JERSEY’S Muay Thai talent will be thrust into the spotlight once again tomorrow, as four of the Island’s finest battle it out on the Leapfrog Fight Night, held in Bolton’s Hideout Arena.
Justin Davey will be stepping into new territory, making his professional debut, while Isabel Medina, Jacques Stead and Dilan De La Haye go in search of victory in the pro-am categories.
Michael Blood, owner of Blood Fitness and the head coach, was delighted with the event’s scale, saying: “This is the biggest event our athletes are set to compete in yet. As far as promotions go in the UK, it doesn’t really get bigger than this.
“Leapfrog has loads of followers and they’re big into promoting, so this event will be great for building their profiles. If you fight on one of their cards, your name will get out everywhere a lot faster, and doors will open.”
“We’re definitely making a statement in the UK,” Blood continued, “our gym is now recognised and people know what we’re capable of, after all that our fighters have achieved so far.
“I feel like we’ve met our target of being one of the UK’s better gyms. We’ve grown a lot this past five years and there’s no sign of that stopping. We have great fighters, a lot of up-and-comers and all the facilities, so things are looking very good for us.”
Justin Davey
Davey will be making his first foray into professional Muay Thai and is set to compete against fellow pro-debutant Jack Halliday at lightweight, on the night’s main professional card.
Following a loss in his last outing, where he fell just short in a title fight, Davey has learnt from the experience, determined to come back better than ever: “That bout was a wake-up call, I was just a bit too relaxed and it made me realise you just can never cruise in the ring.
“Now, I’m not taking anything for granted. I’m going to go out there and go for it from the off.”
The A class does have its differences, with longer rounds up to three minutes from two and no more use of elbow pads.
Although these changes greatly affect the fight, Davey isn’t fazed: “Stepping up in class is very exciting, the pads are actually quite uncomfortable and the longer rounds suit my style a bit more, so I feel like I’ll be a lot more free.
“When I’m hitting pads with Mikey (Blood), we’re now doing it with the three-minute rounds, trying to match the fight’s tempo. As it’s a longer round, it’s not so much a blitz, the pace is slower and it’s all about picking your moments and being more selective with shots.”
His opponent, Halliday, looks to be a fierce adversary, as Blood noted: “Halliday looks like a decent fighter, it’s going to be Justin’s biggest test yet on this massive show.”
Davey will be going in prepared, after what has been a good camp for the local athlete: “After watching some of his fights, it looks like he sits on the back foot, picking his shots, so I feel that it’s going to be good for me to draw something out of him. I like to counter, so if I can go first and draw it out, I’ll go for it.
“Mike and I have practised a lot of things that he likes to throw in different parts of the ring. He likes to throw his lead hook, and I’m working on just baiting that out.”
Ultimately, Davey isn’t planning on letting this opportunity fall by the wayside, adding: “This is a massive opportunity, it’s a big show in front of a big crowd. So, I don’t want to just cruise to a victory on that, I really want to show what I’m about, make a statement and show that, one day, I’ll be at the top.”
Isabel Medina
An incredibly tough test awaits Medina, as she’s slated to face hard-hitter Becky Barlow in a bantamweight pro-am contest.
“She’s going to be really tough. I think Becky’s only had three fights, but she already holds an ISKA area title, which is pretty wild,” said Medina.
Preparation hasn’t been easy for the Caesarean, as film to study on her opponent has been scarce, with the only clip on offer being a 40-second knockout win for Barlow.
“To only have that 40-second footage, where she just goes and knocks the girl out, means I don’t really know what to expect going in,” Medina continued.
“From seeing some videos on her Instagram, hitting pads, I think she’s going to be very aggressive, which suits my style as that allows me to step back.
“When you don’t have much film to study, you just really work on your strengths. So, assuming that she’s going to be aggressive, I’ve been working on kicking and working my way into the clinch. A lot of gyms do neglect clinch work, so if you’re sharp and get to a good standard, then that can give you an edge.”
Like Davey, Medina has the added motivation to get back into the win column, after finding herself on the wrong side of the scorecard last time out.
“I’ve learned so much more from losing than I ever did from a win. I’ve also got a lot more confident in my style, as I was proud of my performance,” Medina explained.
Barlow certainly looks to be a tricky customer, but Medina is more than up for the challenge, saying: “From the video, she looked really strong, and I thought this fight would be a great challenge. I lost my last one, so I thought if I’m going to try and come back from a loss, at least make it a good one.”
Jacques Stead
After an impressive win in his last bout at the Blood Fight Series event, Stead is ready to face his toughest test yet, against Jake Humphries.
“I think this is going to be my biggest challenge so far, as he likes to stand, which is similar to my style, as I like to manage distance, set things up and trade shots,” Stead explained.
“He looks like a kicker from his fight clips, so this fight should be more stand and trade, rather than going into the clinch.”
Blood was full of praise, saying: “I always call Jacques the dark horse, he stays under the radar on social media, but when he fights, he’s real good and strong.
“He’s got a very different, unpredictable way of fighting, which is very unorthodox and difficult to read, and he’s always a tough test in sparring.
This bout marks a milestone, as he’s taking the step up, from N class to C class, meaning elbows are now used with pads, and no more leg guards. As well as that, this will be Stead’s first bout on away soil, marking a weekend of new challenges.
“With the elbows now a part of the fight, it definitely adds something to think about, so I’ve been adjusting to that by trading elbows in sparring,” Stead added.
“As I’m fighting away, I guess there’s not as much pressure with friends and family watching, I’ll know when I get there, but ultimately it’s same thing, different place.”
Although Stead’s early unbeaten record is better than that of his opponent, Stead knows better than to underestimate Humphries: “He’s had one win, two losses and a draw, but I’m not going in thinking this will be an easy fight. He won his last one, and with the losses he’s probably trained a lot harder.
“I’ve trained a lot. I’ve done all the hard work and that’s all you can do. Him training harder is happy days really, because it’ll make for a good fight.”
Dilan De La Haye
Following an entertaining draw in his last bout, 17-year-old De La Haye is seeking to continue his unbeaten streak, coming up against Jack McGrath.
His opponent is a lot closer to his age this time around, at 18 years old, marking a big change to the usual, which sees him come up against opponents who are “full-grown adults”.
“Dilan’s definitely got one of the most beautiful styles in the gym, it’s very graceful and pleasing to watch,” said Blood.
“He’s still young, at just 17, but he’s really starting to get more confident in himself, and has started developing that upper body strength.
“His opponent seems to have a kickboxing style, so we feel low kicks are worth a lot, because we always get the timing right.”
De La Haye echoed those sentiments, adding: “I’ve worked with Michael to defend against his heavy boxing style with my lead front kick, and using leg kicks to drop his hands and set up the head kick.”
The young star is aware of the weight this opportunity carries, with a win meaning loads for his career: “This would be the largest promotion I’ve fought on outside of Jersey, and a win would boost my profile, as well as making Blood Fitness more well known in the sport.”
The Leapfrog Fight Night 9 Bolton card is set to commence at 3pm, with a livestream available on leapfrogfighttv.com.
