'PAIN CONVENTION INTERNATIONAL MUAY THAI' - (Calgary,
Alberta, Canada) January 19th, 2008
Presented by CAKMA and Mike Miles Promotions.
The event was completely sold out with all seats taken and tickets being sold to standing room only patrons. "We were pleased about this considering how far in advance is necessary to book a
venue in this city. Unfortunately, at the last moment we learned we were up against the UFC which is a well branded fight event that most fight promotions try avoid facing. We also had bad weather
with roads being quite slippery. Taking everything into account... we were sold out!", said Mike Miles.
This was a well run and organized event by promoters the Calgary Amateur Kickboxing & MuayThai Association (CAKMA) and Mr. Mike Miles. "I would like to send a big thank you to everyone
who worked so hard on this event from the CAKMA executive to all the volunteers who helped make things run smooth and mistake free. Robin and Clint... you guys busted your tails for this and the
reward was a sell out as well as a very entertaining event!. Thank you!", said Mike Miles.
The professional bouts were sanctioned by the World Muaythai Council and the Calgary Combative Sports Commission - Ms. Candice Schacter - Chair person.
The amateur bouts were sanctioned by the Canadian Muay Thai Council - Amateur and the International Federation of Muay Thai Amateur. The two amateur title bouts were also sanctioned by
the World Kickboxing Association.
The promoters would like to thank the following individuals for their participation in this event including Mladen Steko (Germany), Tuelay Turan (Germany), Steve Neumann (Germany),
Lane Collyer (USA), Tim Hart (USA), Mark Gruebel (USA), Trevor Smandych (Canada), and Jason St. Louis (Canada). "I was extremely impressed with Steve Neumann.
A professional in every manner and every way! Thank you to all the coaches who acted very professional and cooperated so they were no last minute snags. A great way and blessing to host and run an
event!", said Mike Miles.
THE MAIN EVENT Professional Full Muay Thai Rules - Superwelterweight TREVOR 'T.N.T.' SMANDYCH ( Canada) vs. STEVE NEUMANN (Germany)
Smandych seemed very nervous leading into this fight. Somewhat disappointed with his showing in 'The Contender- Asia', the Canadian seemed to be battling a few inner demons on his return to the
ring in Calgary. Would this affect his performance many thought. Smandych entered the venue to a standing ovation. Upon entering the ring, the Canadian seemed to be built smaller in comparison to
the very stocky Neumann. Smandych weighed in at a very light 151 lbs. while Neumann weighed in at 155 lbs. (BTW, The Contender weight limit was 165 lbs. so Smandych was the smallest of the athletes
both in height and weight at that event). The German athlete Neumann had comparable experience to Smandych and had participated in the highly reputable S-1 event. Neumann was very ready to go,
nodding his approval to fight once the bell rung. As the bell rung, Neumann pounced out of the corner with very hard strikes. The impact of many sent the Canadian backwards and into the ropes.
Neumann would lead with very hard punches and then moved quickly and comfortably to attacking with his elbows. During several points of the first minute and a half, Neumann's blows were being
blocked by the Canadian but the reverberation through his body could be seen by all witnessing the fight. About half way through the bout, the Canadian would counter with elbows right up the middle
and follow with strong punches and/or low kicks which landed with resounding cracks. The low kicks were landing with such ferocity that towards the end of the round, a low kick set the German
athlete up. Smandych delivered a huge punch followed by a long right roundhouse which caught Neumann on the neck. The German athlete went down. Around the count of 6 the German athlete rose on very
wobbly legs. The referee asked the German a few questions and determined that to go any further would have been dangerous and he waived the bout off. Not being able to be saved by the bell except
in the last round, Neumann was to lose the fight by KO at 3:00 of the first round. What is next for Smandych? Possible involvement in fight series in Holland as well as another fight in athletes
involved in 'The Contender - Asia' on the undercard. A bout between those who did not make the finals of the show. Las Vegas is the rumored location.
THE SEMI - MAIN EVENT Professional Full Muay Thai Rules - Lightheavyweight JESSE 'Smiles' MILES (Calgary, Alberta) vs. JASON 'Sumo Samurai" ST. LOUIS (Kelowna, B.C.)
There was an electrifying buzz in the air when it was time for these two athletes to fight. There was anxious anticipation to see if Miles in only his third professional outing would be able to stand
up against St. Louis, a man of 49 professional bouts. St. Louis, has won many MMA titles, even defeating Canada's David 'The Crow" Loiseau. He has also held great promise as an up and coming
professional boxer in Canada and had experience in the ring having defeated the very experienced and respected Junior Olsen under Kickboxing rules. As Miles calmly went through his wai kru
ceremony, St. Louis bounced around in the ring looking very ready to fight. As the bout started St. Louis was to provide movement as Miles watched and developed his battle plan. A low kick by Miles
landed with a resounding smack but the next few were blocked. But the low kicks in reality were probes to set up Miles follow ups. A low kick had St. Louis engage and Miles immediately went to a
straight right. St. Louis boxing ability shone here for a second as he calmly weaved under it. But what was not expected was when Miles quickly grabbed St. Louis' head, stepped around and delivered
a lighting quick knee to his opponent's face with a resounding thud. The knee landed extremely hard and St. Louis found himself on his butt wincing in pain. The knee had struck into St. Louis'
right eye and it immediately swelled shut. Being in huge pain and in obvious discomfort the bout was stopped with Miles winning at 49 seconds of the first round. "I was very surprised at how
fast the bout was over", said coach Mike Miles. "Jason has a solid reputation as a fighter, but Jesse just moved so smartly and effortlessly that he caught his opponent cold". Recorded
by the Calgary Combative Sports Commission as a KO decision, St. Louis finds himself on the end of a 60 days competitive suspension from the ring. What is up next for Miles? March 1st will most
likely see Jesse Miles stepping into the ring as a supermiddleweight against the American participant in 'The Contender - Asia', James Martinez. The American athlete sits on a record
of 28 wins and 3 losses in Muay Thai. He sits on a record of 4 wins and 9 losses in MMA. This bout will headline 'Malicious Intent' taking place in Calgary, Canada.
WKA World Women's Lightweight Full Muay Thai Rules Title Full Muay Thai - Lightweight SANDRA BASTIAN (Canada) vs. ZULEYHA TURAN (Germany)
A good fight though somewhat slower in pace than the first two women's bouts. Bastian looked calm, methodical, and composed but had a little ring rust. Turan looked at keeping Bastian at range by
delivering tiip's at Bastian's lead leg when she would step in to punch. The first round saw a fair amount of kicks exchanged between the girls. But this round also revealed that Bastian was
superior in the clinch. As the bout progressed it became a game of Turan wanting to stay on the outside while Bastian cut the ring to force the clinch. In the following rounds, Bastian became
aggressive with her clinch and besides landing knees, she started throwing Turan to he ground while in the clinch. By round three, Bastian was very aggressive and the bout was stopped by TKO.
Turan was very gracious with the loss and has indicated she would like a rematch with Bastian (hopefully in Germany). Congratulations to Sandra Bastian on winning the vacant WKA Women's World
Lightweight Full Muay Thai Rules Title. Next up, March 1st in Calgary at 'Malicious Intentions' tentatively against American athlete Roxy Richardson. American super promoter
Dennis Warner had tried to set this bout up in mid 2007 but it never happened. These two athletes have been eyeing each other so hopefully it will be signed in the next week.
WKA Women's Superfeatherweight Full Muay Thai Rules Title Full Muay Thai - Superfeatherweight MISTY SUTHERLAND (Canada) vs. ITZEL CADENA MENDOZA (Mexico)
Battling for the vacant WKA North American Women's Superfeatherweight Muay Thai Title, this was a highly spirited bout that ended somewhat strangely. During the bout Cadena Mendoza was content to sit
and wait for Sutherland to initiate the attack. Once initiated, Cadena Mendoza would charge in quickly with heavy punch combinations that would score. Once inside Cadena Mendoza would then switch
to using knees against Sutherland. While Sutherland would try and knee the body, the Mexican girl would deliver multiple knees to the legs of the Canadian. Many of these knees would hit to the
inside of Sutherland's legs and even higher. Sutherland listened to her corner and almost at will would land her straight left punch, snapping Cadena Mendoza's head backwards forcefully. During
Cadena Mendoza's rushes, Sutherland would use frontal knees and straight punches up the center to try and stop the Mexican girl's fast advance. Towards the end of round three Mendoza claimed she
took a knee to the groin. In a somewhat confusing few minutes, the bout was stopped as the referee consulted the other ringside officials to see if anything was witnessed, and then the ringside
doctor even came into the ring. The bout resumed with Cadena Mendoza looking very angry. In round four the Mexican girl still looked angry and possessed and she did land some furious punches but
Sutherland's straight left and more calculated attacks were taking a toll. Midway through the round, Cadena Mendoza stopped and complained about her groin again and she refused to fight. This bout
had great spirit between both athletes but the ending was confusing and surprising. The bout was awarded by TKO to Sutherland who now wears the WKA North American Women's Superfeatherweight Full
Muay Thai Rules Title.
Under Card:
Full Muay Thai - Supermiddleweight SEAN McKINNON (Canada) vs. JOSH SHADDOCK (USA)
A short but explosive bout. Shaddock came to war and he was a little too eager. He moved in at a patiently waiting McKinnon who unloaded a lead roundhouse kick to the face of his opponent. Connecting
solidly, the American went down and did not beat the count. Winner by 1st round KO, Sean McKinnon.
Full Muay Thai - Supermiddleweight ADAM BRONCONNIER (Canada) vs. CARLOS SOLANO RUGARCIA (Mexico)
A very good bout featuring two junior competitors with equal experience. Bronconnier worked very hard on his clinch for this bout and it was a good thing he did as Solano Rugarcia went for the clinch
almost throughout the whole bout. Bronconnier looked a little less explosive in the first two rounds but in round three, his clinch work and explosiveness came to the forefront as he started
pitching the Mexican athlete around. A very good work pace and great desire from both. The bout was very close and the split decision went to Bronconnier. A well deserved win in his hometown.
K-1 Rules - Supermiddleweight PHIL 'No Fear' LEIER (Canada) vs. NATHAN 'The Natural' KEY A good bout. In the opening of the match a strong jab from southpaw Key broke Leier's nose. Leier had his nose broke in his last fight and had surgery to correct it so it seems that it just was not
strong enough to fight. With extreme pain, and for the rest of the bout, Leier fought quite well defensively in this bout but Key just carried the pace of the fight. Definitely not of a Muay Thai
style, Key had requested the K-1 rules to avoid the clinch. Leier did land some nice knees in the clinch but with the unpleasantness of the damaged nose he preferred to single shoot and stay on the
outside playing a defensive role. Good win for Key and a very good work rate. Nice style by the American.
Full Muay Thai - Flyweight ALANA DUNBRACK (Canada) vs. NADIA VELASQUEZ BERNAL (Mexico)
The first women's bout of the evening was an exciting fight between 2 relative newcomers who weighed in at 105 lbs. each. Velasquez Bernal relied on her kicking skills to try and gain points. Dunbrack
on the other hand tried throwing kicks but her range was off and they fell a little short. However, Dunbrack was spot on with her aggressive punching. Dunbrack was to win the bout by unanimous
decision.
Modified Muay Thai - Supermiddleweight PETER ARBEAU (Canada) vs. BRIAN HUTCHINGS (USA)
Arbeau took his time and controlled the gap. Hutchings came out very strong in round one but Arbeau landed some nice kicks to the belly which started to wear down the American's gas tank. In the second
round Arbeau continued his goal of keeping a good gap and working the belly of his foe. In round three, it was too much and after an onslaught from the Canadian, the bout was stopped with Arbeau
winning by TKO.
The next event in Calgary is 'MALICIOUS INTENT'. It will be taking place on March 1st at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino. The Main Event will feature Jesse 'Smiles' Miles possibly
battling American James Martinez. The Semi-Main Event tentatively features Sandra Bastian against Roxy Richardson from the USA. A strong undercard of 7 bouts will be added to
round out the event. Also tentative athletes on this event include Darren Snell, Nate Smandych, Alana Dunbrack... more to be announced.
