Ferrari makes a movie
Former Fighter of The Year Ferrari Fairtex is making moves. He recently was the centerpiece for a documentary. The film followed him for his incredible bout at ONE Lumpinee. Ferrari took on Fariya Amnipour.
(In this photo: Fairtex BS1704 Red/White Slim Cut Muay Thai Boxing Short)
The bout was action packed. Ferrari sped off from the green light. He whacked Fariya in the head with a dangerous head kick. It didn’t dent Fariya though. He walloped Ferrari with a hard hook that took the air out of Ferrari’s wheels.
The pit crew came back in action though and Ferrari was able to speed up to the finish line. The drama culminated with a decision win for Fariya. For Ferrari, it was a moment to reflect on. He went to ordain as a monk in his southern town of Surat. Making merit is a way for him to think about his past bout.
It’s also the finishing chapter of the upcoming film by Exotic Quixotic. The company highlighted other Fairtex fighters in the past. They did a terrific documentary on Stamp and the rise of female fighters.
We’re looking forward to Ferrari making more movie moves.
Photos by Exotic Quixotic
Elisa Keck Ploughs At Lumpinee
Canadian athlete Elisa Keck made her second appearance at the Mecca of Muay Thai. Keck came to Fairtex via the cold climate of Canada. She’s warmed up to the Thai system.
(In this photo: Fairtex BGL6 Pro Leather Laced Competition Gloves)
At Fairtex Fight on May 1st, Keck pushed forward against Maria Lam from the UK. Lam trained out of the famed FA Group gym in Bangkok Thailand.
But it was Keck who pushed her fame further. She bludgeoned Lam with stiff punches. Lam attempted to stall in the clinch with shin blocks. Keck kicked the block away and pushed through to a dominant points victory.
(In this photo: Fairtex BGL6 Pro Leather Laced Competition Gloves)
The young athlete is making steps up. She joins other young stars like Kendu Irving, Shir Cohen, Smilla Sundell, and more. These emerging stars are making their name at Fairtex.
(In this photo: Fairtex BGL6 Pro Leather Laced Competition Gloves)
Stamp With Coke
Fairtex came to Colorado. Former Fairtex fighter Coke Chunuwat came to Denver. Coke was a strong fighter out of Fairtex Bangplee. He reached high in the Lumpinee stadium rankings. At 112 lbs he reached to being the #2 contender. Coke became competitive because his teacher was the legendary Jongsanan Fairtex.
(In this photo: Fairtex BGV14 White Muay Thai Boxing Glove, Fairtex BPV1 Belly Pad, Fairtex Muay Thai Curved Pads)
“She’s good. Especially with her kick and elbow,” Coke said.
Coke now runs a gym in South Jersey close to Philadelphia.
For this camp, he worked Stamp with pads. Each round was five minutes long. The two did 5-6 Muay Thai rounds and then 2 rounds of boxing. There were two sessions a day.
(In this photo: Fairtex BGV14 White Muay Thai Boxing Glove, Fairtex BPV1 Belly Pad, Fairtex Muay Thai Curved Pads)
The morning session was at home while the evening happened at Easton Training Center. The sessions ended with twenty minute long clinching sessions and or sprints.
Coke, who finished his career in America fought high level north americans. He took on Ognjen Topic, Kevin Ross, Rami Ibrahim, Matt Embree, and more.
(In this photo: Fairtex FMV9 Contoured Focus Mitts, Fairtex BS1714 Muay Thai Boxing Shorts Slim Cut, Fairtex Muay Thai Curved Pads)
He focused a lot on power, especially in the clinch.
Stamp With Neungsiam
Stars of the sport aided Stamp. Former Lumpinee Champion, Neungsiam Fairtex came out to help the MMA star.
(In this photo: Fairtex BGV14 White Muay Thai Boxing Glove, Fairtex BPV1 Belly Pad, Fairtex Muay Thai Curved Pads)
Neungsiam was a very technical fighter with a contested bout against Saenchai in his prime. He now trains a strong staple of fighters out of Woodenman Muay Thai in San Francisco.
When he worked with Stamp he focused on her conditioning. Stamp fired rapid punches and then blasted out the kicks.
The long pad work rounds amped up Stamp’s conditioning. Halfway through each round Neungsiam would hold for power kicks. Stamp blasted out 20 kicks on each side.
(In this photo: Fairtex BGV14 White Muay Thai Boxing Glove, Fairtex BPV1 Belly Pad, Fairtex Muay Thai Curved Pads, Fairtex LKP1 Leg Kick Pad, A.K.A. The Thai Suitcase)
The quick kicks tested Stamp’s sprinting power and her long term conditioning. After the quick spurt of action, Stamp needed to go back to delivering pure power.
Mr. Wong Warns Thai Fighters
The tide of Muay Thai is turning. For a long time, the sport was dominated by Thai athletes. This is rapidly changing.
(In this photo: Fairtex Script T-Shirt)
In the last few weeks, there have been several upsets. Nong O Gaiyanghaadao, an unstoppable force was put down by Jonathan Haggerty. Saemapetch lost to Felipe Lobo. And not too long ago champion kickboxer Superbon went down because of a foreign fighter.
The purses given out at shows like ONE Lumpinee and ONE Championship are very high. They exceed normal purse sizes by three or four times.
This makes it far more lucrative for foreign fighters to come to Thailand.
And foreign fighters know how to take on Thai opponents. The rules of the game have changed, especially with small MMA gloves. This allows the boxers to score more effectively with their boxing.
“Foreigners are determined they spend money just to train in Thailand,” Mr. Wong said. “If Thai fighters are not determined they will not survive. All of the belts for female and male fighters have been taken away by foreign boxers,” he continued.
The sport is growing nationally and internationally. With that is of course growing pains. If Thai athletes don’t catch up though, they won’t grow, they will just experience pain.
Author: Matt Lucas