The 2016 Top King Muay Thai World Finals will be held in Hohhot of Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Jan 14, 2017, and for the first time it is to be hosted in a country other than Thailand.

According to the event organization, the Thai boxing players who have already entered the quarter finals will throw punches for the semi-finals in Nanchang of Jiangxi province at the end of November. And then boxers entering the semi-finals will give the audience a showdown for the championship in Hohhot in January.

Officials and boxers attend the initiation ceremony of the 2016 Top King Muay Thai World Finals that will be held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Jan 14. [Photo/nmgnews.com]

Wu Haotian, a professional boxer from Inner Mongolia’s Hinggan League, said that he plans to enter the finals and is looking forward to performing a spectacular fight for the local audience.

“We expect this event can promote traditional Chinese martial arts and exceptional Muay Thai, and also attract more people to take part in boxing for physical fitness, mental perseverance, and pleasure,” said Yan Youfu, general secretary of Hohhot’s sports federation.

As one sponsor of the event, Inner Mongolia Boyue Sports Company has planned to found a training camp and employ world-class boxing coaches to build a platform where local people can practice Thai boxing as well as watch some tournaments in Inner Mongolia.

As a combat sport in Thailand, Muay Thai, also known as Thai boxing, is characterized by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees, shins, and is often associated with intense physical preparation that makes a full-contact fighter very efficient.

Officials and boxers attend the press conference of the 2016 Top King Muay Thai World Finals that will be held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Jan 14. [Photo/Xinhua]

Known as a stand-up striking style with various clinching techniques, Muay Thai has spread worldwide since the twentieth century, and a lot of professional matches have drawn global eyes.

As an international boxing event, the Top King World Series aims to entertain and exhilarate the audience via absolute Muay Thai fighting skills and search for the best Thai boxers from 16 qualifiers every year. It includes quarterfinals, semifinals and the championship.