The Argentine who shone in Muay Thai and now is safety in Buenos Aires subways

Martin Goldbart

03/06/2020 - 10:33

• Clarín.com
• sports

Luciano Vázquez does not prepare for war, nor does he have forbidden hands. Nor would he accept to participate in combats such as those of Connor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. But Luciano Vázquez was a Muay Thai South American and Pan American champion, he avoided fighting in the street all his life, he trained and triumphed in Thailand, he dedicated himself to teaching martial art turned into sport and being safe in the subways of Buenos Aires.

"Lucho" , as his friends and students tell him, is 43 years old and owns the Naksuami training center. There he teaches and prepares fighters who decide to fight in an amateur manner and those who dedicate themselves professionally.

In addition to polishing the defense and attack techniques of colleagues and students, Vázquez generates other income as deputy chief of security at Metrovías.

"I used to fight 100%, but since I got injured, I started looking for a job and I found the one I currently have in Metrovías," Luciano tells Clarín , referring to when the Achilles tendon broke, he rented a week after Fight for the world title.

Luciano Vázquez, Argentine figure of Muay Thai.

"I hurt myself training, it was a barbaric frustration, I already had the ticket and everything. At that time I was only training and teaching." From there, he says, a friend helped him get the job he currently retains.

"Luckily I never had to use Muay Thai on the street, I am a quiet guy. Using boxing or a martial art outside where you practice it depends on each one," he says while adding that his discipline, such as the arts martial, preaches its use in extreme situations and as a defense.

"Muay Thai is not really a martial art, it is a sport. It was born in Thailand and was used for war during the kingdom of Siam in about 1350. It was evolving and became the Thai national sport. Now it is a tool to get the boys out of poverty, they are recruited from very poor areas and put them in the gyms to learn, study and be well fed. "

On his beginnings, Vázquez told Clarín that he started at age eight with Kung Fu and then did Kick Boxing, until at age 20 he met Muay Thai in Spain: "I loved it".

"I started when I grew up. Usually, in Thailand, boys start between 8 and 12 years old and from that age they start fighting for silver. They can already be professionals. Besides, bets are legal and they can live to fight." :

In Argentina, the situation is very different. "If you want to live more or less well, you can't here," says Vázquez, despite the fact that the sport has "grown a lot" in recent years. "If you like sports a lot, it's best to leave and fight to make money. Thailand is a world of fighters. You can fight every fifteen days, you get paid and you can live from Muay Thai."

However, it clarifies that it is not an easy task either because for legal reasons, every certain number of months you have to leave the country and re-enter. "I went eight times. I couldn't stay because I already had family, but it's like Italy or Spain for a soccer player. For my sport, the European powers are Holland and France, they are at the level of the Orientals ."

Luciano Vázquez, Argentine figure of Muay Thai

By naming the old continent when talking about martial arts cinema, a name came immediately: Jean Claude Van Damme, the Belgian star of that kind of films. "No! -He exclaimed- he is an actor, it has nothing to do with this sport. The Westerner who shone, for being one of the first to beat them in his land was Ramon Dekkers, a Dutchman."

But Vázquez's story does not end in the subway or in the sport not so well known in Argentina. Every year, when the king's birthday arrives, a festival is held and a ring is set up in the street. "I was invited to that festival when the previous king was still there (Bhumibol Adulyadej - passed away in 2016-). You have to have a good level to be there," he revealed.

In addition, he proudly recalls his career, he fought in the most important stadium in Thailand, known as "El Raja" , where foreigners hardly accessed until 2010. "It was a month later, at an event where he fights the original style, not with gloves, but with ropes in the hands, it's called Karchuec. It's done all over the country and the best foreigners fight against the best Thais. I went with 40 years. "

Finally, Vázquez was reluctant to events like Connor McGregor against Floyd Mayweather. "I would do it only for money, but nothing adds to the sport, neither does the athlete. It's a barbaric circus ." "The one who is involved in this knows that none of that was real. I did not like it," he concluded.

JCh