Muay Thai superstar ‘Buakaw’ Walks Out, Forfeits K-1 Max Championship Bout
“SANDEE Cool-Tec Training Glove” by Sandee Thailand is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Sombat “Buakaw” Banchamek walked out the deciding round of a K-1 Max mixed-martial arts tournament on Saturday, forfeiting the championship and possibly breaking his contract with K-1 Max organizers, reports the Bangkok Post.
According to the Bangkok Post, Buakaw—a two-time K-1 Max champ—left the stadium without explanation after judges ruled the three-round fight against German Muay Thai kickboxer Enriko Kehl a draw and ordered a fourth “sudden death” round. Buakaw was disqualified, leaving the championship title to Kehl.
Buakaw allegedly forfeited his match over an international online gambling scheme associated with the K-1 Max World Championship, which he had filed a police complaint about the Tuesday before his match, reports the Bangkok Post.
Banchamek Gym—the gym that Buakaw trains at—released a statement on its Facebook page regarding the controversy and the issue of gambling:
“This is not a sport anymore this is an illegal gambling [ring] which goes around worldwide and the Thai authorities has nothing to do with it and this is unacceptable because this event held in Thailand. This brings bad reputation to Thailand and the fighters itself. So who do you think should [be held] responsible for this?”
Bangkok Post reported that K-1 director, Ned Kurarc, said they are not taking legal action at this time until they talk to Buakaw about the “real reason he left and thoroughly investigate the case.”
K-1 issued a public statement and said, “K-1 has nothing to hide. There was no gambling involved in this event on K-1 behalf.”
Although observers of the Buakaw-Kehl fight—particularly Muay Thai aficionados—may feel that Buakaw clearly dominated the matches, K-1 judges point out that many of the techniques Buakaw used do not generate points in the K-1 scoring system.
K-1 rules, unlike Muay Thai rules, do not allow body throws during clinching. Buakaw threw his opponent to the ground over 10 times during the match. K-1 also does not allow elbow strokes and limits knew strikes. Since K-1 bans techniques that are standard in Muay Thai, Thai fighters may feel that K-1 matches are unfair.
Read the full story on the Bangkok Post:
Buakaw disqualified in K-1 match
Organisers of scandal-tainted K-1 Max wait to hear from Buakaw
Watch Buakaw Banchamek vs. Enriko Kehl in the K-1 World MAX Final 2014:
