style an international sport. When the sport debuted at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, Cambodia did not enter the Muay Thai event in protest of the name used to refer to the sport. At recent Southeast Asian Games, Southeast Asian boxing has been known by the ethnic neutral term of "Muay". At the 2023 Southeast Asian Games, host Cambodia plans to organize Muay events under the term "Kun Khmer", a move which was protested by Thailand. Life as a boxer Pradal Serey is an athletic sport that relies on agility, toughness and flexibility. Most participants are young adults due to the physical conditioning that a boxer must endure to keep their body in shape. The average age ranges from 14 to 25. Most Cambodian boxers come from a poor background and compete to earn money to feed their families and themselves. Top kickboxers can have as many as 200–300 fights in their careers. Cambodian boxers were traditionally paid by the crowd. If the crowd appreciated the boxer's efforts, they would reward him with food, alcohol and cash. This practice still continues today but, in line with western practice, bouts pay official fees. Until recently the average purse for a fight was US$15. Today purses are based on experience. A new Cambodian boxer can earn US$25 per fight. More experienced kick boxers 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. "International" tournaments, organised by the broadcasters, will pay individual purses of up to $1000, sometimes higher. An estimated 70% of boxers in the Phnom Penh circuit come from the rural northwest. The provinces of Battambang and Banteay Meanchey produce a steady supply of boxers. Some of the best Pradal Serey champions come from the Battambang Province although a number of big name stars have come via Southern Cambodia such as Eh Phoutong from Koh Kong Province, Thun Sophea from Svay Rieng Province and Meas Chantha and Seng Makara from Kandal Province. Cambodian boxers train in a gym under a Pradal Serey kru. Many boxers train 6–8 hours a day and 7 days a week. Health risk As with all contact sports, health risks are a factor. According to Chhoeung Yavyen, a ringside doctor for the Cambodian Amateur Boxing Association, in the past five