Papua New Guinea’s first ever Muay Thai bout to be staged on March 21

Papua New Guinea (PNG) will make history on March 21 as the first ever Muay Thai bout will be staged during the Kickboxing Ox & Palm Cup titles at the Sports Inn.

The event will feature over 128 fighters, from all corners of the country in the 70 – 72 kg division, vying a share in the K50, 000 prize-money. However, the main attraction will be the first ever Muay Thai bout staged in the country.

According martial artist and photojournalist Andrew Molen of Wantok Niuspepa, the bout will be between the country’s professional Muay Thai fighter Lee “The Flash” Garap and kickboxer Alfred “White Shark” Samuel.

While Samuel is a kickboxer, he has fought in Muay Thai, professional boxing and has had training in mixed martial arts (MMA).

Molen posted on the PNG Warrior group on Facebook that the Muay Thai bout will be “the main event following the under cards and the 8-Men tournament.”

He said it will not be an international match and the concept is to “expose the new breed of fighters and resurrect the image of kickboxing in the country again.”

Molen said kickboxing judges and referees in the country will go through a seminar to update themselves before the event. They will also be introduced to the rules, regulations and styles of Muay Thai.

Muay Thai is the tradition combat martial arts of Thailand and is often described as the “science of eight limbs” because it employs elbows and knees as well as fists and feet.