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It’s been a busy couple months for MUAYTHAI, with so many successful events since the beginning of 2011! European Championship 2011, Antalya 23rd -29th The event was opened by His Excellency Mr. Esfandiar Rahim
April Mashaie, High Advisor and The European Championships in Secretary to the President of Antalya, which brought together 28 Iran, and Dr Sakchye countries from across Tapsuwan, the President of Europe and more than 300 IFMA and President of the participants were a great success. Amateur Muaythai Association of Thailand. The Opening Ceremony was of the highest level, with the opening parade which took The athletes stayed in place along the spectacular luxurious hotels and waterfront with the attended special programs accompaniment of the Turkish were organised to promote national orchestra. The parade aspects such as the cultural was then followed by a depth of Muaythai. This ensured they were at their best and performance by able to provide fights which attained the highest standards the National we have come to expect and the audience was treated in Turkish Ensemble inside seeing the best of Asian Muaythai. the venue, which was yet The Iranian team with the another great benefit of the massive show of the support that comes as being host nation’s the home favourite fought culture and traditions. beyond their expectations The Opening Ceremony capped managing to take the overall off with a celebratory firework team trophy. Thailand came confetti, which created a friendly second in this with the atmosphere before the beginning of the Championships. Kazakhstan team taking third place. The title of Top Fighter was awarded to Eisa The opening ceremony was attended by honored guests Dr Almadar from Iran Sakchye Tapsuwan President IFMA and Somchai and the award for the Sripiew Commission Chairman IFMA from Thailand, Central best Wai Kru went to municipality of Antalia and Executive Board of the European Narawut Pleenamram Muaythai Federation. of Thailand.
Muaythai History Made in Iran, Kish Island Asia has truly become a powerhouse of The Open Asia Muaythai with Championship President’s Jordan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, India, UAE, Iraq Cup recently held on the and Korea all providing strong teams to the Championship beautiful island of Kish in and coming away with medals for their superb efforts. Iran this April can only be Deserving of a special described as a resounding success with a total of 28 countries participating. The event was organised and hosted by the Iranian Muaythai Association and with the full support and assistance of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran had. The event was hosted by the Iranian Muaythai Association under the umbrella of the Federation of Amateur Muaythai Asia and IFMA. RECOGNISED BY/MEMBER OF
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WMC-IFMA South American pionships as Uzbekistan was overall the best team. Australia Muaythai Championships came at a close second and Thai- land third. The 20th South America Muaythai Championships were a complete success! The event saw over 30 amateur fights with the participation of athletes from 8 different countries, and 18 professional Macau really improved in the fights, which pitted the best boxers from South America last 12 months and received against one another displaying remarkable skills. The event the 2011 most improved included a fabulous A-1 Super 8 team award. tournament in the 67 KG weight category. South Africa got the trophy It was a magnificent day of pure for the most spirited team. muaythai. A thrilling show of laser The best boxer was given to Artur Kodirkulov, Uzbekistan, and lights painted the night with and the best Wai Khru went to Toby Wilcox, winner of Oce- extreme emotions for the over ania Junior division. 1500
strong World’s crowd, For over six months now, who en- Muaythai the National Culture Min- istry, the World Muaythai Day Council (WMC), the Inter- national Federation of Muaythai Amateur (IFMA), the thusiastically Amateurs Muaythai Association of Thailand (AMTAT), and cheered on to encourage their respective many other dignities within the world of muaythai, have been countries. working closely together to establish the World’s Muaythai Argentina was awarded the 1st place on Day. country prize count, followed by Brazil, as The 2nd of May 2011 will remain as a historical day for Thai- nd rd 2 , and Peru 3 . land and all 128 member countries of WMC and IFMA, as the Ministry of Culture’s proposal to declare February 6th of each year Muaythai Day has finally been approved by the Cabinet of the Royal Thai Government. Arafura Games The day is intended to honour King Somdej Phra Sanpher the Finished with a 8th, better known as Phra Chao Sua, of the Ayutthaya period. Bang! He is renowned in Thailand for his expertise in Thai martial skills. Phra Chao Sua rose to the throne on February 6th, 1702. The Thai Ministry of Culture, Nipit Intarasombat, he 2011 Arafura said in an interview that his proposal was sup- Games in Australia, ported by the Tourism and Sports Ministry, the T again was a major Foreign Ministry, the Fine Arts Department, the Royal Insti- success for muaythai tute, WMC, IFMA and AMTAT. with the stadium filled to the bursting point every competi- The President of the WMC, under directive of the Royal Thai tion day, making muaythai one Government and established by parliament resolution in 1995, General Chetta Thanajaro, stated that this is a proud day for all Thais and certainly for all muaythai friends from all of the main attractions at the around the world. Arafura Games. Dr. Sakchye Tapsuwan, President of the Amateur Muaythai
Association of Thailand, the sole national Muaythai federa- The final medal tally was a big tion, under Royal Patronage, stated that next year it will be success for the host of the the inauguration as it is perfectly in line with the concept of upcoming IFMA World Cham- Muaythai trying to become IOC recognized. RECOGNISED BY/MEMBER OF
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sacrifices they do to become the champions of all champions. Mr. Brown also explained that with such an important expo- Muaythai Premier League sure, much good can be done. Every athlete will therefore be part of social projects, joining WMC campaigns such as Has Begun! “Muaythai Against Drugs”, in order to take kids off the The Muaythai Premier League, organized by streets. Warrior Caste Productions, in association WMC Vice-President and muaythai TV personality, Mr. Steph- an Fox, was up next and talked about the growth of muaythai with WMC, will be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, worldwide, not just as a competition sport but also as fitness, muaythai series ever staged. self-defense, and importantly, as a cultural art form. He indi- cated that the League will be a huge bust for muaythai as it Never in Thailand the sport shows a mix of the best fighters and entertainment. Each and entertainment press has country in which the league will be held will also be promot- shown so much interest in a ed as sporting hub. muaythai event, Bangkok Park Plaza Hotel was filled Next up was Sonia Couling, Asian TV personality, who will be today. The press conference the host of the series. Ms. Couling stated that she is proud to be part of this League and especially, was hosted by Cindy Bishop and being half Thai half English, East meets press from around the world West, just like in the show muaythai, attended this important break- which is the pride of the Kingdom of through for muaythai. Thailand, but has become a household name around the world. She promised General Chetta Thanajaro, the to do her best to further promote President of the WMC, was the first muaythai, the Kingdom and is very up on the stage to express his joy excited about the upcoming project. and hopes for this Premier League, which will include the best of the best fighters. He further stated that with the Premier League muaythai will go mainstream around the The signing of the main world and will showcase not 3 Thai fighters took only the art of muaythai, place: Sanchai, Kaoklai, but will also feature the Yodsanklai. Buakao was athletes with the status also announced to be they deserve. part of the event. He went on to add that Kevin Ross, from the United States, and Dzhabar, from Russia, both the WMC and IFMA were later called up to represent the other 36 international will continue their promo- fighters. tion of muaythai as a way of September 2nd will mark the start of the League and there life. The Premier League is a would be no better place than Hollywood, Los Angeles, as the fundamental step towards starting city. IOC recognition. Let the biggest MUAYTHAI production begin!! Clifton Brown was next up on stage and as a former WMC World Champion he specified that it was a dream coming true for him to be able to offer the competitors the pay and the exposure they truly deserve. He showed highlights of the first episode of “Into the Fire”, an insight into the fighter’s lives, which will be showed before every live event, showcasing the local fighters where the event is being held, along with their hope, dreams and RECOGNISED BY/MEMBER OF
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evening, the WMC Intercontinental Title. Wakeling, the cur- rent champion has to fight five long rounds before he is de- clared the winner by points and successfully defends his title.
nother brilliant event was successfully orga- nized on June 11th, in the United Kingdom, under WMC and UKMF sanctioning.
The Bolton Rebook Stadium saw one of the biggest muaythai events ever put on in England, the Rumble 4, with 15 fights running from 4.30pm to 11.00pm, and great names show- WHO WILL RISE TO THE CHALLENGE? ing their best skills. Sweat, blood and adrenaline pump through AXN in Another highlight of the The Challenger Muay Thai fight card was the WMC Malaysia, 8 June 2011 – Things are about to get “Muaythai against Drugs” title was then fought be- bloody exciting on AXN. The network is bringing the tween Craig Jose (The heat of the fight back to TV screens with a brand new Faktory) and Kevin Harper series The Challenger Muay Thai, and in high defini- (Majestic). An exciting tion no less! Produced by the Imagine Group and The fight was foreseen from the first round. Both fighters pres- Group Entertainment, the reality competition series will sured one another straight away releasing be set and shot in Malaysia. Whether for glory or gain, some single and power- 16 world-class fighters will fight it out to win the ultimate ful shots, testing the title of Muay Thai World Champion and the grand prize strength and compo- of US$100,000! sure of their opponent. While Harper continued to focus on scoring shots round after round, Jose’s pressure seems to have the best when at the end of the third round Harper was given an No one is more apt than renowned Muay Thai personal- 8 count. With barely 30 seconds into the fourth round Craig ity Stephan Fox as host of the series, an industry veter- Jose closes the fight with a KO and is successful in defending an with over 30 his title. years of experience. Chris Shaw (Douglas Muay With his illustrious Thai) and Michael Wakel- ing (Scorpions) took over background as the everyone’s attention being Vice President of the the last on the ring. The World Muay Thai much waited fight of the RECOGNISED BY/MEMBER OF
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Council (the governing body of the Muay Thai communi- ty), Fox will also play mentor to the fighters and take a hands-on approach in grooming these talents, hand- picked from the best breed of fighters around the world.
component of their body, their natural weapon in the
From Malaysia, Thailand to Israel and South Africa, the context of Muay Thai. motley crew of fighters trail blaze an impressive track “As the entertainment destination for action and adven- record both in their countries and in the international ture, there is no other cable channel that is a better fit arena, with numerous championship titles under their for the sheer adrenaline and thrill of The Challenger belts. With ages ranging from 18 to 35, the calibre of Muay Thai. We are pleased to be working with the Im- fighters is certainly unparalleled. Some have started agine Group for the show, with their proven track record their training since the tender age of seven, while others in producing top-notch reality series in Asia,” said Mr have fought The Contender Asia champion Yodsanklai Ricky Ow, Senior Vice President and General Manager, and even won. With intimidating monikers like „The Networks, Asia, Sony Pictures Television. Cheetah‟, „The Sniper‟ and „Black Dynamite‟, it is clear "Nothing on the planet brings you this close to the ac- that the boys are not in town to play. With such high tion... our viewers will be on the edge of their seats," stakes, each and every fighter will not go down without added Mr Riaz Mehta, President and Founder of the a fight! Imagine Group. Each week, the fighters will be subjected to a rigorous Watch out for the titillating drama that will unfold in the bout of training from fighters‟ villa, as tension runs high with the progression their two trainers Ha- of each fight night and the numbers dwindle. Alliances narong and Nugget, re- will be forged, blood will be shed and the fighters will be volving around the scraping through each win by the skin of their teeth! „weapon of the week‟. Who will rise to the challenge and emerge as the Muay These include spiritual Thai World Champion? Who will overcome all odds and ideals such as respect walk away with USD100,000? All will be unveiled on and fearlessness, as The Challenger Muay Thai, set to premiere on AXN well as focusing on each (Astro channel 701) and AXN HD (Astro B.yond channel 721) in the fourth quarter of this year. RECOGNISED BY/MEMBER OF
JUNE 2011 NEWSLETTER
Yet another major event took place in China on the 11th of June 2011, following the 2010 SportAccord Combat Games, under patronage of the IOC. Muaythai is growing throughout China at an exponential rate as a consequence of the Thai- Chinese collaboration and the MOU that was signed between the two countries in order to promote sports and cultural exchange.
China, and sanctioned by the WMC, the Wushu Manage- The Heifei Olympic Sports Centre came alive with thousands ment of the General Administration of Sports of China, and of cheering fans to watch the Chinese National Team face off the Government of Hefei, and saw a total of five title belts with the best professional muaythai fighters from around the up for grabs. world.
The event proved to be a great rematch of the first event The China-Thailand Championship is the only official competi- held on December the 18th, 2010, in Shunde, Guangdong, tion between China and Thailand and after 10 years of devel- where the outcome saw China leading 3 to 2 over Thai- opment, it has now become the most famous brand in land. On this occasion China won 3 times by points, with fighting and has gained great reputation from the whole John Wayne Parr losing by the Chinese Superstar, while world. Thailand had the best with 2 KOs.
The event was an international class A tournament, which This year’s lineup was just as phenomenal, as it saw the was authorized by the General Administration of Sport of RECOGNISED BY/MEMBER OF
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return of big names such as Artem Levin, WMC, IFMA and of the thousands in the crowd behind him. Despite the home EMF Champion, and Simon Marcus, the “Bad Boy”, gold med- crowd advantage, Marcus showed no pity, and took his A- alist at the 2010 SportAccord Combat Games and who had game to the local boy, landing some fierce leg kicks, the previously won against the local Superstar Guo Hang Hang. sound of which had the crowd cringing with anticipation. Guo Hang Hang preservered with a big heart and never-die atti- The first fight of the evening was the 63KG bout between Chi- tude taking the fight the full 5 rounds. The decision came na’s Zhang Jun Yong VS Thailand’s Jomthong. Jomthong came down to the score cards, and Marcus took the win. out with iron leg kicks which proved to be more than the local China opponent could handle ending in a heart stopping KO. The penultimate match of the night saw China’s FuGaoFeng The home crowd showed their moral support for their local up against the Russian WMC superstar Artem Levin fighting in boy as they applauded him upon his departure from the stadi- the 82KG division. Another stunning display of pure action um. over 5 rounds. Artem with the height andvantage took the win after the going to the judge’s score cards. The next fight was in the 73KG division which saw China’s Ye The last fight of the night was in the 85 KG division pitting Bin Xiang up against Thailand superstar Diesellek. The local China’s boy came out of the gate strong and fast delivering a barrage Man of unending punches and fantastic combinations displaying a Jian- truly skilled performance. Thailand’s Diesellek came back Gang up strong in the 3rd round landing some solid knees, knocking against down his opponent several times. In the following rounds the Ira- Xiang adjusted his attack and came back to win the bout on nian points after 5 rounds of intense action! Adoring female fans Majid screamed with elation as their muaythai idol took the win. Razani. “He was so handsome!! We love him!” -said one of the female Jian-Gang came out strong in the opening rounds striking fans in the stadium excitedfly which just goes to show that Razani with an artillery of lethal leg kicks, taking the Persian muaythai has a great following of female fans in China as well! down several times. In the final round Razani attempted to The 3rd fight of the evening saw Guo Hang Hang VS Simon counterattack with a punch, after getting up from a knock Marcus in the 79KG divison. The roar in the stadium was a down and the auditorium was on fire. At the end of the final true reflection on the anticipation from the audience for this round the China boy’s hand was raised and the thunderous bout, as it was a rematch between the two fighters from 6 applaude and cheers could be heard for miles! A stunning months prior in which Marcus took the win by fracturing the victory for China! rib of Guo Hang And so concluded yet Hang in the first another world class minute of the event in China, showing bout. Now re- the rapid rate of growth covered and and development of the back for more, sport under the auspices Guo Hang Hang of the WMC. had the hopes