Adam, Junior and Liam submitted excellent entries and were selected from over 50 suitable applicants from around the world. They were selected by our team based on the high standard of their entries, their dedication to Muay Thai and of course, their performance in the ring. Each of these lucky nak muay will join us for two months, benefiting from free accommodation and training. They will also be given the opportunity to compete in full Muay Thai rules competition. Read on to find out more about each of our winners!
Name: Adam Smith
Age: 19
Country: Scotland
Height: 178 cm (5’10″)
Weight: 65 kg ( 143 lbs)
Record: 16W-2L-0D
Adam has been training Muay Thai for 5 years. He originally began training because of bullying at school, he wanted to gain confidence and the ability to defend himself. He immediately fell in love with the sport and committed himself to it fully. Adam started fighting at junior level and won silver medal in the Scottish Junior Championships in 2010 and soon after began competing at amateur and pro-am level. He describes 2012 as his most successful year so far, it saw him travelling to England to fight a highly ranked fighter for a British title. He narrowly lost the fight on points but was happy with his performance. He was also named “Scottish Amateur Fighter Of The Year 2012″.
Adam’s trainer at Colosseum Gym describes his attitude as “First class, and he gives 100% in everything he does”. His aim is to become a professional fighter and eventually to teach Muay Thai. He believes coming to train at Sumalee Boxing Gym is the perfect chance to progress. Adam was chosen for this scholarship because of his excellent entry and because his presence and confidence in the ring were very impressive. Adam has never traveled to Thailand to train and we are honoured to provide him with the opportunity.
Name: Junior Zakarija
Age: 17
Country: Australia
Height: 184 cm (6′)
Weight: 81 kg (178 lbs)
Record: 5W-3L-0D
Junior has been athletic since a young age, competing at high level rugby league since his early teens. For the past 3 years he has been training and fighting Muay Thai out of PTJ Muay Thai Gym in Sydney and said “I love the sport, the art and the respect amongst fighters that are involved”. His trainer describes Junior as “well natured, a quick learner and a hard worker”. In 2012 he obtained an amateur state title, local title. He believes his main strengths to be his right kick and his heart.
Having recently finished school, Junior is excited to take a break from studies to focus on his training. He says this trip will be great for his personal development and will be a stepping stone to a professional fighting career. Our team thought he submitted a mature competition entry, had natural technique and agreed that he’s got a fantastic right kick!
Name: Liam Mckendry
Age: 17
Country: Scotland
Height: 194 cm (6’4″)
Weight: 73 kg (160 lbs)
Record: 8W-6L-0D
Our final winner, Liam, has trained Muay Thai at M-Mag gym in Glasgow under the tutelage of Mescho Dunko for 3 years. He quit the football team he had regularly played for over many years so he could spend more time at the gym, where he now helps with instruction. Liam is extremely tall for his age and has often had to fight opponents who are older and more experienced because of this. Mescho describes him as “well respected by not only all the members of our gym, but the whole of the Scottish Muay Thai scene”.
Liam hopes to test his limits during his time at the camp and to see if he has what it takes to fight as a professional under full Muay Thai rules. In his entry to the scholarship he showed not only passion for the sport, but a desire to pass on anything he is taught to youngsters who train at his gym. He has shown a great thirst for learning and a humble attitude. On top of this, after watching him in the ring, our team agreed he showed agility, heart and a tactical mind. We look forward to meeting you and all of our winners!
If you think you’ve got what it takes to train with us in Phuket, Thailand, click here to find out more!
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After this it seemed he also caught the attention of Bangla Boxing Stadium in Patong, Phuket. Ever keen to promote exciting fights for the thousands of tourists that flock here every year they pitted him against solid stadium regulars such as Victor Dragon Muay Thai. Victor and Craig have fought twice with Victor taking the first match and Craig taking the second. Both fights were thrilling to watch and we’re sure to see them battle again in the future.
In his first couple of months with us his talent and focus in training became apparent. He seemed to have a very natural striking style and was very resilient. One aspect of his training we targeted for improvement was clinching. Although not practiced heavily in western countries, in Thailand, clinching is an essential weapon in any nak muay’s arsenal. A good performance in the clinch can score heavily and often mean the difference between a loss and a win when a fight goes to decision. With the “clinch master” Oron as his mentor, Craig soon developed this side of his game. This was demonstrated in his first Sumalee fight against a Thai adversary, Vilachai, who is a seasoned and respected fighter from Trang. Craig won this fight with a Round 4 KO.
It seems Craig’s momentum is hard to stop. In his most recent match he was asked to fight at the Rawai Muay Thai 9th Anniversary Fight Night at Nai Harn beach. His opponent was Chalam Khao, a Rawai Muay Thai trainer and fighter with hundreds of fights under his belt. This highly anticipated fight stacked the odds against Craig who had limited experience in comparison. After 3 rounds many would have said Craig was on the ‘back foot’ but his sheer strength and sharp reflexes allowed him to cut Chalam Khao in the 4th round. This led to a lot of blood loss, followed by clinically accurate finishing blows by Craig to take the win, and the trophy for fight of the night. Truly a landmark fight in his career.
