Girish Rae does not like to do things by halves.
In fact, he likes to double his workload.
The 31-year-old Dunedin kickboxer will fight in Auckland's
Extreme F1 Muay Thai today, and a fortnight later will return
to compete in the Oceania super eight-man elimination series.
If Rae wins today, he will pocket $1000 and get an audition
for a reality kickboxing show in Korea next year. If he wins
the elimination series, he will qualify for an
intercontinental tournament and collect $8000.
Rae said he was confident of performing well. His main goal
was to win the elimination series but he would be holding
nothing back in his F1 fight.
He said fighting in two promotions in as many weeks was not
an issue.
Initially, the F1 was meant to be an eight-man competition,
and he was the fittest he had ever been.
"Stitches only take seven days to heal."
He said the only thing that would stop him fighting in the
super eight was if he got knocked out in his first fight.
"That has not happened in any of my 40 fights and I don't
expect it now," Rae said.
It will be the first time Rae has fought since a tournament
in October last year, when in the space of six weeks he shed
12kg. That weight loss proved too much when he lost his
semifinal bout.
The man he will fight today, Edwin Samy, lost the final of
that series, but beat the man who won it, Joe Hopkins, a few
months later.
"He is arguably the best 72kg fighter in the country so I
can't look past that," Rae said.
Rae has gradually shed about 9kg for his first fight. He will
then add 3kg for the 75kg Oceania series.
Oceania promoter Phillip Lam said he picked Rae because he
wanted a South Island fighter who had the talent to win the
series.
Fighting out of SportsLab gym and his own FI-G Muay Thai gym,
Rae has been training two or three times a day, six days a
week, in a combination of pads and bag work mixed with
cardio.
By adjusting his running style to running on the balls of his
feet, he has been able to run more slowly but for longer
periods and without pain for up to 15km a day.
After 30 amateur fights, Rae turned professional in 2005 and
spent about three years in Thailand, where he won 32 of his
38 fights.
As well as his professional record of 33 wins from 40 fights,
he won 25 amateur fights and a bronze medal at the world Muay
Thai championships in 2007.
Last year, Rae, who goes by the ring name "Honey Badger", was
elected as the Oceania representative on the World Muay Thai
Council.
All fights are scheduled for five 3min rounds.
Muay Thai is also known as Thai kickboxing. Opponents can
punch, knee, kick and elbow while both fighters are standing.
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