Michael Dicks: “Whoever Grandmaster Sken puts in front of me, it will be a tough fight!”

Grandmaster Sken’s November 7th MSA Muay Thai Premier League” Supershow is brimming with home grown talent - and one of the stars of the night will be Darlington’s Michael Dicks as he challenges Andre Kulebin for the WMC World title. Dicks would make many ‘Top 5’ lists of fighters in this country but his is a story you hear more frequently in boxing, namely that of the bad boy made good through dedication to his sport. Thrown out of mainstream school for always being in trouble, Michael visited Paul Hamilton’s gym as part of his specialist school’s programme and when the programme finished Michael carried on training.



He was inspired to emulate the Darlington gym’s coach, as Paul’s career was one of unrivalled success both at home and abroad winning a total of twenty three belts across four weights. Michael quickly established himself as a fighter to watch, his all action style accompanied by a high knockout ratio and although he was flamboyant within the ring, he was modest and quietly spoken in interviews. As his skill and reputation grew, Michael honed his skills and developed a more disciplined approach. Perhaps the most important key to his success is the fact that he gives every fight one hundred percent focus. “I treat every fight the same, and prepare for them all in the same way mentally. I may adopt a different style of training depending on my opponent’s style but, mentally, every fight is equally important.”

Given his style and the level of opponent he has fought, Michael has been in his share of tough fights, using the hard lessons of defeat to better himself whilst savouring some of the more memorable victories including fighting for and winning the WMC Intercontinental title on Paul’s own promotion in his own hometown -“an amazing experience.” He also felt hugely privileged to fight on the Thai King’s Birthday show in Bangkok in December 2007. Moments like this have helped to temper his biggest disappointment which was losing the WMC MAD World title when he was sure he had won the fight.
Now Michael is ready for any challenge and does not dismiss UK fighters pointing out that whilst there is a wider range of fighters outside the UK, there is always going to be new and old challenges for him on home soil and with that in mind, he has a number of hard fights coming up between now and November 7th including a bout in Italy. Then it is his World title fight on Grandmaster Sken’s show and Michael believes it will be another great show by the hugely respected veteran promoter. “Master Sken always puts a lot of effort into great match making. His shows are always very dynamic with lots of explosive fights, which is always good to watch. The atmosphere is always exciting and the bouts are always first class.”