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.”
Cambodia's Child Boxers
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Read moreVuth Seyha, a young Kun Khmer boxer, is fanned with a towel between rounds at a boxing match. #
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Read moreCambodian 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." #
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Read moreYoung Cambodian boxers perform an exercise during training. #
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Read moreYoung 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. #
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Read moreBoys watch as one of their peers climbs up a bamboo pole during a training session. The children are also in charge of helping set up and tidy the gym. #
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Read moreYoung boxers cool off at a swimming pool after training in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. #
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Read moreBun Khim, left, watches as two boys spar at a practice session. Khim, a retired boxer, started the gym to pass something on to his sons; he felt he had "nothing else to give them." #
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Read moreChildren ride home after training. #
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Read moreYoung Cambodian boxers at play during training #
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Read moreKhim Dimey is assisted by his mother as he gets ready to go to school. Training is usually before and after school for the young boy, whose father runs the gym and gives him additional instruction. #
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Read moreVon Chai Deay, a young Kun Khmer boxer, waits for his match to begin. Since children's fights cannot be televised, villagers pool money to reward the victors. #
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Read moreKhim Dimey draws in his father's home. #
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Read moreA drawing by Khim Dimey. He often draws strong characters with boxing gloves. #
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Read moreVuth Seyha and Von Chai Deay spar in a public event in rural Cambodia. Both were declared winners in the match. #
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Read moreCambodian child boxers rest during a break in the training session. #
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Read moreKhim Dimey at his school in rural Cambodia #
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Read moreFighters pause to listen to their coach during training. #
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Read moreToy soldiers litter the training area. #
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Read moreCambodian child boxers stand in formation before training. #
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Read moreVuth Seyha is tended to between rounds at a fight in rural Cambodia. #
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