WCK Muay Thai "King's Birthday Celebration" Results and Recap

WCK Muay Thai: King's Birthday Celebration took place last night at the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, California. Headlining the event was a bout between Romie Adanza and Thanit Watthanaya. The bout would decide the trilogy between these two as they had previously split two fights. Adanza won their first encounter with a vicious knockout and Watthanaya won the second by split decision. 

The bout only made it to round two this time around and it was Adanza who took home the decisive win. Always known for his great boxing prowess in the ring, Adanza delivered a crushing left to the body in the second round that put Watthanaya down for the count. It was an impressive win for an emotional Adanza, who had dedicated the fight to training partner Shane Del Rosario. With the win Adanza snaps a three fight losing streak, while Watthanaya has now dropped his last two bouts.

In the night's co-main event Bryce Krause's power was in full display against Joe Davidson. It took one round for Krause to win the WBC Muay Thai Super Welterweight U.S. National Title and he did so with his right hand. Krause connected with a monster right that dropped Davidson, but Davidson proved to be a game opponent as he got back to his feet to continue the fight. Krause kept on the attack and dropped Davidson a second time, who once again worked back to his feet to beat the referee's count and continue fighting. Krause continued to press and Davidson was more than willing to continue to engage with him, another right hand dropped Davidson and the referee stepped in to wave off the fight. With the win Krause has now won his last two bouts.

Results:

Romie Adanza def. Thani Watthanaya via KO in Rd. 2

Bryce Krause def. Joe Davidson via (T)KO in Rd. 1

Jacob Poss def. Adam Corrigan via Unanimous Decision

Rene Orozco def. Jacob Powell via Split Decision

Miguel Cosio and Jason Rzepka fight to a Draw

Bronson Cesarez def. Chris Minor via Unanimous Decision

Fight Card for WCK Muay Thai: King's Birthday Celebration

WCK Muay Thai will end their year at Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, CA with "The King's Birthday Celebration" on December 7th. The event will be headlined by the rubber match between Romie Adanza and Thanit Watthanaya. The pair split their first two encounters with Adanza winning the first bout by knockout and Watthanaya winning a close split decision in the second bout.

Also fighting on the card in the co-main event will be Bryce Krause and Joe Davidson. Both fighters will be looking to win back-to-back fights with Krause having won his last fight against Douglas Edwards and Davidson having last defeated John Vargas. 

Fight Card:

Romie Adanza vs. Thanit Watthanaya

Bryce Krause vs. Joe Davidson

Jermaine Soto vs. Rene Orozco

Jacob Poss vs. Adam Corrigan

Miguel Cosio vs. Jason Rzepka

Chris Minor vs. Bronson Cesarez

Fight card for WCK Muay Thai "King's Birthday Celebration"

WCK Muay Thai returns on December 7th with their final show of the year. The King’s Birthday Celebration will take place at the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, CA and will feature a rubber match between Romie Adanza and Thanit Watthanaya. Also featured on the card will be Bryce Krause vs. Joe Davidson and Josh Aragon vs. Jermaine Soto.

Adanza and Watthanaya have split a pair of fights thus far with Adanza winning their first encounter by KO and Watthanaya taking home a split decision in their second fight. Adanza will be looking to snap a three fight losing streak while Watthanaya will be looking to rebound from his recent loss to Rami Ibrahim.

Krause will be returning to action for the first time since his decision win over Douglas Edwards this past may at M-One “Reborn”. Davidson will be looking to climb back into action after his April decision win over John Vargas under the WCK Muay Thai banner.

Fight Card:
Romie Adanza vs. Thanit Watthanaya
Bryce Krause vs. Joe Davidson
Josh Aragon vs. Jermaine Soto
Chris Minor vs. Rajesh Narine
Adam Corrigan vs. Jacob Poss
Miguel Cosio vs. Jason Rzepka

Warriors Cup XVIII Results

The Warriors Cup XVIII took place on Saturday in North Bergen, NJ. In the night's main event Rami Ibrahim and Thani Watthanaya fought in a WBC Muay Thai International Challenge bout. In what was an exciting bout, Ibrahim utilized some crisp boxing that made all the difference in the bout. Watthanaya fought valiantly until the final bell,l but when it was all said and done Ibrahim was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

In the night's other pro fight Cyrus Washington and Marcus Fisher were involved in what could simply be described as a body kick war. The bout was for the vacant WBC Muay Thai Super Middleweight US National Title. In the end Washington proved to be to experienced for Fisher and he walked away with a unanimous decision victory and the title.

Results:
Rami Ibrahim def. Thanit Watthanaya via Unanimous Decision

Cyrus Washington def. Marcus Fisher via Unanimous Decision

Pictures: Thanit "Boom" Watthanaya training for Rami Ibrahim

Thanit "Boom" Watthanaya will be facing Rami Ibrahim this upcoming weekend at the Warriors Cup XVIII. The winner will take home the WBC Muay Thai International Challenge Title. Photographer David Jaewon Oh captured some great pictures of Boom as he trains for the upcoming fight. Follow David on Instagram @thisisdizzle and check out more of his photography at www.upsetspecialistphoto.com.

 

 

Thanit Watthanaya vs. Rami Ibrahim set for The Warriors Cup XVIII September 7th in New Jersey

Weapons 9 and Dead Serious Promotions will return to Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, NJ on September 7th with The Warriors Cup XVIII. The event will be headlined by a bout between Thanit Watthanaya and Rami Ibrahim. The pair was previously expected to fight under the Take-On Productions banner in 2011 but and injury forced Watthanaya to withdraw from the bout.

Watthanaya will be moving up to 130lbs to fight Ibrahim for a WBC international title. He has won his last two fights including a back and forth slug fest with Andy Howson and Muay Thai in America: In Honor of the King to end 2012.

Ibrahim will be looking to snap a two fight skid when he steps in two fight Watthanaya. Ibrahim has been scheduled to fight at least three times this year but each time the bout has fallen through.

An announcement regarding the remainder of the pro card for the event is expected soon from The Warriors Cup.

2012 Muay Thai Authority Awards

2012 was another solid year for Muay Thai in North America. With the year complete it’s time for the 2012 Muay Thai Authority Awards. In our effort to continue to push Muay Thai in North America, we have decided to once again recognize the North American Fighter of the Year (male and female), Breakthrough Fighter of the Year, Fight of the Year, Knockout of the Year, Trainer of the Year, and Rookie of the Year.

The criteria for the awards are as follows: Recipients of Fighter of the Year, Breakthrough Fighter of the year, and Rookie of the Year, must be based in North America. To be eligible for Rookie of the Year, the fighter must not have had a pro fight before November 1st, 2011 (the time frame for the award is 14 months). For the Fight of the Year and Knockout of the Year, the fights needed to have taken place on North American soil (a North American fighter scoring a KO in Thailand doesn’t count).

Here are the 2012 Muay Thai Authority Award winners:
 

2012 Muay Thai Authority North American Male Fighter of the Year: Simon Marcus
Simon Marcus established himself as a North American favorite this year. He went 6-0 on the year and was involved in fights not only in North America, but internationally. Simon’s 2012 campaign started off with a winner take all fight in February at Lion Fight Promotions “Battle in the Desert 5” against Joe Schilling. There was a lot of hype leading up to the fight, which he won by (T)KO. He followed up the victory with a win in Thailand over Kaoklai Kaennorsing for the WMPF Light Heavyweight World Title and then a few weeks later scored two victories in one night at Qianjiang World Muay Thai King Challenge in China. In May he defeated Schilling by Majority Decision in a re-match at Lion Fight Muay Thai 6 and then, after taking a few months off, returned to action in December at Muay Thai In America's “In Honor of the King," scoring a third round knockout over Sadibou Sy to end the year.
 

2012 Muay Thai Authority North American Female Fighter of the Year: Miriam Nakamoto
Nakamoto fought Muay Thai only twice in 2012, but the fights she was involved in were important for women’s Muay Thai. She wins the award for the second time in three years. In April she defeated Sandra Bastian by (T)KO at Legends Muay Thai Championship in San Francisco to become the first person (male or female) to simultaneously hold a WBC Muay Thai and WMC world title. In August she defeated Julie Kitchen under the WCK Muay Thai banner in what was easily the most anticipated fight in women’s Muay Thai history. Nakamoto walked away with a unanimous decision victory after a grueling five round fight.
 

2012 Muay Thai Authority North American Breakthrough Fighter of the Year: Tiffany Van Soest
Tiffany Van Soest has made her presence felt in the women’s Muay Thai scene in the last year. Van Soest turned pro in October of 2011 and didn’t look back in 2012. She started the year off by defeating Vivian Leung at Lion Fight Promotions “Battle in the Desert 5” by unanimous decision. She then scored another unanimous decision victory over Heidi Otterbein at Lion Fight Muay Thai 6. In August, Tiffany fought to a controversial draw against Jemyma Betrian under the WCK Muay Thai banner in a fight many thought she won. She ended the year with a big win in October at Lion Fight 7 when she defeated Jeri Sitzes for the WBC Muay Thai 122 lb. International Title.
 

2012 Muay Thai Authority North American KO of the Year: Eddie Walker
Not many fight fans outside of Georgia were aware of who Eddie Walker was, going into his fight with Joe Schilling at Lion Fight 7; but his come from behind knockout victory over Schilling would make every one aware of the man they call “Showtime.” Walker endured two knockdowns in his fight with Joe Schilling before rallying from behind and connecting with a short right-hand that sent Schilling out cold in the second round. Not only was it a vicious knockout, but a thrilling one that couldn’t have been scripted any better for Hollywood.
 

2012 Muay Thai Authority North American Fight of the Year: Thanit Watthanaya vs. Andy Howson
You couldn’t find a more exciting fight in 2012 than the scrap that went down between Thanit Watthanaya and Andy Howson at Muay Thai in America's “In Honor of the King” on December 1st. After a close first round, Watthanaya scored a knockdown of Howson in the second round, but Howson would come back to score knockdowns of his own in the third and fourth. In the fifth round it seemed that Howson was getting the better of the exchanges but with a swift right hand from Watthanaya the bout ended. Howson tried to get back to his feet but stumbled before the referee stepped in to stop the fight. You can’t ask for more back and fourth action than what Watthanaya and Howson provided for the fans.
 

2012 Muay Thai Authority North American Trainer of the Year: Ajahn Suchart Yodkerepauprai
Ajahn Suchart wins the award for the second year in a row. Ajahn Suchart teaches out of Siam No. 1 in Toronto, Canada. In 2011 he made noise with two of North America’s top fighters coming into their own, Matt Embree and Simon Marcus. In 2012 Marcus and Embree continued to help Suchart establish himself as one of the best trainers in the North American Muay Thai scene. Embree and Marcus went a combined 9-1 in 2012. In addition to Marcus and Embree, Ajahn Suchart trains some very talented amateur fighters as well as fighters just starting off their pro careers. It’s not easy to train high caliber fighters; if it was, every gym in North America would have one. Having two active fighters currently who are considered among the best in North America is very impressive.
 

2012 Muay Thai Authority North American Rookie of the Year: Troy Sheridan
Sheridan went 5-1 in his rookie campaign. He made his pro debut with a (T)KO victory over Anthony Ford at the 2012 Friday Night Fights season opener. The Team Ultimate fighter then followed up his first pro win with a (T)KO victory over Ken Tran in the opening round of the 160lb Journey Fight Series tournament. In September he won the Battle of the Pros 8-man one night tournament, which included victories over Peter Kaljevic, Deshawn Robinson, and Villi Bello. Troy dropped a decision in his last fight of the year against Shane Campbell. Despite the decision loss to Campbell, he showed his true grit and toughness in the five round war.

Results and Recap: Muay Thai in America "In Honor of the King"

Muay Thai in America “In Honor of the King” took place last night at Raleigh Studios in Playa Vista, CA. In the night’s main event Canadian powerhouse Simon Marcus faced Sadibou Sy of Sweden. Marcus was able to keep his perfect record intact as he improved to 29-0 with a third round knockout. Early on in the fight Sy was using some good ring movement to keep Marcus from walking him down, Sy was also able to connect with some solid punches. In the third round Marcus continued to move forward as he tried to walk Sy down, once in range Marcus connected with a right elbow to the head of Sy that clearly hurt him and Marcus followed with a left elbow that sent Sy down. Sy was unable to get up and the fight was stopped. Marcus is now 6-0 in 2012 and continues to show why he is considered one of the best in the world.

In the night’s co-main event Amanda Kelly and Julie Kitchen put on a show for the fans as they fought five hard rounds of non stop action. From the start of the fight Kelly was the aggressor in the bout and was very comfortable in the clinch as she looked to land elbows and knees. Kitchen was more than willing to exchange with Kelly and as the rounds passed she got a bit more aggressive. In the end it seems like Kelly’s constant pressure and forward movement helped her get the split decision victory from the judges. A huge win for Amanda Kelly, it will be interesting to see who she fights next.

Chike Lindsay was able to defeat Christpohe Pruvost by unanimous decision after five hard fought rounds. Lindsay took the lead early as he used his blend of speed and strength to connect with nice combinations as well as work well in the clinch. Pruvost began to get more aggressive in the later rounds, but Lindsay was accurate with his strikes. Despite Pruvost being able to land some solid strikes in the later rounds it was too little too late.

In what can simply be descried as a back and forth barn burner of a fight Andy Howson and Thanit Watthanaya showed nothing but heart in their bout. After a slow first round things rapidly picked up when Watthanaya knocked Howson down in the second round with a perfectly timed punch. In the third round Howson returned the favor by landing a right that sent Watthanaya to the canvas. Once back on his feet Watthanaya seemed to still be dazed a bit and Howson pounced trying to finish the fight and both fighters exchanged shot for shot in an exciting round. In the fourth round Howson was once again able to knockdown Watthanaya and after Watthanaya was back on his feet both fighters continued to sling the leather, but it was clear that Howson was getting the better of the exchanges. In the fifth round Watthanaya connected with a right that sent Howson down. As Howson tried to get back to his feet it was clear he was hurt as he wobbled trying to gain in his balance and the referee was forced to stop the fight. This was a huge win for Watthanaya and an extremely exciting fight.

Paul Karpowicz and Coke Chunhawat kicked off the main card in a solid bout that introduced one of England’s best young talents to the American audience. Karpowicz from the start of the fight used solid combinations and good movement to stifle Coke’s attacks. Karpowicz used a well versed attack than included everything tool in his arsenal. Despite Chunhawat turning the pressure on in the later rounds, Karpowicz was able to hold his ground and continue his attacks. All three judges scored the bout 50-45 for Karpowicz, awarding him the unanimous decision victory.

In the night’s first under card bout Joseph Valtellini out struck Mehdi Baghdad to win a unanimous decision. Valtellini used nice combinations in the fight and constantly attacked Baghdad’s legs with kicks. Baghdad seemed to have no answer for Valtellini’s attack, but in the fourth round an elbow from Baghdad opened up a cut on the top of Valtellini’s head that began to bleed profusely. At one point the bout was stopped so the doctor could check on the cut, it seemed it might be over but they allowed the fight to continue. Valtellini continued to attack Baghdad’s legs and use his combinations to score until the end of the fight.

Salah Abdelsalam defeated Justin Greskiewicz by (T)KO in the third round. Greskiewicz and Abdelsalam were involved in a close fight when Abdelsalam landed a perfectly timed elbow to the right eye of Greskiewicz. It was immediately noticeable that Greskiewicz was hurt as he dropped to the canvas and signaled he could not continue. His right eye immediately became swollen and was closed as the elbow from Abdelsalam cut Greskiewicz eyelid.

Greg Wootton and Noun Soriya were involved in an entertaining fight. It was clear that the taller Wootton was on a mission from the start of the fight as he pressed forward attacking Soriya. Despite Wootton’s clear height advantage Soriya used everything in his arsenal, including some unorthodox methods. At one point Soriya fell to his knees after a slip but continued to punch Wootton to the body. The referee gave Soriya a warning but the crowd loved it as laughs and cheers came for Soriya. In the third round Wootton came out on a clear mission and after cornering Soriya he began to unload elbows and punches on Soriya eventually landing a knee to the body that knocked Soriya down and the referee stopped the bout.

Results:

Simon Marcus def. Sadibou Sy via KO (Elbow) at 1:07 of Rd. 3

Amanda Kelly def. Julie Kitchen via Split Decision

Chike Lindsay def. Christophe Pruvost via Unanimous Decision

Thanit Watthanaya def. Andy Howson via KO at 1:01 of Rd. 5

Paul Karpowicz def. Coke Chunhawat via Unanimous Decision

Joseph Valtellini def. Mehdi Baghdad via Unanimous Decision

Salah Abdelsalam def. Justin Greskiewicz via KO at 2:28 of Rd. 3

Greg Wootton def. Noun Soriya via (T)KO at 2:27 of Rd. 3

Results & Recap: Lion Fight Muay Thai VI "Schilling vs. Marcus 2"

Las Vegas, NV -- It was a packed house at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino for Lion Fight Muay Thai VI. The crowd on hand was there to witness the re-match between Simon Marcus and Joe Schilling and they were treated to a very exciting fight.

You could feel the intensity in the room as both fighters met in the middle to receive the referee instructions and Marcus refused to touch gloves with Schilling. It didn’t take long for the action to start as Schilling was the first to strike as he attacked delivered a light teep to the leg of Marcus, followed up by a body kick and some punches. The fight then hit the clinch where Schilling and Marcus fought for position. After the referee broke them up Schilling delivered a teep to the face of Marcus that got the mostly pro Schilling crowd roaring and they erupted moments later when Schilling knocked Marcus down with a left. Marcus seemed to recover quickly, but took his full eight count before resuming the fight. Schilling continued to aggressively attack, but Marcus was able to rally in the frame as he picked up the intensity and landed some solid strikes on Schilling and neutralized his attack in the clinch.

Fight Card set for Lion Fight Muay Thai VI: Schilling vs. Marcus

As most are already aware, Lion Fight Muay Thai VI: Schilling vs. Marcus will feature the much anticipated re-match between Joe Schilling and Simon Marcus. The winner of the bout will fight Russian fighter Artem Levin for his WBC Muay Thai light heavyweight world title in Thailand at the Battle for the Belts event in June. Lion Fight Muay Thai VI will take place May 12th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV the rest of the fight card will be rounded out with some of North America's best fighters.

As previously reported, Nils Widlund has stepped in to replace Kevin Ross against Matt Embree. Embree is coming of a victory over Coke Chunhawat at the last Lion Fight event in February, while Widlund last competed in December when he lost to top Japanese fighter Yuta Kubo.

Tomonori Sato will no longer be fighting Romie Adanza, instead Adanza will now face Thanit Watthanaya in a re-match of their May 2011 fight. Adanza scored a spectacular knockout in the third round to take home the victory. Since their bout Adanza has gone on to defeat the likes of Langsuanlek Sasiprapa and Tomonori Sato, while Watthanaya took some time to recover from a shoulder injury. Their first fight was tightly contested until Adanza landed the knee that ended Watthanaya’s night early.

Thanit "Boom" Watthanaya out of of July 8th fight with Rami Ibrahim

Thanit "Boom" Watthanaya was scheduled to face Rami Ibrahim at Take-On Productions "Battle at the Beacon" on July 8th, but has been forced to withdraw due to an injury. Watthanaya injured his shoulder during his May 28th loss to Romie Adanza.

Currently no replacement has been confirmed for Watthanaya but rumors that Matt Embree might be tapped to fill the spot have surfaced. Embree is fresh off of avenging his September 2010 loss to Coke Chunhawat by defeating Coke via split decision at Journey Fight Series 3 and punching his ticket to the Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament finals against Josh Palmer.

Romie Adanza def. Thanit Watthanaya - Recap and Pictures

Romie Adanza and Thanit "Boom" Watthanaya met in an IKKC Muay Thai International title fight at WCK Muay Thai's "Road to WCK" in Pala, CA. This was expected to be a closely contested fight and for the first two rounds it was as both fighters were able to score with their attacks. The third round was a different story as Adanza connected with a knee to the head of Watthanaya that ended the fight in dramatic fashion. The KO was an exciting finish at 18 seconds of the third round.

Hinds, Hasanov, Ibrahim, Ahmed, and Watthanaya all in action at Take-On Productions "Battle at the Beacon Theater"

Take-On Productions July 8th event "Battle at the Beacon Theater" is shaping up with some high quality pro fights. The event will take place at the Beacon Theater in New York and will feature a main event for the WKA North American 132lb title. 

Current champion Rami Ibrahim looks to defend his WKA title for a fifth time against Thanit "Boom" Watthanaya. Ibrahim recently lost an exciting and close decision to Matt Embree as part of the Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament, while Watthanaya will be in action this weekend as he takes on Romie Adanza at WCK Muay Thai's "Road to WCK".

Pictures: Romie Adanza training for Thanit Watthanaya

Scott Hirano was on hand at Team Oyama's to take a few pics of Romie Adanza training for his upcoming fight against Thanit Watthanaya at WCK Muay Thai's "Road to WCK" on May 28th.

Romie Adanza to see first action of 2011 against Thanit Watthanaya

Romie Adanza will see his first action of 2011 when he faces Thanit Watthanaya on May 28th at Pala Casino for WCK Muay Thai. 

Adanza last saw action at the end of 2010 when he was part of the four man tournament held by WCK Muay Thai in China. After winning his opening round fight Adanza lost in the finals to the much larger Li Ning via decision.

Watthanaya fights out of Thailand and holds a record of 44-11-1, and is sure to be a tough opponent for Adanza who's career has been made by fighting larger opponents, and coming out victorious.

The fight is currently the only pro fight to take place as part of the "Road to the WCK" monthly event series which consists of amateur fights.