MSA MUAY THAI PREMIER LEAGUE, MANCHESTER

THREE British fighters stepped up to the plate with impressive wins over illustrious Thai opponents on the biggest night of British thai boxing ever witnessed.

Promoters Master Sken Academy are investing heavily into boosting the art of eight limbs' profile in the UK.

And their largest MSA Muay Thai Premier League show to date lured a British-best crowd of over 3,000 the MEN Arena in Manchester and delivered some pulsating performances and adrenaline-pumping production.

Leeds light welterweight Liam Harrison, Darlington's Michael Dicks and Birmingham bantamweight Damien Trainor all proved that the Brit talent pool is deep - and more than capable of competing at world level - with stylish unanimous points wins in the headline attractions.

Harrison lost to Anuwat Kaewsamrit by low-kick stoppage last year in Jamaica but fought hard and boxed clever to gain revenge in the main event.

Bad Company gym's Harrison just about edged a feeler opening round and rocked poker-faced Anuwat with two big hooks as the action really heated up in the second.

Anuwat was content to almost exclusively use his heavy hands despite kicks being the key to his success in their previous encounter in the Caribbean.

Harrison mixed both together to forge ahead and although Anuwat had a strong fourth round and convincingly won the fifth as he finally targeted Harrison's lead leg, the Yorkshireman already had enough points in the bank for a close and wildly celebrated victory.

Dicks also employed a successful strategy and landed some monstrous shots as he bombarded, frustrated and cut up Thai breezeblock Bovy Sor Udomsorn in the most exciting fight of the night.

The 24-year-old showed no lack of confidence after suffering a first round knockout loss in his challenge to WMC welterweight champion Andrei Kulebin on the last MSA show as he drilled Bovy with every strike in the book.

Bovy is notorious for never taking a backward step, and Dicks got it tactically perfect as he presented himself as a moving target while peppering the brawny dangerman with his full muay thai arsenal.

Bovy kept ploughing ahead and landed some heavy punches but was visibly rattled in the second round, fought with his face a bloody mess from three cuts from the third and somehow managed to stay upright after being sent reeling by a huge spinning elbow in the fifth round.

Dicks revealed afterwards he had only returned to training 10 days before the fight after being struck down for two weeks by a sickness bug, which made his win all the more impressive.

He will try to take the WMC European title from France's Mehdi Zatout next in Darlington on April 25.

Trainor has crisp punching ability a boxer would be proud of and used his fists to the full to repel an excellent effort from baby-faced 18-year-old Kaewklaa Kaewsamrit.

Kaewklaa challenged for a Rajadamnern Stadium title in 2009 and displayed snappy kicks and good clinch and throw work and had his best round in the fourth.

Trainor landed the more eye-catching bursts however, utilising a classy corkscrew left uppercut, and maintained his workrate in the closing stages, front-kicking the Thai off his feet as he slowed down.

Massive Leeds light middleweight Jordan Watson also shone ahead of his daunting May 29 MSA main event against two-time K-1 Max champion Buakaw Por Pramuk at Excel London.

The former Contender UK champion, 22, dominated Italy's Gianluca Buccoliero on the way to a third round retirement victory - but had three teeth knocked out in the process.

Well balanced and technical, Watson looked a couple of weight divisions heavier and a push kick which knocked the double Italian muay thai champion halfway across the ring in the first round underlined his power advantage.

Buccoliero came out southpaw in the second to try and force his way into the fight and a dramatic moment of success saw him knock Watson's dental work flying in his own red corner after landing with a spinning right elbow, having missed with a left.

Watson remained composed, scooping Buccoliero up and slamming him down hard, and worked his high and low kicks before catching the overwhelmed Italian with a left elbow-right body shot in the third for a standing eight count.

Cut under the left eye, Buccoliero nodded as if to say he was done and duly called it quits after struggling through the rest of the round.

Yorkshire overcame Lancashire in an epic War of the Roses battle as Simon Chu seized the UKMF British middleweight title with a hard-fought unanimous points win against Daitan Jackson.

Salford's Jackson put the thousand yard stare on Chu's corner team as he prowled the ring prior to his opponent's entrance.

But it was Leeds fighter Chu who showed the benefit of fighting and training in Thailand as he took control and could hardly miss with his left hook.

A hard double mid-kick caused a nasty purple welt on Jackson's right midsection and he was dropped to his knees in the second by a sharp Chu left hand.

Jackson rose at seven and front-kicked his way through to survive the round, but he was frozen on the spot by another left hook in the third round after having a good spell with his elbows.

Chu sidestepped Jackson and clipped him with yet another left which sent the upright Lancashire man crashing halfway through the ropes in his corner in the fourth, although no count was given.

Spirited Jackson went for broke in the final round and won it convincingly as he pushed Chu back and put some nice hand combinations together.

But despite his grit and determination contributing to one of the best fights of the night, he was unable to find the knockout blow he needed for victory.

'Black Diamond' Dean James used his polished skills and advantages in height and reach to claim the British bantamweight No 1 spot with a deserved unanimous decision over exciting pressure fighter Andy Howson.

Wolverhampton's James is gigantic for the weight at around 5ft 10in and fought tall to prevent the short and stocky Howson from playing his game on the inside.

Gloves up and arms extended in front of his face, James controlled the flow of the fight behind push kicks and step-up knees.

Yelping with the exertion of every strike, aggressive Howson moved in enough for an extended trade of knees from the clinch in the third round and got through with some hard shots in the exchanges.

But James upped the ante with his knees in the closing three minutes and tucked up well to block a spinning elbow attempt as he sealed victory.

Thai boxing is a brutal business but even the most hard-hearted fan in attendance must have felt sorry for Hesdy van Assen as the late substitute had his jaw broken by a vicious elbow in his second round stoppage defeat to Manchester's Andy Thrasher.

Van Assen, cornered by K-1 Max fighter Marco Pique, only stepped in for Dutch compatriot Hakim Bouzambou on the morning of the show and looked under-prepared and out of his depth from the start.

Thrasher dropped the dreadlocked Dutchman in the first round with a right hook which followed a hard left.

Van Assen got up at the count of eight but was finished in savage fashion in the second when Thrasher backed him to the ropes and drove a left elbow through his guard.

Van Assen looked in trouble straight away, sitting wide-eyed on the canvas with his face contorted and mouth open.

Sheffield southpaw Imran Khan scored a unanimous points decision over Londoner Kieran Keddle in a somewhat tepid welterweight bout that never got going until the fourth round.

Khan did just enough to assume control in a slow-paced first two rounds, with Keddle seeming reluctant to let his hands go.

Keddle's cause was hampered further when he received an eight count in the third round after twisting his left ankle and turning away.

Both finally began to sling their expected elbows in the penultimate session and although Keddle had some success, Khan mixed up his shots in the latter three minutes to take the win.

Wigan middleweight Kevin Harper lost to Neil Woods in a K-1 rules match eight years ago but ensured they are now one apiece as he gained revenge with a unanimous points win.

Harper was sharper and more diverse and active than Liverpool's Woods - back after five years out - in the early going and cut him over his right eyebrow in round two.

Woods, roared on by UFC fighter Terry Etim in his corner, never gave up the ghost and began to start rounds quickly with his punch-oriented style the longer the bout went on.

But Harper had the edge over the full distance and was rightly announced the winner.

Leeds light middleweight prospect Stuart Kemp improved to 15-3-2 as he kicked off the 10-fight bill with a one-sided unanimous points defeat of Mike Egan.

Kemp, 29, pretty much had it all his own way throughout as Egan spent most of the five rounds on the retreat.

The Welshman was in disarray briefly at the end of the second round after stumbling back into a neutral corner from a Kemp right hand.

Meaningful Egan attacks were few and far between but he deserved a pat on the back for hearing the final bell as Kemp's venomous mid-kicks - the sound of which reverberated around the arena every time they connected - made his left side red-raw.

The loss saw Egan slip to 8-9-2.

Dr Swee Lip Quek, Chief Executive Officer of Surrey-based MSA Promotions, was delighted with the show - which featured all of the lasers, big screens and loud music regularly seen in continental events - and said their best is yet to come.

"For our first show of that size it was incredible and we are very happy with the crowd - the 2,000 mark had never been breached before in the UK," he said.

"And what really impressed me was the camaraderie between the coaches and fighters.

"Working together is the best way forward so that we make the sport bigger and attract more sponsors so that the fighters get paid better.

"We made a very big statement to the world of sport, but the best is yet to come."

MSA also have a show planned for the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham this year, as well as Excel in London.