(802–1431 AD), where Kun Khmer traces its origin. Kun Khmer developed from the ancient Khmer martial arts, now commonly referred to as
Bokator. Dating back to the 1st century AD, the martial arts in Cambodia are deeply rooted in the country's history, and are depicted in the various
bas-reliefs of the
Angkor period. Um Yurann, the deputy director of the Cambodian Boxing Federation, highlights the bas-reliefs found on the ancient walls of the Angkor temples, dating from the ninth to the twelfth century, as evidence that Cambodians have been engaged in the sport for hundreds of years.
Ta Prohm temple depicting two men
clinch fighting and a knee strike. During the early 20th century, the local martial traditions were codified by the
French administration, giving birth to
Pradal Serey, now more widely known as
Kun Khmer. Boxing matches were originally fought in dirt pits with limited rules, while hands were wrapped in rope. According to Pel Yat, an elderly villager from Battambang, as documented in a 1974 publication regarding the social history of the province, “Boxers fought until death. During the bout, a stretcher to carry out the dead was brought in; it was kept there in case a boxer died. The winner received a prize from the committee.” Chhit Sarim, a kickboxer instructor from
Siem Reap, described tournaments around his village from the first half of the last century, "Coffins were placed near the ring ready for the possibility of a dead loser. The boxers did not use gloves to protect from injury, they just wrapped silk thread around their fists. On their arms they tied katei - magical plants wrapped in red pieces of cloth that would cause their opponent to see multiple images of their body in the ring. They were great boxers." In order to avoid the fatal casualties, the French set up a series of rules that combined
Western boxing with Khmer boxing. France organized its own athletes to face off against Cambodian athletes. Recognizing the impressive capabilities of Khmer martial arts, particularly in the use of elbows, knees, fists, and other lethal techniques, including those that could result in neck injuries, the French administration introduced a modified version of boxing. This new sport mandated that all participants wear gloves, imposed time limits on matches, instituted rest periods, and prohibited certain techniques to mitigate risks to life. The intention behind this French initiative was to restrict the abilities of Khmer competitors while providing an opportunity for French athletes familiar with Khmer martial arts to secure victories in the contests. Subsequently, this definition evolved into the established rules of the game, leading to its recognition as a popular sport. Freestyle boxing(pradal serey) represents a fusion of the universal sport of boxing, rooted in European tradition, and the traditional martial arts of the Khmer culture. Through an agreement between French and Cambodian working groups, specific regulations were implemented, including prohibitions on additional time for falls, neck strikes, the use of protective gear, and other lethal techniques. This sport gained popularity during the French colonial period and the rules and format subsequently spread to Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and various other nations under the
French sphere of influence. Kickboxing in Vietnam existed before 1979 but was then banned. The Vietnamese kickboxing art was historically similar to Khmer Boxing or Pradal Serey. The introduction of
boxing rings, rounds, and
gloves, as well as the prohibition of life-threatening techniques, transformed the local martial arts into a sport. With those new sets of rules, French and Khmer boxers would compete against each other in tournaments. In the 1960s, Cambodian boxing promoters held inter-martial arts
exhibitions.
Downfall of Kun Khmer During the chaos of the
Vietnam War, American
President Nixon chose to get involved in Cambodia, where a pro-Western regime led by Gen.
Lon Nol had usurped Sihanouk's neutral government in March 1970. Since then, the new government had been trying to drive the communists out of their sanctuary along the border. The North Vietnamese easily repelled the Cambodian army's offensives and began providing arms and support to the Cambodian communist faction, called the
Khmer Rouge. Eager to back Lon Nol and eliminate the sanctuaries, Nixon approved a significant operation involving a U.S. and South Vietnamese force of 20,000 troops into the border regions. In the U.S., news of the Cambodian incursion sparked widespread protests and demonstrations. During the Vietnam War,
Henry Kissinger, serving as National Security Advisor, and then-President Richard Nixon authorized secret bombing operations in neutral Cambodia to target
Viet Cong forces located in the eastern region of the country.
Ben Kiernan, a historian at Yale University and a prominent authority on Cambodian history, estimates that approximately 500,000 tons of U.S. bombs were released over Cambodia from 1969 to 1973. Scholars have also suggested that the bombing campaign initiated by Nixon and Kissinger contributed significantly to the conditions that led to one of the most devastating genocides of the 20th century. On April 17, 1975, the
Maoist Communist rebels, the
Khmer Rouge under the orders of
Pol Pot, overthrew the government of the
Khmer Republic then-led by
Lon Nol. The Khmer Rouge's plan was to eliminate modern society, and create an
agrarian utopia. The Khmer Rouge executed educated people, others who had ties to the old government, or anyone who was believed to be “advantaged” by the old society (doctors, teachers, soldiers, actors, musicians, athletes, etc.), and forced the remaining Khmer population into
labor camps—in which hundreds of thousands died in executions,
starvation and diseases—to be re-educated under the new government. Traditional
martial arts were banned at this time, and many boxers were executed, worked to death or fled the country, which nearly caused the demise of Kun Khmer. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians, or 21% of the population, died during the Khmer Rouge regime, according to the studies of the Cambodia Genocide Program of
Yale University. This despotic subjugation lasted for four years until 1979, when
Vietnam,
invaded and overthrew the Khmer Rouge. During the relative stability with the Vietnamese's protection and after the departure of the Vietnamese, the
National Government of Cambodia, under the
United Nations, reestablished the
Kingdom of Cambodia, and the surviving artisans would slowly began recovering and rebuilding Cambodia's traditional arts, including Kun Khmer. in
Phnom Penh in the early 1970s
Rebuilding of Kun Khmer Kun Khmer made a strong comeback since its prohibition in the 1970s. Chhith Sarim, a coach in the sport of Khmer kickboxing, expressed regret over Cambodia's loss of prominence in the kickboxing arena during periods of conflict. Despite this setback, he remains resolute in his efforts to restore the country's standing in the sport. In 1987, one of the first Kun Khmer schools abroad opened in the United States. It was started by a former national champion by the name of Oumry Ban in
Cambodia Town,
Long Beach, California. Kun Khmer is administered in Cambodia by the Cambodian Boxing Federation (CBF), formerly the Cambodian Amateur Boxing Federation (CABF), which was established in 1961. All referees, judges, and fighters must be licensed by the CABF. Television stations which hold Khmer boxing tournaments do so under the supervision of the CBF. The individual stations are responsible for organizing boxers, trainers, medical staff, and musicians. The CBF supplies the match referees, judges, and time-keepers. The current president of the CBF is Major-General Tem Moeun. Abroad, Cambodian boxing is promoted by four organizations. These organizations include: the European Khmer Boxing Federation, based in
Germany; the Fédération des Arts Martiaux Khmers (FAMK), based in France; the Ánh Binh Minh Khmer Martial Arts Association, located in Vietnam; and Kun Khmer Australia, based in
Australia. Other newly created organizations can be found in
Spain and
Italy, while
Belgium is in the process of forming its own Khmer boxing organization. The
International Sport Kickboxing Association (ISKA), based in the United Kingdom, has held matches involving Cambodian boxers. Additionally, Khmer boxers have fought abroad in countries such as South Korea. There have been concerns about the
betting and rowdiness among Kun Khmer fans.
Bayon Television holds live kickboxing tournaments on Saturday and Sunday, while
TV3 holds a single tournament on Sunday, and
Apsara TV has added a single tournament on Thursday. Recently, travel journalists and tourists have exposed Kun Khmer to the western world. Features in television programs have further popularized the martial art amongst global viewers; Kun Khmer was featured on
The History Channel's
Human Weapon, and was also mentioned on the Cambodian episode of
Globetrekker. In February 2009, American footballer
Dhani Jones filmed an episode of his series
Dhani Tackles the Globe in
Phnom Penh, training with Long Salavorn at the Salavorn Keila club, and subsequently fighting Pan Phanith at the CTN arena. In the Cambodian S1 World Championship, Bun Sothea won the tournament. He defeated Michael Paszowski,
Dzhabar Askerov, and Lor Samnang in front of 30,000 people at the Phnom Penh National Olympic Stadium. In 2008, the Cambodian Television Network (CTN) screened a Kun Khmer reality television series called
Kun Khmer Champion. The show featured 65 kilogramme (143.3 lbs.) boxers, and was produced by Ma Serey and Aaron Leverton, and co-hosted by Ma Serey and Cambodia's most famous kickboxer,
Eh Phouthong. The first series was followed by a second in 2009 and a third in 2010, both co-hosted by Vorn Viva. On August 28, 2008, Cambodian boxers Vorn Viva and Meas Chantha won the
ISKA Middleweight and
Welterweight world titles in Phnom Penh. It was the first time a Cambodian had held a kickboxing world title. In 2011, Prime Minister Hun Sen created a committee responsible for documenting and researching the sport of Khmer kickboxing in order to have it included on
UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list. The 19-member committee included Culture Minister
Him Chhem, the boxing federation, Council of Minister officials, and other officials from other government ministries. In 2011, there were 1,000 registered boxers from 78 martial arts schools. As of 2012, there are over 50 Kun Khmer fights held every week in the Phnom Penh region.
Post-Recovery Era ,
United States. A well-known promoter stated 2020 would be an important year for development of the sport. Promoter, Matias Andres, via the Riel Team was focused on putting the sport in an international context instead of just focusing on the local scene. Town Full HDTV brought MAS Fight, a global professional martial arts organization, to Cambodia. It was welcomed as a programme to help promote Kun Khmer internationally. In 2022, the International Professional Combat Council (IPCC) held their first sanctioned Kun Khmer event in
Kampong Speu province. In 2023, Kun Khmer was added to the
Southeast Asian Games Federation's charter and rules. Deputy Prime Minister
Tea Banh stated that he was proud that the Southeast Asian Games officially recognized the Cambodian martial art of Kun Khmer. In 2023, the BKK (Bare Knuckle Kombat) Championship held their first Kun Khmer event. In 2024, a Kun Khmer event called “Ganzberg Kun Khmer to the World Class” was the first Kun Khmer event to take place in South Korea. In 2024, Kun Khmer had a historic first-ever event called International Cambodian Kun Khmer Championship on the Greek island of
Crete in
Heraklion. In 2024, Chinese martial arts organization,
Kunlun Fight, held a Kun Khmer and kickboxing event in Cambodia called
Kunlun Fight & Cicada FC. The 5th Kun Khmer World Championship were held in Siem Reap. The top 5 medal countries were Cambodia(first place),
Kyrgyzstan(second place),
Afghanistan(third place),
Russia(fourth place) and
France(fifth place). The 6th World Kun Khmer Championship was postponed due to border tensions. Khov Chhay, the President of the Kun Khmer Federation, has noted significant advancements in the sport of Kun Khmer in recent years. This growth has resulted in increased support for many fighters, including heightened engagement from fans, enhanced opportunities, and expanded sponsorships. Currently, there are approximately 17 to 20 programs conducted each week. Between 2019 and 2021, the financial remuneration for boxers per tournament ranged between 200,000 and 300,000 riel. In contrast, present compensation has escalated to between $1,000 and $3,000, excluding additional earnings from sponsorships. Chhay remarked, “By including sponsorship rewards, some boxers can earn $7,000, $8,000, or even $10,000 for participating in a single tournament.” Despite the sport's notable growth, the Kun Khmer Federation has encountered challenges regarding human resources. To address this, the federation is actively encouraging youth participation, targeting both young men and women, to further enhance the prominence and success of Kun Khmer.
Attempt to unite regional boxing styles Nearby Southeast Asian countries have similar styles of boxing martial arts. At an
ASEAN meeting in 1995, Cambodia suggested that the Thai boxing style,
Muay Thai, be referred to as "
Sovannaphum boxing," or "SEA Boxing," which would collectively represent Thailand, Cambodia,
Laos, and
Myanmar.
Sovannaphum means "golden land" in
Khmer, and is written as
Suwannabhumi in
Thai. The name refers to mainland Southeast Asia in the ancient Indian language of
Pali. However, Thailand would not compromise, stating that each Southeast Asian country has its own boxing style, and that Thailand was responsible for making its boxing style an international sport. When it debuted at the
2005 Southeast Asian Games, Cambodia did not enter the Muay Thai event in protest of the name used to refer to the sport. At subsequent Southeast Asian Games, Southeast Asian boxing has been known by the ethnically neutral term "muay," with the exception of the
2009 Southeast Asian Games in
Vientiane, when the sport was called
Muay Lao. The decision did not spark any controversy or negative reaction from Thailand or Cambodia at that time. At the
2023 Southeast Asian Games, held in Cambodia, the event was called Kun Khmer instead of Muay Thai, which led to a boycott by Thailand. In response, Cambodia said it would retaliate by not sending boxers to the 2025 games in Thailand. The Secretary-general of the Cambodian Southeast Asian Games Organising Committee, Vath Chamroeun, asserted, “We are the host country, so we have the right to change it to Kun Khmer, as the sport has its origin in Khmer, and it is our culture.” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen addressed the issue by proposing, “When competing in Cambodia, we call it Kun Khmer; when competing in Thailand, we call it Muay Thai; when competing in Laos, we call it Muay Lao; and in Myanmar, we call it the name of their original martial arts. Can we find a compromise?” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has suggested that Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand jointly apply for UNESCO status for traditional martial arts. Initially,
Muay Lao Federation’s President, Saysamone Sayasone, supported the renaming, and concurred that the sport originated indeed in
Cambodia. However, amidst severe backlash from Thailand, he was compelled to apologise for his statements. The
International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) threatened six member-countries from Southeast Asia—Malaysia, Vietnam,
the Philippines,
Indonesia, Thailand, and
Singapore—with a two-year ban on any IFMA competitions and activities, should they join the competition. Eventually, only Thai athletes boycotted the competition. ==Techniques==