Kickboxers battle for fame

 By PETER SEVARA Jr.

PORT Moresby-based kickboxers will stage a publicity event this Saturday.

Fighters from the Autonomous Regions of Bougainville (ABG) will take on teams from the National Capital District, Simbu, Western Highlands, Hela and Eastern Highlands. 

The show is from 8.30am to 4.30pm. The morning session of the tournament will see youths as young as 11 fight while the afternoon session, from 11pm-4.30pm, will see the senior fighters battle. The main bout will see Channel Hagen from Bougainville go against Stanley Nandex protege, Maxie “the black thunder” Kanea. 

The event will be held at the Nine- Mile Guard Dog Base near Vitis Industries outside Port Moresby.

Bougainville will field 15 fighters most of whom are from a boxing background but have been training as kickboxers for the past month under Kanea.

Channel has had a boxing career while Kanea, representing the Southern Highlands, has been an understudy of retired PNG kickboxing legend Stanley Nandex.

The NCD team will depend on Dick Sandy, Alex Warokop and Freddy Marai while Bougainville will be looking at Freddy Hinoh, Jerry Channel and Bran Himes to do their magic.

The fights will be used to promote the ABG team while for the Moresby based teams, it will be used to select fighters to take part in the Ox and Palm Kickboxing tournament to be held next month. Guard Dog Security Company has sponsored the event with protection gear for fighters. NCD will field seven fighters, Southern Highlands six, Hela and Simbu five each and EHP four.