By Sophie Swain Stand Up For Southport
A father and gym owner from Southport has won the IKSA World Muay Thai title in Glasgow.
Jack Kennedy, 34, took part in the International Sport Kickboxing Association (IKSA) Muay Thai Boxing season two competition on the 31st of August.
He was up against the previous IKSA World Champion, Lee MacKay from Scotland.
After a fierce fight, Jack defeated Lee, taking the ISKA World Welterweight Muay Thai title, 67kg, by unanimous decision.
He said Lee was a ‘tough lad with a massive engine’ but despite this, Jack managed to take away his first world title.
“I trained really hard and did everything in my power to win.
“Lee was a tough lad, the fight was very fast-paced and definitely made me tired,” said Jack.
Jack is constantly training. However, for this fight he did an eight-week stint, training twice a day, every day apart from Sunday.
Jack explained how he’s always been interested in martial arts but fell out of it as he grew up.
When he started going to the gym at college, his passion for Muay Thai took off.
Jack’s father, Dave Kennedy, says he ‘couldn’t be prouder’ of his son’s career.
“He started 15 years ago at the age of 19, a bit of a late starter but has not looked back since.
“I couldn’t be more proud. I’ve followed him all around the world, I’ve been to the Middle East and Europe with him.
“This was actually his third world championship, he didn’t win the first two so to see him win this one is amazing!”
Dave thinks Muay Thai boxing often ‘goes under the radar’, he described it as more of an art form, with less aggression and more technicalities.
A father and gym owner from Southport has won the IKSA World Muay Thai title in Glasgow. Jack Kennedy, 34, took part in the International Sport Kickboxing Association (IKSA) Muay Thai Boxing season two competition
As well as competing himself, is Jack also the owner and head coach at The Imperial Thai Boxing Academy on Virginia Street in Southport where he trains.
Joel Verite, the hero window cleaner, who stopped to help at the scene of the Southport stabbings, trains with Jack at his gym having personal training sessions every Saturday.
Joel attempted to tackle the attacker in a bid to save lives and Jack said hearing the news, he thought he was ‘so brave how he threw himself into something like that’.
The academy, which is open six days a week, runs sessions from boxing to sparring for juniors and all levels of mixed martial arts.
Throughout his Muay Thai career, Jack has taken part in 58 fights in total, winning 45, losing 11 and drawing two.
In March he won the World Boxing Council (WBC) European Title, but this Summer Jack has taken it up a notch.
He has been through highs and lows during his 15-year Muay Thai career.
During his fourth, fight Jack ended up in intensive care with a ruptured spleen.
“I took a kick then after the fight I passed out. Nobody knew what was wrong with me.
“I ended up going to hospital and my heart actually stopped, they had to resuscitate me.
“It was only my fourth fight but it didn’t put me off. When I woke up the first thing I asked was ‘when can I fight again?’”
After a short six-month break Jack bounced back.
He won against ‘Paddy the Baddy,’ the famous professional, mixed martial artist in only his tenth fight.
After having just a week lay off after his big fight last week, Jack is straight back into training.
He plans to fight in Australia, Sweden or even Thailand at the end of this year.
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Please message Andrew Brown via Facebook here or email me at: [email protected]
