Cheap Seats
They got the adjective right
Chicago Bulls reserve center Bill Wennington now has a hamburger, “The Beef Wennington,” named after him by a Chicago-area fast-food chain.
Only starters get hot dogs named after them.
Don’t mess with the guy in the dress
He dresses like a woman and fights like a demon. Pirinya Kaibusaba, a transvestite kickboxer, who powders his nose during training, is a big hit.
Before a sellout crowd of 10,000 and despite a cut over his left eye, the 16-year-old sensation convincingly won his Bangkok debut on Tuesday night.
He wore makeup and pink nail polish to the weigh-in, where he broke down in tears. Then he went on to pummel Oven So Boonya over five rounds at Lumpini Stadium, the nation’s mecca of Muay Thai, or Thai kickboxing.
Pirinya is from Lamphun, about 350 miles north of Bangkok. Before his appearance in the capital, the young welterweight had already compiled a professional record of 20 wins, 2 losses and 17 knockouts in a sport where brutal kicks and elbows to the head are common.
He kissed his opponent after the decision was announced in what appeared sweet revenge for a teasing embrace delivered by Oven just before the fight.
Pirinya is prim to a fault, but the prospect of a cut eye, broken nose or cauliflower ear doesn’t faze him.
“If I was afraid about my face, I wouldn’t fight,” he said.
Pirinya’s medium-length hair is dyed to a reddish tint - as is fashionable now among Thais of both sexes - and neatly tied back, about to the nape of the neck. The weigh-in, where he was 140 pounds, presented Pirinya with his toughest test as a kickboxer. The fighters at Lumpini Stadium must step on the scale completely nude.
When ordered to strip in front of a phalanx of Thai and foreign reporters and cameramen, Pirinya dissolved in sobs. Lumpini officials, who are all in the Thai military, eventually showed mercy and let him wear his black jockey shorts.
Kickboxer, Part II
Although Thai boxers are generally tattooed tough guys from poor farming country or Bangkok slums with a strong sense of machismo, many readily accept Pirinya.
“I thought it was strange when I heard there was a transvestite boxer, but I like to see people who like boxing - I don’t care who they are,” said kickboxer Pong Sudsaeng.
Most Thais, in fact, accept transvestites. Locally they are called “katoeys” and are regarded as the third sex. Others have competed in sports successfully.
The two best players on Thailand’s men’s volleyball team were katoeys. However, the volleyball association tossed them off the team in 1996, fearing the response at international matches. Many Thais were surprised to learn not everyone is tolerant of cross-dressing.
As for Pirinya, he isn’t dreaming of championships or fame. He says he fights because he likes the “strange feeling” he gets in the ring.
Think about the other guy.
The last word …
“We made two field goals. You ought to be able to drop-kick more than two during a half.”
- Wisconsin basketball coach Dick Bennett, after the Badgers shot 2 for 20 in the second half of a 56-47 loss to Michigan State.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo