Thai Consular Attraction
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| Earlier this year, on July 18, the spectators at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre were treated to some of the best authentic Muay Thai action ever. Many fight fans braved the colder weather to watch the event, but things soon warmed up as the spectator culture and the excellent Muay thai skills of the fighters exploded into the ring. |
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| The first fight of the night was a sign of things to come with Chris Dalziel from Phon's Thai Martial Arts and Paul Shearing from Open Palm Martial Arts ripping into each other. In the beginning of the first round Paul came out strong with some good combinations and a great deal of speed. Both fighters did well but early in the second round Chris sent Paul sprawling to the canvas again and this time he wasn't getting up. |
The next bout, The Thai Corner Restaurant Cruiserweight Sponsor's Trophy, was fought between Phill Smart from Bodyline Martial Arts and Shawn O'Hare from Nardelli Martial Arts. It was clear that Shawn put a lot of effort into the first round but wasn't reaching his target - Phill Smart, who was defending all of Shawn's attacks. Phill, on the other hand, was hitting his target with great devastation |
and in the end the judges awarded the victory to Phill. In the third fight, the Discount Souvenirs Middleweight Sponsor's Trophy, the spectators were treated to a show of great courage and guts on behalf of Wayne Grey from Phon's Thai Martial Arts who late in the first round split his shin open, chipping the bone by kicking his opponent's, Rob Garner from Open Palm Martial Arts, knee. |
| Wayne continued to fight bravely and he stood against the ropes and kept his opponent at bay using legs and knees. Unfortunately for Wayne both the doctor and his trainer would not let him continue in case of serious injury. The fourth bout, The Taste of Thai Restaurant Heavyweight Sponsor's Trophy, was contested by Mat from Bodyline Martial Arts and Rolf Cseh from Mungkorn Mai Muay Thai. In the first round, Rolf used his height and reach to his advantage keeping Mat from getting in close. It didn't take Mat long howeve, to find a way through Rolf's defence, focus on his target and win in a judges' decision. |
This was the first time that women had fought for a WMTC State title. Both of them fought with style and a great deal of technique, but in the end it came down to Marita using more skill and being more focussed. She won the fight by judges decision. The tension grew during the opening ceremony for the main event as the spectators stood for the Thai and Australian National Anthems. Then the commentator's voice cut through the silence announcing the fighters: Sanapr Noi 'Ironfist' from Phon's Thai Martial Art (red corner) and Timor Dhal from Bodyline Martial Arts (blue corner). The crowd held its breath, the bell rang and the crowd roared as the fighters |
way up. Timor's support from the crowd had not tired however, and Timor continued to attack. Sanapar took Timor by surprise with his outbursts of speed and strength, attacking quickly only to move back and evaluate the situation again. The fourth round saw both fighters lifting their work rate as they both knew it was crunch time. Timor continued to fight hard, refusing to let go of the fight, but Sanapar kept attacking and moving which made it difficult for Timor to find and opening to attack. The round again seemed to fly by, but one look at the |
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| The fifth bout of the undercard, The Hawthorn Wine Bin Junior Middleweight Sponsor's Trophy, saw Cam Davies from Open Palm Martial Arts going head to head with Abel Jardim from Street Wise Muay Thai (Spearwood). Both fighters knew what they were doing in the ring but Cam Davies had a full arsenal of Muay Thai skills - fists, legs and knees - whereas Abel, being more comfortable with boxing, was limited to punches and kicks. It wasn't enough though and the judges awarded the final fight to Cam. The total Solution WMTC Women's Bantamweight State Title was up next with Marita Williamson from Mungkorn Mai going up against Nicola Tatlor from Body Sculpt. |
clashed. The Thai Consulate General's Cup 1997 had begun! From the beginning Timor came out hard and fast and both fighters tested each other's limits and looked for an opening, using push kicks to size up their opponents. Sanapar hugged the ropes, forcing Timor to do all the work, ducking and blocking any attempts at attack Timor made. The second round started well for both fighters. Timor landed a few kicks but Sanapar fought back, hitting Timor with the vicious left that earned him the name 'Ironfist'. As a south-paw it is one of his preferred attacks. By the third round Timor had tired visibly and it was clear that things had changed. The more experienced fighter, Sanapar, had far superior stamina than Timor, a fighter on his |
fighters told a different story. The fifth and final round saw Sanapar come out with all guns blazing. He gave no quarter and did not rest until the final bell. Knowing that this round would decide the fight, Timor tried to attack but his sloppy form and defence left him open to Sanapar's attack. Both fighters seemed to show relief when the final bell rang. Both fighters gained a great deal from the fight: Timor gaining a great deal of experience and respect and Sanapar gaining the Thai Consulate General's Cup 1997. From the roar of the crowd it was clear that the spectators were impressed with Sanapar's skill and stamina and with Timor's speed and effort. |
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The final bout of the night, The Moltoni Corporation WMTC West vs East (VIC) Sponsor's Trophy, pitted Mark McAllan from Phon's Thai Martial Arts, the WA young gun, against Sebastian Sosa, the current ISKA Victorian Champion. The fight started well with both fighters testing each other's styles and skills and the home crowd giving Mark a great deal of support. |
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Sebastian's style had him throwing a lot of punches combined with leg kicks. Muay Thai allowed Mark to block the kicks with his knees and getting in closer disallowed Sebastian the use of his punches. A huge backfist from Sebastian in the middle of the third round may have changed the outcome of the fight had it made contact but Mark just dodged it. The crowd went wild when the fight was awarded to Mark. Keep an eye on this young talent; I have a feeling you will be seeing a lot more of him in the future. Special thanks from Phon to Brigadier WD Jamieson, The Burswood Resort Casino, World Muay Thai Council - Thailand and Western Australia, Moltoni Corporation, Hawthorn Wine Bin, Taste of Thai Restaurant, Discount Souvenirs, Thai Corner Restaurant, Jones Lang-Wooton, Total Solutions, Duxton Hotel, Morley Sports and Recreation Centre, Tony Serve from 94.5FM, Ray Ferguson from 92.9PMFM, Ian Brayshaw from Channel 10, Sally Hill-Martdee and all of the competitors and managers. Thank You. See you again in November for the World Class Muay Thai Extravaganza. Keep an eye out in International Kickboxer for more details. |
| The Duxton Hotel WMTC Featherweight State Title was packed with ferocity, skill and controversy. Khalid Ahmed from Phon's Thai Martia Arts held Kane McHugh, from Open Palm Martial Arts, at bay with his powerful kicks but Kane, the champion at the time, struck back with right kicks and right hand combinations. The second round saw both fighters go in a lot harder, exchanging knees many times while in the clinches. The first controversial blow was struck when Kane fell to his knees during a clinch and head butted Khalid twice in the groin. The real fight had started. In the third round Khalid came out hard and strong, going after Kane at every oppotunity with revenge his new motive. The referee had to be very quick to get between Khalid and Kane if Kane went down otherwise Khalid would be on top of him raining down blows. This visibly angered Kane and the new terms of the contest were set. The final rounds had both Khalid and Kane out for blood with neither of them giving any ground. The judges awarded the fight to Khalid, the new WMTC Featherweight State Champion. Do I see a rematch in the near future? Now that would be a fight to see... |
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