Muay thai legend Buakaw breaks silence on walkout
Kitinan Sanguansak
Buakaw Banchamek explains his absence from the K-1 fight.
K-1 fighter suggests rule changes overshadowed his title fight
BANGKOK: -- Controversial fighter Buakaw Banchamek yesterday defended his decision to walk out of his title fight on Saturday, saying he preferred to let the audience decide the bout's outcome rather than the judges.
The 32-year-old's latest antics stunned viewers when he abruptly left the ring after the regulation three-round bout against Germany's Enriko Kehl for the K-1 under-70kg championship ended in a draw.
As a result of his vanishing act, the German was handed the title, to the bewilderment of the crowd at the Indoor Athletic Gymnasium in Pattaya.
On Monday, organisers K-1 Global Holdings told a press conference that they were hoping to hold talks to clear the air with the two-time champion, before deciding whether or not to sue the Thai for breach of contract.
Buakaw, no stranger to controversy, publicly commented on the incident for the first time yesterday when he met the media at his Banchamek gym, stressing several times that he did not want the judges to rule on the outcome of the controversial bout.
"I don't want the [judges'] verdict on the bout. I wanted the audience to decide it for themselves. I prefer not to let the officials judge me.
"It was my own decision [not to continue the fight]. My manager and my team knew nothing about it. I did what I believed my fans and supporters would understand," said Buakaw.
The Surin native, who made his debut in the muay thai K-1 code a decade ago, insisted he had no intention of breaching his contract and was grateful to a sport that had catapulted him to fame.
Deliberately breaching the contract "never crossed my mind. I'm fully committed to the contract. They had my respect because people knew me from K-1."
The Thai boxer hinted at feeling unease with a change of rules prior to Saturday's fight, saying he had no choice but to abide by it.
"I accepted the rules set by the K-1 committee. They spoke in English but I'm not sure whether my translation was correct or not.
"Since I began fighting in K-1 in 2004, they have banned the use of the elbow but allowed the fighters to use the knee. I knocked out a Japanese opponent with my knee before I went on to win the championship in my first year in sport.
"Then they changed the rules, placing restrictions on the use of the knee. They let a boxer hold his opponent before landing the knee just once per fight. More than that could result in disqualification.
"I knew there was a management change in the K-1 organisation. I'm not sure whether that had something to do with the sudden change in the rules or not.
"I have no idea whether the rule changes were made in order to improve the standard or for a different purpose. Officials asked me during the pre-fight briefing whether I had any questions. I just waved my hands to signal 'no'. I was looking to box as usual."
Buakaw did open the door for talks with K-1 officials to find a solution to the walkout. He said he would look at whether he still had a contract with K-1 before starting any talks.
Source:
http://www.nationmul...t-30245504.html
-- The Nation 2014-10-15
