Championship Kickboxing St Helens 15th July 2007

This was the first show for our promising new fighter Sam Ben Mohamed. Sam has been training for around 12 months and has previously competed in one interclub. This was a step up for him, fighting on the same bill as two European title fights. Sam was matched up to Abdul Jaffag from Stoke Terminators for 3 x 1.5 min rounds full contact kickboxing. It was an exciting fight, with Sam showing his usual crowd pleasing style and both fighters going for some tricky moves. In the end it was too close to call and the judges unanimously scored the fight a draw. Many thanks to Jaffag’s trainer Humbert Salmon, and we now look forward to a re match in October. Definitely a fight to watch out for. Well done to Sam who did us proud and thanks to the students who came along to support us.

The Martial Arts Studio Interclub 22nd July 2007

This popular event has now grown so large that the venue was changed to Club Isis, Liverpool, venue for a lot of major shows. Despite the number of bouts, the event ran smoothly, well done to promoters Bern, Gary & Sharon Giam and also referee Mike Fowles.
First up was Rhys Shaw age 10, keen to get in the ring again. Rhys fought well but it was not enough and he lost the fight. Next up and in the ring for the first time was big sister Kirsty Shaw age 13. Unfortunately very mismatched, Kirsty was up against a much more experienced fighter, despite Kirsty having only trained for around three months. The referee stopped the fight in the second round after a strong front kick put Kirsty down. However Kirsty is undeterred and will only come back stronger next time.
Hilary Rourke was next up in the adults, fighting Vicky Kelly. Hilary has had one previous fight a few years ago which was a friendly, so this was quite a step up for her. Vicky is a strong fighter and certainly kept the pressure on Hilary, but Hilary held her own and managed to put Vicky down at the end of the first round. Despite this Vicky went on to win the fight, but this was an exciting fight and Hilary certainly gave a good account of herself. We look forward to seeing these two fighters meet again.

Kickboxing Course

On 5th August we were pleased to welcome British & European Champion and top referee Mike Fowles to our club for a kickboxing course. We all enjoyed the course and look forward to regular courses with Mike in the future.

The first show for promoter Ste Cullen, this was an enjoyable day, with a mix of kids interclub and adults show, culminating in a North West Area title fight.

Well done to Joe Slater age 12, first time in the ring after training for only 4 months. Joe fought well despite being slightly mismatched with a much more experienced fighter and scored a draw.

Hilary Rourke was back in the ring after only 2 weeks, this time for a demonstration fight. Hilary’s opponent was a good deal heavier which put Hilary under some pressure, but she held her own and is keen to get back in the ring now for her next competitive fight.

Sam Ben Mohamed returned to achieve an impressive win against Ged Hardman from Carl Kilbride Champions. The fight started a bit messy but Sam then got his composure halfway through the first round and delivered some punishing blows with his usual style. This was arguably the most exciting fight of the day, and the judges returned a unanimous decision awarding the fight to Sam. Although an outsider Sam was very well supported by the crowd and is fast becoming a name to watch out for. Well done to all three fighters and many thanks to Paul and Allen of Fortitudo Kickboxing club for their help in the corner.