Nong Toom

Born in 1981 as male, Toom from a very early age knew that she was meant to be female. In order to raise enough money for her sex change operation, Toom took up fighting in the lethal martial art of muay thai, in which she became a champion. After undergoing sex change surgery in 1999, Toom retired from boxing in order to become a singer. In 2006, Toom returned to the boxing ring and fought several rounds. In 2010 she opened a muay thai boxing camp named after herself. Her story would later inspire the movie "Beautiful Boxer".