An exciting 4-Man elimination tournament kicks off another year of Warriors Way muay thai on Saturday night with four of the countries best lightweight fighters squaring off for honours at the Doncaster Shopping Town Hotel.
Somewhat unique to kickboxing and muay thai, the one-night elimination tournament format offers an exciting combination of matchups where competitors can fight numerous times throughout the night against different opponents. Strategy and tactics come into play with these tournaments, where the fighters must make sure they don’t get injured on their way to the final.
The line-up for the tournament consists of quite possibly the strongest lighter weight fighters in Victoria right now with Ramesh Habib, River Daz, Indigo Boyd all taking part. Rounding out the tournament is Canberra’s Lee Fook.
Habib enters the four-man having only competed under a month ago on Epic Muay Thai in Perth against Barrie Oliver in which he lost by a close points decision on the night. The tall and rangy Habib has the longest reach of the line-up and will be looking to use his strong push kicks to keep his opponents at bay and launch attacks from a distance. Habib has already fought one of the other tournament contenders before in Fook, taking a decision victory over the ACT fighter last year.
Fook travels down to Melbourne looking to get back in the winner’s circle following a loss last month to the highly touted Quade Taranaki in New Zealand at Knees of Fury 69. While his fight record features a mix of results, Fook is one fighter in the line-up who shouldn’t be underestimated as he brings vicious intent into all his fights with a strong emphasis on devastating elbows and forward moving attacks.
Another fighter in the tournament who is not afraid to press forward and unload on opponents is the fast-rising Indigo Boyd. Coming off an incredible year in which he won numerous titles and only lost once to Victorian veteran Alexi Petroulias, Boyd is looking to collect more scalps in the lightweight division as he presses his case for recognition on the national stage.
The fourth and final entrant into the eliminator is local favourite and the undefeated River Daz who comes to Warriors Way 21 with an almost perfect record and looking to propel himself further up the national ranks. As the current World Muay Thai Council (WMC) Victorian Lightweight Champion, Daz will perhaps be the favourite on paper and will look to continue his winning ways following a March victory against Kiw Eikkasit at Rebellion Muay Thai 18.
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The night’s semi-main event features a trans-Tasman battle between New Zealander Sam Hill and the Iranian born, Australian based Abbas Ahmadi. The bout, set for five rounds, is sure to be a fight of the night contender between two athletes who are known for putting on exciting performances in many of their fights.
Hill returns to the ring after an incredible 2017 highlighted by winning the King in the Ring 8-man Welterweight tournament in September, while Ahmadi is looking to start the year on a positive note following mixed results in 2017 which included a decision points loss to the formidable Barrie Oliver at Rebellion Muay Thai 16 in August.
Also making his return to the ring following an October 2017 loss to Australian kickboxing star Steve McKinnon, is Englishman Joe Boobyer. Boobyer, now living in Melbourne and training out of Absolute MMA, is looking for his first win on Australian soil after falling short in his bout with McKinnon.
With that fight occurring under international K1 rules, Boobyer at times struggled with the limited nature of the rule set and will be looking to showcase his full range of skills on Saturday night when he meets Jono Almond in a three-round fight at 85kg.
Almond will be taking on a tough challenge in Boobyer, having not fought since his September 2016 loss to Wade Robertson in which he was knocked out in the first round of their Muay Thai Australia (MTA) Victorian title bout. Despite the long layoff, Almond has been working hard at his home, The Ring Gym, where he is trained by Victorian muay thai stalwarts Andy Colgrave and Brett Franklin.
Also appearing on the card is a bout between Melbourne fighter Elliott Glenister and New Zealand’s Yassin Yas, while Clem Taylor and Corey Barrett square off in all-Victorian battle at 66kg. The 21st edition of Warriors Way features a 14-fight card, with 13 of those fights taking place under full muay thai rules with knees and elbows.
Fight Card:
- 63kg 4-Man Tournament
- River Daz (VIC)
- Lee Fook (NSW)
- Indigo Boyd (VIC)
- Ramesh Habib (VIC)
- 4 Man Eliminator Final
- Abbas Ahmadi vs Sam Hill (New Zealand)
- Joe Boobyer (England) vs Jono Almond
- Iwan Jones vs Quan Trinh
- Elliott Glenister vs Yassin Yas (New Zealand)
- Corey Barrett vs Clem Taylor
- Matt Eade vs Soane Tatillie
- Joseph Coverdale vs Murtaza Torkmanayar
- Darren Gn vs Matua Maniapoto
- 4 Man Eliminator Semi-Final #2
- 4 Man Eliminator Semi-Final #1
- Ben Higgins vs Quang Pham
- Jenna Bryan vs Raine Dickens
- Issac Tomlinson vs Quentin Colliaux
