Initiation – 16th May 2009, Kirkby

We had the lights and the one and only MC, Lawrence Allen.  We had the cameras with filming from P4 TV.  And most importantly we had the non stop action.

Initiation was the first time ever that a concept with five different disciplines had been brought together into one competition in one ring.

With teams from Ireland, Wales, Trinidad & Tobago, Portugal and England, this was going to be a night to remember and the start of a new era.

Read on for more.

Thank you to Event Photography for the photographs below.

First into the ring was Emma Jones from Widnes Kickboxing (Trainer – Paul Lund) against Emma Pye from Dublin Thai Boxing (Trainer – Darren Dowdall), under amateur thai rules across 3 rounds of 2 minutes duration.

Emma Pye took the decision on points after a closely contended competition, Emma Pye managing to edge each round with her excellent combinations.  Well done to both fighters.

Fight two had been eagerly awaited, as this was the first ever Golden Belt Hardcore amateur fight (5 rounds, 2 minutes duration).  What a great way to start a new era in martial arts and kick off Golden Belt Hardcore with the first time in the world that this concept had been seen in action.  Five disciplines consisting of one round of boxing, one round of full contact kickboxing, one round of low kick kickboxing, one round of thai boxing and one round of Ju-Jitsu.  And if that wasn’t enough, the fighters were not aware what order the rounds would be drawn from the hat until they had both reached the ring.

Both fighters stood in the ring with their cornermen, eagerly awaiting the draw for the round order of this new and exciting concept.  The draw was made and the round order was as follows:

1. Full Contact
2. Ju-Jitsu
3. Low Kicks
4. Boxing
5. Thai Boxing

And with the honour of being the first competitors in the world to fight the Golden Belt Hardcore system, were Jay Bimpson of Merseyside Kickboxing in England, and Tiago Sa of Portugal.

What a fitting start this was with each round being closely contended.  Going the full duration of five rounds packed with non stop action, the Judges could not separate them, making the first Golden Belt Hardcore amateur competition a draw.

Both fighters, along with their corners and the crowd applauded the decision, knowing that both fighters had given their all whilst abiding by the rules of each discipline.

Respect to both fighters, and congratulations on being the first to demonstrate the future.

Golden Belt Professional European Title – Thai Boxing – 64.5-67kg
Matty Smith (Merseyside Kickboxing, England) V Matt Sheedy (Welsh Eagles, Wales)

Fight three saw the Professional Golden Belt European Title in Thai Boxing come up for grabs between Matty Smith of Merseyside Kickboxing, and Matt Sheedy of Welsh Eagles, across 5 rounds of 3 minutes duration.  This was going to be a cracking fight.

In round 1 Matt Sheedy set out to make his presence known, as from the bell sounded he took the fight to Matty Smith with some excellent techniques.  Not seeming phased by this, Matty Smith used his defence to soak up most of the attacks.  However, Matt’s quicker start took the round.

After the initial feel out of the first round, the pace upped in round 2, with combinations of knees, elbows and kicks.  At one point it seemed that Matt Sheedy had made contact with an excellent elbow strike to the face followed up with kicks.  At this point Matty Smith started to squint as something had caught him in the eye.

We assumed at this point it was the elbow thrown by Matt Sheedy, and at the end of the round the paramedics were called into check over Matty Smith’s eye.  They ordered the fight to be stopped and for Matty Smith to go straight to hospital to have a scratched eyeball treated (at this point Matty was unable to see from his left eye).

We are pleased that after speaking to Matty, Matty’s eye has been checked and that he is experiencing no problems.  He was disheartened at the fight being stopped, but says that it was a toe which caught him in the eye accidentally, and is looking forward to a return fight in the future.

This is to take nothing away from our new Golden Belt Professional European Champion in Thai Boxing, Matt Sheedy, who is an excellent professional fighter, with a great attitude.  We are proud to call him our champion, and respect must go to his trainer, Lee Powers, for producing such an excellent athlete.

Fight 4 was a demonstration under Low Kicks rules between Donald Snaggs of Trinidad & Tobago and Michal Noga of Merseyside Kickboxing.

Donald Snaggs had travelled from Trinidad & Tobago to compete for a Professional Golden Belt Intercontinental Title under Low Kick rules.  Unforeseen circumstances were to take their toll and his opponent was instructed to work away by his employer, a matter he had to adhere to.  Donald understood the situation and was a gentleman regarding this.  The Golden Belt paid Donald his purse and later awarded him the Title Belt with a promise of a defence at a later date, as it was of no fault of his own, after travelling all this way.

Donald went on to perform a demonstration with Michal Noga of Merseyside Kickboxing, who kindly stepped in at the last moment.  Thank you to both Donald and Michal who demonstrated a great display of control and techniques.

Fight 5 was a boxing demonstration between Paul McCarthy and Ste Cullen, in aid of the Francesca Bimpson Appeal.

Paul entered the ring with a great flip over the top rope (show off) to the crowd’s applause and the start of 3 rounds of 1.5 minutes duration.

With Paul being a former Swedish boxing team member, and Ste being a former army boxing champion, we knew that a great exhibition of boxing techniques would follow.  We were not disappointed, much to the appreciation of the crowd.

A brilliant display lads, and for such a well deserved local appeal.  Respect to you both.

Fight 6 saw Eugene Valerio of Dragonz Den in Wales get into the ring to face Malcolm Griffin of Capital Punishment, Ireland, under Professional Golden Belt Hardcore rules over 5 rounds of 3 minutes duration.

Respect to Eugene Valerio who is one of the great veterans of our sport, and who will already go down in history for his achievements, and so deservingly was the first to compete under Professional GBH rules.

Again the round order was drawn randomly once both fighters reached the ring, announced by Lawrence Allen.

1. Thai Boxing
2. Boxing
3. Ju-Jitsu
4. Full Contact
5. Low Kicks

This order certainly pleased Eugene, as he is the former World Thai Boxing Champion, but Malcolm did not seem phased at all, he had been training across disciplines and was prepared for all round orders.

Round 1 saw Eugene taking the fight straight to his opponent with some of the old Eugene magic still being there.  He pushed forward but once again did not phase Malcolm, who was giving back as good as he was taking.

Round 2 saw boxing rules come into force, and Eugene seemed to have picked up great confidence after the first round.  He started the second by chasing his opponent with flurries of boxing combinations which was too much for his opponent as he was caught with some heavy blows.

The referee called a half after 1 minute 59 seconds of the second round, deeming Malcolm Griffin unable to continue.

Once again Eugene Valerio has made history being the first Professional Golden Belt Hardcore winner.

Thank you to Eugene for your help and your enthusiasm for this great new concept.

Fight 7 – Golden Belt Hardcore Amateur European Title – 81.5-85kg – 5×2
Dean Robinson (Kirkby Thai, England) V Rafael Silva (Team Loio, Portugal)

Both fighters entered the ring with confidence, each knowing that at one point during the competition their strengths would come into play with their favourite discipline and round.  I do not believe either cared at this point, what order the rounds would be drawn.

1. Ju-Jitsu
2. Full Contact Kickboxing
3. Thai Boxing
4. Boxing
5. Low Kicks

Rafael seemed pleased with this round order, as he came from a ju-jitsu background.

The bell sounded for round 1 and Dean threw kicks at the Portuguese fighter, who smiled and went straight in for a take down, successfully getting an arm bar and a tap out from Dean Robinson.

This was met with delight from the Portuguese corner and total frustration by Dean.

The announcement was made that Rafael Silva from Portugal was the new Golden Belt Hardcore Amateur European Champion.

Respect to both fighters, and I am sure that we will see a rematch in the near future.

Fight 8 – Golden Belt Amateur English Title – Thai Boxing – 60-62kg – 4×2
Luke Smith (Merseyside Kickboxing) V Thomas Davies (Kirkby Thai)

This seemed to be a frustrating fight, as neither opponent seemed to get going, with the fight swinging from round to round and both fighters throwing a repertoire of combinations.

The fight was judged as a draw with a return planned for the near future.

Respect to both fighters.

Fight 9 – Golden Belt Hardcore Professional 4-Nations Title – 98+kg – 5×3
Rob Salmon (Bridge Road, England) V Dylan Scally (Capital Punishment, Ireland)

Rob Salmon accepted the fight at just a couple of day’s notice due to a pull out of Dylan’s original opponent, Jamie MacDonough (Mersey Thai).

Rob being on the lighter end of the scale, eagerly accepted the challenge, which seemed to be a good choice when the round selection was made and announced by the MC.

1. Boxing
2. Thai Boxing
3. Low Kicks
4. Ju-Jitsu
5. Full Contact Kickboxing

The round order seemed to favour the lighter opponent, as his corner gave him the right instructions using hit and run tactics.  This worked excellently, but you seemed to know that Dylan was biding his time and waiting for the ju-jitsu round where his weight would be the advantage.

And that is exactly what he did, pinning Salmon to the canvas and unleashing a barrage of punches in which Salmon was unable to move his heavier opponent.

The referee called a halt in round 4, making Dylan Scally of Ireland the new Golden Belt Hardcore Professional 4-Nations Champion and a worthy winner.

Total respect to his opponent Rob Salmon, who in a lighter weight category will be giving a lot of people problems on the Golden Belt Hardcore circuit.

Fight 10 – Golden Belt Hardcore Amateur World Title – 56-58kg – 5×2
Bryan Crighton (Kirkby Thai) V Joey Brincat (Welsh Eagles)

This fight truly demonstrated the concept and idea behind Golden Belt Hardcore, with perfect displays of technique being demonstrated across all disciplines and rounds to the fullest of the fighters’ ability.

The round order as drawn was as follows:

1. Low Kicks
2. Thai Boxing
3. Full Contact Kickboxing
4. Boxing
5. Ju-Jitsu

Neither fighter appeared to be put off by the fight order, and both had trained to the highest level in each of the five disciplines.

Proof of this was the fight going the full distance across the rounds, and had the whole crowd on its feet at times.

I strongly suggest you watch this fight on P4 TV, and you will certainly see what Golden Belt Hardcore is about.

When both fighters were brought together at the end of the fifth round, they received a standing ovation, and Bryan Crighton was awarded the Golden Belt Hardcore Amateur World Title on points.

Respect was shown by Joey Brincat of Wales by placing the Title Belt around the waist of Bryan, who returned back to the army victorious the next day with the World Title.

Golden Belt and Golden Belt Hardcore would like to thank all the officials – Master Ronnie Green, Dave Faulkner, Paul Beaty, Steve Reeves.  And just as importantly the Gladiators from England, Ireland, Wales, Trinidad & Tobago, Portugal and not forgetting the gladiator girls, boys and soldiers (Paul, Court, Michal, Tash, Danielle, Alex, Claire, Joey and Bronson) who did an excellent job with the guidance of the one and only Jo who was commended how smoothly everything ran (with the valued help of Nikki).

Thank you also to P4 TV and the commentators Steve Taberner and Martin McClashie.  And to Event Photography for the photographs taken at the Event.

If I have missed anyone out I apologise.

The feedback we have received from this show has been 100%, and please keep checking the sites for information on Initiation II planned for later this year.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 18th, 2009 at 2:36 pm by GBH Admin and is filed under 2009. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.