On Saturday 12th November 2005, Neil Holden’s Warrington Kickboxing Studio hosted its last Amateur Kickboxing event of 2005, at Woolston Leisure Centre. There were 21 bouts on the day featuring players from across the across the country, with the main bout being the A.K.A. European Middleweight Title between Warrington’s Graham Sayer and from Holland Arthur Boerjan.

The atmosphere was electric for the main bout, following the Dutch and then British national anthems.

Once the anthems ended, the hall became almost deafening as the cheers of encouragement were echoed around the packed hall.

Round 1.
The opening round was very close. Boerjan who is renown for his Shin-kicks to the leg immediately started with his trade mark attack. Sayer was prepared for this, defending well and then scoring with fast hand combinations and Kicks to the body.

Round 2.
Boerjan changed his tactics and tried to work in close with holding-knee-kicks. Sayer though came out of the exchanges much better, scoring with more techniques. Back on the outside Boerjan fired in some low kicks, and then a high kick that caught Sayer perfectly. Graham took the shot well, and came back strong with some more hand combinations. Boerjan was having to rush his work, as Graham picked him off constantly never letting him settle and extending his points lead.

Round 3.
Boerjan, now behind on the scorecards, launched a strong attack on the outside, followed by holding-knees-kicks. Graham again really dominated this exchange on the inside. Back on the outside Boerjan was throwing every shot with all of his strength simply looking for a K.O. finish. Graham was switching between speed combinations, racking up the points, and then powerful shots of his own to try and hurt his opponent. These tactics worked very well, as by the final bell Grahams lead had now extended by 20 points, which resulted in a 3rd round T.K.O. ( by outclass ). With this result Graham Sayer captured the A.K.A. European Middleweight Title.


The show was a great success, with profits going towards the N.S.P.C.C. and I would like to thank everyone involved who help make this event happen.

I Hope that my fellow AXers enjoy the photos...

Graham Sayer - Warrington Kickboxing ( Wolf-Gym ) England wearing Red, White and Black

Arthur Boerjan - Lingho Gym, Holland wearing the European Union colours of Blue and Gold.

well done graham.
congratulations.

when are we gonna see you on the pro circuit? ;)

euro champ rofl

emphasis on AMATEUR euro champ, global.

Give him some respect.
He is still getting in the ring and competing.....rofl is a bit of an insult.

Why should there not be similar opportunities for those that do not compete in the Professional ranks?

There were some really impressive amateur contests on the day. Some from
the novices making their ring debut and discovering that they could actually
handle the pressure of the competition areana quite well. Others from people, that were competing for the ## time, and are clearly improving with the regular ring experience these bi-monthly events are a giving them.

Two Amateur titles were succesfully defended on the day, furthering
the achievements for those Champions involved.

The show was a great success, and the European Amateur Championship bout created a lot of interest, with a higher spectator turnout and increased sponsorship. This in turn helped generate more monies for a very worthy charity!

Thanks for your posting Mr C. When an International fighter, and current World Champion, from one of the countries most respected Muaythai camps can pass on such positive comments it can only help to encourage people to fullfill their potential.

Hopefully I will catchup with you at the Altrincham show.

well done graham! if you do turn pro, i get first dibs on a rematch!

go on Franklin..... throw down that gauntlet!!! LOL :)

Hey, less of the Don King - Frank Warren talk thankyou. Butcha's got to sort out Kinderlan first!

who is graham's "kinderlan"????

Everyone has one! The guy whole stalks you in your dreams, and makes you do those extra few pressups when you think that you have no strength left, those extra few body-kicks when your legs are like dead weights, and that last round on the running machine - faster than a speeding bullet!

A few more pics...

Flying Punch!

Chris Heath ( Warrington Kickboxing ) vs Paul Pemnant ( Bury St Edmunds )
Welterweight Title defence.

Chris Heath ( Warrington Kickboxing ) vs Paul Pemnant ( Bury St Edmunds )
Welterweight Title defence.

Chris Heath ( Warrington Kickboxing ) vs Paul Pemnant ( Bury St Edmunds )
Welterweight Title defence.

Chris Heath ( Warrington Kickboxing ) vs Paul Pemnant ( Bury St Edmunds )
Welterweight Title defence.

Ben Abbott ( Milton Keynes ) vs James Morris ( Liverpool )
British Middleweight Title

Ben Abbott ( Milton Keynes ) vs James Morris ( Liverpool )
British Middleweight Title

Ben Abbott ( Milton Keynes ) vs James Morris ( Liverpool )
British Middleweight Title

Ben Abbott ( Milton Keynes ), The new British Amateur Middleweight Champion.

Ben Abbott ( Milton Keynes ) vs James Morris ( Liverpool )
British Middleweight Title

Support Bout:
Danny Keenan ( Warrington Kickboxing )vs Jack Griffin ( Bury-St-Edmunds )

Support Bout:
Danny Keenan ( Warrington Kickboxing )vs Jack Griffin ( Bury-St-Edmunds )

Support Bout:
Danny Keenan ( Warrington Kickboxing )vs Jack Griffin ( Bury-St-Edmunds )

Light-Heavyweight Title Defence:
Nathan Royle ( Manchester )vs Neil Walton ( Milton Keynes )

Still Light-Heavyweight Champions Nathan Royle ( Manchester )

English Light-Heavyweight Championship
Tony Parker ( Leigh ) vs Steve Evans ( Milton Keynes )

Winner by T.K.O. ( 20 Points - Outclass Rule)

New English Amateur Light-Heavyweight Champion,
Steve Evans - Milton Keynes.

Another batch of DVD's going out today. Sorry for the delay for those still waiting.

I asked on a different thread if fighters that fight on the pro circuit can enter as "PLAYERS" in your amateurs but got no reply its just that can i see names in the PRO rankings that are the same as names in the AKA rankings and was thinking they must be the same fighters/players. E.G. Ben Dukes. How dos this work

Alvery, I appologise for missing your posted question.

In the A.B.A.'s Boxers can have 4 Professional contests before they can no longer compete as an Amateur. This is incase they cannot succesfully make the switch, or personal circumstances change.

In Thai-Kickboxing people switch between the Pro. and Am. systems regularly, seeing it as merely switching between rules, ( i.e. wearing safety equipment or not ). Just as someone may switch between Muaythai ( Stadium rules ) or K-1 / Superleague ( Modified Rules ).

This is understandably done to try and keep a person as active as possible, however in certain countries there is little Pro. activitiy due to differing reasons and some fighters have Pro. records and Am. of many contests. Especially the some of the East Europeans!

This can be a little unfair for those that have only competed strictly as Amateurs, should they then come up against seasoned Professionals.

This has happened many times to people who have entered Amateur Muaythai events in Thailand, to be matched against fighters ( not just Thai's ) with extensive Pro. experience. ( As mnentioned the East Europeans ).

Currently the A.K.A. base of schools entering Players is expanding greatly. In 2005 there were 13 in the areas represented in the schools league, with 2006 already having several more schools expressing interest.

As the league expands, it is intended to bring the A.K.A. into line with the A.B.A. and only allow 4 Professional contests before losing the chance to compete under A.K.A. Amateur rules. This will benefit those that wish to compete as Amateurs, only against Amateurs.

Recently we had people enquire that had extensive Pro. experience, and even K-1 experience about competing on the A.K.A. events. While it would be an honour to promote these people, it could be a backwards step for the A.K.A. which has Player safety as its priority, especially should someone get hurt due to being overmatched.

I hope that answered your question. Sorry for missing it earlier, and Bestwishes for 2006!

Checkout the rules at www.aka-england.org

Players?

Hi Phil,

The aim of many groups worldwide is to see Thai-Kickboxing as an Olympic sport.

It is far easier to follow in the footsteps of another, who has already completed a difficult but succesfull journey, than to forge one in a different direction that may lead to no-where.

To explain more clearly. The Olympic Games are about peace, and athletes competing against one another in friendship to help exand understanding of differing cultures and nations.

Combat sports have been allowed to be part of the games under certain criteria. FIGHTERS do not FIGHT each other in FIGHTS.

PLAYERS COMPETE against one another in a SPORT.

Hence athletes from Judo, Boxing and Taekwondo are referred to as PLAYERS.

This is why the term PLAYER is used in A.K.A. Competitions. Following an Olympic Theme.

As I mentioned earlier, following a succesfull path already paved will lead to a greater chance of recognition.

Olympic Amateur Boxing uses Headgear and Score Machines. Love them or Loath them, the I.O.C. accepts them.

Olympic Amateur Taekwondo uses further safety equipment such as Bodyshields etc. Love them or Loath them, the I.O.C. Accepts them.

Take a minute, click onto the A.K.A. website. I reccomend that you watch the British Middleweight Title contest fearturing Ben Dukes ( Leeds ) and Warren Caulder ( Bury-St-Edmunds ) that is on there.

Could this one day be Olympic Kickboxing?

If Thai-Kickboxing was Modified along certain lines, already acceptable by the I.O.C. you never know!

Email me your postal address and I will send you a complete DVD of the November Event as I have 12 left in stock. ( anyone else interested, email me - while stocks last ).

www.aka-england.org

No this could not be one day olimpic kickboxing.
In all sports in the olimpics the "players" are the best from each country,in its purest form this is not amateur thai boxing,at least not how it is in other countrys eg Finland where it is treated as a seperate sport and fighters aim is not always to use it as a stepping stone to the pro ranks,
Therefore this is novice padded muay thai,nothing wrong with that but i feel it is very different to a sport that could be concidered for the worlds greatest sporting spectacle.the olimpic games.

Hi Neil .. tried emailing , but wont send for some reason .. can you email me the details for the next show

cheers

Personally I see lots of similarities with the A.K.A. Kickboxing system to the A.B.A. Boxing system.

Personally I would be happy to see a Kickboxing 'style' as an olympic sport.

Since the A.K.A. rules are 'modified' along those used by K-1 and Superleague, ( Kicks, Boxing Knees and limited clinch ), I feel these rules too are most likely to be the most succesfull criteria.

Just look at how popular K-1(Max) and Superleague are today, with the fighters from these systems World reneown and able build up substantial carear earnings.

With the 'many' world champions in so many variations of Kickboxing styles, should there one day be a specific style - 'Olympic Kickboxing', with 'Olympic Champions' at Kickboxing, surely this would benefit the sport as a whole.

On a good note : FIGHT CLUB - WHAT A GREAT FILM!!!

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Dale, what was email address were you using?

neil@warrington-kickboxing.com

I realy wasnt meaning to be negative about the style of thai boxing at all just if we are to move the sport forward in the ammature game then we must give more experienced fighters the chance to become fighters in these rules we must be carefull obviously of matching people in these matches,one thing that could be done that is done very well in amm boxing is a class system,i am just thinking of the long run rather than the short term where you will get fighters purely using these fights as a stepping stone to the pro renks,i feel that padded am fights are a great spectacle in themselves and could be promoted well.I also feel that thif form of thai boxing learnes the fighter to use better technique,i am in no way saying the rules or style are wrong just that maby the British amm champion should be the best fighter in britain at fighting amm rules?
jmo no offence ment.

fair comment.... look at Chrissy Mac's success on the IAMTF circuit!!!!

No probs, I didn't think that you were, and totally respect that everyone has different points of view ( I still think it could pass for Olympic Kickboxing ).

You are quite right about other nations though, like Finland, who are very well organised.

In the UK there seems to be a great increase at the moment in Amateur Activity - which could be a good thing.

Even the cover of Januarys 'FIGHTERS MAGAZINE' features an amateur bout from the recent GOLDEN BELT championships.

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The only let down is the presentation. It does the Amateur game no good at all, when fighters do not wear matching/corresponding equipment to their corner and have masking tape wrapped around their shin-pads.

It looks more presentable when Red corner wears ALL RED safety equipment and red tape to strengthen the shin pads, and Blue corner wears ALL BLUE safety equipment and blue tape to strengthen the shin pads.

Its not like it is that hard to organise/arrange - but makes a great difference to the presentation.

You are right there Mr C. Chris Macdonald was probrably one of the UK's leading fighters.

Its a shame that he is no longer active. I Imagine there would have been a few exciting contests for him now.

He was an amateur success through and through. I think his most recent contest was a challenge for an ISKA World Title (Pro.) in Japan.

Yeah, I think he lost that one on points.

Pete Feeley comes on here now, doesnt he?
Maybe he can shed a bit more light on the story...

I remember people saying that he had no power and that he was strictly an amateur fighter but I have seen him fight a few times under pro rules and his amaeur background made him more clinical. I think he picked his shots well as he wasnt concentrating on power, more on speed and good technique....which, as we all know, gives power anyway....

good to watch

Yes i do believe that presentation is very important and if presented properly it can look a lot more "professional" than the pro ranks.The whole purpose as far as i am oncerned is to promote the sport of muay thai which is a totaly different thing to "novice shows or bouts" so i believe it would be a good idea to get some mor experienced fighters involved ?I believe that Mr Cadden fought in the world champs only about a year ago and is now pro world champion ,i se no problem with fighters fighting in both styles as long as there is a class system,bu t i realise that takes a lot of organising and also money as you need people full time to organise these kind of things.Lottery funding i recon would be interested have you tried that route?

Sorry to bore you but one more thing because of all the padding it ids possible for a fighter with a fair bit more of experience to fight a less experienced one with less chance of physical dammage than in the pro ranks.As an example only last year Kieran Keddle fought Buakow padded rules and went the distance,this is no disrespect to Kieran at all but under pro rules i dont think he would have done so well.Therefore i feel a gap in experience would not be such a big factor in padded amm fights?

"Sorry to bore you but one more thing because of all the padding it ids possible for a fighter with a fair bit more of experience to fight a less experienced one with less chance of physical dammage"

This is the reason why there must be an amatuer system alongside the pro.

It is correct what you say and if the damage is to be done and the chance is to be taken then it must be under pro rules and with a purse.

Further to any comments that are derogatory towards amateur fighters, - the fact is do not compete within the amatuer circuit if you do not like it or you think it is beneath you.

I can only say that fair is fair on this occassion and the title holders and results are posted regular. You think your better than a title holder then put the pads on and compete under the rules.

But remember when you win the title you must post it as an "Amateur" Title in the press etc...

Nobody is kidding themselves that Amateur ir pro. Hence the title "Amateur".

You have completely misunderstood my quote.
I feel amateur is the way forward for british thai boxing,i am not trying to promote myself in any way or that i am any better or worse than any am fighter,i have the deepest respect for anybody who puts on the gloves in any ring sport i am just trying to say that i feel more experienced fighters should be able to fight in the am ranks,not against novices but against similar matches maby im not getting that across i just think it can be more than a stepping stone to the pro ranks.

So what your saying is that the strictly pro fighters should be able to mix and match between different style rules…..
1 week fight pro, have a week off for injuries etc and then be in the ring again the following week on an amateur show with amateur rules and full pads.

Mixing and matching styles like that will be hard and may slow progress as you are trying to learn TWO styles. One week you are training on power styles and then the following week your opponent wins because you are too static (even if the shots don’t hurt/move you, they still score points).
Sure, you will clock up some great ring experience, but I think it will slow learning of one particular style.
(ie a low kick will score 1-point, irrespective of effect, under amateur rules. Under pro-rules the low kick must show effect by moving/ unbalancing your opponent for it to be recognised as a scoring blow)

You are right Tyler, I have competed under amateur rules before, and this is one of the things I found very frustrating. The fact that every time I hit my opponent he fell to the other side of the ring, but he could come back by throwing a two or three ineffective shots and win on points. The fact is that when you have got your technique down, its difficult to change styles and you need to be aware of how the judges are scoring and what they are looking for; hence my interest in the developments, training courses and comments on here by one of the UK’s top judges and referees, Tony Myers.

I can think of several amateur fights where the result would have been different if it were under pro-rules. This is an opportunity to establish which style suits each individual fighter.

In short…. HORSES FOR COURSES

There has been some talk on here about “veterans leagues” before…just because fighters get old, they would still like to compete….the older you get, the slower you heal, but they may still want to get in and fight with pads to have a “knock-about”..... Maybe an idea, Neil….. :)

What’s the oldest guy you have had on the AKA shows?

I love AX,

It not only brings forward different view points, that others may never have considered before, but it also raises new ideas from which people can build upon.

Tyler, Herrcutt and Noii666 - thanks for your comments, and keep them coming..

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Thai-Kickboxing and Western Boxing have so many similarities. Especially true is the fact that both are different games when it comes to the Amateur Style or the Pro. Style.

Of course, the Pro Styles in both systems give more weight to effective damage, where as the Amateur game is more speed and technique.

However getting a good grounding, i.e. an Amateur record before turning Pro., should in theory result in NEW Pro's ( N-Class or C-Class ) that have cleaner technique.

Which returns us to the problem mentioned on other threads about taking the sport forward, only to show novice Pro. bouts on television that just ruin the sport. If all of these undercard TV bouts were more technical, then they should be more exciting to watch.

On an interesting note, Peles recent show featured 5 former A.K.A. Amateur competitors on his undercard, competing as C-Class Novices. There was certainly some action on there as there were quite a few stoppages early!

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As for Chris Macdonald, he has always been one of my favourite fighters, ever since he was a Junior when my brother shared the ring with him on 3 occasions for Junior British Titles (both defending the title against each other).

I would describe Chris as being very accurate with his techniques, his win with a perfectly timed Elbow to the temple of an opponent for a British MT Title being a excellent example. No power - as such in that K.O., just awesome technique!

Keiren padding up against Buakow, was a good move experience-wise, showed great management, and is also a reflection of Character. Keiren respecting all systems. As too with Mr C, padding up for his country.

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Professional Boxing (UK) has a title known as the British Masters Title. I am not 100% on the criteria for the title, wether it is age, or that it can only be contested by boxers ranked outside the top 10.

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Herrcutt - email me your address, and I will send you a DVD of the last AKA event.

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Although quite exciting as we enter 2006, the only detriment to there being more Amateur Activity is the presentation of the game.

Promoters of Amateur bouts really need to insist the competitors wear all matching armour, be it RED, BLUE, BLACK or WHITE - and desperately need to use matching coloured tape over the shin-pads. PLEASE!!!

The A.K.A. European Amateur Title is now available to be viewed online.

www.aka-england.org then select the VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS PAGE.