Against All Odds: The Ascent of Myanmar's First Female Muay Thai Champion

She lifts a concrete block attached to a metal chain with her mouth. To maintain proper timing, she stands upright with her hands on her hips, primarily using the strength of her jaw and neck. This exercise carries a risk of severe injury to the neck and jaw if not done carefully, so she practices each repetition with caution. She does this to strengthen her jaw to withstand powerful punches.

"I'm not interested in anything else besides this sport. I can dedicate my whole life to becoming a champion. When it comes to sports, I can separate from my family. I can even separate from those I love."

When she enters the ring, she ties her thick hair that falls on her shoulders into a braid. Her narrowed eyes focus intently on her opponent. Her muscular physique, devoid of excess fat, shows clear signs of intense training. Her bandaged fists and long, sturdy legs threaten to knock down opponents with a single blow. When victorious, she often drapes the Kayan flag over her body to celebrate.

Besides boxing, she's also passionate about singing, and her loved ones affectionately call her "V". In the ring, she's known as the "Tiger Lady". She refers to herself as "kyun-daw" (a masculine first-person pronoun). She is Vero Nika, the first female gold belt champion in Myanmar's traditional boxing world.

The journey of this girl from a society with strict standards for female behavior to becoming a boxer was as challenging as life in the ring.

In Myanmar, women and boxing were considered as incompatible as monks and bicycles. There were women who tried to change this perception. Among them, Vero Nika was the one who exceptionally broke through to the end of this journey.

She was born in a small, obscure village called Kazuu in Pekon Township, Kayah State. In her Kayan ethnic family, her father was bedridden with a chronic illness, and her mother sold homemade liquor in the village. She was the fifth of six siblings. To help support the large family, she assisted her mother in selling liquor.

Even before she knew what boxing was, she had a passion for hitting and kicking. From a young age, she was crazy about action movies. She would punch walls when she saw them and kick banana trees. She lived her entire childhood like the action movies she loved.

When it was time to attend school in Pekon town, she signed up for boxing at the school sports event. The teachers rejected her because she was a girl, saying, "Your style doesn't fit." The next day, a sports teacher asked if she wanted to box. As someone who had always been crazy about hitting and kicking, she nodded without hesitation. From that moment, her dream of becoming a boxer began to come to life.

When she began to understand what boxing was, she lost interest in everything else. The dream of becoming a boxing champion consumed her entire being. When she fully understood that boxing was indispensable in her life, she decided to take a risk for it.

In 2011, at the age of 16, while in the ninth grade, she went to the sports training camp in Naypyidaw to enter the boxing world, despite her parents' disapproval. She even had to borrow money from her aunt to make the trip to Naypyidaw. When she reached the sports training camp in Naypyidaw, more challenges awaited her. She couldn't speak Burmese fluently and didn't understand it well. She often found herself staring with wide eyes, uttering "Um... Ah..." when others spoke.

"From a young age, I'd punch walls, kick banana trees when I saw them, that sort of thing. I was obsessed with action movies. I was always thinking about it. I never thought it would actually happen though. But I guess this is the path Buddha gave me," Vero Nika explains simply.

She trained hard at the Shwe Kyar Pin training camp in Naypyidaw for nearly two years. In 2013, she started competing in tournaments. In 2015, she got the chance to compete in the Boxing event at the Singapore SEA Games, where she won a bronze medal. From then on, she continued to compete in international events. In 2017, she switched from Boxing to Myanmar traditional boxing.

At this time, she gained a better understanding of the art of boxing. She learned the differences between Boxing and Myanmar boxing. Boxing primarily uses hands and allows head protection and gloves. Myanmar boxing, on the other hand, doesn't allow gloves and permits attacks with feet, hands, knees, elbows, and even the head, making it a more brutal sport.

With this change in style, as a former Boxer who primarily relied on powerful punches, she found herself weak in kicking and headbutting. This led to some difficulties in her early competitions in traditional boxing. She had draws and losses in tournaments. But she didn't lose heart and continued to pursue traditional boxing.

This was because although there were traditional female boxers in the past, there were no longer any competitors or events in Myanmar traditional boxing for women. She wanted to fill this gap. The idea that there was no reason why girls couldn't participate in boxing sports was also the foundation of her efforts.

January 4, 2019, Independence Day.

A traditional boxing championship gold belt match was held in Taungoo. She competed against Thai boxer Wanida Yucharoen in that match. She won and became the traditional boxing gold belt champion. This was also the emergence of the first female gold belt champion in Myanmar. From then on, she started winning consecutively in domestic and international competitions. The name Vero Nika, a female boxing athlete, began to shine in the boxing world. These successes strengthened her dream of becoming a globally recognized female traditional boxer.

"I don't see the challenges of being a woman as obstacles. I like the roughness. The only injuries are from training. The only issue is the monthly menstrual cycle. When that happens, I can't train. I writhe in pain to the point of frustration. I've also had times when it coincided with matches. In those cases, I have to take extra care of myself."

For her, a woman surviving in a brutal sport, period times are significant challenges. Besides these innate physiological processes, there were also a series of external challenges.

The market for women in traditional boxing is weak. There aren't many events. The prize money for female boxers isn't much either. By estimate, she would earn at most 1.5 million kyats (approximately $750) per match. From 2017 to 2020, she only had about 18 matches, with most opponents coming from abroad. Even though she eagerly wanted to box more, the lack of matches made it difficult. With living expenses and a family to support, when there were no matches, she worked as a gym trainer. However, no challenge could stop her determination.

But a big wave did manage to sweep her far away. That wave was the military coup. This wave impacted not only her livelihood but also the traumas from her childhood.

"I don't like the dictatorship system. We experienced it when we were young too. When I was young, just hearing someone speak Burmese would make me hide at home and cover my ears out of fear. I don't want that to happen again. I don't want to live in fear anymore. I don't like it. I don't support it."

After the coup, news spread that she had taken up arms for the revolution. Some said she had gone into the jungle. Others reported that she was doing logistics work. In reality, she hadn't gone anywhere and was still in Yangon. However, when various news stories using her name started to circulate, she began to worry about her safety. Not only did it become unsafe to stay, but she also still wanted to continue boxing. So, with the help of friends, she left for Thailand.

Although she left due to security concerns, she had no prior plans. She left empty-handed, with nothing of her own to use. In the early days, she relied on the help of friends to get by. She had to overcome language barriers and adapt to new living conditions.

Towards the end of 2021, she reached Thailand's famous Tiger Muay Thai Gym. Under the guidance of good trainers there, her skills improved. She entered the Muay Thai world under the name Vee Rujirawong. She lost her debut match. In the rematch, she won. After that, she had a series of knockout victories and became well-known in the Muay Thai world.

As she continued to win, Thai Fight, a famous name in Thailand's Muay Thai world, signed her to a three-year contract. While it was difficult for her to even get one match in Myanmar, in Thailand, she was fighting matches one after another. After winning against her Thai opponent within 30 seconds in a boxing match held in Phatthalung on April 17, 2022, she was recognized as one of the most outstanding athletes by the World Muay Thai Organization.

Now, she is the champion of the Thai King's Cup boxing tournament, and currently the world's number one in the 53 kg weight class for women's Muay Thai. She has become so formidable that it's becoming rare to find opponents willing to fight her in Thailand's Muay Thai world. Because of her tendency to win by knockout, she's now being called the "Knockout Queen" in Thai Fight.

"They say I should fight like a rooster. Never retreat, they say. If you retreat, you don't get points, they say. Since I arrived at Thai Fight, that's what they've been telling me. That's what I've been doing. I never retreat once. But now I can do it. I have few losses, you know. In two years in Thailand, I've only lost one match. I've been winning consistently. They always say I'm a woman crazy about sports. They've come to respect me more. And then, where am I from... Myanmar, so they've come to know more. I'm proud of that."

However, in her last match this February, despite winning 17 consecutive Muay Thai matches, she lost by judges' decision. In the Muay Thai match on February 25, although she dominated the fight against the home country Thai boxer Farsai with effective kicks and punches throughout the match, she lost due to the judges' decision. This loss hit her hard, and there were criticisms suggesting bias from the judges.

As for her, she's trying to forget this loss and move forward with the support of her fans. As her contract with Thai Fight expires at the end of this year, she's preparing to retire from Muay Thai and transition to MMA. Becoming an MMA fighter like Aung La N Sang is her new dream, with One Championship being her next goal. She's still chasing her dreams. She will never stop fighting. Life in the ring is an existence she has longed for her entire life.

"I deeply respect each and every one who supports me. I know it's difficult for everyone in Myanmar. I know they watch my matches even with internet difficulties. What I especially want to tell them is to stay safe. Take care of your health. I will try my best."

The young Kayan girl from the mountains who used to play by kicking trees and rocks while helping her mother sell liquor has now become a fighter full of strength on the world stage.

Will we see the Kayan Tiger Lady wrapped in the Kayan flag on MMA stages too? The people from a country so rare in things to be proud of will continue to look forward to the sound of applause for the Tiger Lady in the ring, like a drop of clear water in a desert.

Nyu Thit Moe (Y3A)