Past, Present and Parable in Pacific Pageant

“IT’S ABOUT CONSTANTLY TESTING YOURSELF AND IMPROVING.
IT’S ABOUT INSPIRING OTHER PEOPLE TO GO AFTER THEIR
DREAMS AND TO DO THINGS THEY NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE.”

Photo courtesy of Ray Kasprowicz

KEVIN ROSS OF MASTER TODDY’S MUAY THAI ACADEMY IN LAS VEGAS
USMF NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT MUAY THAI CHAMPIONSHIP
PHANUWAT ‘COKE’ CHUNHAWAT OF PACIFIC RING SPORTS IN SAN FRANCISCO

Kevin ‘The Soul Assassin’ Ross only took up Martial Arts six years ago, according to the Las Vegas Sun, but in that span he has registered over 20 fights, including a score settling win over Chinese WBC International Super Lightweight Muay Thai Champion Kang En. Here is the report that Hepi Mita published in the Las Vegas Sun on August the 31st, a day after it happened:

Photo courtesy of Adrian Sanchez

“Kevin Ross avenged his Jan. 19 loss against Kang En with a thrilling knockout victory in the main event of Sunday’s World Championship Fights: USA versus China at the Las Vegas Hilton. The grudge between the Muay Thai boxers was obvious when Ross…shoved his Chinese opponent before the fight’s opening bell. ‘I was upset about the decision when we were in China and I wanted him to know that it would be different this time,’ Ross said.

Photo courtesy of Ray Kasprowicz

The last time the combatants met, En came away with a unanimous decision victory thanks in part to a point deduction due to a miscommunication between Ross and the non-English speaking referee. This time around neither the referee nor the judges played any part in the outcome, as Ross knocked out En (21 – 2) with a knee to the jaw 1 minute, 3 seconds into the fourth round

‘When we were clinched up I kept trying for the knee to the face and it was really getting close,’ Ross said. ‘He put his head down, I felt [my knee] clip him and I felt him buckle.’
Until the knockout, the fight could have gone either way with the combatants exchanging blows in an all out brawl. ‘Last time we were moving around the ring. This time we were just standing there trading back and forth,’ said Ross. Not only did the victory win Ross the WBC super lightweight Muay Thai championship, the win also allowed the American fighters to pull out a draw, going 3 – 3 in matches against Chinese opponents.”

A larger Kevin Ross faced off against Ratchaburi, Thailand native Phanuwat ‘Coke’ Chunhawat. In an interview with fellow WOTH IV participant Matt Lucas, Chunhawat recalled be¬ginning his training in a Thai temple at age 11, then moving to Fairtex at age 13 – 14. The first of five scheduled rounds in this USMF National Professional Muay Thai Championship bout began with peppering low kicks and jabs from Ross, as Phanu¬wat tried to measure the range with movement outside. While Kevin was the more active fighter early, Chunhawat’s speed worked to parry or deflect most of the strikes.

PEPPERING LOW KICK FROM ROSS

With traditional Thai music in the air, the pace picked up in round two. ‘Coke’ advanced looking to clinch. Ross seized the opportunity to connect several hard left hooks and straight rights. He broke contact with low kicks to control the tempo. Once Phanuwat got in tight, Kevin scrambled on the attempted throw and managed to maintain his balance. Then it was ‘The Soul Assassin’ initiating a clinch but Chunhawat registering several hard knee strikes to the midsection. Ross matter of factly tossed ‘Coke’ to the mat. The move seemed to fire up the Lumpini veteran. He exploded with a heavy power knee to the chest from several feet away. They were trading knees and hard standing elbows inside, when an errant strike from Ross snapped Phanuwat’s groin cup with an audible pop. ‘Coke’ smiled sheepishly, on full display, as his corner worked a new one into place.