Supremacy IV – April 12, 2025

There’s something homey about Black Tiger Gym. I don’t know if it’s the sight of supper cooking on the stove as you come through the door, or that Kru Mom greets you holding a mop and a bucket. It was my second time at Black Tiger, and I had mixed feelings returning. My first experience was when our Lexi got in the ring for the first time (previous blog: link).

There were nine fights on the card that evening, featuring mostly youth and surprisingly, none were from Black Tiger! When I thought about it, it actually made sense. Those Black Tiger cubs are unbeatable. It would’ve been inhospitable to invite kids over for a playdate and send them home without a trophy. So, the Black Tiger cubs had to stay off the card.

Soushiant Asadi (known as Sushy) from Kingdom Muay Thai was matched last minute to fight Dimitrije Roknic from House of Champions. Sushy is 15 years old, 6’2”, and weighs 90 kg! It’s been very difficult to find him a match and after this fight, I suspect it’s going to be even harder. The fight was going really well, and it was very clear to everyone that Sushy was winning. Then, the 15-year-old thought to himself, “How can I make this a fight to remember?”

For what happened next, I think Mike Tyson is partly to blame, given how he made his fight with Evander Holyfield make history. While the coaches at Kingdom handled the incident with a lot of grace, I personally smacked Sushy in the head and ripped the Tyson poster off his bedroom wall. For Sushy’s next fight, I think we should feed him right before we put him in the ring.

There was one demo fight (youth 8–9) on the card between Tyson Brendan Virtucio from VRTU and Miles Coady from Black Eagle. These kids were next-level in following the rules of the playground! They equally shared the ring, took turns throwing their combos, and patiently waited their turns to throw kicks. Although their faces were hidden behind headguards, I’m sure they were smiling too. Shannon Flynn, Kingdom’s breathwork and Reiki coach, admired their rhythm and said, “At that pace, I could even perform Reiki while they’re fighting.”

The fight between Nehemiah Da Garca from Farang Martial Arts and Daniel Einollahi from MAS Thaiboxing was a heated one, which ended too quickly. Nehemiah won by referee stoppage halfway through the second round.

As usual, they saved the best for last! The B-class fight between Clay Harness from TKMT and Francis Osorto Molina from Black Eagle MA was the highlight of the evening. The way Kru Dylan kept yelling, “Measure him!” to Clay, I thought Clay was going to take out a ruler at any second. It was one of those very close fights where the judges had a different opinion from the audience. Francis took home the trophy!

A few notes on the community:

• Ajahn Suchart and Kru Alin are hosting a Coaching and Cornerman Seminar on April 27th at House of Champions. I’ll be observing that seminar, so stay tuned.

• Kru Yai Ironman (Harold Mah) is currently climbing Kathmandu! Just before he left, he said he’ll be in my weight class when he returns. I’m biting my nails…

• Kru Dylan is back from Ottawa. I asked him why there were no posts from the event. He said it was very busy, but I think what he really meant was: what happens in Ottawa, stays in Ottawa!

• Kru Ralph was wrong! Coach Hamed hadn’t fled the country. He’s back, with all eight out-of-order limbs of his, and even in worse shape than before! Coach Hamed is currently on a spree, making reels on IG (@sokdot_mafia), giving advice over coffee. His most recent advice: If you don’t spank your kids, they’ll grow up to vote Liberal!

See you all on April 19th at REPREZENT!