Bare-knuckle battler
A FORMER Gold Coast personal trainer is preparing for one of sport’s most brutal contests in which boxers fight bare-knuckled, can headbutt and are allowed back in the ring if they recover from a knockout.
And, oh, the bloke he’s fighting hasn’t been beaten in 46 gloveless bouts.
Eddie Farrell will travel to Yangon in Myanmar on March 3 to compete in the ancient and brutal sport of Lethwei.
The bare-knuckle bloodbath is so intense that fighters can only win by knocking their opponents out, otherwise the match is a draw.
And if boxers can be revived after being knocked out they can continue fighting.
The 28-year-old from Burleigh said the fight would be his “ultimate warrior experience”.
“I was surprised when I found out about that rule,” the Phuket-based fighter said. “It just means I’ll have to do a good job and be a bit more relentless.
“It is the same as muay thai but includes headbutts, one time-out and it has a revival rule to encourage the fighter to continue, even after being knocked out, for a second chance.”
Mr Farrell said a friend put him in touch with an organiser in the Netherlands who set up the fight and a $4000 payday.
The 78kg fighter said he was working in the gym and trying to keep calm.
“I try not to let the nerves affect me. If I have a negative thought I just shoot it out of my mind and stay positive.”
Mr Farrell said the challenge was the reason he moved to Thailand with his wife, Brooke.
But he said he would be the crash test dummy for his partner, who fights at 60kg and has also been approached by promoters.
“They actually asked her to compete in a few months,” Mr Farrell said. “We’ll see how my fight goes first.”
I was surprised when I found out about that rule EDDIE FARRELL