Police tries to shut down free youth boxing lessons in Phetchabun

A Phetchabun boxing group says it was reported to police for running a boxing event without permission, even though it describes the activity as free training for children. The case, posted online between March 15 and today, March 17, has drawn calls for officials to review what happened.

The issue was first raised publicly on March 15 by Suwit Siriwech, who posted on Facebook appealing to senior figures in Phetchabun to look into the case.

He said teenagers in the province wanted to form a group to train in boxing and organise free lessons for other youths. However, police had reportedly filed a complaint accusing them of “organising a boxing competition without permission”, and a summons had been delivered to a home address.

Suwit said the gathering shown was not, in his view, even a street boxing event. He described it as a group activity where participants met to train and teach boxing free of charge, with no fees collected.

The activity, he argued, should only fall under the Boxing Act if it involved elements such as fighter payments, ticket sales, an official result, referees, or similar features associated with a formal contest.

He added that even sparring with gloves for one round of three minutes would not meet the criteria. He pointed readers to a video and again urged senior figures in Phetchabun to review the case, saying he felt sorry for the youths who simply wanted to exercise.

In a follow-up post from yesterday, March 16, Suwit said the group went to a police station to acknowledge the allegation. He said police offered a half-fine if they admitted the offence, but warned they would need a lawyer if they contested it, with the risk of a higher fine and jail.

According to Suwit, the group disputed the allegation, saying their activities did not fall under the Boxing Act. They also argued that gathering to exercise in this way did not require permission from the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT).

Police reportedly argued that the use of boxing gloves meant the session required SAT permission, so they treated it as a violation. Suwit again appealed for a review, adding that encouraging teenagers to exercise was a positive thing.

Today, Club Fight Phetchabun posted that at 10am its team met the superintendent of Mueang Phetchabun Police Station and a SAT committee member to talk and improve understanding among the three parties.

After the meeting, the group said it was pursuing formal permission to hold street boxing at the San Chao Pho Lak Mueang celebration on March 22, at the shrine’s multipurpose ground.

In similar news, SAT has expressed support for former IBF world boxing champion Amnat Ruenroeng and is considering offering him a youth coaching role in Chon Buri, following a recent altercation that drew public attention.