Thai Boxing first for New Zealand

Fight Photos used with the permission of Dana Reid.

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Dunedin’s Blake ‘the Snake’ Tomlinson and Wellington’s Jordan Wehrman made history on Saturday, November 13th when they contested the first Thai boxing match with rope bound hands in New Zealand.

In the 1920s and earlier in Thailand rope bound hands were the fighter’s only hand protection in Muay Thai and gloved hands were only brought in by the government in from 1930s. Fighters would have their hands wrapped in hemp rope or with cloth. In Burma today and also on the Thai-Cambodian border fights are held with hands wrapped with cloth and tape similar to under glove wraps.

The promoter of Deadly Debut 7 was Mark Hampton of the Muay Thai Institute Wellington. There were 25 bouts on the card, but only one with rope bound hands.

Blake’s opponent Jordan Wehrman lived in Thailand for a couple of years while studying and Blake actually ran into him there while he was training and fighting in Thailand himself. Blake was shopping at Siam Paragon, mall one of the biggest malls in Southeast Asia and in a city of 8 million people by chance banged into Jordan. Jordan trained at Kaewsamrit Gym in Bangkok, Thailand and now trains at the Muay Thai Institute in Wellington and has had around 30 fights.

Blake has had 41 Fights and hopes to rack up fifty next year with a return to the ring in Thailand.

Both fighters’ hands had a small piece of tape across the knuckles and the back of the hand and then the course thin rope about the diameter of a computer cord was wrapped around multiple times across the knuckles, between the knuckles, and up above the wrist. Knots were tied in the rope between each knuckle to give the ropes a studded edge.

This rope hand bound match was contested over three three-minute rounds and the following is Blake’s recollection of the fight.

Round one, both fighters were apprehensive with Jordan keeping his lead out to gauge distance and Blake opting for a more tight compact guard. Blake’s pre-fight basic game plan was to be conservative and capitalise on any mistakes made by his opponent. Part of his plan was to make his opponent miss with low kicks so he could capitalise with his rope bound hands.

Blake’s first rope contact was landing a double jab on Jordan’s forehead against the ropes that produced a definite mark from the contact right away and that surprised Blake. Both fighters exchanged kicks in the first round, sticking mostly to basic low kicks. Jordan caught Blake with a left hook on the temporal that led to a minor swelling of the temporal artery and he also landed a punch to Blake’s jaw.

Both fighters had a full arsenal at their disposal including punches, elbows, kicks, knees, clinching, and throws, however they both chose to fight all stand up and no clinching or throwing possibly because of the first-time experience with rope bound hands and the considered increased injury risk. Blake explains contact with rope bound hands was like a cross between getting struck with a punch and an elbow. Blake felt he had done enough to take round one.

Round two went much the same way as round one, possibly with Blake throwing a few more kicks mainly low kicks and rib kicks and not risking high kicks. Blake was, from the start, intending to keep it simple and basic and not risk any techniques like spinning elbows where a miss could mean getting countered with punches. Round two ended like round one and Blake felt he had done enough to take round two as well.

In round three Blake caught Jordan’s leg and kicked his support leg out, he also teep pushed kicked him to the canvas on his backside. Blake threw more straight punches down the pipeline in round three including cutting the ring off and putting his opponent on the ropes. Blake switched to Southpaw to throw a punching combination and also when he had Jordan in the corner on the ropes he threw a seven to ten punch combination.

Blake now had more confidence to throw punches and was less concerned with the effects of the rope. Both fighters worked the last round harder than the first two, Jordan was trying to come on stronger now being behind on points, Blake continued to counter fight and avoid shots.

At the bell Blake got a unanimous decision and both fighters apart from the odd lump, bruise, and scrape were in good shape and happy with the new experience.

The Porirua crowd were great and obviously real fans of Muay Thai enjoying the Wai kru / Ram muay of both fighters, and the added excitement of the freedom of options over other stand up codes.

Auckland and Wellington for a long time have had considerable exposure to full and modified Thai boxing but Blake’s hometown of Dunedin has not had the same exposure to this topline stand-up combat sport. With the revitalization of mixed martial arts in Dunedin there has been a tendency to have kickboxing conducted in the cage to fill fight cards when necessary. The reality is Muay Thai and even modified Thai Boxing provides an even more diverse stand-up combat sport than kickboxing and is best contested in a ring over a cage. While the cage is great for MMA for Thai boxing it takes away fighting on the ropes bouncing off the ropes and sliding along the ropes. It creates risks in regards to high kicks and the toes catching in the chain mesh where as high kicks against the ropes do not.

Blake and the Combat Sports School will establish a development of a closer association between Dunedin and Otago Muay Thai gyms in 2011 to ensure fighters get more competition and fight fans get affordable exciting entertainment. This will include several full Thai and modified Thai rules promotions annually in Dunedin to encourage new fighters to the ring.

Dunedin needs to develop good Thai boxing and with top line Australian fighters in abundance securing main event fights will not be difficult. We have the Combat Sports School full size fight ring at our disposal, Sammy’s Entertainment Centre as our preferred venue and the support of Fight Times. We have all the resources support and investment and know Dunedin fight fans will flock to watch the action that Muay Thai provides. The aim is to provide fight fans with the full on action of Thai boxing at very reasonable ticket prices and as a result get local fighters ring time.

Mark Hampton is suggesting that bouts be of 3 x 3 minute rounds for the amateurs over the current 3 x 2 minute rounds. Blake would like to see fighters start with two novice fights then C class fights possibly with no knees or elbows to the head then after five such fights B class fights with the addition of knees to the head and after ten such fights they become A class fighters where they can use both elbows and knees to the head. The spectators can expect to see less of the referee and a full arsenal of stand-up weapons with a cross between East and West in the type of promotion.

Having the traditional aspects of Muay Thai including the traditional fight music and the Wai kru and the wearing of the Mongkon combined with the NZ promotional aspects will provide great fight entertainment.

We already have some A class fighters to consider matching with local and Australian based fighters and with the depth of fighters from Queensland alone we have the luxury, unlike other combat sports codes, of not being short of competitors. We have a national governing body for Thai boxing in NZ but what we don’t have is a Dunedin based association. No one wants more committees and constitutions but they need a working relationship between gyms coaches and promoters. The first step could be as simple as a website to advertise gyms and promote fight nights and ensure everyone is informed and not conflicting with dates for promotions etc.

Already I have received multiple tentative dates from two gyms for 2011 Thai boxing shows in Dunedin and everyone I have spoken to is right behind having Thai Boxing as a stand-alone event.

The new T-Shirts will read “Muay Thai: the ultimate stand up combat sport” and that is what we have to deliver and fight fans can look forward to.

Watch this space. For further details on Thai Boxing Otago, visit the website: https://thaiboxingotago.com/