1/How did you first start in martial arts training and have you studied any arts other than Muay Thai?
I was 13 yrs old when I started Muay Thai, my cousin, World Champion Andy Howson dragged me down with him because he had just started training himself. I was hooked straight away, it was the 1st real contact sport I’d tried. I was only playing a lot of football at the time no other martial arts.
2/How are you feeling about your fight next Saturday against Andre Kulebin? This is possibly one of the biggest Thai shows the UK has ever seen.
Yes it’s a massive show and I’m proud to be one of the headline fights. I’m feeling good about the fight I’ve trained really hard so I’m feeling fit, strong and confident.
3/ What is your training regime like normally compared to during a fight camp? How do you push yourself in the fight camp to prepare yourself to go up against some of the best Thai fighters in the world?
Even when not training I’m always in the gym teaching so I’m always sparring and holdinhg pads and keeping fit. 6 weeks out from a fight I’ll start one hard session a day then four weeks out I’ll do two hard sessions a day plus a run as well…Mr Smith is always coming up with great new classes, techniques and workouts to keep all the fighters on their toes.
4/ Do you think that it is necessary to train and compete in Thailand to become amongst the best?
Ithink it is when you are fighting with the top Thai fighters, you need to learn about scoring and how they fight. Richard still goes to Thailand for 6weeks out of the year, every year and picks up new tips and training methods; he’s a fountain of knowledge already but is still always trying to learn more to be a better coach, which is why I feel BadCompany is always evolving.
5/ What else would you like to achieve in your Muay Thai career?
There’s still lots I’d like to achieve, there’s still plenty of big fights for me all over Europe and the world, I’m still only young, I’d like to fight for another 6-7 years if possible.
