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This report has been delayed slightly but there was a good reason as I will explain later but first the Fights. We went to Pattaya on the 16th with five fighters all together. Along with Sam and Eddie there was also Ahmed, from Morocco, and Kem and Solam, two of our big Thai lads.
The main fight of the evening was Eddies' WMTC Jr. Middleweight Title fight but first up of the evening was Kem, unfortunately he had an easy fight and in the end his opponent was unable to deal with Kems superior technique and devastating power and although the fight went the five rounds Kem jumped out of the ring ready to have another fight! His opponent was bruised & battered from head to toe and this was even with Kem backing off and taking it easy!
Next up was Ahmed, who after an extended lay off due to injury was raring to go for his fifth fight and he pulled off a lovely win running rings around his Thai opponent who already had eleven fights under his belt. The fight was stopped in the middle of the third round after Ahmed sent his opponent crashing to the floor for the fourth time with a low leg kick that dropped him awkwardly and dislocated his shoulder. Ahmed showed great improvement from his last fight despite the long lay off and lack of recent ring time and we are all eagerly awaiting his next match up.
Sam was next up and she took on Kaen Pau of Saktean Gym. From the outset of the fight it was immediately clear that Sam was up against a far superior fighter and though Sam did not let up for the whole fight always moving in and pushing opponent she was unable to deal with the excellent counter punching and kicking of Kaen Pau, who won the fight on a majority decision.
Sam took the loss hard but once she had sat down and reviewed the video of the fight she agreed that though she lost she had still shown improvement over her previous fight and targeted areas to work on before her next match up.
The Main event came after three more fights and Eddie stepped in the ring for his tenth fight and with an impressive 8-0-1 record, the 1 draw being in his fifth fight when he went to Australia and took on an Australian Champion for an Oceanic Title, and we were all hoping he was going to pull off another amazing win. But this time things were not to go his way so easily. His opponent was Mod X, of Sipolek Gym in Pattaya, who is a former Isan and Lumpinee Champion who had come out of semi retirement for this fight.
The first round proved to be one of the toughest and hardest rounds Eddie had ever experienced, he was on the receiving end of more than seven vicious elbows that Mod X seemed to be able to land with amazing speed and power, one of which nearly took Eddie out for the count but he hung on and survived the onslaught. The second and third rounds were much of the same as Mod X tied up Eddie at every turn and seemed to anticipate each move Eddie tried and for once even Eddies' usually deadly knees proved ineffective.
In the fourth and fifth rounds ModX tired somewhat allowing Eddie a bit more movement and chance to try a few different moves and though Eddie was still losing he pushed on right to the bitter end taking another vicious elbow for his troubles just before the final bell. Eddie was obviously very disappointed with his performance, berating himself afterwards for his lack of being able to put together any decent combinations, but the same as with Sam, he admitted after watching the video of the fight that he had been simply outclassed by a far better and much more experienced fighter and that he had lots more to learn and many more hours of hard work ahead of himself to bring himself up to the standard he will need to be to take the best in Thailand. He is now fully recovered and back in training and we will be, as always, eagerly awaiting his next fight.
The last fight of the evening was Solam in a rematch against Pan Luang of Kiat Chanat Gym, who Solam had beaten in a hard fought match during our last visit to Pattaya in early April. On this night though Pan Luang proved to be too much for Solam to deal with, showing good style and clean technique in taking a unanimous five round decision in revenge for the earlier loss. There will be another rematch, the best of three, between these two which promises to be a good fight if Solam has anything to say about it!
So all in all Pattaya proved to be a tough fight night for us with the two wins and three losses sending us back up to Chiangmai with lots to think about and work on. We will be going back again, possibly as early as next month and I will let you know the details once all is arranged once again.
When we returned to Chiangmai after the Pattaya fights I had to start my own fight, (the reason for the delay in this report) only this time instead of being in the ring, it is the fight of my life as I have been diagnosed with Cancer and I needed to enter hospital for surgery. I had delayed this inevitable meeting with the surgeons knife to see the Pattaya fights through but there was no putting it off any longer and within two days of being back in Chiangmai I was in hospital. I ended up being there for one week, having half my tongue cut away and my neck cut open and then the tongue rebuilt again. The many years of living, loving and training in Muay Thai that I have done were suddenly to prove to be one of the best things I could have had in my life to help me deal with this terrible disease. It has given me the strength of body and mind to stay strong and focused throughout the ordeal so far. The support of my extended family within the Muay Thai world and from my friends at my previous job and of course my sister and mother has been overwhelming and something I do not think I could have done without. It goes to prove something that I have always said about Muay Thai, life in all its trials, tribulations, triumphs, and disasters can be seen and reflected in the life that Muay Thai is to those who live it everyday of their lives. To reach ones dreams and goals in life, whether fighting for a world title, fighting for your beliefs, or fighting for your life, requires an extraordinary amount of self discipline and hard work as well as the support of all those around you.
I will not dwell on this subject too much more but will keep you updated on my progress as I continue the fight against this cancer. In the meantime while I was laid up in the hospital with IV drips, needles and drain tubes stuck into me the Camp continued its daily work and JR, one of our younger Thai lads and Joey, from Canada, both had fights on the night of the 22nd. As they were in different locations, out in countryside villages south of Chiangmai, the video camera could only go with one fighter and the next day I was able to watch Joey in his third fight win by a third round KO with knees against Yutapoom, a tall lanky Thai fighter, who has fought, at one time or another, against all of our foreign fighters over 65 kg. Joeys fight was very good as he showed vast improvement in the control of his technique, though he still droppped his guard too much, claiming he could hear me telling him to get his guard up from my hospital bed. Joey is going to be around for a long time yet so look out for more on him. JR was also victorious on the night winning an easy five round decision though he had to wait until nearly 2am before he entered the ring.
And finally for those of you who know him, Nico is back from Denmark and the Kung Fu Toa Gym of Mohammed F. Tehrani in Arhus. We have had a long association with Kung Fu Toa going there before both to conduct Training Seminars and provide fighters from Thailand for Mohammads' Promotions. Nico has brought seven of his fighters with him for training with us and though most of his Lads will only be staying for one or two months Nico will be staying for the next year to improve his own fighting skills and develop his knowledge as a Trainer.
Well this has been a long report this time and at the moment we do not have any fights confirmed for the future as we are heading into the monsoon season, traditionally the quiet time for fights as most of our venues are outdoors. As soon as we have some news I will give you another update. In the meantime, never give up, never quit!
Good Luck To All In Muay Thai
Best Regards
Andy
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