The Story of Paris, Sichang and “Gym Families”

This is a story of recent events combined with memories from a trip I took some 17 years ago.

Last week my dear friend Paris Alexander, of Bay Area boxing fame, was involved in a bicycle accident in San Francisco, CA. Not much is known of the circumstances-only that it was a hit and run near the financial district. Paris was rushed to SF General Emergency where he lay with severe neck and spinal injuries.

Read about Paris’ amazing career and life story here. Or if you prefer video you can watch a reflection interview with Paris here. Paris  is doing well and has feeling in most of his body. We’re relieved he’s recovering.

Within hours of his stabilization, the gym community came together with a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his recovery and living expenses. The response was overwhelming as you can see in the  GoFundMe link.

By strange coincidence, just a couple of weeks earlier, my friend and former Muay Thai trainer Bunkerd posted a picture of his long lost friend and stablemate from Thailand, Sichang (whose real name I’m afraid I do not know). I had heard several stories of their exploits during their training days at the original Fairtex Gym in Samut Prakarn Province Thailand (just outside Bangkok). Sichang, once an illustrious Nak Muay (Thai Boxer), was

reduced to a cripple in a motorcycle accident. He had been missing and eventually found in the hospital 2 weeks or so after his accident. In his emergency surgery, the doctors improperly performed a tracheotomy (breathing tube insertion) which damaged his vocal cords in addition to the rest of the traumatic injuries! His career as a fighter was, of course, over .

With no means of income he returned to his wife’s family’s home. There he became a bit of a burden and it was “suggested” that he return to his home village. Fairtex gym owner and founder Phillip Wong took Sichang back into the

Fairtex camp and provided him with a “symbolic” job as round timekeeper. Using an old wristwatch and what was left of his voice, he was able to rejoin his Muay Thai family and regain a bit of dignity. I met Sichang personally in the Fairtex Bangplee Muay Thai camp in Samut Prakarn province in the early 2000’s. It was of course after his accident (pictured left). Well, in both these stories we have the common situation of someone falling into misfortune and their “gym family” coming together in their dire straits.  These stories, told years apart, display the strong familial relationships that form within the combat sports community. I have the same feeling of family and camaraderie in every wresting room I’ve visited as well.

Why is it that combat sports build these type of close relationships. I wonder if we could expect a similar response for an office workplace or other? There is certainly a “bond of shared suffering” we experience in the gyms, dojos, mat rooms that builds these familial ties and compassion that I believe seldom exists elsewhere.

Thanks for reading! As always please comment, share , subscribe!

-The Rover

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