
Thailand loves a good fight: Thais flock to watch kick-boxing, Olympic boxing (the first sport in which the Kingdom struck gold at the Games) and even transvestite boxing — one of the country's biggest celebrities is champion pugilist Parinya Charoenphol, who fought like a man to earn enough money to become a woman. Now, Thais have a new champion to celebrate: In April, a pint-sized woman named Siriporn Taweesuk, a.k.a. the Black Rose, did her homeland proud by pummeling her feisty Japanese opponent to capture the World Boxing Council light-flyweight title. The only catch? Siriporn is currently doing 10 years in a Bangkok jail for drug dealing, and her title bout had to be staged in a prison compound. She appears to be the first fighter to win a world title while behind bars.