Vuth Seyha, a young Kun Khmer boxer, is fanned with a towel between rounds at a boxing match.

Cambodia's Child Boxers

The Atlantic | 14 August 2016

Hannah Reyes Morales spent two years photographing young fighters as they trained for Cambodia's child-boxing circuit. Kun Khmer fighting is a traditional Cambodian sport that is seen as a path out of poverty for rural families. The boys, who are between the ages of 6 and 12, are considered “good mannered” and “more virtuous” in their communities and can earn $7 to $10 for victories. If they do well enough, they might be sponsored by a gym in the capital or in Thailand, and their training, education, food, and housing would be paid for. This is not lost on the young fighters, who train rigorously, Morales said. “I saw how they would switch between child and boxer,” she said. “As boxers, they are confident and fierce, and the next minute they would be children, giggling over marbles and excited to share their drawings with me.”

Cambodian child boxers spar during training. The equipment they use was found when a box of discarded equipment was delivered to a thrift store selling used items from other countries. Their coach calls the find "a gift from the gods."

Young Cambodian boxers perform an exercise during training.

Young Cambodian boxers stretch on the floor of their gym. Underage fighters are banned from fighting professionally in Cambodia, but some slip through using fake documents, driven by the need to earn additional income and experience in the ring.

Vuth Seyha and Von Chai Deay spar in a public event in rural Cambodia. Both were declared winners in the match.

View all 20 photos by Hannah Reyes Morales