Blood, broken bones and lying to your parents: the secret life of a Hong Kong martial artist
Four-time Hong Kong Muay Thai champion Ng King-chung’s family thought he was staying at a friend’s house when in reality he was in hospital
With a lack of sustainable income and previous success stories, plus a whole lot of blood, persuading an ethnically Hong Kong family you can make a successful career out of “the fight business” is always going to be an uphill struggle.
It was no different for local Muay Thai hero Ng King-chung in his early fighting days; he would happily mow his opponents down in the ring, yet he couldn’t bear to face his disapproving relatives.
The 30-year-old fights out of Atma Fitness Centre in Tai Po and will spearhead Hong Kong’s campaign at the 2018 East Asian Muay Thai Championships in Wan Chai starting on August 16. The aggressive counter-puncher previously won gold in the 2016 edition.
“I remember when I was 18, my sparring partner [accidentally] broke my nose. He had already caught me but thought I was ducking so went for the uppercut while I was falling – when I stood up my nose was completely disfigured, it was quite scary,” Ng said.