Hamilton kick-boxer Melody Downs wins welterweight title

Hamilton-based kick boxer Melody Downs left Mount Maunganui on Saturday with yet another title to add to her collection.

Downs beat Rotorua’s Motoi Doherty at The Mount Sports Centre to win the Thai Boxing Association of New Zealand women’s  welterweight  title.

Having already lost to Doherty, Downs knew she would not be easy to beat and the early rounds had the two fighters even. However, the International Kick Boxing Federation North Island champ worked hard during the five-round  battle and managed to out score her opponent, coming away with a unanimous points  decision.

“The first couple rounds I could have done more but my plan was to go harder in the last three rounds,” Downs said.

“I tried to get cleaner shots and in the last round I could hear my corner saying ‘last 10  seconds’ so I tried to unleash as much as I could.”

Fighting out of the Waikato Thai Kickboxing Club in Hillcrest, the 23-year-old  left Hamilton feeling well prepared and confident she had what it took to come out with a victory.

“When I stepped into the ring my mind was the clearest it had ever been, I went in with a positive attitude and that made all the difference,”  she said.

An obviously proud coach Tan Pheng Tan praised his fighter’s technical brilliance and commitment to preparing for the fight.

“She  trains very, very, hard and is improving all the time.”

With just seven fights under her belt, Downs has progressed quickly in the sport and Tan believes she has a bright future and is capable of international success.

Also fighting out of the Waikato Thai Kickboxing Club, Phillip Wilson lost a split decision against a more experienced Lance Bishop.

Despite the loss Tan and Wilson were both happy with his performance.

Tan was philosophical in defeat. “This is the nature of the fight game, you win some, you lose some. Phillip had a tough fight against a strong and more experienced opponent.”

Downs will defend her title in Hamilton on May 21st but will initially take two weeks off to rest and recover before jumping straight back into a tough training regime.

Wilson will be heading to Thailand at the end of this month to train and fight for three months and Tan is confident that he will come back a more formidable opponent.