Fists of Fury this weekend

By JAMES TUBB on June 3, 2022.

Fight bells will be ringing through the city Saturday night.

SACA kickboxing is hosting the kickboxing and may Thai event, Fists of Fury 17, Saturday evening at the Cypress Centre.

SACA coach Jamie Droeske said she is excited for their local talent to get a chance to show off their skills.

“It’s going to be fantastic, I love these shows, and to have six local athletes on there, even more exciting,” Droeske said.

She said the six local fighters will take part in the 12 different bouts scheduled throughout the night with the first fight getting started at 7:15 p.m. The six Medicine Hat fighters range from 15-years-old to 42-years-old.

Droeske said one thing people get wrong about the sport of fighting is the amount of respect between all of the competitors.

“You meet some of your greatest friends that you stay in touch with and you see them at every fight card you go to, no matter where it is,” Droeske said. “It’s always kind of the same group and same with the coaches, it’s just super respectful. Between gyms, fighters corners, everybody has great respect for each other.”

She said kickboxing is like boxing except fighters can use their legs and feet and in Muay Thai, fighters can throw elbows and knees and also catch any strike from their opponent. But they are different than the fighting seen in the UFC.

“They’re both stand up fights, where you have some ground stuff and wrestling but if you take somebody down, or if you sweep them, then the refs stops it and split it up, then you start over,” Droeske said.

She urges everyone to give kickboxing a try if they aren’t already fans and said the hesitant fans are usually the loudest.

“It’s way more exciting than a person thinks and if you know somebody in there, it’s even more exciting,” Droeske said. “There’s a lot of people out there who say, ‘I can’t watch my friend get hit.’ I had a lot of people that were like that, they came in and just watched once because all you need to do is watch one time and they’re usually the loudest ones in the crowd.”

Droeske says they wouldn’t be able to hold their events if it wasn’t for the local sponsors who will sponsor tables.

Tickets are available at the door for Saturday’s Fists of Fury 17 or online at eventbrite.ca and range from $35-$40.