Rumble in Beijing - November 11, 2009!!!

Rumble in Beijing

Submitted on Nov 9, 2009 4:00pm by Stephanie Gillett

Battlefield X1: Supremacy is a martial arts exhibition with a charitable twist. With ten bouts featuring fighters from around the world, and two championship belts on the line, the event will raise money for the China Children and Teenagers Foundation – all proceeds from Battlefield X1 will be donated to the charity. World Lightweight Muay Thai Champion Vince Soberano spoke to Stephanie Gillett about his long career as a Muay Thai boxer and gym owner, and looked forward to his cage fight at Battlefield X1.

What inspired you to become a Muay Thai fighter?
When I was 10 years old, I was frail and sickly. I was terrible at sports and very uncoordinated. Then I watched a Muay Thai event at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. I knew right away I wanted to be a boxer. How long have you been fighting? On and off for 20-plus years.

How has the world of Muay Thai fighting changed since you started your career?
A lot has changed in terms of the quality and training of fighters, but the traditions remain the same. Many competitions around the world are based on Muay Thai, but the rules have been altered. However, when you watch the bouts, the grounding in Muay Thai is still apparent.

What has been the most memorable moment of your career so far?
Winning another world title fight in Thailand at age 43.

Who was your most challenging opponent?
A Thai fighter [who I fought] at Rajadamnern Stadium. That was my most challenging fight, because I was underweight and physically smaller than my opponent.

What is the craziest thing you have ever seen happen in the ring?
Two fighters knock each other out at the same time!

Have you ever fought in a cage fight before?
Yes, back in 1996 I fought Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) bouts in the US.

How will your strategy in the cage at Battlefield X1 differ from a traditional ring match?
When fighting in a traditional ring, I can lean back against the ropes and still be at an advantage. In a cage, it’s dangerous to get trapped and pinned against the cage, so I’ll have to keep moving laterally to keep that from happening.

What do you do to gear up for a match? What is your routine?
I just make sure I get plenty of rest and sleep the day before the fight. I also eat lots of carbohydrates to store energy. Other than that, I just take it easy and keep a positive attitude.

How and why did you become involved in promoting Muay Thai in China?
When I first came to China in 2005, I saw the opportunity and the need to promote authentic Muay Thai. There were a lot of clubs that advertised Muay Thai classes but weren’t anything close to real Muay Thai. When I gave a Muay Thai seminar at Powerhouse Gym, at a friend’s invitation, more than 50 people showed up. So many people were interested in the fighting style that they literally begged me to start teaching in Beijing.

How has Muay Thai been received in China?
Thanks to movies like Ong-bak, Muay Thai is regarded as a very popular and very exotic fighting art. It’s also considered a truly exciting fighting sport, thanks to competitions such as K-1. When I started introducing Muay Thai in Beijing, I also presented it as an effective and fun fitness system.

And how do you plan to enhance Muay Thai’s success in China?
[As I mentioned,] my kind of Muay Thai in China is not just a martial art and fighting sport, but also a fitness system and healthy lifestyle. My gym is not just a gym – it’s also a club and a community. People join Black Tiger not just because we teach Muay Thai, but also because we are a quality brand. We are Black Tiger Muay Thai – a lifestyle.

With my new company, Hero Entertainment, we are promoting Muay Thai in our big show, Battlefield X – a series of world-class championship fighting events that use full Muay Thai rules and follow traditional Muay Thai ceremonies. This is not just a regular combat sport event like boxing and MMA, it’s also a cultural event because it is laced with traditions practiced for hundreds of years in Thailand.

How long do you intend to continue fighting?
I stopped answering this question two years ago, after I came out of retirement for the third time in my life. I guess the answer is that I don’t really know anymore. I’m just having so much fun that I don’t want to think about stopping now.

Battlefield X1: Supremacy takes place November 11 at the China World Hotel Conference Hall. For more information, visitwww.blacktigerclub.com. RMB 600-1,200, RMB 400 (ladies), dinner and wine included. Tickets at 8706 1940, 8656 7818 or e-mail chinafighters@gmail.com. 6pm (venue opens), 7pm (start). China World Hotel, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District. (6505 2266) 朝阳区朝阳区建国门外大街1号中国大饭店2层

Beijing Black Tiger@Club Hero
Mon-Fri 8am-9.30pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun noon-6pm. Suite 110, Bldg D, Cable 8, 8 Langjiayuan, Jianguo Lu (west of Wanda Plaza), Chaoyang District. (8706 1940, 8656 7818, 8918 3249, 6581 5570) www.blacktigerclub.com 朝阳区建国路万达广场西侧郎家园8号尚8创意产业园D座110

Kicking it for the kids

Source: Global Times [22:28 November 03 2009]

By Matthew Jukes

Rarely are children and violence a good mix. But come Wednesday November 11, fighters at the Battlefield X1 event are going to have a good old fashioned punch up that will do a lot of good for some of China's children. And it's all thanks to World Lightweight Muay Thai Champion Vince Soberano.

"It's funny how the whole story began. I wasn't planning to do a big show like this,"says Soberano, sitting in his gym at Club Hero surrounded by the noise of students hitting the bags.

"My girlfriend just told me one day, 'I really want to do something for impoverished kids in China.' She showed me pictures on the Internet of kids living in other places in China, the pictures were really sad. She said we should do something, maybe donate money or hold a charity event. I don't know much about holding other types of events, or fund raising, but one thing I do know is how to promote a Muay Thai event."

That's certainly no lie. The Californian not only holds the World Lightweight title, but still hosts frequent fight events and looks after a business and its 350 students while still finding time to train (and be pestered by Metro Beijing).

Caped crusader

For those who don't know, Muay Thai, also known as Thai boxing, is the national sport of Thailand. It is a highly effective martial art which utilizes as much of the body, including elbows and knees as a weapon to be both practical in a real fight, but also maintains a rich history in competition.

"I was 10 years old when my dad took me to watch a fight in Bangkok. As soon as I saw my first Muay Thai fight, I fell in love with it and never stopped since. The next day he took me to join a local gym, and the rest is history,"Soberano says.

"I had done some karate and taekwondo as a kid but after I saw Muay Thai, all the karate and stuff I did before just seemed so fake, they don't hit each other. They do all these nice looking movements, but you don't really know how effective it is. I watched a Muay Thai fight and thought: 'Oh my god!' They're using parts of the body that are really effective, they know how to create the distance, they know how to bridge the gap…this is real fighting, not just forms and dancing around."

Prior to his career as professional fighter and trainer the mild mannered champ had been working batman-style as a software engineer for an American company. "By day I was working in a software office and by night was a fighter. I've been doing both of them at the same time over all those years,"he adds. It was the software work which brought him to Beijing, but it's not what keeps him here now.

In 2006 after holding some seminars at fitness clubs, the fighter was defeated by the need for a Muay Thai gym in Beijing. Wasting no time Soberano went back to the US to hand in his resignation in person and came back to China to become a full time fighter.

"I was so surprised at how it turned out. I realized that the Chinese want something new, something exotic, they want to experience a whole new and alternative style of fitness and martial arts. In Muay Thai they're doing something special that no one else does. It's trendy."

Las Vegas

Now since a merger this year with a Brazilian jiujitsu gym, Black Tiger Club Hero has taken off, and MMA (mixed martial arts – fighting both on the ground and standing up) are the way forward.

At Battlefield X1, Soberano's fight will be the only MMA bout of the evening, and as it's a full contact professional event it's going to be gritty. But other than his opponent he's got some others to look out for. "I'm concerned about my fighters; I have eight students who are fighting. The majority of the fighters are from my gym and of course I want them to win, I've spent a lot of time training them and working with them,"he says with genuine concern.

That's not going to stop the event being a little upscale. One of his students is the executive chef at the China World Hotel, and when he heard Soberano wanted to host a charity event, he was only too happy to oblige. The result is a Las Vegas style black tie set up, complete with all the hobbies of the aristocracy; fine dining, a silent auction, and of course a big name guest list.

"If we're going to have a charity event, why invite people who don't have any money, who can barely pay for the tickets? Let's invite people who have bundles of cash that they can give to charity. So we made this a black tie event to bring in the upper echelons of society – and it sure did,"says the charitable champ.

There will be 10 fights, featuring fighters from China, USA, Europe, and of course Thailand. Two of them are championship fights.

Proceeds from the event will go to the China Children and Teenagers Foundation and although names can't be dropped, some of China's famous faces are set to attend. It looks like it's shaping up to be an evening to remember.

Fighting to save the little orphans

Muay Thai boxer Vince Soberano is holding a charity event to raise money for orphans.

Meet Vince Soberano: Successful software engineer, college film major and pizza delivery boy. Oh yes, and he's also a Thai boxing world champion.

The 44-year-old former World Welterweight Champion now runs the Black Tiger Hero Club, the famous Muay Thai boxing gym in Beijing.

Today the Filipino American trains 300 fighters and is a perfect example on how to live the life to the fullest.

He became hooked on Thai boxing when he first saw a fight in Bangkok, and started training at the age of 13. He was a natural and won a series titles the World Professional Muay Thai Federation (WPMT) titles during the mid-1980s and early 90s.

But Vince never took fighting as a full-time career.

Instead, he immigrated to the US and studied film as his major at a university in California. He did many odd jobs after graduation. He was a paperboy and a pizza delivery guy before a job working in a software company.

"But Thai boxing has always been my passion," he said.

The lure of the ring finally made him quit his office job not long after being sent by the company to open its China office in 2005.

And that's how his Thai boxing school began.

Starting a business in China is difficult in many foreigners' eyes, but not for Soberano.

While most fighters may have "zero" understanding of how business works, Soberano had already mastered good people skills, presentation and developed a sharp eye for opportunities.

And he does not see "red tape and people work" as drawbacks because it is easier to open business in Beijing more than ever before.

"The hardest part for foreigners to run a business in China is the language," he said.

"Therefore, partnering with Chinese is a good choice. And if you don't know any Chinese, you need to have Chinese-speaking employees you trust so that you could know the way around, the policies, where to get things, etc."

Soberano is lucky that he not only made sound partnership with local friends, but also met Feifei, his beautiful Chinese girlfriend.

And now, he is carrying out a new mission to spread the good word about Thai boxing.

Inspired by a picture of a Chinese orphan his girlfriend showed him four months ago, he began holding a charity Thai boxing championship to show his love and encourage these children in the country he has lived for almost four years. And the event is set to open on Nov 11.

Proceeds from the charity event will be donated to the China Children and Teenagers Foundation.

"There was a time when I used to fight for money, but this time, I feel like I am fighting for a cause," he said.

But he hopes the Thai boxing event will not only financially help the orphans, but also inspire them by the perseverance that the sport requires.

And that is why this fighter with a record of 65 wins and 2 losses decided to fight again in the upcoming event.

"As Thai boxing is a combat sport, in order to survive, you have to really prepare and train hard, or else you will get really hurt. Life is also a fight, no one want to be the last place," he said.

"We hope children can be inspired this way in their growth, because, no matter the kids from the States or China, they are our future."

KO Victory at the King's Birthday World Championships

Latest Update: At the World Professional Muay Thai Federation championships, Vince Soberano Kaewsamrit KO'd his Thai opponent with a devastating left hook and elbow in the 3rd round. This event was held to honor the King of Thailand on his 80th birthday, Dec. 5, 2007. More than 60,000 spectators attended the 2-day fight marathon, with fighters from 50 different countries competing in the most prestigious international event of the year in Muay Thai. Coming from his recent wins in Thailand this year, Vince is the first and only Filipino-American to fight and win at both the Queen's and the King's Birthday on the same year here in Bangkok.

Muay Thai in Beijing

Sawatdee khrup!

Ni hao from Beijing, China, where Muay Thai is about to become the new and hottest martial arts and fitness trend! Kru Vince, founder of Black Tiger Thai Boxing Gym in San Diego, California, brings his own brand of authentic Muay Thai to Black Tiger Academy in Beijing.

Kru Vince came from Orange County, California to Beijing on a work project for his previous software company in 2005. Knowing that he would be staying in Beijing for a while, he searched high and low for an authentic Muay Thai school. He found some schools that practiced SanDa (Chinese kickboxing) and mixed in a little bit of Thai Boxing but it wasn't the real thing. He was soon resigned to the fact that if he wanted to train real Muay Thai in China, he would have to teach it. As a 30-year veteran of Thai Boxing and former World Champion, he is the most legitimate Thai Boxing expert in Beijing and arguably, the rest of mainland China!

At the end of 2005, Kru Vince met Prof. Chet Quint, an American black belt in Gracie Brazilian Jiujitsu who came to China to pioneer his martial art as well. By the middle of 2006, Prof. Quint and Kru Vince had teamed up to found Black Tiger Academy (Beijing). Within the past year, they had attracted over a hundred students (mainly foreigners and expatriates) in Brazilian Jiujitsu and Muay Thai and trained successful MMA fighters here in China.

They now run the Black Tiger training facility in the plush Jianwai Soho complex in the Central Business District (CBD) of Beijing.

This blog is a chronicle to Kru Vince's quest to promote and innovate Muay Thai kickboxing in China through events, instruction and various types of media.

Kru Vince's fight bio:

• Muay Thai/Kickboxing pro record: 30 wins , 2 losses
• Total fights (pro, am, non-sanctioned): 60 wins, 4 losses
• MMA fights: 4 wins, 2 losses

Titles/Achievements:

• 2007 World Professional Muay Thai Federation Lightweight Division, King's Birthday (Thailand)
  
• 2007 World Professional Muay Thai Federation
  Lightweight Division, Queen's Birthday (Thailand)
• 1995 World Muay Thai Association
  World Welterweight Title
• 1994 International Kickboxing League
  World Welterweight Title
• 1993 World Muay Thai Association North American Welterweight Title
• 1989 World Kickboxing Association California State Lightweight Title
  

Other related bio:

Founder, Black Tiger Thai Boxing Gym, San Diego, Calif.
Founder, Ringsports Productions, San Diego, Calif.
Co-Founder, Black Tiger Academy, Beijing, China
Co-Founder, Black Tiger MMA Team, Beijing, China
Producer, Black Tiger Media Productions, Beijing, China

Websites:

http://www.muaythaichina.com
http://www.blacktigerclub.com