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Blood, sweat and tears: Muay Thai child fighters 

A young boy opens his mouth in a battle cry as he extends his leg in a kick towards his opponent.

A boxing ring is a place of blood, sweat and tears that most grown men shun, but these boys are not big burly fighters but a group of young Muay Thai boxers fighting in a stadium in northeastern Thailand.

In Thai culture Muay Thai is a part of life and boys and girls train from an early age and it is not uncommon that children as young as these take part in tournaments in front of hundreds of spectators.

These photos show the youngest fighters in a big tournament in Buriram province in the northeastern region of Isan, just over 250 miles northeast of Bangkok.

It is the country’s national sport and is to Thailand what football is to England, with leagues and successful fighters being treated like celebrities, which is what many of these youngsters hope to become.

These little fighters are upholding a centuries old tradition and despite their young age, the fight is very real with none of the boys holding back on kicks and punches.

A little boy is ready to fight, left, whilst another one of the young boxers is getting a massage from his coach ahead of his fight at a boxing stadium in Buriram province

The popular sport is deeply entwined with the country’s history and was developed centuries ago as a way for Thai men to a way to defend themselves without using weapons.

A boxer gathers all his strength as he aims a kick at his opponent in a fight in one of the younger categories of the tournament

Muay Thai is also called the 'Art of Eight Limbs' or the 'Science Of Eight Limbs' as it uses eight points of contacts: hands, elbows, knees and feet when punching and kicking.

The word Muay derives from mavya, a word meaning ‘to bind together’ in Sanskrit.