A sweeping success
Coast kickboxer takes title with rare move
FIFTY-FIVE stitches, three days’ notice and a deadly sweep kick have earned a former Gold Coast personal trainer a world Muay Thai title.
Almost three years after Eddie Farrell moved to Phuket to fight professionally, with fellow fighter and wife Brooke, the 28-year-old was last week crowned the World Muay Thai Council light heavyweight champion.
Literally fighting for their livelihoods, the Farrells have trained non-stop and taken relentless beatings in front of crowds throughout SouthEast Asia since June 2015.
So when Eddie received a last-minute call-up to fight Parinya M.U Den, he leapt at the chance.
“I was on a food binge because I had just had a fight but I never say no because you don’t know if the opportunity will ever come up again,” said Mr Farrell of his world crown fight.
He stuck a rarely seen sweeping kick, which caused his opponent to fall on the base of his neck.
“It doesn’t happen often. I can’t really remember many (sweep-kick knockouts). Lucky for me, but dangerous for him.”
The fourth-round knockout came in one of the few Farrell bouts that did not draw blood.
It was less taxing on the body than the bare-knuckled, headbutting bouts of Lethwei, where he was “ripped off” by organisers in Myanmar for fights that offer thousanddollar paydays.
“(Lethwei) is a good way to get exposure, but I’ve been ripped off by a few people – but that’s just how it is over here,” Mr Farrell said.
“I don’t care. I just like to fight.”
He has only had “four or five” hospital trips so most of the 55 stitches have been done without local anaesthetic in the corner of a gym.
“Usually they just stitch you up after the show,” he said.
Mr Farrell’s next big fight will be in October against Perth-based Toby Smith, who famously knocked out Gold Coaster and Muay Thai legend John Wayne Parr.
He said he would never have been able to claim a world title, and land the fight against Smith, if he remained on the Gold Coast.
“I couldn’t do it on the Gold Coast because you have to work,” he said.
“Here, we can get by just by fighting.”
Does he regret the hits to the head?
“You have to be careful,” he said.
“Brooke and I have got to the point where we don’t have to spar so much at training, which helps.
“I’m 28 years old now and I’ve got until 32 before I told myself I’d come home.”