Misleading posts claim Thai boxer hid rock in boxing glove

"Thai boxer put a rock inside his hand wrap. Technical team found it. Breaking news: you got caught," reads a Khmer-language Facebook post shared on April 9.

The post, shared on a Facebook page with more than 120,000 followers, shows a photo of Thai boxer Petchmongkol Tor-Niyomsuk with a referee and a close-up of the referee holding a round object.

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Screenshot of a Facebook post sharing the misleading claim, taken on April 19, 2023

"#PlayVeryBad Thai boxer put a rock inside the hand wrap," said another Khmer-language Facebook post. A similar claim was shared on Facebook here.

Boxing has become a contentious issue between Cambodian and Thai fans of the combat sport ahead of the upcoming Southeast Asia Games in Phnom Penh.

Cambodian sport officials sparked uproar in Thailand when they announced the martial art would be called "Kun Khmer" in the competition as opposed to the Thai name "Muay Thai".

Infuriated Thai officials said they would not send boxers to compete in the event. Cambodia hit back by announcing a similar snub for the SEA Games in 2025, hosted by Thailand.

Cambodia's Khmer News also published an article falsely claiming that Petchmongkol's actions caused a match suspension.

However, a Facebook Live broadcast of the match on April 9 shows Petchmongkol was ordered by a referee to remove padding from his glove -- not a rock. The footage shows he was then allowed to continue the fight against his Cambodian opponent Khem Chan.

The video also shows that not only Petchmongkol was ordered to remove a pad (as seen here). Another Cambodian fighter, identified as Thun Englai (seen here), was also made to remove padding ahead of a fight against a different Thai boxer.

'Nobody hid a rock'

Boxing professionals told AFP that boxers were unlikely to place hard objects such as rocks inside their gloves.

"Stuffing a stone inside a boxing glove is impossible, as it can severely injure the fighters' hands," said Shannon Wiratchai, a Thai mixed martial veteran known as "One Shin".

He added that boxers usually opt for latex or a rubber sheet as padding to prevent injury, not solid objects.

"From what I saw, I think it's just a thick padding. Definitely not a rock," said Damrong Taithong, a Thai boxing veteran who has been a boxing commentator for over four decades.

"If the padding is considered too thick, the referee holds every right to ask the boxer to remove it."

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Screenshot of the Kun Khmer Champion match where the Thai boxer was ordered to remove the padding, taken on April 11, 2023.

Tommy Kim, who organised the Petchmongkol-Khem Chan fight, confirmed that the Thai boxer did not conceal a stone in his glove.

"Nobody hid a rock in a glove," he told AFP.

Cambodian boxing officials are still debating whether additional padding inside gloves is allowed, Kim added.

“Now in principle, we remove it (if a boxer uses it) so that no one can have an advantage over another."