushing his opponent, and his knee strikes were terrifying. 70's and 80's boxer Saw Aung Myint Sein (once challenger to Moe Kyoe) proclaimed in a printed interview that Bala Sein is his maternal grandfather. Pyi Taw Pyan on the other hand is defending his position as champion. His overall impression is that of a tough and wilful boxer. He was said to be ahead of his peers when it came to skill and stamina and can be credited with a punching style that proved taxing for his adversaries.

Distinguished

From left to right, popular boxers Bala Sein, Pyi Taw Pyan and Kular Pyan.

The tournament kicked off on December 27th at Hare Krishna Pilay Hall, situated about half a mile north-east of the Sule Pagoda. Due to the increasing audiences it was later relocated to the magnificent Jubilee Hall to the north-west near the race course. Some boxers were already having fights a few days prior to the commencement of the tournament. Pyi Taw Pyan and Phyu Lay Gyi faced each other on December 25th and were eventually matched again in the tournament on December 31st. And to make matters even more absurd, on December 28th a vengeful Pyi Taw Pyan challenged another boxer in the middle of the tournament and ended up fighting him for an hour to a draw. For those interested, the incredibly in-depth coverage of this particular challenge is presented in full below.

Although it was announced that this tournament was the first of it’s kind, it was clearly (at least) the second time this cup was fought for. Even the tournament format was not new as Bala Sein was previously seen competing in a championship event in Rangoon with (presumably) some 47 other boxers divided into two classes in 1927. Perhaps they had previously used judges to determine the outcome. This time however there were a few instances in which a boxer was encouraged to admit defeat so the other could advance. The championship matches were set to 4 rounds continuously, with a short break after each round which lasted a few minutes. The infamous time-out that we’re used to nowadays did not seem to exist either. The only time-out they refer to is a special resting break which is used to calm the boxers down before continuing the match. The reason this was mentioned is because they have eliminated it for this specific tournament. A similar break can still be seen in flag tournaments today, where the two referees stretch or massage the young boxers so they can comfortably continue fighting.

Overall the tournament ended without much ado. It was also carefully reported that Minister of Home Affairs U Ba arrived at Jubilee Hall at 10 past 2 in the afternoon to watch the boxers try conclusions in the finals. Afterwards he gave out the prizes himself consisting of medals and the cup. Most of the praise was given to the administrators.

Our research into both the 30’s and the 60’s resulted in finding two related articles separated by thousands of pages and months of reading. In the above event in 1932 a participant by the name of Win Yaw Sein took part, his name written in the paper on December 23. On November 14, 1963 however, it was reported in Myanma Alinn (Light of Burma) that Burmese boxer Win Yaw Sein (real name U Kyite Ngwe) was murdered in a village in Karen state by his drunk son who got into a fight with his father after the neighbourhood complained about his behaviour.

Pyi Taw Pyan’s challenge

Below is the direct translation and unfiltered account of Kyar Aye Sein and Pyi Taw Pyan’s clash and the events that lead to their confrontation. Their individual matches prior to the challenge are described first. Keep in mind that Burmese sentence structure is very different and can be a task to translate into English, even for natives fluent in both languages.

Thuriya, 1294, 2nd Waxing Moon of Pyatho (Wednesday December 28th, 1932)

“The matches for the day (December 27th) were between: In 1st Class: Pyi Taw Pyan vs. Doe Phyu Kalay, Phyu Lay Gyi vs. Phyu Lay Pyan. In 2nd Class: Chit Phyu vs. Kyar, Sein Dway vs. Pauk Kyaw, and in 3rd Class: Boe Yone and Boe Tol. The first-class match which was originally planned for today (28th), between Paw Sa and Kyar Aye Sein was also played.

Of these matches, the rounds which were notably good to report are Paw Sa vs. Kyar Aye Sein’s rounds and Sein Dway vs. Pauk Kyaw’s rounds. In Paw Sa and Kyar Aye Sein’s match, Paw Sa was the one charging into his opponent. Kyar Aye Sein used slapping kicks from afar and was the one running around the ring. One time when Paw Sa fell, Kyar Aye Sein used his elbow to strike Paw Sa’s forehead while the referee was telling them to stay apart. Paw Sa’s whole face was covered in blood. There was a time when Kyar Aye Sein also fell (though his abdomen did not touch the ground). Paw Sa should have kicked his face but it seems like he forgot. Thus, in the end, he lost. Crime Investigation Minister U Ba Yee awarded the prize of 10 Kyats to Kyar Aye Sein for winning the match.

Pyi Taw Pyan who defeated Doe Phyu Kalay was mad at Kyar Aye Sein and came into the ring to challenge him to a fight to the death without any referee. We will know whether they’ll fight today around noon. Our sources say that they’ll be fighting a gambling match today.

The details of yesterday’s matches were as follows:

First Class: Pyi Taw Pyan vs. Doe Phyu Kalay. The first round ended without much fighting as each one was accessing the other’s moves. They only clashed twice in this round so it was not as interesting to watch. But after a while Doe Phyu Kalay couldn’t stand Pyi Taw Pyan’s punches any longer and started throwing up, thus conceding defeat.

First Class: Kyar Aye Sein vs. Paw Sa. Although this match was initially planned for today, it was played yesterday at the request of the audience. There wasn’t a third round and each had to fight the other and end the match in the second round. Kyar Aye Sein was good with his knees so Paw Sa did not dare to recklessly enter. After the break after 1st round, they again started fighting and it was exciting to watch. In the end, Kyar Aye Sein got a hold of Paw Sa and while Paw Sa was on his knees, Kyar Aye Sein struck his elbow and it landed on the side of his forehead and resulted in an open wound. Kyar Aye Sein won the match.”

“Martial Prowess” by Maung Hla (1932). Myanma Alinn, April 1933.

Thuriya, 1294, 3rd Waxing Moon of Pyatho (Thursday December 29th, 1932)

“For those who are interested in martial arts, if you didn’t have a chance to watch yesterday’s (Minister U Ba’s) Championship Boxing Matches just as the day before, you could label yourself as the unlucky one. The matches have become more and more astounding day by day and techniques never seen before in boxing were used during these matches. No matches on that day ended as a draw. Contests in the third class were between Htway Sein & Moe Hmyaw, in second class, Yar Kyaw & Hla Hmway, and in gambling matches it was between Pyi Taw Pyan & Kyar Aye Sein.

As Kyar Aye Sein beat Paw Sa the other day, the intolerable Pyi Taw Pyan challenged him to a fight for a wager of 30 Kyats. Kyar Aye Sein doesn’t have money to bet but the audience was eager to see them fight so 30 Kyats was crowdfunded for him on the spot. As Pyi Taw Pyan had amazing stamina, Kyar Aye Sein couldn’t last very long. If the fight had continued, Kyar Aye Sein would be in grave danger so the referee of the match M.A. U Maung Gyi, and head of staff U Ba Kalay decided not to let anyone win or continue the match. To solve disputes, they would award Pyi Taw Pyan 20 Kyats and Kyar Aye Sein 10 Kyats from the allotted wager.

Those who watched the match could tell the difference in level between Pyi Taw Pyan and Kyar Aye Sein. They would also notice how Kyar Aye Sein is full of excuses. Kyar Aye Sein’s name should be renamed “Pi Law (Tapioca)” as he is always wheedling. His guileful acts when boxing to get the audience on his side made Pyi Taw Pyan frustrated and annoyed. Pyi Taw Pyan doesn’t talk much and shows his intent through actions and usually stays silent. If being told to fight, he fights without blabbering.

After a round of 4, Kyar Aye Sein was extremely tired and in agony and has started becoming wearied like a brooding chicken. Pyi Taw Pyan on the other hand wasn’t even exhausted as he has high stamina. They were each throwing punches at one another but Kyar Aye Sein was the one suffering. If the audience asked Kyar Aye Sein whether he was tired or not, he would just say “Not at all. I can fight until I die” but his words were like a person in tears saying “the chilli isn’t spicy at all” while making the ‘shuu-shuu’ sound. When punched, he falls. But he still acted as if he was dusting himself off. It was taking forever so the referee warned them that when he says fight, they must fight and when he says come, players must come to him immediately or else be announced as defeated.

After the break, the referee called the players to come but he was dilly-dallying as if he was fixing his attire. U Htun Yin warned again but he still wasn’t showing up so U Htun Yin announced him as defeated. Only after being announced as defeated, he started throwing tantrums and said “I’m still not tired and I can still fight” making the referee look bad in eyes of the audience. Only after U Ba Kalay, U Sein and M.A U Maung Gyi agreed to split the wager, the tension was lowered. Administrators shouldn’t allow boxers who do not fight seriously or just fight to save their face and image into boxing bouts.

The Gambling First Class: Even since the before the match, Pyi Taw Pyan and Kyar Aye Sein were annoyed with each other and during the match they started boxing accordingly. The first round was thrilling to watch. Pyi Taw Pyan’s punches were scary. One time, Pyi Taw Pyan’s kick landed on Kyar Aye Sein’s groin and hit his nuts so the match was temporarily suspended. The match continued after a short while but Pyi Taw Pyan still had the upper hand. He never blinked an eye while fighting and his eyes were always observing the opponent like a hunting tiger and it was all thrills and spills. In the next round Pyi Taw Pyan got a hold of Kyar Aye Sein and was planning to fling him up and this is where the referee stepped in. Pyi Taw Pyan has really high stamina. Kyar Aye Sein did not have the stamina which his opponent had. Pyi Taw Pyan fought with several techniques and swift movements. Kyar Aye Sein also got chances to hit Pyi Taw Pyan with his elbow and head. The fight lasted for about an hour. Kyar Aye Sein often took breaks as he was tired saying “Need to do this. Need to do that”. Trying to get as much rest as he could. Although they fought for a long period of time, no one was pinned down so the audience had to be satisfied with this result. Pyi Taw Pyan, who had the upper hand was awarded 20 Kyats and Kyar Aye Sein was awarded 10 Kyats.”

The creation of this article requires thanks be given to: Aung Kyaw Thu, Htike Aung Kyaw, U Oscar and U Thein Maung.

Some parts in the text above may resemble those used on Wikipedia. Do not worry, those articles were written by me.

Reference:

KickboxingMark SchroederlethweiComment