Watch this display of Human Destruction

Never Underestimate The power Of Muay Thai

Joe Hopper wipes the sweat from his brow and breathes heavily following an intense session working the pads. At 50, he says with a laugh, he’s not getting any younger. What he’s not telling you is he just competed in his first muay thai tournament, against younger opponents, and won a title belt. Hopper was one of three Kawartha Combat competitors to compete in the Thai Boxing Association’s annual North American Muay Thai Classic in Des Moines, Iowa. There were 500 competitors of all ages and experience levels competing on the weekend. Hopper brought home a gold medal for winning both his bouts in the C Division, for fighters with three or less bouts, at 159 pounds. 

Kawartha Combat owner Kevin Henry, 23, earned a bronze in the A Division, for competitors with 10 or more fights, at 153 pounds. Tayler Gerow, 20, was one of two competitors in the women’s C Division at 165 pounds losing in her muay thai debut.

Hopper first walked into the gym nine months ago with no prior experience in combat sports apart from self defence classes. The manager of a trailer manufacturing company was looking for something to keep him active. Competing wasn’t originally a goal.

“I wandered in looking to get in shape and fell in love with it,” Hopper said. “Part of it was getting into better shape. As you start to age you let things go by the wayside. I wanted to get back into shape and prove to myself I could do it.”

He won a three-round decision over an opponent from Texas in his opening bout. He stopped his second opponent, from Toronto, in the second round. Hopper said he couldn’t have done it without Henry’s coaching.

“If you have trust in the people around you, your trainers, you can do whatever you put your mind to,” Hopper said.

“I was really impressed,” Henry said. “His opponents were 40 and 42. I know Joe trained like a beast and there aren’t many 50 year olds who train this hard. I knew he would not get tired. I knew there was no way these guys could work as hard as him for three rounds as long as he could take what they had to throw at him.”

Henry says Hopper is the last one to leave he gym each night and works harder than all the younger members.

“I love the gym and couldn’t ask for a nicer place to be. It feels like home,” said Hopper.

The five-foot-nine Henry fought a six-foot-two local fighter losing a close decision. His opponent went on to win the gold.

“After the fight he told me he thought I should have won,” Henry said. “He dominated his next two opponents. He was a good fighter. We had a really good match.”

Gerow tagged along with a friend the first time she visited the gym. She stayed, the friend didn’t.

“It was crazy to think of where I was a year ago to where I am now,” Gerow said. “I fell in love with the sport. It’s a mental game as well as a physical one. It’s good for both your body and your mind.”

Kawartha Combat is hosting the city’s first World Kickboxing Federation Canada sanctioned muay thai card July 18 at 2 p.m. at the Trentwinds International Centre. Local competitors scheduled include Ron Bouchard, Matt Loescher, Noel Gomez, Ryan Benson, Alex Faulkner and brothers Brennan and Ryley Picard.

Tickets are $25 in advance or $35 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Kawartha Combat, 910 High St. Unit 15, at Pawn Pros or by calling Henry at 705-868-1119 and he’ll deliver in town.

This video is a compilation of some Muay Thai scenes I gathered in the net. This is for the Muay Thai Boxers,fans and also for the ones who do not know how destructive Muay Thai is.

Source: Muay Thai Destruction – YouTube