Thai senators have kickboxing duel to promote the sport

London, Sept 14 (ANI): Two Thai senators have taken to the boxing ring in Thailand in a bid to promote the traditional sport of Thai kickboxing.

Payap Tongchuen, 59, and Direk Tungfang, 64, donned gloves and trunks and went two rounds against each other.

"It's good that I can still stand," the Telegraph quoted Tongchuen as saying.

The boxing ring was set up in front of the parliament building in Bangkok, and after the duel, the referee declared the fighters, both former professional boxers, joint victors.

"The aim is to market Thai boxing, as Muay Thai, at the international level," Tungfang said.

"It is also to campaign for the younger generations to maintain this traditional sport," he stated.

Both men sit in the upper house in Thailand, where lawmakers have no party affiliation.

Muay Thai, as Thai kickboxing is known, is the national sport and its popularity has been growing worldwide. (ANI)