World Championship Muay Thai at Leeds Town Hall, 14 June 2008
The Bad Company promotions in association with Showsport International staged a World Championship Muaythai event at Leeds Town Hall on June 14th and proved beyond doubt the healthy and improving state of Muay Thai in the UK.
Richard Cadden and Rungnakorn Kharnpan in action
Whatever way you want to look at it, this was an impressive evening – even the surroundings, the 1200-capacity Victorian Town Hall, reeked with class and an immaculately run show benefited from some impeccable officiating, with excellent refereeing from Dave Jackson and Tony Myers and no controversial verdicts from the judges.
Three title fights (two World, one Inter-continental) featured Bad Company fighters and good quality Thais, with two of them won by the locals – proof enough of the current power of UK (and Leeds) Muay Thai – but in many ways the supporting card was even more impressive. A 12-fight programme included 11 five-rounders, none of which finished before the 4th round – tribute to the skill and fitness of the boxers and Richard Smith’s astute match-making.
The opening fight between teenagers Kyle Fella (Bad Company) and Leif Taggart (Teesside) was typical, with little between two accomplished fighters, Leif with the greater range of techniques, Kyle, if anything, more alert to seize opportunities. Leif deservedly got the verdict, mainly because he paced himself more effectively over the distance, clearly winning the last round. When you see a fight of this quality, then realise that Leif was having his first Class C Muay Thai fight and Kyle now has a modest record of 2 wins in 5, you realise how much talent there is in this country.
A couple of fights later another terrific contest, between Sarah McCarthy (Bad Company) and Sam Mitchell (Phoenix), was evidence of the quality in women’s Muay Thai. This was a challenge for both fighters, Sam having to face an opponent ranked Number 1, but Sarah moving up in weight to face a much taller woman. Sarah was the more aggressive throughout and always seemed to carry more power, but Sam had the skill and courage to keep the fight even for three rounds. Having shipped a fair number of head punches in Round 4, Sam came back into things in the final round in another contest that was settled on one round, Sarah McCarthy’s fourth round rightly getting her the verdict.
And the quality never dropped, John Dennis (Spartan) and Paul Kapowitz (Sitnarong) providing an entertaining contrast of styles, Dennis’s uninhibited attacks against Kapowitz’s more studied techniques. In one sense John won the day as Paul soon abandoned all caution and responded in kind. The result was a draw that left me wondering how two fighters could take so many elbows and come up smiling. Even the one clean knock-out, Bad Company’s Tom Bird’s devastating left hook on Karl Stoddart (Jai Muay Thai) came in the 5th round of a fight that Karl had been winning until Tom put him down in the 4th. The only knockabout encounter of the evening came, predictably from the heavyweights, in the only three-rounder. I saw Ben Whitehead (Burnley) in his only previous fight and he scored a spectacular first-round success. This time it was his turn: faced with the more experienced and skilful Craig Burke (Fight Unit – Barnsley), he had no answer to his opponent’s knees to the body and didn’t last a round.
A top-quality supporting bill was completed by points wins for Bad Company’s Davy Mac and Charlotte Webster over Loz Reilly (Hanuman Darlington) and Pam McArthy (Sitnarong St. Helens) respectively; a dominant performance by James France (Bad Company) in stopping Yatabare Kisma (France) in 4 rounds; and a final, just-before-midnight confrontation of American Mark DeLucca, currently training at Bad Company, and Alix James (Studio 2000) which ended in a 5th round stoppage in favour of the American.
The most exciting of the title fights was Rungnakorn Kharnpan defending his ISKA 65kg World Title against Richard Cadden of Bad Company. It was never possible to predict how this was likely to work out. In a hard and tense fight, not particularly spectacular, both fighters’ commitment to the elbow meant it was always likely to be settled by a cut. Richard was cut in the 1st, but it was Round 4 before the doctor judged that it was too bad to continue. Richard and Rung were on their third meeting (one win each before this) and there were obviously old scores to be settled, in the most sporting manner, of course – but I doubt they’re settled yet. Best of five, anyone?
Surprisingly, the other two title fights were less dramatic because both Leeds fighters seemed in complete control, though neither contest could be described as one-sided. The outstanding Liam Harrison never seemed troubled in defending his WMC 62kg World Title against Sarmsamut Kiatchongkao who only began to try to get into the fight when it was clearly lost. After dominating for three rounds, Liam won on a 4th round stoppage – officially for a cut, but the result was already clear. Andy Howson, fighting Weera Mingthon for the WMC Intercontinental 53kg title, didn’t live up to the programme’s billing of ‘non-stop all-action style’. Against a canny, often negative opponent who was clearly ready to exploit any carelessness, he used his head to match Weera in canniness, surpass him in controlled aggression and gain a clear points win.
No complaints about this Bad Company promotion, then? Well, there was one on the forums and noticeboards, but one that emphasises the care and organisation of the best Muay Thai shows in this country. When Karl Stoddart was flattened within seconds of the start of the last round, medical staff were on the scene with the speed of Tom Bird’s left hook. Karl was kept lying on the canvas and fed oxygen for some time, despite being perfectly able to get up according to ringsiders – some of whom have complained that too much was made of it and he should have been allowed to go on his way laughing and joking. How about a sense of proportion here? It seems to me that holding up proceedings and worrying audience members unnecessarily are a small price to pay for safeguarding a fighter’s health. Maybe the medics were over-officious, maybe not, but officiousness is better than neglect any day of the week.
Bad Company and Showsport will be back at Leeds Town Hall on the 18th October 2008 with another stacked card.
17 June 2008
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