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UK K-1 Max Review
by Muay Thai Guy (Senior Moderator @ IronLife.com)
On November the 9th, The Aston Villa Leisure Centre, Birmingham opened it’s doors once again for the UK heat of the K-1 Max. This year would see the second time the max was to be held in the UK with Many new faces entering the tournament including reigning champion Neil Woods and veteran of the sport Eval Denton all standing proud and ready to do battle in gladiatorial style for the coveted crown of UK K-1 Max Champion.
In a less than packed arena which started off with a pretty lackluster, if not dire atmosphere, the Fighters were all introduced by way of the huge video screen. The first thing anybody could notice about the event was the lack of people and therefore the lack of any real noise which was rather unfortunate.
The Quarter finals eventually kick started the show with defending champion, Neil Woods taking on the new comer Craig Scurry which was to be a very one sided fight. Woods showed why he was champ, dropping scurry twice in the first round and then again, after a relentless assault, Scurry was once again introduced to the canvas by Wood’s hands and leg kicks. The referee stopped the fight as it was obvious that Scurry was being outclassed here.
Late replacement, Irish Champion Seamus Cogan took on the dark horse of the tournament, Tim Thomas. There was a lot of talk about Thomas’s boxing skills which were displayed in the early stages of the fight. Thomas, using full advantage of his better boxing skills and following up with chopping low kicks and knee strikes, won the first round. Cogan stepped up a gear in the second round returning knees and hard midsection round kicks but was kept at bay again by Thomas, giving the second round again to Thomas. All credit to Cogan, who in the third round put on a brave display of fighting and tried to stand up to Thomas’s relentless hands and kicks, however, Thomas was too much for Cogan, taking the unanimous decision and earning a ticket into the semi finals against favorite, Neil Woods
Muay Thai and Kickboxing veteran Eval Denton went out to school new comer to the K-1 Max, Mark Beale however it was difficult to see who was administrating much of the schooling earlier on. Beale was far more stronger with his hands and knees, forcing Eval to work into clinching and kneeing. Beale however, was looking very strong and aggressive.
The second round saw Beale dominating with his aggressiveness and punishing hand work. Eval resorting to the clinch only this time, Beale was as strong in the clinch as he was when he was striking.
The third round started in an explosive fashion. Both fighters came out, guns a blazing however Beale seemed to have the better fitness, beating Denton on points. Denton then went on to announce his retirement for the second time after an illustrious career at the age of 40.
The final fight at the quarter final stage was another case of the old vs. the new with Aaron Holmes taking on a seasoned Colin Armstrong. Colin, with 150 fights was not used to losing, having lost 60 of his 150 fights however both fighters started out strong. Armstrong starting off with a good work rate, using his hands and kicks. Holmes did well to retaliate with strong leg kicks however, Armstrong took the first round on my score card.
The second round stated with Holmes rushing in with leg kicks. This seemed to have worked to his advantage as Armstrong kept taking the leg kicks, eventually falling to the floor and having great difficulty in getting up. However, he managed to get back on his feet before the count reached 10. The third round saw both fighters fatigued however, Holmes was looking the more hungrier of the two. Armstrong kept Holmes at bay with his experience and push kicks but Holmes was now targeting Armstrong’s weak leg, dropping Armstrong to the canvas. Holmes managed to book himself a place in the semi finals with the judges decision.
Greg Collins Fought John Wincott in a 5 x 2 Muay Thai bout before the interval. Wincott never really looking troubled from the onset. Both fighters starting strong and exchanging kicks however it looked clear that Wincott was the stronger fighter, Dominating in both the clinch and with his hands. By the 4th round however, Collins delivered some scathing leg kicks to Wincott but Wincott was quick to come back with aggressive boxing combinations. Wincott carried on to dominate the fight taking the judges decision.
The K-1 Max semi finals started off with Neil Woods Starting off explosively against Thomas however, Thomas was having none of this and he himself decided to get dangerous. Both fighters were involved in a war in the first round, Thomas tiring quicker than Woods and woods settling down in pace too. The second round however got everyone off their seats. Thomas saw a weakness in Woods as he realized he was getting a lot of punches through in the first round. Thomas went to work on Woods with Very fast and furious hands, Combinations of Jabs, Crosses, Hooks and Uppercuts, Each one making their way through Woods’ guard, rocking the champ! The crowd decided to wake up at this point and the atmosphere suddenly went electric as though someone had flicked a switch. The roaring crowd were now shouting their support for both fighters! Woods looking like he doesn’t know where he is, gets on the back foot and moves away from Thomas and as if the K-1 wasn’t exciting and unpredictable enough Woods grabs Thomas and lands a clean right knee to the face of Tim Thomas, Knocking him out before he even reached the canvas. The crowd were now screaming and shouting and Thomas lay on the floor surrounded by paramedics. Neil Woods had just proved the caliber of fighter he is and an unfortunate yet brave warrior that was Tim Thomas, had his first K-1 Max experience ended for the night however, I’m sure we will see him soon enough making a comeback!
The Second Semi Final Saw Mark Beale of Coventry vs Aaron Holmes of Kent. Holmes seemed to have injuries from the previous fight as he looked a bit uncomfortable walking into the ring however, Mark Beale looked as though he had not fought. Beale started off the assault with rocking punches. Holmes bravely backed off and returned leg kicks however, Beale delivered more punches and bang, Holmes was sent down to the canvas for a count. The fight carried on with some technical display from both fighters, Holmes landing a spinning back fist only to e out done by Beale who landed a jump spinning back kick. The second round was much as the first in that Beale was the aggressor; He was looking for the KO from the moment the bell rang. Holmes was dropped with a leg kick and was given a count however the referee decided to stop the fight as Holmes looked to injured to carry on.
The penultimate fight of the evening was a prestige bout between England’s Mathew Johnson against a former Lumpinee and Ratchadamnern fighter in Thailand Pinsinchai of Thailand in a 5 x 3 Full Thai rules fight.
Both fighters displayed a very graceful Ram Muay before the fight started and in true Thai style, the first round was a very slow paced affair seeing both fighters just test the waters however an elbow lands into the face of Johnson cutting him above his eye and Johnson receives an 8 count. It’s clear from this stage that Pinsinchai was far more experienced than Johnson and was displaying beautiful technical skills as though he was playing with Johnson like a toy. Pinsinchai dominated the second round again catching nearly all of Johnsons kicks however; Johnson exploited some weaknesses in Pinsinchai’s guard which, typical of a Thai fighter, left him somewhat open to the hands of Johnson. It seemed as if Johnson fell in the trap of having too much respect for his opponent and not capitalizing on the fact that he had opened up a weakness. Pinsinchai on the other hand went to work on the cut, trapping the kicks of Johnson and returning sharp elbows. The fight was stopped in the second after a deep cut to the eye of Johnson needed the attention of the doctor.
The K-1 Max final was about to start. People were now talking, bets were being made… Can woods do it again? Can he show the inexperienced Beale what it’s all about? Or did Tim Thomas administer enough damage to allow Beale to take the crown? Both fighters made their entrance, neither of them looking as though they have been touched by any real injury or fatigue. Both fighters looking focused and as the bell rang for the first round, both fighters engaged in the Clinch, exchanging knees however, Woods was taken to the floor by a throw by Beale. Woods getting back to his feet decided to change the game plan and delivered hard kicks to Beale however Beale returned the kicks back, equally as hard. It looked as if though Woods’ experience was helping him however, Beale came forward aggressively with scathing hooks and body shots and a head kick sent Woods to the canvas, Woods on the receiving end of an 8 count whilst the crowd were all on their feet as it was now inevitable as to what was about to happen. And sure enough, Beale came forward like a man on a mission absolutely storming woods with hard punches which echoed in the arena…. The crowd could not believe what they were seeing. Everyone’s favorite, defending champion Neil Woods had just been sent crashing to the canvas for the second time in that round the referee was counting. An anxious Mark Beale looking on counting on his lips and then the referee waved his hands, it was over, Woods had been beaten and Coventry’s Mark Beale, Ecstatic yet somewhat surprised regained composure and realized he was the new K-1 Max UK max champion.
All in all it was a great night of fighting. Once the crowd had woken up it only got better however, the standards of the UK fighters as opposed to the likes of K-1 Max greats such as Massato, Ludwig, Kraus and friends really is in a lower league but this is just my opinion however, I am sure that we’ll soon catch up as the sport grows in this country.
* Article by Muay Thai Guy (Senior Moderator @ IronLife.com).
* Back to Issue #5 Frontpage
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