Muay Thai Fitness Centre wins gold, silver at development fight
Moseley and his team’s goal with the development fights are to qualify for the South African Muay Thai Team and represent South Africa on the world stage.
The Muay Thai Fitness Centre (MTFC) in Aston Manor raked in one gold and five silver medals at the South African Muay Thai Federation’s (SAMTF) Development Fight at Warrior Sports in Centurion on June 22.
Marco de Jesus won gold in the senior super cruiserweight category.
The silver medal winners were Jade Myburgh (junior flyweight), Cuan Cross (junior light heavyweight), Reece Hayward (senior cruiserweight), Devon da Silva (senior super middleweight) and Shawn Rautenbach (senior super cruiserweight).
Owner and founder of MTFC Shaun Moseley (41) said: “We enter the development competitions as it is good experience for the international stage.”
His team is part of the South African Amateur Muay Thai Federation and these development competitions prep fighters for that level of competition. The world championships are currently taking place in Thailand.
Moseley and his team’s goal with the development fights are to qualify for the South African Muay Thai Team and represent South Africa on the world stage.
For him, what draws people to this sport in particular, is: “It’s nice to partake in a very old traditional fighting system. Muay Thai is known as the art of eight limbs, where you use your fists, elbows, knees and shins.”
He says there is a nuance to the entire respect and discipline of the sport as fighters would seal off the ring through a Wai Khru ceremony.
“It is a Thai ritual in which students pay respect to their teachers/krus in order to express their gratitude and formalise the student-teacher relationship,” Moseley said.
This pays homage to their teachers and family and to bless themselves with victory in the boxing ring.
“This is done before the beginning of a fight. Wai Khru has long been an important rite in the traditional martial arts of Muay Thai.”
The MTFC is a fully equipped family fight club and hosts a multitude of programmes ranging from Muay Thai to self-defence training, also known as krav maga.
