An Interview with John Wayne Parr by fans

Will he retire? When does he fight next? All these questions and more answered.....
This was your interview with John Wayne Parr, these questions were emailed in by the readers of Muaythai Online. John is the Australian World Champion.

John recently defeated Scott Bannon with a second round knee stoppage for the ISKA world title. He will also be headlineing the King's Cup in Thailand on December 5th.

Thanks to all of you that sent in your questions. Our next "your chance to interview" interview will be with Mike Miles.

Question 1: John, I want to know how long you trained in Thailand and a bit about your experiences there. How did you support yourself in Thailand ? Dan Tharp 5-4-1 in KB and going to Thailand next year to train and teach. Congrats on your win and hope to see more of you..Oh , USA Kansas city Missouri
JWP: I lived in Thailand for 4 years only coming home for the X'mas New Year break. I won my first 9 fights straight over there and became the first westerner to make the front cover of Muay Thai magazine. I fought live on TV 8 times, Lumpinee 3 times and voted strongest westerner in Thailand in 1997. On December 5th it will be my third time fighting on the Kings Birthday card. I supported myself through my fight earnings and a little help from back home. Thanks Dan for your support.

Question 2: Wayne, Congratulations on your win. I just wanted to ask you, after your fight, in an interview on Fox sports you said that after the King's Birthday fights you are going to concentrate more on western boxing. I know you now have the ISKA belt, but are your still interested in going for the WMC title or are you content with the ISKA title?

JWP: The Kings Birthday will be my last Muay Thai fight unless there is a good payday in the future. There is a chance I might fight in the Middleweight K1 next year in Japan. I have done what every Muay Thai fighter could dream of and winning the world title was the icing on the cake. I am enjoying my boxing now and look forward to making some real money.
Thanks Andrew for your support.

Question 3: Hi Wayne, I've got a number of questions for you....

1. How hard was it to go over to train in Thailand did the Thailand training camps take you seriously ?
2. Boonchu gym is shaping up to be one of the strongest gyms in Queensland, do you have a strict discipline similar to Thailand training camps?
3. Is it due to lack of competition in Australia that has steered you to the boxing direction or is it the overseas fighting scene too hard to break into to eg Denmark Holland England.
4. You have a lot of young guns coming up through the ranks of Boonchu so i am sure there is no problem keeping the thai style fighting going strong. Has the influence of Dave Briggs and Rod Waterhouse improved hand fighting styles.
5. Who is the toughest fighter that you would rank in Thailand and what would the best fight you have seen in Australia? Debbie Phillips, Valhalla gym, Toowoomba.

JWP:

1. I always wanted to go to Thailand since the age of 13. At 19 I got the chance to live there for 6 months. I loved everyday and after New Years 1996 the Thai camp rang Richard and invited me back to represent their camp.
2. I just teach my boys good technique and teach them to be strong. All my boys must show heart before I let them fight.
3. I am happy with my Muay Thai career. I have been doing Muay Thai for 11 years and still haven't made any money. I always wanted to box and meeting Rod Waterhouse was a blessing.
4. My hands have improved 100% since meeting Rod & Dave Briggs and my training is a lot more professional which gives me more confidence in the ring.
5. Sangtien-noi, my trainer, has been fighting for 20 years and fought anyone. A true champion. Best fight in Australia, Paul Briggs V Shane Dargaville. Thanks Deb.

Question 4: Hello JWP, My question to you is.. I am going to be representing Canada in my weight class (feather weight) on March 2001 in Bangkok Thailand (a IAMTF sanctioned event),and know you have trained and fought in Thailand in the past. I was wondering what advice you could give us amateur fighters on training to beat a Thai fighter or even a European fighter as I know they are going to be very tough to compete against.

JWP: Thanks Kim! The best advise I can offer is be strong and never give up. Train as hard as you can so you are fit and you don't have to worry about running out of steam in the ring. Be prepared mentally for a war and your technique and fitness will carry you through.

Question 5: How long do you train per day and per week normally and then in preperation for a fight? Any chance of you fighting over here in England? What is your favourite technique in a fight? What are your feelings on the result with Scott Bannon? can you take us through the fight?

JWP:

• I train 2 ½ hours in the morning and then the same in the early evening, 6 days a week whether I have a fight or not. I'm fit to fight all year round and have a weeks rest after each contest.
• I would only fight in the UK if it was a boxing fight. Some offers have been made and we will decide what is happening early next year.
• I'm a competent all round fighter so my favourite technique would be what ever lands flush and does the job.
• I am very happy with the result as I trained for ten weeks solid preparing for Scott and although he was world champion, it became just another day in the office for me. I knew after the first round I was going to be to strong for Scott and my defense was good. The Shin kicks from the first round took their toll as I opened up in the second we got into a grapple and the first Knee I landed finished the fight. Scott put up a good fight but I was the better man on the night. Thanks Seb.