THE two boxers, dressed in silk trunks and a sacred cord wrapped around their heads, perform a ritual dance which pays homage to ancestral teachers of Muay Thai.
They bless their respective corners and turn to face each other, ready for battle.
Excited onlookers call out their bets and cheer for their favourite fighter.
These Muay Thai fighters are only 10 years old, but for one of them, this is his sixth fight.
Kwan started training about a year ago, and as it turns out, this will be his fifth victory .
He wins by a knockout.
Muay Thai has been around for 700 years and is growing in popularity with most nationalities, genders and ages. Students from all over the world flock to Thailand to learn from the best teachers.
Age makes no difference to the rules of a Muay Thai fight, and they are the same for everyone. Nobody, not even the youngsters, wears protective gear in the ring.
Muay Thai fighters begin training from the age of seven, and can start fighting once they turn eight.
The career of a Muay Thai fighter is usually very short because they start at such an early age and because of the physical demands on the fighters’ bodies.
Injuries can include cuts and gashes to the face and head, muscle and ligament sprains and even broken bones.
Kwan trains at the Prapamuaythai & Kiatadisak Gym in Kata, where he is one of the youngest.
The gym prefers not to train boys under eight.
“Any younger and they tend to just want to play,” said Jomhod, the trainer who oversees all of Kwan’s training and fights.
Both Kwan and his training partner, Am, say they love boxing.
Am has just turned 10 and has only been training for three months, but his first fight is scheduled for next month in Khao Lak.
Kwan is proud of his success.
“I have won five fights so far and three of them were knockouts,” he boasts.
Kwan started training when he was nine after pleading with his parents to let him go to the gym. But it was only when he turned on the tears that they realised how serious he was and agreed to let him start training.
His father watches and encourages him during training, and both parents go to all of his fights.
He said Kwan’s self confidence had improved since he started boxing, and that he had also been a lot happier.
“The training is good for my son because it has made him fit and agile, and keeps him healthy and strong,” he said.
The boys train at the gym for three hours every day after school, 6 days a week.
Muay Thai fighters are known for their capability to ignore pain, and Kwan lets us into the secret.
“You get used to it,” he said.
“You practice every day and eventually your body toughens up and it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Both boys scoff when asked about injuries and cuts and respond by flexing their miniature muscles.
Kwan says he never gets scared, even when he is up against the bigger boys.
This is one tough 10 year old.
A lot of hard work goes into Muay Thai training and the fighters start with a run every day to warm up, then they work out on the punch bags before practicing their kicks and punches and sparring with each other.
The atmosphere in the gym is relaxed and the students encourage each other, pass on advice and sit around discussing training routines and techniques.
The qualified trainers at the gym have years of experience between them.
Jomhod has been a Muay Thai champion an incredible 17 times, and has won more titles than any other Thai fighter.
He spent 11 years in Finland teaching Muay Thai to the Fins, and he fought in Finland and throughout Europe, and now, aged 38, he has an impressive 276 fights under his belt.
“Junior boxing is part of our culture and has been for a very long time,” said Jomhod.
“I started training when I was seven, and all the boys in my village did it,” he said.
Jomhod said the boys could earn anything from 700 baht upwards for each fight,
“The amount increases as they get more experience and win more fights,” he said
Johmod said that Muay Thai isn’t just about fighting, it also teaches fitness, self-defence and discipline.
He said when he teaches the children how to fight, he also teaches them to respect each other.
A lot of people are against children boxing, and in Europe and America, junior Muay Thai fighters have to wear shin protectors and body armour and head shots are illegal.
In Thailand, there are no such rules.
Muay Thai is part of Thai culture, and for those in the poorer areas, it is a way of escaping poverty.
But for many Westerners, the sight of children fighting goes against their sense of right and wrong, but Farang children as young as eight also train at the gym in Kata.
Peter, a manager from Europe, brings his son along to train with him when he is in the country.
“My son enjoys boxing and the exercise it provides,” he said.
“It has taught him discipline, respect and self control, qualities which are sadly lacking in many children these days.
“He tends to get bored very easily and boxing is the one sport that keeps his interest.”
Some people are also concerned about the effects of fighting without headgear could have on the fighters in the long term.
“There are lots of other non-aggressive sports which children can learn to keep them fit and build their confidence up, without having to assault another child,” said one concerned parent. Doctors are on duty at all Muay Thai fights, ready to deal with any injuries, and the boys have a physical check up before and after every fight.
Boxers can also be ordered to rest for a minimum of 7-21 days between fights.
If a boxer is knocked out, he is usually ordered to rest for a minimum of 30 days.