Friday
Jun122009
June 12, 2009
Tonight, in the heart downtown Manhattan, the narrow, snaking streets of New York's financial district find themselves lined with droves of MuayThai fans, waiting eagerly to make their way into the Broad Street Ballroom. For in the intimate, column-lined chamber that is the elegant ballroom, promoter Justin Blair and the
Church Street Boxing Gym have prepared a treat for fans tonight in the form of the nine-bout-deep MuayThai card that awaits. A boxing ring sits conspicuously in the center of the cozy hall, which is more accusotomed to the likes of ceremonies of a tamer sort. As the time for the opening bell draws closer, packs of excited enthusiasts, many adorned in apparel that leaves nothing to the imagination in regards to where their loyalties lie, stake out standing-room real estate for the seatless spectacle. A four-person band consisting of a percussion, violin, and guitar player along with one rapping vocalist emerges in the center of the ring to energize the crowd; their sound is amazing and the vibe is electric. Shortly after, the first bout of the evening is upon us...
Bout #1
Carlos Restrepo
Sitan Gym
VS
Vincent Hui
Camp Undefeated
3 x 2 min. rounds
Official Scoring:
Judge A:
B:
C:
29 – 27
30 – 26
29 – 27
Unofficial Scoring:
29 – 27
Winner:
Carlos Restrepo
Hui opens up at frantic pace, looking to land his right low kick. Restrepo is unfazed by Hui’s aggression and is able to check many of his kicks, responding with accurate right straight hands, trying to slow Hui down. As the range closes, Hui is intent to land his right knee to Restrepo’s midsection, but is unable to connect with anything substantial. Restrepo continues to land his right hand from outside. Hui stays game, though, and begins to let his right body kick go against Restrepo, who answers in kind. Hui seems to have pushed too hard opening the round and he is winded by the last quarter of the first round. Restrepo takes advantage, landing a series of three or four right hands, the final of which sends Hui down to the canvas. Referee Wagner starts to count and Hui is up relatively quickly; the round ends shortly thereafter. Early in the second, Restrepo opens up with several clean alternating left and right hooks to the head as Hui is finds himself up against the ropes. Hui looks to change the complexion of the fight and tries to work his way inside to clinch. Restrepo, on the other hand, remains calm and is successful in keeping his distance, letting his low kicks go to score. Hui is visibly tired but continues to move forward. Restrepo inches back, measuring his distance carefully and is able to take the round with better ring generalship and cleaner shots. As the third round begins, Hui seems to have caught a second wind and opens up with three to four rapidly executed left body kicks which Restrepo can only catch on his arms. Hui follows up with a good left hook-right hand combination. Hui continues to press, mounting a successful attack with his right hand and middle kick; Hui has the momentum. Restrepo is generally defensive and tries to answer back with his right hand, but is outworked by Hui. At one point, Hui catches one of Restrepo’s kicks and follows up with a good sweep that sends Restrepo to the canvas. A commendable finish on Hui’s part but he is unable to overcome the point deficit from the first two rounds. Restrepo is awarded the victory by the judges.
Bout #2
Dan Corchado
Camp Undefeated
VS
Eddie Marini
Church Street Boxing Gym
3 x 2 min. rounds
Official Scoring:
Judge A:
B:
C:
29 – 28
29 – 28
30 – 27
Unofficial Scoring:
29 – 28
Winner:
Dan Corchado
Round one opens with both Corchado and Marini step in looking to land big with their hands – big left hooks and right hands fly from both fighters. As the distance opens up, Marini probes with low left kicks to the inside of Corchado’s leg, looking for an opening. Both fighters end up in the clinch, where Corchado seems to be muscling a bit more while Marini looks calm and technical. Marini wins the clinch battles with better knees, at one point landing a series of five or six well-scoring left knees consecutively. Corchado looks to tag Marini as the clinch episode breaks to a longer range, but Marini keeps a tight guard and moves well, avoiding anything serious. Corchado knows he has lost the first round and tries to compensate in the second. He opens with a barrage of punches that generally does not land cleanly on Marini, but prevents him from getting off his shots. Corchado lets both hands go, often taking big strides moving in behind them; he throws hard and aggressively, but often ends up catching nothing more than Marini’s guard. Marini is confused by Corchado’s pace and aggressiveness, though, and can only find the jab from the outside, trying to time Corchado and/or stop him from entering. Marini remains calm, but is stifled by Corchado’s pressure. Round three sees much of the same, with Corchado moving in aggressively and Marini covering up, unable to get in between Corchado’s shots. Right hands come hard and often from Corchado, who supplements with low kicks from both sides to get into range for his hands. Marini lands a good right hand at one point but is generally a step behind Corchado. Round three closes and the judge’s all see it for Corchado, primarily due to his hyper aggressiveness.
Bout #3
M. Monousakakis
Sitan Gym
VS
Joel Diaz
Anderson’s Martial Arts
3 x 2 min. rounds
Official Scoring:
Judge A:
B:
C:
30 – 27
30 – 27
29 – 28
Unofficial Scoring:
30 – 27
Winner:
Michael Monousakakis
Monousakakis opens strong, dominating Diaz in the clinch from the outset and landing strong knees. From outside, Monousakasis, showing agility that betrays his size, lands a high kick flush. Most of the round is spent in the clinch, however, and Monousakakis lands many good knees, left and right, up the middle to Diaz’s gut. Diaz is overwhelmed in the clinch, and at times tries to box his way out or defensively place one arm near his midsection, looking to protect himself with his glove and forearm: both tactics are considered ineffective in MuayThai and Monousakakis takes the first easily. In round two Diaz is able to land a big throw on Monousakakis early in the round, but still cannot find a rhythm. Monousakakis, for his part, is very effective with his right body and low kicks, which Diaz does not have an answer for. Monousakakis is able to land a big left hook that staggers Diaz, though he stays game. Diaz tries to answer with low kicks of his own, but Monousakakis shows good defensive skills, blocking many of them and answering the aggression with left body kicks. Monousakakis’ pace has slowed considerably from the round one, however, and he looks to be a bit tired as the fight moves into the third. But round three sees another dominating performance for Monousakakis, who is able to effectively use his teep and jab to keep Diaz outside. As Diaz moves forward, trying to close the distance, Monousakakis lands long right knees, low kicks, and his right hand; Diaz looks confused and cannot muster a counterattack. He is reduced to swinging wildly, looking for something big, as he knows he is down on the judges' cards. Monousakakis caps off the round by landing three or four consecutive big right hands which land cleanly and have Diaz back-peddling. The bell sounds and the Monousakakis is awarded a unanimous decision.
Bout #4
Chasz Kobea
Khanom Tom
VS
Chris Schilling
North Jersey Muay Thai
3 x 2 min. rounds
Official Scoring:
Judge A:
B:
C:
30 – 27
30 – 27
30 – 27
Unofficial Scoring:
29 – 27
Winner:
Chasz Kobea
Round one opens with Schilling trying to land his low kicks, left and right, trying to probe Kobea and find an opening. Kobea answers back with his own right leg kicks, which lands consistently. Kobea also starts landing a straight right hand that Schilling seems to be slow to pick up. The fighters enter the clinch, where Kobea is more effective, controlling and landing better knees up the center. Kobea shows good poise and has good eyes which enable him to see many of Schilling’s attacks. Schiling cannot find his rhythm and forces some right low kicks which Kobea often grabs and counters, either with his right hand or low kicks to Schilling’s supporting leg. Schiling seems to be intimidated by Kobea’s powerful hands, and his confidence is affected. As the second opens, Schiling comes out strong, looking to pressure Kobea with his hands. Kobea is unflinching and land his straight right again. Kobea scores big with a well-executed kick catch-sweep combination that sends Schilling to the canvas. He continues to have success with his outside leg kick and Schilling doesn’t have response. Kobea remains calm and shows good eyes and defense throughout the round. Schilling still looks confused a bit and cannot find anything that works. In the third, Kobea dominates with his low kicks and strong hands. At one point, Kobea chases Schilling across the ring with consecutive right hands that hurt Schilling and have him turning his head and back-peddling into his corner. Kobea controls from the outside and in clinch range, landing strong knees. The pressure is too much for Schilling and Kobea takes the fight easily on the judges’ cards.
Bout #5
Cory Sheikh
OAMA - Renzo Gracie
VS
Will Espinal
Sitan Gym
3 x 2 min. rounds
Official Scoring:
Judge A:
B:
C:
29 – 28
30 – 27
29 – 28
Unofficial Scoring:
30 – 27
Winner:
Will Espinal
Sheikh and Espinal waste no time and open up gunning. Sheikh looks for his left hook while Espinal looks to land his right hand over the top. Both hit hard but are unfazed by the other’s punches. They move into the clinch where Sheikh scores with some solid knees inside. The action moves back outside where Espinal fires a left kick and Sheikh is down with an apparent low blow. Referee Wagner gives Sheikh a brief rest and the action starts again shortly. Sheikh comes hard with his hands but Espinal answers with a series of punches followed by a strong right body kick. He follows up with a good left hook-right hand and the fight moves into the clinch. Again, both work hard but it is Espinal who seems to be in control in terms of positioning and he is able to land some well-scoring knees. As round two opens, Espinal is able to land a solid right body kick, and the fight moves to the clinch shortly after. Sheikh works hard to grab top clinch with both hands, but Espinal wraps a body lock to counter and is able to land several good right knees. The fighters are separated and the fight moves to the outside again. Sheikh lands a very powerful left hook that seems to stun Espinal for a moment. Espinal responds with a wide grin, acknowledging the shot, and returns a strong straight right hand of his own. The fight moves into the clinch again where Espinal is dominant, though Sheikh is very game and works hard to try to find position on his opponent. Near the end of the round, Espinal looks for a big body kick that Sheikh sees and catches, following it up with a big throw. It is not enough to win the round for Sheikh, however, and the fight moves into the third. As round three begins, both fighters are still energetic and again start at a high pace. Espinal lands his right hand and right middle kicks, while Sheikh, too, throws hard with his hands and at one point, lands a good long knee with his right from the outside. Sheikh brings his left leg into play landing some good kicks and Espinal does the same, landing a good right hand-left kick combination. Near the end of the round, Espinal is able to land two solid right hands that connect flush. The round ends and it goes to the cards; Espinal is awarded the unanimous decision on all judges’ cards. A very entertaining, high-energy fight from both fighters.
Bout #6
Scott Drummond
Yamasaki Academy
VS
Andrew Rivera
Camp Undefeated
3 x 2 min. rounds
Official Scoring:
Judge A:
B:
C:
29 – 27
29 – 27
29 – 27
Unofficial Scoring:
29 – 27
Winner:
Andrew Rivera
Rivera is in control right from the beginning, showing poise and good eyes. Rivera opens with hard low kicks that land cleanly on Drummond’s thigh. Drummond does not look comfortable and is bothered by Rivera’s power. Drummond manages to get off some kicks, but he is off-balance and they are ineffective. Rivera senses Drummond’s vulnerability and lands a solid right hand, followed by another one over the top that drops Drummond to the mat. Referee Wagner counts and Drummond is back on his feet to make the count. Rivera returns to his right low kick again which continues landing, and in addition, lands a big left hook before the round expires, maintaining control of the match. The second round begins with Drummond trying to mount an offensive with both low and body kicks from both legs, but he lacks the power to do any damage. Rivera, on the other hand, continues to land his heavy low kicks. Rivera follows it up with a high kick that catches Drummond by surprise. Rivera, now having success with his left hook and right hand, also manages to throw an unorthodox spinning back kick that scores. Drummond looks tentative throughout and is confused on how to deal with Rivera’s aggression and power. Round three begins and Drummond begins to score with his left middle kick. Though Drummond only throws one shot at a time, Rivera is unable to answer, though he does not look winded. He switches to a southpaw stance, giving Drummond a different look, but he is inactive from that position as well. Drummond’s instinct kicks in and he attacks. He is able to land left middle kicks and punches, alternating between lefts and rights through Rivera’s guard. Rivera is unable to answer effectively, only swinging wildly at points (one good right hook does land for him). Rivera switches stances throughout the round, but is unable to get his rhythm back. Drummond, though not overly powerful, severely outworks Rivera, having his best round of the fight. It is a bit too late, however, and Rivera is awarded the decision on all the judges' cards for his dominating performance in rounds one and two.
Bout #7
Andrew Moy
Gym 445
VS
Eric Ruiz
Sitan Gym / PMAA
5 x 2 min. rounds
Official Scoring:
Judge A:
B:
C:
49 – 46
50 – 45
50 – 45
Unofficial Scoring:
50 – 45
Winner:
Eric Ruiz
Moy opens up probing with his left and right low kicks to Ruiz’s lead leg from his southpaw stance. Moy tries to bring a left kick high on Ruiz, who sees it and transitions to a smooth catch and sweep counter. Moy responds by looking for his left hand-right hook combination but is hit by a hard right middle kick from Ruiz. As Moy punches from the outside, Ruiz is able to land several additional hard right body kicks which Moy takes on the arms. The fight moves into the clinch where Ruiz is dominant, scoring well with his left knee and then dumps Moy to the canvas. The fight moves to the clinch again where Ruiz controls Moy from the arm and neck and lands several more good knees which Moy does not have an answer to. The second round begins in the clinch again, where Ruiz controls Moy from the neck, spinning him around to get good angles for his knees, then follows up with a good dump. Moy tries to answer back with straight lefts, but Ruiz is able to find his way into the clinch again, where he controls well and again lands solid knees. Moy is overpowered and struggles to hold onto a body lock. The action ends as it had began in the round, with Ruiz scoring unanswered in the clinch. Round three starts on the outside, with both fighters trading punches and low kicks, with neither landing anything big. Ruiz is able to back Moy onto the ropes landing a solid right kick-left hook-left kick combination which Moy absorbs. Moy answers with several right low kicks to the outside of Ruiz’s leg. Ruiz responds by surreptitiously switching to southpaw and landing several solid low left kicks to the outside of Moy’s lead leg and he takes the round. The fourth starts with Moy trying to keep Ruiz at bay with his left hand from the outside while Ruiz has intentions to close the gap and clinch. Ruiz changes strategies a bit and decides to teep and kick at Moy with his left leg from the outside. Moy lands some quick left hands, getting in between Ruiz’s harder but slower punches, but they are not hard enough to hurt Ruiz. Ruiz is able to get inside and the fighters clinch; Ruiz controls with better position and knees. The final round opens and both fighters decide to box with their hands – Ruiz lands the harder, cleaner shots while Moy is able to land the quicker, faster blows. Ruiz is able to pin Moy against the ropes landing good right hands and left hooks, and also cutting the ring off so Moy is backed into a corner. Ruiz continues to stalk, landing solid left hooks and long knees from the outside as Moy tries to move to relieve the pressure. Moy cannot find an answer and the bell rings, signaling the ending of the round. Ruiz is awarded the decision on all the judges' cards for effective aggression and strong control of the match.
Bout #8
Paris Wyatt
?
VS
Tarek Rached
AFC Kickboxing
5 x 3 min. rounds
Official Scoring:
Judge A:
B:
C:
n/a
n/a
n/a
Unofficial Scoring:
n/a
Winner:
Tarek Rached
Rached opens with low and middle kicks that Wyatt eats flush. From the expression Wyatt wears in reaction to the shots, it seems he has never competed in any MuayThai or any genre of fight sport that included kicking; he seems antsy and distressed. Rached lands several more low kicks then offers a barrage of punches and a right high kick that sends Wyatt down to the canvas in his own corner. Wyatt looks as if he had been hit by a large vehicle and he is unable to make the count. Rached wins by knock-out victory in the first. These two fighters should not have been in the same ring together – a poorly matched fight.
Bout #9
Syd Barnier
?
VS
Rami Ibrahim
Sitan Gym PA
5 x 3 min. rounds
Official Scoring:
Judge A:
B:
C:
48 – 47
48 – 47
48 – 47
Unofficial Scoring:
49 – 47
Winner:
Syd Barnier
Both open up looking to probe and find holes in each other’s defense. Barnier jabs and uses both lead right kicks and rear left kicks to Ibrahim’s lead leg from the southpaw stance. Ibrahim uses his right middle kick and right hand looking for opening. Barnier sweeps out Ibrahim’s rear leg as he raises his leg to check what appears to be a right low kick from Barnier, but changes to a sweeping kick. Neither fighter clearly dominates the first. In the second, Barnier lands a clean right hand-left hook and Ibrahim answers back with a huge high kick which lands cleanly. Immediately, Barnier becomes tentative and Ibrahim goes to work chasing with him punches and middle and low kicks off his right leg. Barnier looks confused and finds himself primarily on the receiving end of things. Ibrahim lands a number of strong right low kicks to take the round. In the third, Barnier recovers some of his nerve and begins to move forward again. Barnier uses his straight left effectively, to the head and body, and also employs his right low kick. Ibrahim, as in the previous round, remains in control, using his right low kick and a strong right hand-left hook. Barnier is able to score a well on a good dump on Ibrahim, transitioning from a catch kick. For his part, Ibrahim is able to leap in and land a solid straight right hand that catches Barnier off guard. In the fourth, Barnier steps up the pressure, landing a good left straight body shot followed by a right hook to the head of Ibrahim. Barnier also shows good defense by pulling his leg back as Ibrahim low kicks, avoiding any damage. Ibrahim, though absorbing shots, does not look to be damaged, but spends much of the round looking for openings and not looking to land anything substantial. Barnier takes advantage and sweeps Ibrahim off his back leg again, scoring well. Ibrahim does not seem flustered and plays on the outside and is clearly outworked by Barnier this round. Ibrahim wakes up for the fifth and presses Barnier with his hands, looking for his left hook, in particular. Ibrahim pushes the pace, landing right low and middle kicks while Barnier seems confused and out of his rhythm. Barnier finds himself moving back most of the round, unable to deal with Ibrahim’s aggression. The bell sounds and Barnier is awarded the victory by majority decision. A surprising decision, it as it seemed Ibrahim did more than enough to outpoint Barnier.
The standout bout of the evening goes to Will Espinal and Cory Sheikh, who both offered the crowd spirited performances. With each showing excellent techniques and a strong will to win, both fighters put on rousing match that electrified the evening's spectators. In addition, Chasz Kobea and Eric Ruiz also showed impressive technical displays of clean MuayThai technique, the essence of the sport, which stood out tonight.
Two blemishes do stand out on tonight's show, however: the first being Rached/Wyatt match and second, the poor decision regarding the Barnier/Ibrahim match. The Rached/Wyatt match was doomed from the starting blocks, as it became evident within the first fifteen seconds of the bout that Wyatt was seriously over-matched; it seemed as if he literally had never participated in a MuayThai match before tonight. Mismatches do occur on the amateur circuit, especially in tournament scenarios, but it is rare to see the caliber of mismatch exhibited tonight when dealing with professional bouts. The fight should have never taken place, plain and simple. The second shortcoming of the night was the decision in the Barnier/Ibrahim match. Ibrahim clearly did enough to outpoint a game Barnier, yet the decision went in favor of Barnier. While the match was competitive throughout, Ibrahim clearly did enough to take the win, showing more effective aggression and overall controlling the match much more effectively than did Barnier. It must be remembered that MuayThai is not traditional karate-style point fighting, particularly on the professional level, and all aspects of a fighter's performance, including poise, ring generalship, strong defense, focus on high-scoring techniques (fighting "big"), etc., need to be taken into consideration.
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