Jurong East Sports & Recreation Center will explode on Wednesday 17th of September with muaythai big wigs such as Yodsaeklai, Madsua, Naruepol, Soren and Zig Zach, all fighting on the super star encrusted fight card. The main fight is Contender and WMC World Champion Yodsaenklai versus WMC-S1 Kings Cup 2007 champions Madsua for the WMC World Title. This will be an all out war as the best 2 Thais battle it out in a 6 by 6 meter ring. If that is not enough, the fight that everyone wanted to see in the Contender house will become a reality at this event with Soren Mongkontong going face to face with Naruepol for the WMC Intercontinental Title. The pride of Singapore Zig Zach will take on the Japanese champion Takeshi. The winner of this fight will be eligible to fight for the WMC Asian Title.
To set the house on fire, there will be 2 female world-class fights with Tiana Tiger Caverley the WMC Intercontinental champion taking on Nam Kang from Thailand, and Natalie Zoukatas the 2006 Swedish Champion taking on Lisa from the United Kingdom for the WMC European Title. The undercard will feature fights Singapore versus Singapore to determine who will fight in the next international WMC event. Please check out www.contenderasia.com or call 6382 2235 for ticket inquiries. Fights will start at 18.00 sharp with the international program kicking off at 20.00. If you have not had the chance to see Yodsaenklai, Soren or Naruepol fighting live, then this is something you definitely DO NOT want to miss! Other entertainment on the night will include the Miss Round Girl competition, lucky draws and VIPs will be given a special VIP goody bag and the chance to mingle with the fighters at the after fight party! Be there!
Naruepol vs Soren in The Return of the Contenders in Singapore for WMC Intercontinental Title Fight
Thursday, August 28, 2008Naruepol is one of the Fairtex 'Fantastic Five"
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Over the decades Fairtex has produced some of the greatest Muaythai champions.
Today the top Fairtex fighters are the hottest property in Muaythai and renowned as the elite champions for the new generation of 21 st century Muaythai superstars.
Meet the Fairtex 'Fantastic Five" at the two training camps at Bangpleeyai (near to Bangkok) and at Fairtex Sport Club & Resort in popular Pattaya Beach.
- "Sugar" Kaew Fairtex (126 pounds) is Thailand's current Feather Weight champion. Known for his sensational elbow strikes and KO punches. He's fighting heart's as strong as his good looks. A superb ring master who always attracts a huge gallery of fans whenever he fights.
- "Computer Wizard" Yodsaenkrai Fairtex (147 pounds) is so perfect in his fighting technique that the Thai sports newspapers call him the "Computer Wizard". Heading for a world title in the welterweight division. One of the great fighters in the modern era of Muaythai.
- "Mr Magic" Naruepol Fairtex (140 pounds) is a consistently outstanding contender with superb kicks. Tall and slender he's difficult to fight. He's also regarded as a master technician of the ring.
- The champion fighter Atachai who has been voted as Thailand's fighter of the year is regarded as one of the most talented fighters at both Rajadamnern and Lumpinee stadiums. He's a fighter that is the epitome of pure class in the ring - a magnificent tactician with stoic heart and great determination.
- Teelak is a special fighter that gets better with every year in the fighting ring and is at his peak. A ring master of all the weapons and packs an arsenal that makes him a winner.
Naruepol Fairtex fights on KOWS Macau 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008May 25 Macau match, Tournament KOWS, the battles begins:
HEAVYWEIGHT
Jan Samael Muller vs Xhavit Bajrami
Patrice Quarteron vs Goran Radonjic
CRUISERWEIGHT
Angker Sitpholek vs Aurelin Duarte
Jan Atomic vs Henry Akdeniz
MIDDLEWEIGHT
Se Ki Kim vs Goran Borovic
Yassine Benhadj vs Naruepol Fairtex
WBC MUAY THAI WORLD TITLES
Hamid Boujaoub vs Srdjan Spirk
Alexei Ignashov vs Lloids Van Dams
Naruepol on The Contender Asia - Episode 9
Wednesday, April 30, 2008Episode 9 was the beginning of the quarter finals. It was also the match which saw good friends and fellow Thais Yodsanklai and Naruepol face off against each other.
Yodsanklai won this bout by KO in round 2.
Naruepol on Wild Boars
Tuesday, April 1, 2008The winner of “The Contender” will be also be going home $150,000 US richer, this will be the biggest payout any of these fighters have ever earned. There will be 15 episodes all shot on location in Singapore.
the 16 contestans are :
WILD BOARS
Rafik Bakkouri - Leader [France]
Naruepol [Thailand]
Bruce "The Preacher" Macfie [Australia]
David Pacquette [United Kingdom]
Alain Sylvestre [Canada]
Zidov "Akuma" Dominik [Croatia]
Joakim "Yukay" Karisson [Sweden]
Sean Wright [Scotland]
TIGER KINGS
John Wayne Parr - Leader [Australia]
Yodsanklai "The Hero" [Thailand]
Soren Mongkontong [Australia]
Jose "Pitu" Sans [Spain]
Dzabhar Askerov [United Arab Emirates]
James Martinez [United States of America]
Kim Khan Zaki "Zig Zach" [Singapore]
Trevor "TNT" Smandych [Canada]
Fighter Review: Naruepon Fairtex
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
No Contender Asia fans do not know him. He is one of the excellent Thai Muay Thai fighters who has recently joined the series, together with his friend, Yodsaenklai Fairtex. Naruepon not reputable only in this series or in many of international competition, he also the ex-champion of Lumphini Stadium in 2005, which I think it is the most difficult to get title of this stadium because there were a lot of the well known and more-than-excellent fighters around.
His camp, Fairtex is also reputable so should be no doubt what make him so strong and difficult to fight with. The most distinctive skills are knee kick and elbow. Even though he is really young, only in his early twenties) but I think he received such a wonderful success, compare to other Thai fighters in Thailand. This may be because he receive a lot of promotion and support from his camp to encourage him to develop skill as well as to support to fight overseas.
Muscle and mayhem
Tuesday, January 29, 2008Reality shows don’t come with more blood, guts and testosterone – a good dosage of heart tugging drama and a dash of comedy to boot than The Contender Asia. The Asian version of the American boxing reality show is screened on AXN every Wednesday at 9pm.
Sylvester Stallone and former heavyweight champion, Sugar Ray Leonard, introduced viewers to The Contender format back in 2005. Mark “Survivor” Burnett, Stallone and DreamWorks’ Jeffrey Katzenberg produced that boxing reality show, which captured the glory of the sport and its players in an engrossing 15-episode reality series.
With The Contender Asia, produced in Singapore by Imagine OmniMedia in association with Mark Burnett Productions, audiences will gain access to the thoughts and actions of 16 professional MuayThai fighters from around the world. The one who outlasts all other contenders earns himself a cash prize of USD$250,000 (RM950,000).
In the pilot episode which aired Jan 16, there was heart-wrenching drama when one contender accidentally tripped a fellow fighter causing the latter to hurt his shoulder and elbow.
The Contender Asia is Burnett’s first reality venture into Asia; there’s a possibility of The Apprentice Asia possibly happening in 2009. In October last year (a month after Contender Asia began filming in Singapore), Burnett signed a 10-year exclusive joint venture with Genting International to develop, produce and distribute game shows and reality television series in Asia. Contender Asia is not part of that deal.
At a press conference held in Singapore recently, Riaz Mehta, the CEO of Imagine OmniMedia and executive producer of Contender Asia, said: “We have established a new standard in Asian television and raised the bar in Asian productions based in Asia... Putting together this programme, we’ve done an Asian first – it was made here, and it’s being distributed in the United States.”
Burnett, who flew down to Singapore from Los Angeles for the premiere of the series, seconded Riaz’s thought: “I think you will see a lot of people are surprised that you can shoot something and edit something entirely on location in Singapore, in this case, and it is exactly the same quality (as the American programme). I am not surprised. I think the talent here is equivalent to anywhere in the world. It’s only a matter of vision.”
Ricky Ow – general manager of SPE Networks, Asia, which owns AXN – put it in plainer words: “They’ll be shocked by the quality of this show.”
The idea for The Contender Asia with MuayThai as the fighting style started two years ago, and was fuelled by Burnett’s love for Asia.
“I really love the quality of MuayThai. When I was hanging out in Thailand, there’s nothing greater than watching a fight. There is this sense of history and respect for the inner spirit (in the game). When they take a moment before the fight, before the combat, to pray, it’s beautiful. It’s the inner journey. One thing that comes across in Contender Asia is the decency of the competitors. It’s combat is done in a very kind way, combat can be kind; there is a sense of pageantry. (But) it’s still a competition; they still want to be the best. And some – despite the sense of majesty – still succumb to their inner id, it’s about self-preservation. And other people take the moral high ground. (It’s all) good story telling.”
According to Burnett, good story telling begins with finding the right people. For Contender Asia, the 16 fighters were handpicked by Stephan Fox, who is vice-president and international co-ordinator for the World MuayThai Council in Thailand. Fox is also the series’ host, along with Jaymee Ong.
Fox said: “I picked them based on their ranking in the MuayThai Council and their personalities. This is a new learning experience for them and throughout there was great enthusiasm. They lived together and became friends. Yes, there were some heated moments but this is sports.” Fox hopes that the series may elevate the sport even further, and that it could be included in the Olympic games some day.
Singaporean Zaki, one of the fighters, described the bond he forged with the other contenders as thus: “A lot of respect went in that house.” Zaki is the contender who hurt himself in the first challenge. Although he wasn’t angry as accidents happen, this one was hard to weather and he confessed to having thoughts that the injury would ruin his chances in the competition.
It is these kinds of real emotional ups and downs that make The Contender Asia a prime candidate for popularity.
Burnett concluded: “ ... in the first episode where the guy tripped over and hurt his shoulder, think how much he had trained, he wants to win, he’s on international television and his parents and friends are watching. It’s a combat show and he falls over and dislocates his shoulder on the first day. Oh my god, you feel so much for this person. You can’t write this stuff. I mean you could write it but you don’t have to. Something always happens.”