Capital Punishment

Yesterday afternoon saw the Capital Punishment Muay Thai show at York Hall, Bethnal Green.

I have learnt my lesson from previous shows at York Hall - don't arrive too early, and eat something before hand - these events are for the hardcore, and tend to go for a long while. Getting anything other than a beer and a bag of nuts inside York Hall is nigh on impossible!

The show was dominated by fighters from London and south east gyms - Cobra, Keddles, Staunch, AKA and Lumpini - although it seems the promoter was also let down by a couple of very late withdrawals, even for title fights. Topping the bill was Cedric Muller of France versus Richard Fenwick from Woking in a world title fight. Although Fenwick had a few purple patches, Muller appeared the more skillful fighter and won a unanimous decision.

The main fight I went for was Bonny Van Oortmerssen versus KO's Bianca Thomas. This was a full five rounder, with Van Oortmerssen having a clear height and reach advantage, whilst I felt Thomas did the harder work. In a fight that saw some fussy refereeing, I thought the fourth round went to Thomas, the others to Van Oortmerssen, who won a unanimous points decision.

The show held collections for the serviceman's charity SSAFA, who were promoted in the fight programme. The evening was dedicated to the memory of Stuart Wright, formerly of the Lumpini gym, recently killed in Iraq.