Lethwei favorites: Thar Thar
On a timeline as vast and expansive as that of lethwei, his active career barely registers. His retirement came quick and his impact on the sport seems forgotten. What makes his time in the ring with us worthwhile are the partners he shared it with and his careless but bold attitude while fighting, often resulting in surprising turn-arounds and some much needed excitement hungered for by the fans.
First class and national elites alike need support from a steady and skilled group of professional boxers to make a lethwei card appealing and attractive. In those days Thar Thar—and many of his bantam and featherweight opponents like Tha Pyay Nyo, Soe Lin Oo, Thutti Aung or Soe Moe Hein—filled up those spots in what could be considered somewhat of a golden era in the lighter weight classes.
Fast-paced bouts between closely matched individuals resulting in spectacular knockouts have been demanded by its fans for decades; an audience whose thirst for blood remains unquenched to this day. It's something that division was able to bring forth regularly.
Thar Thar (left) manipulates the guard of Tha Pyay Nyo, an equally aggressive boxer. ©Nay Min
Thar Thar represents a group of fighters with the biggest hearts: Constant forward motion and intention of disrupting whatever their opponent has planned, regardless of consequence. Their ruinous assault and willingness to receive cuts and bruises in order to get inside and pummel their way to victory is what their fans so passionately long for. It is the sole reason for which they are loved; for stepping into the ring each and every time no matter what the outcome is.
Working hard does not always equal success. A big part of your popularity in the lethwei ring comes from being resilient and your indifference to punishment. The audience pays no mind to the repercussions the boxers might receive by employing their aggressive fighting style, and so they unintentionally dictate who you become in the ring.
Bloody but unbowed
Style wise Thar Thar definitely preferred to be up close and personal with his rivals without going for a clinch immediately. It made him manipulate the guard of his opponents as much as he could in order to try and prevent unnecessary harm. He barely exhausted the use of his head and instead opted for straights, hooks, uppercuts and forearms when getting in close, as you can see in these GIFS.
He favored to engage in a closed quarters trade-off and had a deceptively good right high kick to boot. This approach, with the majority of his focus on his offense in chasing his opponent, left him open to counter strikes.
Regardless of his ability to absorb inhuman amounts of damage like many contemporaries, it was his nonchalance that prompted numerous time-outs. His savior in many a battle.
Besides his seemingly blunt approach he was also able to display traces of excellent awareness and inventiveness. Unorthodox as he was he knew how to weave together a mixture of offensive and defensive attacks that left his adversaries dispirited where they stood.
One of the best examples is shown in his fight with Daung Thi Chay who is a mirror image of Thar Thar. Showcasing their very similar approach it gradually made the two combatants think outside the box, and this brought out the best in Thar Thar and perfectly displayed what he could do technically.
Dawei - Yangon connection
Thar Thar at KLN in 2007. ©Scott Mallon
Thar Thar came from the same region as his peers Tway Ma Shaung and Saw Ohn Myint, from Dawei township in Tanintharyi Division in the south of Myanmar. U Ye Mway also known as U Myint Wai was one of the key figures in that region responsible for the upbringing of some of the most beloved stars the sports has seen.
A region known for its many skilled fighters at the time, it no longer has the recognition of producing such talent. More recently U Ye Mway had been active at the King Cobra club in Myeik training a handful of women.
Around 2006-2007 Thar Thar got a call and an invitation from coach Kyaw Soe to join KLN in Yangon. Shortly after joining he had a successful run through the 2007 Regions & States tournament capturing both the gold medal and best boxer award. His former coach describes him as a diligent and hard worker who was taught easily and needed minimal guidance.
Kyaw Soe also fondly looks back on a memorable fight in Lamaing Township with the late Dein from Phoe Yarzar club which Thar Thar won in round 3 by KO. Dein was the father to current lethwei boxer Thar Dein (Thar means ‘son’). After Dein passed away the club seized to exist, but was given new life when his son grew older. Together with trainer Naing Pan Sein, who was a famous boxer in his own time, the club is currently host to a dozen boxers.
A selection of team KLN - (Top L-R) Naing Htoo Lwin, Shwe Phalar, Eh Htee Kaw, Kyaw Soe, Tway Ma Shaung. (Bottom L-R) Saw Thae Lay, Thar Thar.
With team captain Eh Htee Kaw, coaches Kyaw Soe, Soe Than Win & Win Zin Oo and Golden Belt Champion Saw Thae Aung & national hero Tway Ma Shaung on their payroll, KLN was one of the most popular stables at the time who had a healthy rivalry with the Cement Factory and Taung Ka Lay in Kayin State, both respected clubs in their own right.
It's no surprise that many cards were filled with names from these three clubs, and matched against each other multiple times. Thar Thar’s most recurring foes were Saw Ohn Myint, Thutti Aung, Tha Pyay Nyo and Shwe Tun Yon for good reason.
Quest for mementos
During his career Thar Thar attempted to capture two Golden Belts and three Dagon Shwe Aung Lan titles.
He was unable to attain any of them and his exciting yet vulnerable stratagem in the ring eventually let him down during those important moments. He chose to fearlessly engage with his opponents and created an atmosphere in the ring most appreciated by fans of action. In doing so, perhaps unintentionally, he had let go of becoming a figure adorned by belts and medals. The only belt he received was a challenge fight belt in 2010 (pictured).
Fights with (eventual) titles on the line:
2009.04.05 - Shwe Thein Aung (Loss) - Dagon Shwe Aung Lan final
2009.09.05 - Tha Pyay Nyo (Loss) - Golden Belt Championship Quarter-final
2010.08.29 - Saw Ohn Myint (Loss) - Golden Belt Championship Final
2010.09.25 - Sohanne Bengana (Win) - International Challenge Fight
2010.12.19 - Thutti Aung (Loss) - Dagon Shwe Aung Lan Quarter-final
2011.12.18 - Tha Pyay Nyo (Loss) - Dagon Shwe Aung Lan Semi-final
Thar Thar stayed with KLN, and the continuation of the club under the name T&T, for the remainder of his career.
Injury and retirement
စောအုန်းမြင့်ကသားသား မေးရိုးကို ခေါင်းနဲ့ဆက်ကနဲ ရိုက်လိုက်ရော / “Saw Ohn Myint hit Thar Thar on the jaw with his head”
- Former KLN employee Soe Than Win recalling the fateful night in Yangon.
Myaw Sin Island in Kandaw Gyi Nature Park in Yangon, December 27th, 2013. Thar Thar is facing off with Saw Ohn Myint once more, but it would be their last meeting and Thar Thar's last fight. Due to an upward headbutt in the second round, his lower jaw is broken and he is forced to forfeit the fight. After his surgery on December 29 it remained quiet until September the next year when a re-evaluation was scheduled to determine if he would be fit to resume fighting. It would eventually become apparent that he had withdrawn from all competition without much ado.
Due to the long lay-off he had made up his mind to pursue family life and get a blue-collar job. He is doing well and is a happy family man who still appears in the audience at festivals from time to time. Every generation has their heroes to look up to and even though the memories of them may have faded, their role in encouraging a new group of boxers is unmistakable. It is unlikely that Thar Thar will gain new fans, but hopefully this short dedication to him may change that. Those who knew him dearly miss him.
Kyaw Soe is currently head coach at Nagar Mahn in Yangon. He has an excellent track record and is known to most for having trained/cornered the likes of Tun Lwin Moe, Tway Ma Shaung and Too Too.
Dagon Shwe Aung Lan titles consist of a trophy and a flag. It can be considered the forerunner of the now yearly AirKBZ sponsored Championship events.
Eh Htee Kaw is a 2000 Golden Belt Champion and 2001 Challenge Fight belt holder and was a formidable opponent to many in his time. After his boxing career he became KLN team captain.
Regions & States (Also known as States and Divisions) refers to a tournament predominantly matching new talent for scouting purposes. Earnings are gold, silver and bronze medals as well as a cash prize.
Header shows a portrait of Thar Thar taken backstage at Thein Phyu Stadium in Yangon, before his fight with Daung Thi Chay on August 13, 2011. ©Hiroshi Soda
I have to express my gratitude towards Saw James/MLC and Kyaw Soe/Nagar Mahn only, for their time and effort in helping me piece together the career of Thar Thar.