Pirinya Kiatbusaba - Kickboxing

Teenage trans-sexual Parinya Kiatbusaba made his big-league debut in one of the world's roughest sports, Thai kickboxing (Muay Thai) in 1998. 

As a kickboxer, Parinya attracted fans from all over Asia. He enjoyed teasing his opponents, including kissing them on the forehead, but once a match was underway he was most likely to knock them out. By the time of his Bangkok debut last year, he'd already amassed 17 knockouts in a 20-2 professional record in the provinces. But from his first victory in his first major appearance before 10,000 fans in the capital Bangkok, he plans to spend his prize money on cosmetic surgery to better match his body to his feminine feelings.

Pirinya is from Lamphun, about 350 miles north of Bangkok. Pirinya is prim to a fault, but the prospect of a cut eye, broken nose or cauliflower ear doesn't faze him. "If I was afraid about my face, I wouldn't fight'' he said.

Thai kickboxers often take up the sport at 10 or 12 years old and many fight until their late 20s. At 18, Parinya decided to leave the ring for a career in show business -- and to have sex reassignment surgery.

This page was last updated on 11 June 2005