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KO Interclub, London, Sunday 13th December
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Kirsty Jenkinson, Adam Prescott and Jay Guyett
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In the final competitive outing of the year, three novice Thai boxers travelled to London to compete in the KO Gym interclub event (no win, no lose).
Kirsty Jenkinson was matched against an opponent from KO gym for her first ring experience. From the start Kirsty wasn't given any time to settle as her opponent came on fast mixing punches and kicks. Kirsty then began to settle and although didn't have the higher workrate, she looked the cleaner fighter of the two. A good debut in the ring and a great learning experience.
Adam Prescott was matched against a very tall opponent from KO gym, presenting him with a difficult challenge. Adam started slowly despite his opponents fervour, and took until the third and final round to get into gear. As soon as the smaller Adam went on the attack, his awkward, taller opponent found it difficult to handle and backed off. A great learning fight for Adam who wanted to go again immediately after the fight!
Jay Guyett was well matched against yet another KO fighter, confidently moving around the ring mixing his combinations. The KO opponent favoured his hands, seeking out Jay's head while Jay laid in solid kicks. This proved to be a good technical display from both fighters with Jay's opponent leaving the ring with a limp and commenting on the deceptive power in Jay's kicks. This was Jay's second time in the ring and a very good, composed performance.
Photographs courtesy of Adam Farrow
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Pure Force 4 Show, Luton, 6th December 2009
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Three Bury fighters eventually got to fight in Luton, after a day of last minute changes to the fight card.
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Ross LeMaire very handy
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Ross LeMaire v Eagles Gym
Ross attended the Pure Force 4 Show as a spectator having learned his original opponent had dropped out due to injury. However, on the day 16-year-old Ross LeMaire reluctantly accepted a demonstration western boxing bout against a 19-year-old boxer from Eagles Gym. It was obvious from the opening bell that Ross' opponent was no novice and it was going to be a difficult bout. But, Ross boxed extremely well and managed suppress his Muay Thai technique in the ring and not exploit his boxing opponents openings to kicks and clinch. The fight showed that despite not training specifically for western boxing, Ross was indeed very skilful using his hands alone and can afford greater confidence using them in Muay Thai fights in the future.
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Sophie Dallas in action
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Sophie Dallas v Faye Gerard
Despite concerns over her fitness following a long period of illness, Sophie Dallas fought well to defeat Faye Gerard from Kaang Raang Gym. During the first two rounds Sophie struggled to find her normal pace, but still managed to control the fight and score effectively. The final round saw Sophie unleashing a torrent of unanswered clinch knees sending Faye to the canvas. This was enough to take demonstrate her dominance and Sophie was awarded a unanimous win by the judges.
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Jamie Mott on the attack
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Jamie Mott v Storm Gym
Jamie Mott narrowly lost his bout against an opponent from Storm Gym, after travelling to the show to spectate but accepting the last minute match up after borrowing some shorts! Jamie was the more technical fighter and cleaner scoring of the two, having more success at range but simply found himself clinched and outscored with knees. It was a very close fight with the slightly higher work rate of his opponent being rewarded with the win.
Photographs courtesy of Carve Photography
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Ipswich Interclub, 22nd November 2009
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Five Bury St Edmunds fighters experienced their first time in the ring at the Ipswich interclub event and were matched against tough local opponents.
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Dean Burrows advances
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Dean Burrows had a strong battle with Dan Sawyer from Black Label Fight Club in Colchester, with both fighters landing some heavy shots. Dean proved to be a durable fighter who isn't afraid to come forward and trade blows. A good first time performance for Dean.
Dean Griffin moved well against an experienced opponent, Aaron Burt from Daj Chai gym in Halstead Muay Thai, but unfortunately was caught with a punch flush on the chin sending him to the canvas ending the bout. It was unlucky end to what was a promising start from Dean. He remains unphased and eager to train hard and return to the ring in the New Year.
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Dean Griffin jabs out
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Ben Petch worked hard against a considerably larger opponent, Chris Brotherhood from Black Label Fight Club, keeping the frantic fighter at bay. Ben managed to display good defensive skills as well as decisive attacks during his debut in the ring.
Adam Prescott fought well against John Naylor from East Coast Muay Thai in Ipswich, controlling range and landing his strikes. Fearless Adam obviously enjoyed the fight, wanting another one ASAP!
Jay Guyett had a confident bout against James Granger from Black Label Fight Club, remaining composed despite continuous pressure. Jay showed better skill than his opponent and looks set to do well in future competition.
Photographs courtesy of Tony Clarke
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King of Kings, Cambridge, 21st November 2009
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Jamie Mott wins
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Jamie Mott won his first professional rules Muay Thai fight, going the distance with Peter Symington from Scotland.
After a confident start, Jamie consistently pressurised Peter throughout the fight scoring well with kicks and controlling the clinch. As the fight continued Peter visibly tired and began showing pain when Jamie landed his blows. An impressive professional debut for Jamie Mott who still can afford to drop down in weight for future contests and looks set to do very well.
Photograph courtesy of www.fightnightsonline.com
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Golden Belt Fight Night Show, Devon, 14th November 2009
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Joe LeMaire doing battle
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Two novice Bury Thai boxers travel to Devon to test themselves.
Joe LeMaire lost his debut fight for the Golden Belt Junior Title against Higher Level's Liam Pender despite a spectacular first three rounds – in which Joe looked set to cause an upset, out kicking and clinching his vastly more experienced opponent. In the forth round Pender's experience showed as Joe lost energy and referee Ronnie Green stopped the contest, much to Joe's disappointment. This was a massive achievement for 11-year-old Joe who very nearly defeated one of the UK's most talented junior fighters.
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James Wall and Joe LeMaire
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James Wall stopped his opponent Geoff Cadew from Sit Simingdam in the second round with a TKO in his first competitive fight. James controlled the fight from the outset, finding success with punches and high kicks and it seemed to only be a matter of time before he stopped the game Geoff Cadew. The second round saw the referee call a halt to the contest after examining Cadew's bloodied nose.
Another fantastic performance from a Bury Thai Boxing fighter, showing what quality and consistency we've forged back at the gym.
Photograph courtesy of www.fightnightsonline.com
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Exhilaration 2 Show, Bedford, 18th October 2009
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Ross LeMaire’s first fight - a Pro one!
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Ross lost his debut C-Class pro bout at the Exhilaration 2 Show in Bedford against Robert Dring from the hosts East Area Thaiboxing gym. In this his first fight, 16-year-old Ross found himself in the ring with relative veteran, 24-year-old Robert Dring with a 9-fight record.
From the bell Ross launched an impressive assault, combining rapid kicks and punches – much to the dismay of his opponent. Both fighters worked hard and throughout the whole fight, with Ross gamely coming forward chasing down his experienced opponent who despite backing up managed to pick off scoring shots on the advancing Ross. The same happened in the clinch, with Dring outscoring the novice LeMaire who didn't score as cleanly but didn't stop working.
By the final bell it was clear that Dring had done enough to win, and the judges decision was no surprise. But the surprise was just how the young Ross LeMaire had fought against such an opponent, and the MC commented prompting the crowd to applaud such an achievement on his first competitive bout. Congratulations to Ross who has started his competitive career with a fantastic performance. Onwards and upwards for this capable young man.
Photograph courtesy of Richard LeMaire
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Junior Interclub, Milton Keynes, 27th September 2009
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Back row: Harry Bilner, George Howarth, Nathan Patesel,
Jake Rumsey, Joe LeMaire, Hannah Turner
Front row: Richard Price, Adam Heatrick (supporter),
Thomas Chapman
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Eight of the Bury Thai Boxing juniors stepped out for an opportunity to test themselves in the ring at the Milton Keynes Junior Interclub event (no win or lose).
George Howarth competed in two fights on the day, against Jeff Shepard (DKJ) and then Stephen Parr (Leigh). George worked well during both fights, scoring well and moving forward, despite some tough attacks coming in from his opponents. Very well done George!
Jake Rumsey fought Martin Rosher (DKJ) and got to work with kicks against his very busy opponent. A good learning fight for Jake who worked hard in the ring against a more experienced opponent.
Harry Bilner dominated Steven Rosher (DKJ), confidently attacking while soaking up any returned techniques. Harry displayed a good vocabulary of strikes and even inadvertently through an elbow (which thankfully missed)!
Nathan Patesel took on Adam Saheed (Leigh) in a franticly paced fight with all kinds of techniques landing. Both boys found the pace too high and then began to tire, but kept working cleanly. A good performance for Nathan in his debut.
Hannah Turner was eventually matched against the larger and more experienced Alex Clarke (DKJ) in what was supposed to be a demonstration bout. Alex and the referee didn't seem to understand this, and Hannah ended up with a very tough fight indeed! All credit to Hannah who kept battling on despite receiving some very heavy shots, proving she really is a true fighter. Well done!!!
Joe LeMaire dominated Joshua Spaticchia (SSJ) in his bout, relentlessly round kicking and clinch kneeing his opponent. A fantastic display from Joe who looks to progress quickly in his junior fight career.
Thomas Chapman was just too strong for Arran Gonsalves (SSJ), sending him repeatedly to the canvas from the clinch, and unleashing a barrage of knees and round kicks at will. Another fantastic performance, well done.
Richard Price was eventually matched with the very experienced Daniel McGowan (EATK) and quickly found that his title contending opponent was far too fast and strong. Richard gamely hung on despite receiving many painful low kicks, and showed tremendous heart by still coming forward and hunting Daniel despite the huge experience difference. Finishing the fight with a big round of applause from the crowd, Richard certainly proved he has a lot of courage.
This was the junior competition team’s first outing, and they all proved to be capable competitors - we’ll look to provide more opportunities for them in the future.
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No Retreat No Surrender 6, Newcastle,
26th September 2009
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Jack Griffin kicking out
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Jack Griffin took the fight against Shaun Lomas up in Newcastle with just 24 hours notice.
This was a B-class fight, 5x2 min rounds of professional Muay Thai. Jacks fight was top of the bill, with the original opponent unable to attend due to Visa problems. His opponent was Shaun Lomas, a seasoned pro with many fights to his name, and several titles! Shaun was also a local favourite, meaning Jack approached the ring to complete silence as we didn't have our usual support crowd.
When the first bell rang Jack started cautiously, easily evading Shaun's first few attacks. The first telling blow was landed by Jack, a push kick that knocked Lomas of balance. The first round was low key, but definitely looked to be in Jack's favour.
In the second round Jack continued to score accurately, but Lomas increased his work rate and, despite never troubling Jack, probably took the round on the judges cards. In the third round Jack went on the attack scoring with some very heavy round kicks which, to his credit, Lomas took them well. It was a higher paced round but Jack landed the more telling blows - Jacks round on my card!
Lomas came out firing in the 4th round but was unable to really trouble Jack. Jack responded well but was beginning to tire. the round was close but probably just went to the opposing corner. In the final round Jack gave it everything he had, but the experienced Lomas just never stopped coming forward. As Jack tired Lomas' success rate improved a little. Jack went for the KO with several head kick attempts, but none quite hit the button. A hard fought round, but the busier Lomas probably caught the judges eyes.
The fight went to the score cards and the local fighter had his hand raised. Despite losing Jack was pleased he took the fight and got his first full professional fight under his belt. Other than a very sore shin he otherwise got away relatively unscathed. Jacks performance was superb, and even more spectacular when you consider the experience gap and the notice. Well done Jack, performance to be proud of.
Big thanks to Paul Gibbs for giving up his time and helping out at the last minute.
Photograph courtesy of Carve Photography
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Muay Thai Addicts II, Porchester Hall, London,
13th September 2009
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Don Heatrick wins
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Don Heatrick won his first A-class bout with a 4th Round Technical Knock Out over opponent Adam Hall from Jackapong Muay Thai.
Despite his opponent gaining the first clean score of the bout catching the teep and kicking Don off his feet, Don quickly retaliated and employed impressive counter fighting skills to take the first round. In the second round Don continued the same tactics adding some clinch work to his arsenal of techniques and was clearly gaining the upper hand leaving Adam cut below his eye following a number of clinch knees to the head.. Throughout the third round Don continued to pace the fight perfectly, moving in, scoring and then breaking for recovery.
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Referee Jesse Saunders counts out Adam Hall
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Adam came out with real intent at the start of the 4th round and for a brief moment looked to be gaining the upper hand before Don then switched to aggressive mode and once again put his opponent on the back foot. A barrage of techniques and a final right hook sent Adam tumbling toward the canvas and Don instinctively landed a final knee to Adams head on his way down. Adam bravely returned to his feet at the count of 9 but wanted no more and referee Jesse Saunders called a halt to the action. Post fight conversation with Adam added to the magnitude of this win on discovering that Adam had been training full time in Thailand for the past 4 months, taking part in 5 A-class bouts and winning 4 of them! He also revealed that he had cut 8kg for the weigh-in and was around 89kg by fight time. Don had struggled to weigh in as much as 80kg and was only around 79kg by the time the fight started giving his opponent a massive 10Kg weight advantage. A big win for Don, congratulations mate, well deserved! Big thank you also to those who travelled down to watch, very much appreciated.
>> Watch the fight online
Photographs courtesy of Jabsnap
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The Suffolk Punch Up — Thai Boxing Comes to Bury
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 Bury’s rapidly growing Thai Boxing Club celebrated its first anniversary by hosting The Suffolk Punch Up, a novice Interclub event at the County Upper School in Bury St Edmunds.
The spectators were treated to 21 Thai boxing bouts matching fighters from 7 gyms, including a team of 4 Irish boxers from Chupasart Gym in Dublin who flew in specially for the event.
The fights were of a high technical standard despite the show being a no win/no lose Interclub intended for boxers to gain ring experience against an unfamiliar opponent in front of a crowd. Co-organiser Don Heatrick said, “We used an amateur MuayThai format in which the boxers must wear head guards, body guards, shin pads and elbow pads in addition to the usual boxing gloves, gum shield and groin guard. This allowed adult boxers to compete using full Thai rules permitting elbows and knees to the head, while juniors had extra protection in bouts with no head contact allowed and optional use of a head guard. “This decision seems to have attracted quality gyms and technical boxers rather than scrappy novices.”
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Thomas Lawrence vs Joe LeMaire
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Scott Macro doesn’t hold back
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Organisers also donated £1 for every fighter entered in the show to the England IFMA Team fund, to assist the amateur English team in international competition. Following the resounding success of this first event, Bury Thai Boxing are set to host a full IFMA amateur show before the end of the year.
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Lee Peters’ debut
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Jack Griffin lands a knee
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Photographs courtesy of William Roedl
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Bury Thai boxers thrill at Pure Force 3
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Jamie Mott lands punches on a very tall opponent
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Thai boxers Jamie Mott and Sophie Dallas thrilled the crowd at the Luton’s Pure Force 3 Show in two fiercely contested bouts awarding mixed fortunes.
Jamie Mott narrowly lost his first ever competitive bout by the slimmest of margins to the very tall Matt Hadfield from Kaan Raang Gym. From the opening bell Hadfield aggressively attacked Mott who had been expecting a more technical fight, taking a little time to find his composure. Mott soon found success with his hands, sending Hadfield’s head snapping back.
Both fighters gave and received hard shots throughout the fight and neither gave in to the fatigue that bore down on them in the final round. At the conclusion of the fight neither corner team knew which fighter had won, and finally Hadfield was awarded the decision by the judges. It was an impressive debut for Jamie Mott who put on a great performance against a tall, awkward opponent.
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Sophie Dallas wins
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Sophie Dallas defeated Claire Bowler from Storm Gym, demonstrating an ever-improving vocabulary of Muay Thai technique. Both girls gave no quarter and proved that despite their attractive appearance, they were also powerful, aggressive fighters.
Dallas mixed her techniques well scoring with punches, kicks and clinch knees, and even landing a jumping punch that sent Bowler reeling backwards. The crowd were delighted with such a technical display and it was no surprise that the judges awarded the fight to Dallas.
Bury Thai Boxing will be hosting a novice Thai Boxing interclub event “The Suffolk Punch Up” at the County Upper School on 15th August. If you’d like more information please visit www.burythaiboxing.com or contact info@burythaiboxing.com or phone 07771 574276.
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Bury St Edmunds’ First Thai Boxing Interclub
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Bury St Edmunds Thai boxing club will be hosting the towns first ever Thai Boxing interclub on Saturday 15th August.
This event is for both junior and senior fighters. We hope to match our own fighters against as many gyms as possible. This will be an excellent opportunity to come and support your team mates and see them in action.
For more details >> http://tiny.cc/thaibox
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Bury Thai Boxing Club Secures
England Team Representation
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Don Heatrick, Richie Gent, Ryan Rudkin, Jack Griffin
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Bury St Edmunds Thai boxing club has won key positions in the IFMA England Amateur MuayThai Team ahead of the European Championships in Latvia this May.
Fighters Richard Gent and Jack Griffin both won places on the England team following good performances before team selectors at England Elimination events throughout the last year. The Bury pair are now bound for Latvia at the end of May to fight against some of the worlds toughest fighters for IFMA European medals.
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Don Heatrick receives award from Ryan Rudkin
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Bury St Edmunds coach Don Heatrick also won the competition to design the new Team England logo, which will adorn the uniforms of the fighters in all future championships. Kru Ryan Rudkin, UKMF International Amateur Liaison and Southern England UKMF Amateur Representative presented Heatrick with a team tracksuit and trophy as the winner of the competition.
Don Heatrick said, “I hope the team does well in Latvia. European countries like Russia, Belarus and Poland also dominate at the World Championships, so this will be a very tough competition for our English fighters.”
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New UKMF England Team Logo
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Photographs courtesy of Paul Gibbs
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Cambridge Amateur Rules “Armour Plated” Interclub
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Back row: Richie Danlyluk, Jack Griffin, Don Heatrick,
Jamie Mott (hiding!), Matt Allen
Middle row: Sophie Dallas, Doug Twaite,
Richie Gent, Trevor Walker
Front row: Adam Heatrick, Amber Heatrick
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Outweighed, but not out gunned!
Super Heavyweight Dan McLardy battled against experienced Singto fighter Sebastian Thrun at the show. From the bell it was obvious that Thrun was a big puncher, and made no secret that he was looking for a knockout. McLardy remained composed despite the onslaught of untidy punches coming his way, and returned tidy scoring shots. In the second round McLardy began to tire, allowing Thrun more time to set up his shots, mixing low kicks in with his punches. The third round turned out to be the final round as McLardy was caught with a left hook that sent him to the canvas. Despite returning to his feet, the fight was rightly stopped and a KO awarded to Thrun.
Jamie Mott put on another powerful and technical performance, this time against Stephen Hunt from Singto Gym. Mott continued to display a good mix of Muay Thai technique, making full use of the full Thai rules format landing punches, kick, elbows and knees. This was a great follow up fight after his recent Cambridge debut knocking out his opponent in the final round.
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Sophie Dallas kicks out
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Sophie Dallas took on a much heavier opponent, Islin from KO Gym at the Cambridge show. Despite the 10kg weight difference, Dallas made the fight appear easy, evading any oncoming attacks while returning stinging combinations of her own. This fight also showed that Dallas has begun to add Muay Thai technique to her own formidable kickboxing style, as she landed jump punches and clinch knees on her frustrated opponent.
Doug Twaite was eventually matched against Alimamy Fullah from Singto, after his original opponent failed to show. This was a difficult fight for Twaite as he had lost his motivation on the day. The first couple of rounds found Twaite losing out in the clinch to Fullah, who showed good strength and control in close. However, in the final two rounds, Twaite managed to keep at range and consistently picked off Fullah with good scoring techniques and finished much stronger.
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Matt Allen, an impressive debut
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Matt Allen was matched against a 10kg heavier opponent from East Coast Muay Thai in Ipswich for his first ever Muay Thai bout. This was an impressive debut for Allen, who showed considerable technical skill in his first time in the ring. This performance was even more remarkable considering the weight disadvantage that he had. Throughout the fight Allen executed well-timed counters and follow up shots to his attacks, and mixed his techniques well. He also displayed great heart, battling on despite his tiredness against a far bigger opponent. Matt Allen is definitely one to watch for the future.
Photographs courtesy of Matt Smith
>> Click here to read the post on the discussion group (and see more photos)
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Sports Fair 29th March 2009
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Instructor Richard Gent coaches on the pads
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Bury Thai Boxing is the Sports Fair’s star attraction
Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre hosted a Sports Fair at the weekend to showcase the huge variety of sports available within St Edmundsbury. 14 sports clubs were represented at the event, providing the opportunity for visitors to try out sports and activities, observe competitions and receive information on getting involved in sport.
The attending 500 visitors on the day were treated to examples of Thai Boxing, traditional martial arts, Pro Jumpers, Wheelchair Basketball, Netball, Hockey, Football, Croquet, Bowls, Rugby, Athletics, Gymnastics, Fishing, Cricket and Cycling.
Phraya Pichai Thai Boxing stole the show with a boxing ring, sound system, flat screen displays, not to mention high-energy demonstrations and numerous, enthusiastic coaches. Children lined up to spend time on the pads with the Thai Boxing coaches in the ring. Don Heatrick, Instructor said “We were very pleased with the response from the kids. It reminded me of a queue for the bouncy castle! Lots of the children came back multiple times for more.”
The Bury Thai boxing gym had obviously put a lot of effort into the “come and try” taster event, spending over an hour and a half erecting the ring and setting up the copious amounts of training equipment available for use. The atmosphere and enthusiasm won over all that entered the Thai Boxing studio.
Clare Maller, Assistant Manager on duty during the day said "It's inspiring to see the Leisure Centre hosting an event such as the Sports Fair, to show the community of St Edmundsbury what clubs are available to them within the local area, for all ages and abilities from participation for fun to competitive levels".
Photographs courtesy of Steve Rumsey
>> Click here to read the post on the discussion group (and see more photos)
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WKA British Junior Open Championship, 21st March 2009
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Left to right: Cornermen - Jack Griffin, Trevor Walker & Don Heatrick. Fighters - Sophie Dallas & Ross Le Maire. Cornerman Richie Gent. Fighters - Matthew Butcher & Scott Macro
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Mayhem Marathon for Junior Thai Boxers
Four Phraya Pichai junior fighters were unable to win after a marathon 12-hour wait to fight in Birmingham at the WKA British Open Junior Thai Boxing Championships at the weekend.
Despite poor organisation and a dismal venue, the quality of the junior competitors at the championships was outstanding. The best junior fighters in the country had all gathered to claim a place on the British Team and an opportunity to compete at WKA World Ringsports Championship in Spain in October.
With two fights notice, Matthew Butcher controversially lost to the eventual under 70kg Champion Ryan Subhan from the local K-Star gym. Butcher controlled the fight, dominating in the clinch with scoring knees, but was not awarded the decision by the judges. It was a great disappointment for Butcher who was convinced he’d won the fight, and subsequently lost his third place “play-off” just a few fights later. Regardless of the decision, Butcher’s first fight display was exceptional, demonstrating a return to form following some inconsistent performances.
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Matthew Butcher starts the round as
Kru Richie Gent cheers him on
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Three first-time Phraya Pichai junior competitors also climbed into the ring against seasoned fighters from the top gyms in the country. Despite their inexperience, all performed extremely well in very challenging conditions.
Sophie Dallas lost the points decision against IFMA England Team’s Lucy Payne from Touchgloves gym after a promising start working at range. Payne exploited Dallas’ inexperience in the clinch in latter rounds, scoring well with knees to secure a win and the under 60kg girls title. Dallas was in at the deep end and proved to be one to watch for the future, taking runner up in the under 60kg 15-17 year old category.
Injury plagued Ross Le Maire struggled to find his form, losing out in his first competitive fight against Charlie Caine from Semtex Gym. In the first round Le Maire received a knee strike, aggravating a previous rib injury, leaving him unable to breathe. Despite his obvious distress, Le Maire showed great courage and finished the fight against a very busy opponent who finished runner up in the under 65kg 15-17 year old boys category.
First timer Scott Marco was outscored despite over-powering his experienced opponent. Macro punished the K-Star fighter with powerful combinations and low kicks throughout the fight, but was unable to tactically match his opponent’s scoring frequency. This was a very promising start for the strong and intimidating Macro, who with a little more experience looks set to be great prospect for the Phraya Pichai Gym.
Photographs courtesy of Steve Rumsey
>> Click here to read the post on the discussion group (and see more photos)
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Cambridge Interclub,14th March 2009
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Debut For Bury’s First Junior Thai Boxers
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Fighters Duane Dordoy, Jake Rumsey, Jamie Mott, Paul Gibbs and Joe Lemaire with the coaching and corner team
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A team of five Bury St Edmunds Thai boxers, including two juniors, participated in an interclub sparring event in Cambridge at the weekend. 11-year-old Joe Le Maire and 12-year-old Jake Rumsey both had their first experience sparring against juniors from other gyms at the event, which has no winners or losers to build ring experience for future competitors.
Joe and Jake both displayed a lot of talent in their light-contact bouts, wearing compulsory full protective equipment and allowing no head contact. The enthusiastic boys were pleased with their performances and proudly showed off their trophies from the event.
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Jamie Mott KO’s opponent with a left hook
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Adults, Paul Gibbs, Duane Dordoy and Jamie Mott also represented the Phraya Pichai Gym at the event, all working hard against good opponents. Paul Gibbs had a light-contact bout for his first time in the ring, while Duane Dordoy and Jamie Mott opted for full contact bouts for their second interclub fights. It proved to be a fantastic team display for the Bury club, culminated with an impressive final round knockout delivery by Jamie Mott’s left hook.
The Bury Thai boxing camp will be performing demonstrations and taster sessions at the Sports Fair hosted at the Leisure Centre on 29th March. Thai boxing and non-contact Thai Fit circuit training sessions will be on offer.
Photographs courtesy of Ross Le Maire
>> Click here to read the post on the discussion group (and see more photos)
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Pure Force 2 - Luton, 1st March 2009 / England Team News
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Bury Thai Boxing Celebrates Success
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Heatrick gets the decision
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Bury St Edmunds Phraya Pichai Muay Thai Camp celebrates a Pro-Am fight win and two fighters selected for the IFMA England Amateur Muay Thai Team.
On Sunday 1st March, Phraya Pichai’s Don Heatrick defeated Bedford’s ISKA British Title holder Mark Baxter at the Pure Force Show held in Luton. Although not a title fight, Heatrick defeated the champion, showing that he is more than capable of stepping up to the professional ranks. Coach Richard Gent said, “We are looking to get Don fighting on the larger Pro Shows as soon as possible. The next opportunity is likely to be K-Star’s Tower Ballroom Show in Birmingham later this year.”
Two Thai boxers from the Bury Muay Thai camp have been selected for the newly formed English UKMF Amateur Team, following strong performances at IFMA England Elimination events in Cambridge.
Richard Gent and Jack Griffin will now travel to Liepaja in Latvia to compete in the IFMA European Championship in May. Ryan Rudkin, UKMF International Amateur Liaison said, “The purpose of the England Elimination Events are to build the strongest English Amateur Team to date. The major European Muay Thai powerhouse countries such as Russia and Belarus all put forward their country’s best fighters —not their best amateur fighters, but their best fighters.
“We know England has some very talented fighters, and the rest of the world should be made aware by displaying their talent on the international stage.”
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IFMA England Fighters Richard Gent
and Jack Griffin
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The English Team will now meet for several training sessions to prepare them for the European Championship and bond the fighters representing the various adult and junior weight categories in Latvia. Although Thai boxing is an individual sport, fighters are well supported by coaches, corner staff and national team-mates. Many supporters also plan to make the journey to cheer on their fighters.
Success for individual fighters at the European Championship will mean automatic selection for the IFMA World Championship held in Bangkok, Thailand at the end of the year in honour of His Majesty the King of Thailand's birthday. The World Championship will have over one hundred participating countries and be the biggest Muay Thai championship to ever be staged.
Photographs courtesy of Phil Harrod
>> Click here to read the post on the discussion group (and see more of Phil’s photos)
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IFMA England Eliminations - 14th February 2009
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Disappointment For Local Thai Boxers
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Butcher attacks
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Friday 13th bad luck seemed to spill over into Valentines day for four Bury St Edmunds Thai boxers when all lost on points at the IFMA England Elimination event in Cambridge.
With places on the England Amateur Muay Thai Team up for contention, the attending big-name gyms entered very experienced fighters to secure representation at the European Cup in Latvia in May.
Matthew Butcher lost on points to Simon Eastwood from Lumpini South Gym, when he was unable to match the workload of his opponent despite not being troubled at any stage of the fight.
Deborah Heatrick lost the decision to Lucy Payne, a rising star from the notorious Touch Gloves gym in Cornwall—home of 5-times World Champion Julie Kitchen. With only two-minutes previous amateur ring experience, Deborah finished strongly against the experienced Payne, landing knees to the body and head, but it was too late to change the judge’s decision.
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Heatrick lands a knee
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Gent knocks down Sokolowski
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Richard Gent lost on points against Brunon Sokolowski, multiple Polish Knockdown Karate Champion and IKF World Kickboxing Champion, who represented London’s KO Gym. After a strong first two rounds, Gent began to tire and Sokolowski remained the busier attacking fighter. Although Gent entered the fight with inadequate training preparation and a suspected fractured rib, Sokolowski was unable to stop him.
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Twaite kicks out
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Doug Twaite narrowly lost his first amateur fight against Craig Conliffe from KO Gym in London. After a fantastic start, Twaite found his more experienced opponent remained the more dynamic in the final round, securing the decision from the judges.
Bury Thai boxing coach Don Heatrick said, “Despite the losses, the performances from the fighters were strong. The standard of the opponents were the best in the country—and Poland! So the achievement was considerable, it was unlucky that none got the decision.
“With such experience, the gap between the level of the Bury Thai boxers and the best in the country is closing fast. Watch this space for some outstanding talent.”
Bury St Edmunds’ International Thai boxers Don Heatrick and Jack Griffin are set to compete on the 1st March at the Pure Force 2 Amateur and Pro-Am event in Luton.
Visit www.burythaiboxing.com for details.
Photographs courtesy of Phil Harrod
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K-Star Interclub - 31st January 2009
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Sophie Dallas lands a “Teep”
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Six novice Phraya Pichai fighters tested themselves in the ring, travelling to Birmingham in our first event outing of the year.
The K-Star “Light Contact” Interclub proved to be a good learning tool for inexperienced fighters (with no winners or losers). The contact was very “firm” permitting relaxed and natural Muay Thai fighting, yet allowing referees to intervene if either fighter was appearing to be too heavily damaged.
Sophie Dallas gave a relaxed and extremely competent performance in her first Muay Thai ring experience, showing that her kickboxing experience transfers well to Thai boxing. Sophie looks set to burst onto the amateur Muay Thai scene very soon.
Kurt Swain proved to be another cool customer, controlling the ring well, covering effectively from attacks and returning well-timed, powerful shots. With no previous training experience, and less than 6-months training before climbing in the ring for the first time, Kurt demonstrated how rapidly he has developed as a Nak Muay (Thai boxer).
Tom Kidd found himself matched with a brawler for his first time in the ring. Undaunted, Tom turned on the power and caught his opponent with meaningful hook punches and kicks. Unfortunately, the referee disqualified both fighters – but Tom had only responded in kind, and had little option against an opponent who was unable to fight technically. Again, Tom had no previous experience and just 6-months training at the club before getting in the ring and showed a lot of talent (and durability)!
Scott Macro also climbed over the ropes with less than 6-months training experience, and proceeded to aggressively push forwards throwing attacks throughout his fight against a more experienced opponent. Scott’s natural strength was evident, and he seemed to relish the physical challenge in front of an audience.
Duane Dordoy found himself amidst a barrage of punches and kicks from his local opponent, who was very familiar with interclub format. Duane covered very effectively, negating the majority of the incoming attacks keeping very composed. It was obvious that Duane’s opponent could neither sustain such a vigorous assault nor inflict any damage. As his opponent became despondent and tired, Duane began to dominate with power strikes, sending his opponent to the floor. It was a classic example of a calm, collected fighter growing in confidence as his opponent lost heart.
Matt Smith had to wait to the very end of the show to fight… and then was matched for two! To add to his stress level, Matt’s sister, while expecting her first child, went into labour! The first fight was against a more experienced opponent, which gave Matt some problems. It was a tough match up, but Matt coped well and proved his durability and determination, giving as good as he got.
The second fight was a more even match, and Matt emerged the stronger and assertively controlled his opponent.
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Scott Macro, Tom Kidd, Matt Smith, Duane Dourdoy, Kurt Swain
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Impressive debuts, and the support team were all proud to have been part of your ring experiences, congratulations.
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