Fighting into the night

It’s raw, brutal and rarely taught, but a young fighter from Malacca is offering to teach Muay Boran — an ancient form of Thai kickboxing — for free.

Every Saturday night, when the sun sets and the crowd has dispersed, a group gathers at Lake Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur. Clutching water bottles and clad in tees, shorts or tracks, the barefooted bunch embark on a mission to toughen themselves up and learn Thailand’s ancient form of kickboxing — Muay Boran.