THE Royal Jersey Showground played host to one of Jersey’s biggest ever sporting moments, with Victoria Smith’s monumental WBC British title win headlining a historic night at the Blood Fight Series XIII.
With 11 of the 15 bouts seeing a Caesarean come out on top, it truly was a night to remember, accompanied by the passionate presentation of MC and former fighter Stefan Rossi.
“What a night,” said Michael Blood, the event’s chief organiser and the fighters’ head coach, “in the build up it’s incredibly stressful to organise and set everything up, but on the night it’s all worth it and I’m so proud of everyone.
“Every time our fighters go out, they’re levelling up and improving, which is so great to see. The way we structure our calendar, with three events a year in addition to going over to the UK, keeps our fighters hungry and always training.
“Vicky’s [Smith] WBC title win was huge. It has to be up there with the biggest women’s sporting moments in the Island’s history. To come out on top against a high-level opponent in a professional, full rules bout for such a prestigious belt, she’s done an incredible job and proved she belongs with the UK’s best.”
Hosting a successful event will only bolster Blood Fitness’ reputation further, as Blood continued: “There’s no other gym in the UK that can produce this number of fighters for one card to this level. If we keep this standard going and continue going away to compete, then I’m sure we’ll have the highest level in the UK.
“We already have Justin [Davey] and Vicky as two pro fighters at our gym, but I’m confident that’ll grow to six or seven over the next couple of years. There’s Kimberley [Noel] who’s knocking on the door, Jacques [Stead] has a great clinch game, so that could propel him into the pros quickly, and many others who are capable.
“I competed at a high level many moons ago. My coach Rob Mitchell was one of the guys to bring Muay Thai over to Jersey, and I thank him every day for pushing me. Since then, the sport has just continued to grow, the passion really does rub off on people and it’s become massive over here.”
These events will be crucial to achieving the gym’s ambitions in the sport, as Blood added: “Moving forward, we just want to keep doing what we’re doing. We’re now well known in the UK, but we want to keep building our profile even more, and that’s only done by taking fights.
“To do this, these events are so important to funding our efforts. The money from ticket sales doesn’t go in my pocket, they get re-invested into the gym and fund all the fighters going away to fight. If we don’t make money on these shows, then that would really backfire on our fighters’ promising careers.
“Having three events a year keeps that hunger for fighters to train, as you need that reward of getting in the ring to keep them going. Muay Thai is my obsession, but, as a coach, you need passionate fighters to keep you going, which is what we have as there’s loads who don’t want a break at all, so I can’t wait to start again.”
Blood was full of thanks for all the support he received, adding: “I can’t thank our sponsors, Ashbe Construction, enough for all the support they have provided, they help make these events possible. Also, a big shout-out must be given to all who come across from the UK. Whether that be fighters, coaches, judges, or officials, they’re all fantastic and so respectful, making everything worthwhile.”
Victoria Smith
Following the anticipation, Blood Fight Series XIII delivered on all fronts, presenting plenty of highly skilled and action packed bouts.
Headlining this was Victoria Smith, who overcame the odds as the UK no.6 ranked fighter to dethrone UK no.3 Jenny Redford and win the prestigious WBC British title.
Smith put in a controlling performance, dictating the pace and dominating the clinch to score higher with the judges, seeing her prevail with a unanimous decision victory.
Such a win could move her into the UK’s top three, expanding her profile even further and cementing her position among the nation’s best.
Smith said: “We had expected she would come forward and look to get in the clinch, but we also knew our clinching ability, with a variety of knees and elbows, so we weren’t concerned about the fight ending up there.
“The key was definitely getting the more dominant positions in the clinch on the inside, as well as taking opportunities on the outside, like scoring with kicks.
“A Class was literally eye opening, I have four stitches next to my eye to prove it!
“It was hard as we both really wanted the belt, so both of us were getting a little desperate towards the end and any finesse went out the window, but it was such a rush and I look forward to doing it again.”
Justin Davey
Before that, fellow A Class professional Justin Davey bounced back to winning ways in sensational fashion, dominating his rematch with former rival Jax Brooke.
“Everything went to plan really, I went out there and did a lot of what I wanted to achieve. I put a lot more into my shots, used my hands a lot more and really landed with effect, hurting him early,” said Davey.
“Jax was very awkward to face, always pushing forward, so I knew that I couldn’t take anything for granted. I learnt from my mistakes and wasn’t too relaxed, as I didn’t want to give him a way in, and came in a lot more focused to be switched on from the beginning.
“For me, it was sensational. To win the way I did and make a statement, compared to the last time I fought him where I played around a little bit, just reminded me of what I’m capable of.
“I’d like to thank Michael [Blood] for all his support. He can change anyone’s mindset and instilled so much confidence in me, as well as my missus, Megan, for being a huge help with the weight cut.”
Following this remarkable rebound, the goal remains the same, as Davey aims to land a spot in the UK rankings next year.
As well as those memorable fights, fellow fighters Max Hugo, Alex McKimmon and Holly Jordas delivered impressive victories in their debuts. Kickboxing prospect Rob Yates didn’t look at all out of place in his debut, going straight in to batter his opponent en route to a unanimous decision.
Kimberley Noel looked incredibly fresh in her second fight in as many weeks, dominating in the clinch to score highly and tip the bout in her favour, winning by unanimous decision.
Mayhem Martial Arts’ Edwon Ascençao delivered a highlight-reel finish within the first 20 seconds to shock the crowd, as well as impressive wins from Blood Fitness’ Max Patsit and Elysia Parmesan to maintain their win streaks, and Seb Howells’ entertained in his boxing bout with Johan Pols to end in a thrilling draw.
Jacques Stead’s impressive winning streak came to an abrupt end, missing out in an incredibly close bout which only had one point between him and his opponent.
