Knee Sparring With Ferrari
(In this photo: Fairtex BS1709 Leopard Slim Cut Muay Thai Boxing Short)
Winning the Thaiwasadu Tournament was a feather in the cap for Kendu Irving. The series pit him against some of the best in the nation.
Then he trained with Ferrari. The former fighter of the year is a technical wizard.
“He’s very slippery,” Irving said. “He can kick you in the head from any distance.”
The danger of head kicks is compounded by Ferrari’s push kick.
“He can teep well too. There’s no hesitation,” Irving said.
There’s no wait in Kendu either. The New York City native trains with the best to progress. With the win at the Thaiwasadu Tournament, it’s a matter of time before he moves up to ONE Lumpinee.
Knockdowns and 10,000 baht Bonuses
The 8 counts came in fast. It started out well for Andy Cehovsky. He was scoring. His fast pace volume strategy was landing on Fahpenneung. Then the Thai athlete hit him hard to the body at Lumpinee. Cehovsky dropped.
“…five, six, seven,” the referee counted. “Eight. Are you ready?”
Cehovsky nodded.
“The knockdown was no good,” Cehovsky said. “I thought I was gonna lose the fight.”
The Czech athlete came forward. He put on the pressure.
“I just have to knock him out,” he’d told himself.
Fahpenneung went down for a count.
“…five, six, seven,” the referee counted. “Eight. Are you ready?”
Fahpenneung nodded.
“I saw blood in my eyes,” Cehovsky said.
A body kick later the fight was over. Cehovsky won by TKO. He won a 10,000 baht bonus for his performance. The win was more than a relief, it was a prize.
An American Moves To Thailand
Douglas Malagon lived in San Francisco. He trained at the famed Woodenman gym. He fought. Then he made a trip to Pattaya, Thailand. The American Latino went over the ropes at Lumpinee. He won. He was addicted. Within a year he’d packed up his stuff and moved to Thailand. He plans on staying long term.
“There are way more opportunities,” Malagon said. “It took me five months to get a fight in the States.”
In the Land of Smiles, fights are far more frequent. Most athletes at Fairtex will begin their careers in the local stadiums. After 10 bouts or so they will progress to Fairtex Fight. If they are able they will take a step up to ONE Lumpinee. Then I’ts on to the big stages.
“Once I got a taste of this,” he said. “It’s not the same as back home.”
The training in Thailand is different. The economics makes it feasible to have a full time trainer work with you. Malagon hits pads twice a day with Kru Hern.
But moving over wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.
“Moving out and getting rid of all myself stuff was hard,” Malagon said.
He did it though and now he’s in Thailand for the foreseeable future. What will happen? Who knows? But we know he’ll have plenty of opportunities.
Eyes On You
(In this photo: Fairtex BGV9 Mexican Style Pink Black Muay Thai Boxing Glove - Heavy Hitter)
Stamp Fairtex has her eyes on you.
What will you tell her?
A New Female Fighter To Fairtex
(In this photo: Fairtex UC1 Uppercut & Hook Wall Unit)
The team is expanding. Ploypetch Fairtex recently joined the team. The Northern Thailand champion is well experienced. She’s got 50 bouts to her resume. She won the prestigious regional title after beating Payaking. Fighting at 50kgs she’s being built for the stadiums.
Ploypetch works with other female stars like Stamp, Smilla, Nongam, and Junior Fairtex. All whom fight at Lumpinee for ONE Championship.
Group Meeting With The Gang
(In this photo: Fairtex BS1911 New Muay Thai Boxing Shorts)
Mr. Wong calls the athletes and trainers together regularly. The meetings are to get everyone on the same page. The topics will range. Sometimes it is simple instructions about transportation. Other times it is motivational talks.
He recently got the foreigners and Thais together. He told them about the shift in the sport. The titles were going the way of the foreigners. They work hard, they pay for their visas, and they pay for training. If the Thai fighters aren’t careful the foreigners will take over the game.
The speech was meant to encourage both Thai athletes and foreigners. To spur the Thais to work harder. And to push the foreign athletes onward in the right direction.
A Smiling Face After The Fight
Valentine Compagnon is a smiling Frenchman. The athlete is on a good run of form. He dropped a decision at Lumpinee to Carter Lawrance from Australia. The Aussie athlete was just out of his league. Then he went to the local stadiums. He won. He won. And he won again. He moved back up to Fairtex Fight.
His last battle was against the game Konstantin Rubenko. It was a high paced action packed bout. Compangnon came out the victor. He landed his practiced left kick more.
But the bruises on his face?
“I got it from training,” he said. “I poked myself in the eye and then was box sparring. After my fight, I wasn’t injured.”
Compangon continues to smile. He waits for the next call to the ring.
The Cheetah Team
(In this photo: Fairtex BS1709 Leopard Slim Cut Muay Thai Boxing Short)
Jihin Radzuan, Kendu Irving, and Celeste Hansen, are more than fighters. They are a fast cat team! Sporting the spotted Fairtex design shorts they are speeding towards the top!
Author: Matt Lucas
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