John Wayne Parr tries hand at shootfighting

After a controversial loss to Zambidis in the final of the K-1 max Australia, JWP wanted to prove that he was still the best fighter in Australia. This was the first time John Wayne Parr had fought shoot boxing and he was jumping in the deep end fighting the Japanese world champion Goto straight off. Goto has also competed in K-1 Max Japan events.

The fight started straight away with Goto coming out fast throwing quick hands and kicks letting JWP know he was in for a fight. After blocking most of the shots in the first minute JWP decided it was time to let the visitor from Japan get a taste of what was to come pushing Goto back into the corner with hard punches, knee's and elbows.

Round two JWP found his range and wouldn't allow Goto land his fast punch-kick combos. Half way through the second JWP had Goto on the ropes and landed a nice back elbow on the side of his neck which the crowd enjoyed. Goto came back with more combo's straight away working away at both leg's finding the mark on a few occasions but most blocked.

Round three Goto came out strong, his corner must have told him he was behind on points and he didn't want to leave with a loss. Both fighters traded good combos pushing each other backwards and forwards. Half way through the round Goto went in for the grapple and put a choke around JWP's neck, JWP struggled to get out but the Japanese fighter had it looked on tight. The referee counted one as this is a big scoring technique in shoot boxing, JWP knew he was in trouble and used all his body weight to get out of the hold and then come back at Goto with long knee's and elbows. After every combo Goto would just check his head to make sure he wasn't bleeding and then kept on fighting.

Round four was another good round for both fighters, Goto was still throwing fast hands and leg kicks while JWP used his range with long kicks and knees.

Round five Goto came out hard giving it everything he had. Both fighters wanted the win and gave each other what ever energy they had left.

During the five rounds both fighters tried to throw the other but neither could pull off clean techniques so no big points were given.

At the end of the fight the scores were 48-48 50-46 50-46 with JWP getting the decision.

John Wayne Parr rematches Goto

John Wayne Parr traveled to Osaka for the rematch with Goto on 4th July. The first time they fought on the Gold Coast Australia JWP won on points under Shootboxing rules. After the announcement Goto stormed out of the ring thinking that he had done enough to win the fight. Osaka is Goto's home town and they wanted to make sure everything was on there side.

The first two rounds were pretty even with both fighters trading blows feeling each other out. In the Third and Fourth JWP picked up the action landing more telling blows with punching combo's and low kicks while Goto was mainly hitting Gloves and kicking JWP's check. The fifth round Goto had run out of steam and just stood most of the round as JWP picked him off at will.

When it was time to give the decision the judges and called it a draw and they were made to fight a extra round. JWP came out hard and attacked non-stop for the whole round, Goto returned the attack also but only half of the shots that he threw landed. Both fighters waited centre ring again for the decision and once again called a draw and were told to fight an extra round.

Both fighters at this stage were exhausted but neither wanted to give in. JWP attacked hard once again as the bell rang and looked to have done enough to win the fight. With one minute left in the round, as JWP was kneeing Goto threw JWP with a well timed hip throw scoring a Shoot and under those rules was enough to win the fight. JWP jumped on Goto straight away with hard punches and the ref had to step in and apply an eight count, JWP ran across the ring again unloading with big punches to the head again pushing Goto into a corner unable to defend him self. With twenty seconds to go the Ref stepped in and stopped the fight.

This was one of the most exciting shootboxing fights the Japanese had seen with both fighters giving it all they had.

Spirit of Muay Thai :Exclusive Interview With John Wayne Parr

MI: What other career path would you have taken had it not been with Kickboxing?

JWP: I am not sure, ever since I was about 7 or 8 I have always been interested in Martial Arts, I played AFL when I was ten and really enjoyed diving I also like motor cross. I think anything to do with sport cause I don't think I would have been a brain surgeon.

MI: How do you mentally prepare for a big fight?

JWP: Now days I just try to enjoy the moment as much as I can. For the last ten years almost ever fight is bigger then the last so getting used to facing the famous names and big crowds. When I was younger I used to use a little bit of sleep a week out but over the years you learn that if you have done the work in the gym everything else will happen on the day.

MI: How has Kickboxing changed since your early days?

JWP: My first kickboxing fight was in Sydney, it was with leg kicks, no knees and you had to kick eight times a round or you would lose points. Fighters were still sporting the long kickboxing pants and technique was not so important, just heart. Now a lot of young guys are going to Thailand to learn and a lot of trainers in Australia are teaching pure Muay Thai instead of karate, Kung Fu and boxing mixed.

MI: Who is your top five all time greats of the ring?

JWP:
1.Ramon Dekker
2.Danny Bill
3.Sakmongkon
4.Jomhod
5.Peter Aerts

MI: whom should our readers and martial artists look out for as potential stars of the future?

JWP: In Australia we have so many young guys coming up the ranks. There is Soren, Pixie, Aaron Leigh, and Preacher. There is also the young guys like Blake Sloss from my gym, Shaggy from Nuggets and Broody from Joe Hiltons, he is only 15 but already has excellent technique. Once he matures a little he will be hard to beat.

MI: How does JWP enjoy life outside the ring?

JWP: I run my own gym on the Gold Coast so when I am not fighting I am still in the gym teaching classes and privates so I am always involved in the sport. When I am not at the gym I spend a lot of time with my wife Angie and Daughter Jasmine either at home or at the shops. We are always so busy its nice to just hang out at home (must be getting old).

MI: When you first began your training was there anyone you idolized?

JWP: I was a huge fan of Stan "the Man" and Alex Tui. The sport was only pretty new when I first got into it and these two guys were our first world champions. Stan was very exciting every time he entered the ring and I enjoyed watching his fights on video.

MI: What sort of physical conditioning has best worked for you over the
years?

MI: You are probably one of the most well respected (westerner) Muay Thai fighters in Thailand. How does that feel? And how hard is it to get that respect from the Thais, as a fighter?

JWP: Thanks for the compliment. It feels nice knowing that you have put your heart and sole into something and people will remember you after you have hang up the gloves. From what I have found with the Thai's is they love a warrior, if you can go 5 full on rounds with a Thai, blood running down your face and can still stand there and trade then you would have won their respect win, lose or draw.

MI: When you and your wife had a baby, you once said, "Now I have something worth fighting for". How much more determination, drive and reason to fight has this given?

JWP: When I was younger I loved fighting for the buzz, I wasn't making much money and it was just a hobby before I grew up and got a real job. Now that I have a family and starting to make good prize money it is important that I win every fight or at least perform the best that I can so I can keep living the life style of a fighter while trying to set something up so I have something after I retire.

MI: Who has been your all time toughest opponent? And which bout has been your greatest victory?

JWP: Last year I fought Sakmongkon in Australia and it was a hard fight mentally, I had watched him fight live and on TV many times in Thailand and had a lot of respect for him. I want to be the best fighter I can be though and the only way of doing that is taking on the big names. Sakmongkon kicks like a horse and both my forearms and shins were black from blocking but I was happy with the fight and glade I went the distance with a legend. My greatest victory would be the S-1 in Thailand. There was a lot of media covering the fight and one Million baht up for grabs in an 8-man tournament. I beat Mohammed from Russia over 3 rounds on points. I knocked out Skarbosky from France in the 3rd then had to go 5 rounds with Nuangtrakan from Thailand beating him on points. The next day everywhere I went in Thailand everyone knew who I was, very good memories.

MI: How do you think Muay Thai and kickboxing is moving along in the world, and Australia? Would you like to see anything changed? (E.g.: rules, regulations, broadcasting, refereeing, money etc)

JWP: For me mainly just the money, it is getting better and better every year but nothing compared to what boxing is. Everyone does this sport for the love and put their bodies on the line every fight so it would be nice to get compensated for it. Also I think the rest of Australia needs to catch up to Queensland, we have Muay Thai promotions almost every month so it keeps the fighters busy and the crowd really gets behind the boys when its a good fight.

MI: What is on the future horizon for Wayne Parr both in and out the ring?

JWP: In the ring I want to keep doing what I am doing traveling
the world and fighting the best fighters that I can. I want to try and be a K-1 Max fighter as long as I can because they really look after us like professionals and fans from all over the world get excited when the fights get closer so it makes you want to do your best every promotion. Outside the ring I have my gym and will continue to train the young guys so hopefully they can travel the world one day like I did. The rest I will
just have to see what happens?

MI: Is there any advice you would like to give to all the men and women fighters out there who are trying to make it in the competition circle?

JWP: Fighting is the most exciting thing you will ever do, if you have that fire in your belly saying that this is something you want to do then go for it. It doesn't matter if you win you lose, long as you give it your all and Never give up.

MI: And finally is there any comment you would like to add?

JWP: Thank you Lee for the interview and to everyone that took the time to read it. I have one of the biggest fights of my life coming up on the 20th of July when I fight for the K-1 world Max belt, I want this belt more then anything so I will be giving it everything I have also. Thanks again.

John Wayne Parr says vs Yodsanklai

On the 10th of December I had my chance fighting Yodsanklai for the first ever WBC Muay Thai world title but unfortunately was beaten by the better man on the day.

I had the Preacher fight on the 19th and wasn't happy with my fitness so after three days off got back into the gym and picked my training up another two notches.

After the Preacher fight we tried our best to bring out my Thai pad holder from Thailand but had a few problems with his visa's, he only arrived ten days prior to the fight and only got to hold pads for me 6 days, it was still great having him though and in a short time had my attacks nice and solid again.

Over the weeks I slowly got my weight down at a manageable weight, after training I was sitting 74kg and walking around about 77kg, the last few fights I have had been walking around 79kg and was taking too much out of me getting to 70kg, I also wasn't keen to lose that much weight again after only losing it three weeks prior.

After cutting my food right back and two runs with the suit on and I was down to 69.5kg, the lightest I had been in many years. The cut off weight for the title was 69.85kg and I didn't want to have to weigh-in twice.

Night of the fight and the place was pumping, the Gold Coast convention center was almost full with about 4000 people. Wasn't on till 2nd last fight so just chilled in the room with my Thai trainers and Paul Briggs who came up from Sydney just for my fight.

I had a lot going through my head with everyone telling me different things, I was worried he was going to go for my shin and it was going to split again, after Preacher fight I had to get 6 stitiches and it was still very raw. I also heard around the traps he wanted to take my head off with elbows and boxing so had plenty to think about.

Once I was up I couldn't wait to get in there, this is the moment I had been fighting for and was ready to make history being the first ever WBC Muay Thai world title.

After our Ram Muay's the fight started and Yodsanklai wasted no time throwing a big inside leg kick putting me off balance a little bit. Yod also threw some sneaky punches getting past my guard landing.

Every time I tried to attack Yod would just be that little bit out of range making me hit nothing but air, I didn't lose focus though and knew my shots would catch up with him sooner or later.

2nd round and I tried to pick it up and put the pressure on, once again I would loaded up with 6 to 8 punch combo's, and I must give it to Yod as he has great eyes and great defense and would slip with all without my glove even hitting him.

Just near the end of the round (after watching Dalia's handy cam) Yod faked with his right lead leg for a front kick then came up over the top with a left head kick landing flush on my jaw, I remember my body falling backwards and hitting the canvas hard, was like being thrown down on the ground by ten men.

I got up and fought on and luckily it wasn't too long before the bell went.

Round 3 and from here on in a really can't remember, I watched the tape Yesterday and wasn't happy with my self, I think I just did what I had to to survive and running on automatic.

Yod was landing with his left leg and I was just blocking with no returns, other times I would try to return but the impact of the kicks would push me off balance.

Round 4, See round 3, not much difference.

Round five and finally starting to come clear. This was the last round and only had three minutes if I wanted that belt. This was my best round landing with a few nice punches and kicks and put the pressure right on.

End of the round Yod landed another nice head kick and when I went to counter slipped on the canvas making it look worse then it was, Cameron Quinn the Referee seen it as a slip though let the fight continue, wasn't long then the fight was over.

End of the fight I knew I had lost but I really did give it everything I had, I lost to a twenty year old who is a current Thailand and Lumpinee champion with 220 fights and happy I gave him a hard fight. After the announcements Yodsanklai's hand was raised in victory and the belt went around the waist. Yod Gave a speech in little English he knew and the crowd gave him a big applause.

Half way through my speech the penny must have dropped that I just lost hold of my dream then the bottom lip started going on me without me being able to do anything about it, after trying to hold myself together and trying again but with no success.

Angie my wife, Richard Vell my sponsor, Paul briggs and many of my friends have never seen me cry and it sucked, not only that but in front of 4000 people and on TV but that's how much it ment to me I guess.

Looking forward to having a bit of a break over Christmas, I am also moving Boonchu gym to a new location early in the new year and looking forward to a new beginning.

At this stage my first fight for 2006 will be against Steve Wakeling, Wembly, London on March the 12 for the WBC world Middle weight title. This is a chance to redeem myself and 2nd time around there will be no mistakes.

JWP Defeats The Preacher!

Had a great fight with Bruce Preacher Mcphee. 1st round took my time and let him attack me a little to show him I have good defense, only thing is first kick he threw I blocked and with his boney legs split my shin.

2nd round hit him with some nice body shots having him sucking on lemons a bit. 3rd I started to pick it up and caught him with a nice right hook putting him down and he did well to pull himself up off the canvas, 30sec later I put him down again with another right hook I think but half way through the count the bell went giving him 2 minutes in the corner to recover.

4th round Preacher showed a lot of heart and came out hard trying to win back the fight, but I would keep him at range and always looking for the opening. 5th round Preacher landed one nice combo during the round but I still controlled most of the round.

Bid probs to Preacher, he came to fight making it very exciting for the 4000 plus crowd. One of the best Muay Thai shows ever to be held in Australia I believe and make sure to have a look when it airs on the Fox December the 6th cause it really was an exciting fight.

Before I forget, Big thank you to Josh and Nugget having me on their promotion and thank you to everyone that supported the show from all over Australia.

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.

John Wayne Parr Exclusive - July 2004John Wayne Parr Exclusive - July 2004

It is very rare that we would even consider interviewing the same person more than once, let alone three times, yet in John Wayne Parr we feel there's a deserved exception to the rule.

Wayne Parr is an example of how hard work can lead you to realise your dreams, that you don't need to be blessed with loads of money or be managed by your country's K1 representative to get anywhere - old fashioned values, honesty and commitment will get you there.

Tomorrow John Wayne Parr will continue to pursue his dream of being the world's number one middleweight by fighting in the K-1 Max Grand Prix Final. This year's final lineup is the strongest so far of the competition and Wayne took some time out before tomorrow's event to talk to us...

A lot has happened since our last interview after the Kings Birthday 2001. Not soon after you got an offer to go and train and fight in the USA under Master Toddy. Can you tell us how that offer came about?

• In 2001 I spent the whole year boxing having 9 fights, in that time I was lucky enough to win an Australian title and learn more skills with my hands and how to punch properly. At the end of the year I lost my title to Ian Mcloed, he broke his hand round one and just ran and held me for the next 11 rounds. This sort of turned me off boxing and I wanted to come back to the sport I love. In 2002 I wanted to go overseas and put a message on Ax to see if anyone needed a trainer in America. One of Master Toddy's students Cindy read the email and told Mr Toddy about the message and he rang me direct, a few months later I was there.

Your first fight there was against a Thai called Rodtung? How much did you know about your opponent before fighting him?

• I saw a tape of him when he fought Dimitri Shakuta fought his and stopped him with body punches. He looked strong and knew it would be a great fight. We had a five round war in a very close fight were I won on points.

Your other fight in the USA was against Baxter Humby. Humby has a name as a decent fighter, but he only has one arm. There was a lot of controversial talk both before and after that fight. Some people felt that a person with one arm shouldn't be in the ring fighting at all. Others spoke out saying what was Australia's best being reduced to fighting someone with one arm. Others felt Baxter was a decent fighter but having seen the fight against you they felt that you were over hyped and over-rated. Please can you talk us through the mental side of that fight, how you feel about those comments and why you took the fight?

• The Baxter fight was never suppose to happen. I was suppose to fight Changpeuk from Thailand but unfortunately two days before the event he could not get a visa. Dennis Warner tried hard to find me an opponent, we tried Jongsanan but could not agree on a weight and Alex Gong turned down the fight. Dennis said come to New Mexico anyway and we will work out something then. When I arrived Dennis called me into his room and told me had found me an opponent, but would I be willing to fight someone with one arm? At the time I was broke and Angie and I needed the fight because we were living with her parents and needed the prize money to move out. I was told by the owner of Twins to take it easy the first two rounds. Baxter only had one arm but used the ring well and never stayed still making him hard to hit, round three I picked up the pressure and won by TKO. Baxter has his own style and styles make fight, some people didn't enjoy but you cant please everyone all the time.

1st March 2002 holds a special significance in your life for you? What happened that date?

• That was the date I meet my wife Angela Rivera. I arrived at Master Toddy's on the 20th of February and had seen posters at both his gyms with this little hottie everywhere. I asked one of the girls who the girl was in all the posters and she said "That's Angie, she will be here next week, she is fighting on the same show and you and Rodtung". From the first day we meet we sat and talked for hours and been together ever since. We become training partners, then girl friend/boy friend and are now husband and wife.

Hasn't there been a new addition to the Parr family since then?

• That would be Jasmine Parr , our 17th month old monkey. She is everything to use and the reason and I doing so well this year. I want to win as many fights as I can so I can give her a good future.

Why did you not stay in America for as long as originally intended?

• Because I tried my luck and overstayed my visa. The first time I over stayed my visa about 4 months. I fought in France in July and when I came back to America had a stop over in New York and they didn't not check my passport. Angie loved America and I wanted to look after her as much as I could. Tarik rang asking me if I would like to come back to Australia and fight Jenk Behic on the Gold Coast, the money was much needed at the time and it was a chance to come home for a few weeks to visit my gym and see my friends. Everything went well and I won my fight on points. On the way back to America I was stopped in L.A and asked when was the last time I was in America? I told them only three weeks before. They asked how long I had stayed and I told them three months, the Immigration office looked at me telling me I was not allowed to stay three months, only 90 days. From there he counted the days from the time I entered to the time I had left and it worked out to be 92 days. From there I was kept in a hold cell at the airport for 36 hours and was deported on the next plane back to Oz. Angie was pregnant at the time and I was not allowed to see her, Angie ended up having to sell our car and our furniture and make enough money to move to Australia. In the end it has worked out for the better, it's amazing how things happens sometimes.

Your first fight back was against the tough Jenk Behic which you won on points, Behic fights soon on the 16th July in a K1 Oceania superfight against Jordan Tai, how do you see that fight going for Behic?

• I would have to put my money on Jordan, he has been fighting a lot recently and has been fighting Muay Thai his whole career. I haven't heard of Jenk fighting for a while and Jordan isn't the sort of fighter you want to jump in with after a long break.

Next was the K-1 Oceania Max tournament, with a final fight that had some controversy, your fight with Mike Zambidis. How do you look back now on that fight and the tournament was a whole now?

• Its in the past, I now I did enough to win that fight and if you watch the fight before the ref raises his hands you can see the expression on Mike face praying for the decision. Richard Walsh and myself ended up fighting in Japan the day before last years K-1 Max final, the next day being invited to sit ringside to watch the action. It was good to see the standard of the fighters first hand and I am happy I can be a part of it this year.

You then fought Goto for the first time under shootfighting rules. Why the change of style? How did it feel fighting under those rules?

• I was asked by Ray Matsamura if I wanted to fight under shoot boxing and I said why not. At the time I needed a fight and the rules are pretty much the same as Muay Thai but with a few little extra's. I was almost choked out in the first round when we got into the grapple but after that I thought I won over the 5 rounds. I don't know what Goto's problem was that day, I think he was just upset that the scores were so far apart.

Next was a boxing fight against Mike Cope? After having made the decision to return to muaythai, why the boxing fight?

• My next Muay Thai fight was not until the end of April and I wanted a warm up fight. My best mate Paul Briggs was fighting the main event on the Gold Coast on pay per view and this was also a chance to fight on his under card. Mike has a very good name in Australia and I was expecting a 6 round war, in the first it was pretty even until the last twenty seconds when I hit him with a left hook that knocked him out cold.

After Doi you fought Siko Bika for the Australian boxing title next, was that your hardest boxing fight?

• No, just a wake up call telling me that I can't do both sports at once at that level. I was only training with Rod twice a week and training and teaching Muay Thai at my gym. The fight started well but after the fourth round my body went into automatic and I started going back to my Muay Thai stance and didn't have the right foot work I had when I was boxing. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way.

You then fought Goto again in Japan, was that again under shootfighting rules? How did it feel to beat Japan's own champion there?

• After the last time we fought I was looking forward to the rematch. I didn't diet properly and was over weigh 6kgs three days before the fight, I didn't eat for two days and we ended up having a same day weigh-in, then I was told there was no elbows. The first two rounds were close but I won 3,4 and 5 easy. End of the fight the judges came to a draw and we were told to fight a extra round, fighting those rules I didn't even know there was such a thing as a extra round. We went at it pretty hard and I thought I did enough to win but once again the judges came to a draw and made us fight a extra round again, by this stage I just looked at Goto to say "Your Joking". With a minute to go Goto threw me over his hip and scored some big points and the fight was his, my only option was to knock him out. I ran in and landed punches non-stop giving Goto a 8 count, I rushed in again and landed another huge combo and the Ref stopped the fight with 15 seconds to go. Very exciting fight.

In your last interview you stated that you wanted to fight in as many countries as possible and get onto the WPKL European circuit, obviously winning tomorrow's K1 Max tournament aside, what are your ambitions now?

• Just to fight and win as much as I can. I am getting old now and before I retire want to make sure that people will be able to look back and remember that there once was a good fighter from Australia named John Wayne.

Following your second fight against Goto, at last came your European breakthrough in the Superleague. Your first fight against Kamal El Amrani you lost. Some fans expressed a disappointment with the match and your performance, but isn't it true you broke your ankle halfway through that fight?

• I didn't break my ankle but banged it up pretty badly on his elbow in the second, I had a game plan but once my ankle was gone I had to change everything. My fitness was not the best either for that fight with my last fight 5 months before. But Amrani is a great fighter and looking forward to rematching him one day.

Do you think now that you have a more traditional style from the time that you spent in Thailand as opposed to the faster Western style? Could that style difference account for some of the fans disappointment in your first Western performances in America and Europe, or is it possible that the promotions you have fought on were attended more by general public than real muaythai enthusiasts that appreciate the clinchwork? Would you say that this is true for a lot of Australia's style of fighting that it is very similar to Thailand's original style?

• I am lucky that I stayed in Thailand so long and learnt there style but at the same time I think because I was there so long that I forgot my hands. I went to boxing for the year in 2001 and now that I am back I think I have got both styles working together nicely. I am getting older now also and now I am starting to slow down a little but at the same time I believe I am hitting harder and I am picking my shots better.

Why haven't you fought on the Kings Birthday since 2001?

• I am happy to have fought on so many Kings birthdays and nothing compares but I need to fight to support my family now. I am getting great offers from promoters overseas and would be crazy to turn down the money they are offering.

Have you ever fought at Lumpinee Stadium?

• Three times, the first two I won by Ko and lost the third to Nuangtrakan. In 1997 I was ranked 4th at Lumpinee at 147 pounds.

Following your Superleague debut you returned to Thailand to fight in Songchai's S1 tournament held on 4th March to celebrate his birthday. Did you renew your training with Sangtien Noi before that fight?

• I went to Thailand three weeks before the S-1 to get as strong as I could. Sangtien's camp is famous for there fitness and just what I needed after my lose to Amrani.

Your first S1 bout was against Mohammed Asalan, can you tell us a bit about him and that fight?

• First fight was very close, Mohammed is a very strong opponent and 188cm tall making it hard to get on the inside. I think in a few more years Mohammed will be well known around the world.

Next you went up against possibly the greatest European name currently fighting, Jean-Charles Skarbowski? How did it feel to be facing another legendary name with a similar history to your own?

• I didn't think I would meet Skarbowsky, We fought Suriya first and I thought the Thai would win for sure. In the Second round Jean put the Thai down for a 8 count and the Thai never recovered after that. After that I thought to myself that this changes everything and I might be able to win this after all. When we fought we felt each other out for the first minute before we stood toe to toe trading punches with Skarbowsky coming off second best, I chased him around the ring landing many right hands almost stopping him. Round two Jean came back and we had a pretty even round. Round three it was all or nothing and once again we stood and traded punches, I three a big right landing on the bridge of his nose putting down for the count giving me the win. I take my hat off to Jean though, he came up from 63kg to fight in a 72kg tournament when he didn't have to give away so much weight, that takes a lot of balls.

In the final you faced Neungtrakarn. Neungtrakarn had been criticised a little in Europe last year following several defeats to Europeans but now it would appear he may be coming back on form, how did this fight with Neungtrakarn compare to your 3 previous encounters?

• Everytime we fought it was always close and I wanted nothing more then to fight him again top prove that I could beat him, as fate had it we would meet for a forth time and this time I had his number. Nuang didn't have much time to rest after his semi final fight so I knew I had the advantage. I took the fight to him from the first round and just wore him down, by the forth round Nuang had nothing left giving me the fight. One of my greatest achievements in my career.

What do you think of the S1 promotion as a whole?

• I think it's great that Thailand has this type of event and have the best fighters in the world competing in it. Being a Thai boxer the biggest award is to win a World title in the home of Muay Thai, plus the chance to win one Million baht is so much money in Thai currency, you know how many "Cow Pads" you can buy with that?

Your next Superleague fight was against Fadi Merza on 20th March. Nearly straight after that you fought Duane Ludwig on April 7th in your K-1 Max qualifier fight Don't you think it was a bit risky fighting in the S1, the Superleague and the K-1 Max with only 3 weeks between them?

• S-1 was on the 4th, Super League was on the 20th and K-1 Max was on the 7th of April. It was a little risky but just the chance to fight on one of these promotions is a honour let alone all three. I didn't know about K-1 max until after my Super League fight when I rang Angie to tell her the results, she said K-1 had been in touch and wanted to know if I wanted to fight. I am just lucky that I am fit and heal fast.

Ludwig's camp have since claimed it would be a different fight if they had worn the same gloves, even though they were heavier at the weigh in, would you like a rematch?

• I would love a rematch. I think it's crazy being a fighter at this level to weigh in two and a half kilo's heavy. Sven his trainer tried to make an excuse about not being there for the weigh in but Duane is not a ten year old kid and shouldn't need someone there to hold his hand. I like Duane, it's a shame things worked out the way they did. A rematch would be good to clear things up and to prover it wasn't a fluke.

Your last fight on the 22nd May this year was against Gregory Swerts of Belgium, can you talk us through that fight please?

• This was one of my better fights in a long time, my best mate from Thailand has come over to help me prepare for the K-1 and helped me get some of my old tricks back. Round one was even, round two I started putting the pressure on a little more. End of round three I landed a straight right putting Chiko down for a eight count before he was saved by the bell. Start of round four I landed a left body kick putting Chico down again for another eight count, Chico came back hard to make up for lost points but my defence was good and I blocked and countered. Just before the end of the round I hurt Chico with a right hook, Chico came into grapple and I seen there was a slight gap, I came over the top and landed six clean hooks to win the fight by KO.

Okay now on to the real talk of the month, tomorrow's K-1 Max finals. This years tournament looks like the best so far, but do you feel that K-1 have made the draw as hard a possible for you to protect their home crowd favourite Masato? Do you think they made it hard for you putting you against Ludwig in a qualifier also?

• I don't think so, every fighter this year has a chance. All the guys are the best in there country and as they say anything can happen on the night. Masato has a very hard first fight so the K-1 promoters aren't doing him any favours either. I have a hard first fight against Buakow but at the same time I am lucky that I have fought almost thirty Thai's in the past so I know there style. Second fight will be a rematch with either Kohi or Zambidis, I am happy to fight either. The final could go any which way but to pick a favourite either Masato or Kraus. I would love to fight Masato in the final just to get the respect of the world and making it a genuine world title.

What do you think of Skarbowski's foray into the K1 arena, don't you think he is too light for it?

• I think he is a great fighter but he is a little small for K-1 max.

Step by step can we quickly go through your opponents and your thoughts on each of this year's final competitors - You face Buakaw Por.Puramuk first. Baring in mind that he is unlikely to read this by tomorrow, what do you think of your opponent and what's your game plan?

• I am just going to go hard and give it all I have. I have been working defence and feel strong so just have to wait and see if luck is on my side. I also have a advantage with the K-1 max gloves being so small, one punch could finish it for any of the fighters.

As for the other tournament entries - what do you think of Takayuki Kohiruimaki?

• Kohi has improved so much since we fought in 1998. His knees and grapple is strong and his confidence is right up at the moment. Same as the other, just go hard and see what happens.

Zambidis current form?

• I think old Zambo isn't looking as good as he has in the past. He had a great fight with Gurkan but I think that might have taken a bit out of him. His last few K-1 fights have looked a little average I think but at the same time he is always dangerous so I wont be taking him lightly.

The least known fighter in the tournament - Jadamba Narantungalag?

• Tough, big heart and very unorthodox. He proved in his fight with Kraus that he has what it takes to cause a upset.

Albert Kraus?

• Great hands, walk up fighter, big heart also. Hard fight for any of the boys.

Shamil Gaidarbekov?

• Once again good boxer and good leg kicks. I only seen his last K-1 fight but could be a dark horse. Has a hard fight with Kraus first though.

And finally the hot favourite for the final from the other bracket - Masato?

• Great all round skills and the and hero of Japan. This is the fight I want out of all the fighters, one is because he is last years champion but also a win over masato will automatically make you a house hold name in Japan with many fights for the K-1 in the future.

From all your different experiences in the muaythai world, is there a message you would like to pass on to those fighting out there?

• What can I say. Just enjoy your training, there is no short cuts when you fight so your only cheating your self. Another thing is try not to show your opponent you are hurt during a fight, there will be plenty of time to look after your self when the fight is over.

Is there anything in particular you would like to say in closing?

• Thank you Dan for the interview and thanks to everybody from all the different forums around the world for your support, it really does mean a lot.