Omar Havana

Photographer

omarhavana.com

The Khmer Fighters

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Location: Paris, France

Nationality: Spanish

Biography: Omar Havana, 1975 Granada, Spain. Spanish Freelance Photojournalist. Based in Paris, France. Previously based in Asia. ( Nepal 2014-2015 and Cambodia 2008 - 2014 ; 2015-2017) Omar has worked as a professional photojournalist since 2005, and since... read on

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1 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - JUNE 15: Two Kun Khmer fighters train a clinch defense movement during training on June 15, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The clinch is used to wear down the opponent, battling for the dominant position for short-range strikes by way of elbows and knees. Photo: © Omar Havana

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2 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - JUNE 15: A Kun Khmer fighter poses for a photo during training on June 15, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Kun Khmer tends to utilize more elbows than that of other regions. Fighters in Siem Reap train several days a week in an army compound on the outskirts of the city. Photo: © Omar Havana

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3 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - FEBRUARY 22: Traditional fighters perform Kun Krou rituals prior to the combat during a private fight at night in the Angkor temple of Thomeanon on February 22, 2013 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Bokator and Kun Khmer fighters are hired for private functions during the night dinners that many hotels and travel agencies organize for their clients in the Angkor Temples. Photo: © Omar Havana

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4 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - JUNE 30: A Kun Khmer fighter arrives in his home on the outskirts of Siem Reap after finishing his daily training on June 30, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Most Cambodian boxers come from a poor background and compete to earn money to feed their families and themselves. Most of the fighters survive by doing different jobs, with the majority of them working as tuk-tuk drivers, as it one of the few jobs which leaves them time and flexibility to attend their daily training. Photo: © Omar Havana

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5 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA JUNE 30: A young Kun Khmer fighter trains on June 30, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The average age of most Cambodian boxers is between ages 14 and 25. Photo: © Omar Havana

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6 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - JUNE 15: A Kun Khmer fighter does series of sit-ups during training on June 15, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Fighters in Siem Reap train several days a week in an army compound on the outskirts of the city. Photo: © Omar Havana

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7 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - APRIL 24: A traditional Kun Khmer fighter shows his back tattoo before a professional fight on April 24, 2013 in the Siem Reap Arena, Cambodia. Some Kun Khmer fighters tattoo their bodies believing that it will protect them in battle. These “magical yantra tattoos" were documented by a Chinese diplomat named Zhou Dougan in 1296 during the Angkor Era in his detailed report, “The Customs of Cambodia”. Photo: © Omar Havana

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8 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 20: A Kun Khmer fighter is treated with cream moments before his fight at the new Siem Reap arena on March 20, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana

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9 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 20: Cambodian Kun Khmer fighter, Vorn Savi, executes a high jump kick on his opponent Derek Bidaut from France during the first international fight in the Siem Reap arena on March 20, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana

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10 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - FEBRUARY 22: A traditional fighter kicks his opponent during a night private fight in the Angkor temple of Thomeanon on February 22, 2013 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Bokator and Kun Khmer fighters are hired for private functions during the night dinners that many hotels and travel agencies organize for their clients in the Angkor Temples.Photo: © Omar Havana

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11 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 20: Hundreds of spectators join the opening of the new Siem Reap arena on March 20, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Kun Khmer is making a strong comeback since its prohibition in the 1970s: today, weekly matches are held, the majority televised live, and almost 70 boxing clubs exist nationwide. Photo: © Omar Havana

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12 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - APRIL 24: A Kun Khmer fighter knees his opponent during a fight in the Siem Reap arena on April 24, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Kun Khmer focuses more on winning "a bout". While most well known for its kicking technique, which generates power from hip rotation rather than snapping the leg, Kun Khmer consists of four types of strikes: punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes. Photo: © Omar Havana

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13 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - APRIL 24: A referee counts to ten to one of the fighters after he received a kick from his opponent during a fight in the Siem Reap arena on April 24, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana

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14 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - APRIL 24: Doctors and referees check for vital signs on one of the fighters after he was knocked out by his opponent during a fight in the Siem Reap arena on April 24, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana

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15 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 20: Blood drops from an opened wound on the face of one of the contestants during one of the breaks in one of the fights on the opening day of the new Siem Reap arena on March 20, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. During the colonial period, martial arts like pradal serey were considered by the European colonists to be brutal and uncivilized. The French turned the art into a sport by adding timed rounds, a boxing ring, and western boxing gloves in an attempt to lessen injuries. Photo: © Omar Havana

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16 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 20: A trainer applies cold water on an opened face wound to Sarath, a Siem Reap Kun Khmer fighter during one of the breaks in one of the fights of the opening day of the new Siem Reap Arena on March 20, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana

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17 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - APRIL 24: A Cambodian Kun Khmer fighter hits his opponent during the opening tournament in the Siem Reap arena on April 24, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. A new Cambodian boxer can earn US$25 per fight. More experienced kickboxers with more than a dozen fights can earn up to $75. Photo: © Omar Havana

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18 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 20: Vorn Viva, ISKA (International Sport Karate Association) Middleweight world champion, elbows his opponent, the Colombian Eddie Vendetta, during a fight in the Siem Reap arena on March 20, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. In August 2008, Cambodian boxers Vorn Viva and Meas Chantha won the ISKA Middleweight and Welterweight world titles in Phnom Penh; it was the first time a Cambodian had held a kickboxing world title. Photo: © Omar Havana

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19 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 20: A referee sends Paddy Meunsophea, a fighter from Siem Reap, to one of the ring corners after he knocked out his opponent, the Brazilian Igor Pedote Cabrita, during an international fight in the Siem Reap arena on March 20, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana

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20 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 20: Vorn Viva, ISKA (International Sport Karate Association) Middleweight world champion, is declared winner over the Colombian Eddie Vendetta, during a fight in the Siem Reap arena on March 20, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. In August 2008, Cambodian boxers Vorn Viva and Meas Chantha won the ISKA Middleweight and Welterweight world titles in Phnom Penh; it was the first time a Cambodian had held a kickboxing world title. Photo: © Omar Havana

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21 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - APRIL 03: A spectator gives some dollars to one of the fighters after he won his fight in the new Siem Reap arena on April 03, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Cambodians boxers were traditionally paid by the crowd: if the crowd appreciated the boxer’s efforts, they would reward him with alcohol, food or cash. This practice still continues today but, in line with western practice, bouts pay official fees. A new Cambodian boxer can earn US$25 per fight. More experienced kickboxers with more than a dozen fights can earn up to $75. "Brand name" kickboxers can earn over $100 a fight. Special purse fights will pay up to $250 with the purse contributed by a corporate sponsor. Photo: © Omar Havana

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22 of 22 © 2020 Omar Havana

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - APRIL 03: A Kun Khmer fighter unwraps the bandages of his hands in the backyard of the new Siem Reap arena after losing his fight on April 03, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana

Public Story

The Khmer Fighters

Credits: omar havana

Date of Work: 02/10/10 - 02/03/14

Updated: 01/23/20

Location: Siem Reap

Archived as: Action, Asia, Blood, Cambodia, Cambodian Boxing, Combat, Documentary, Editorial, Essays, Europe Photographer, Fight, Fighter, France Photographer, Khum Khmer, Kun Khmer, Lifestyle, Martial Arts, Media, Paris Photographer, Photography, Photojournalism, Poverty, Pradal Serey, Siem Reap, South East Asia, Spirituality, Sports

Pradal Serey or Kun Khmer -free fighting- is an unarmed martial art from Cambodia. Compared to other forms of Southeast Asian kickboxing, Kun Khmer emphasizes more elusive and shifty fighting stances. The Cambodian style tends to utilize more elbows than that of other regions. Evidence shows that a style resembling pradal serey existed in the 9th century, leading the Khmer to believe all Southeast Asian forms of kickboxing started with the early Mon-Khmer people. They maintain that Pradal Serey has influenced much of the basis of Muay Thai. During the Khmer Rouge genocide, traditional martial arts were banned and many boxers were executed or worked to death, which nearly caused the death of pradal serey. Nowadays, Kun Khmer is making a strong comeback in Cambodia, with fighters attempting to market their style of boxing at the same caliber of Muay Thai.

Photography: ©Omar Havana. All Rights are Reserved

Story published in Al Jazeera English and Men's Health Magazine

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