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Ramon Dekkers: Full Contact Karate And Muay Thai |
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| Ramon did not practice in any other styles before he
started training in Muay Thai. He believes it is the best and the most
realistic of the Martial Arts. The other Martial Arts seem to be a fantasy
(like a movie) to him. Ramon does not really respect Full Contact Karate (without kicks to the legs). He did it once in Paris and he fought twelve rounds without leg kicks and knees. It is not his style. He fought using leg kicks, knees and elbows for many years so it is very difficult for him to fight without them. Full Contact is not very popular in Europe other than the slight resurgence when Rick Roufus defeated Rob Kaman. Ramon says that this is not Kaman's style of fighting either and he was fighting handicapped by always having to hold back. As far as Kickboxing (allowing kicks to the legs) is concerned, Ramon admits that it is definitely closer to his style. This type of fighting was definitely easier for him than Full Contact rules fighting. How does Muay Thai differ from other forms of Kickboxing? For one, in Muay Thai, there is an effective use of knees and elbows. These arsenals are the objects of fear for other Kickboxers around the world. In fact, famous kickboxing and full contact fighters have totally avoided any confrontation with a Thai Boxer in Bangkok under the rules which would permit the use of knees and elbows. They knew that they would not have a chance. The supremacy of Thai boxing has nothing to do with the Thais as a race. Ramon Dekkers has beaten many Thai Champions in bouts with knees and elbows. And even when he lost, he continued to fight according to Thai rules. He deserves much more respect as an international champion than some other full contact fighters who are more famous than he. As proof, the series of matches between Ramon Dekkers and Coban are all-time favourites among Thai-boxing fans. The two great fighters just took turns knocking each other out convincingly. The fighters of Holland and Thailand are very tough. However, due to the physical stature of Thai people in general, good fighters are rarely over 150 pounds. This is the reason why the Heavyweight Champions have not been Thais. Not surprisingly, the Dutch have also been successful at the higher weight class but Ramon’s domination over the Thais is truly an amazing feat because he was a light welter weight (-64 kg) like most Thai fighters. Ramon feels that a modified form of Muay Thai (without elbow attacks and not allowing knees to the head) is what will be accepted around the world as the standard for fighting Muay Thai. Modified Muay Thai is the way the sport can be introduced worldwide and then make big inroads into becoming a major sport throughout the whole world. All fighters are afraid of getting cut by the elbows. Inexperienced fighters get cut quickly causing the fight to be stopped prematurely and leaving fans wondering what happened. There will be World Champions crowned for this type of fighting. And there will always be full-out Muay Thai boxing which allows the elbow and produces its own champions. Full-out Muay Thai is the way Ramon has trained and it is true Muay Thai, so this is how Ramon likes to fight. |
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| Ramon traveled a lot through Muay Thai competition. During
his career, he felt Thailand had the strongest fighters. At the same time,
he also felt that Holland’s fighters were just as good as the Thai’s. He
felt that France also had some good fighters, though they did not have the
big names Holland had. In terms of Thai boxers, England and Japan still need
work. They might have had good Kickboxers, but nothing in terms of Thai
Boxing. The sport of Thai boxing changed during Ramon’s career. He thinks it’s more professional now. In the beginning, when he started around 1988, it was more ‘everybody fights everywhere.’ Locations were smaller and there was not too much money involved. Now everything is more organized. There are bigger promoters, more fans, and more money. The only thing that Ramon dislikes in Muay Thai is the scoring system inside Thailand. He thinks he won a lot of his fights in Thailand only to have them taken away due to bad decisions. After some bouts he was confident that he had won the fight only to have it changed by the judges. He believes a lot of it has to do with the gambling in Lumpinee Stadium. Some would say that it’s always an entirely different scenario when you go to a man’s country and fight him at his own national sport. It is very difficult for a “farang” fighter in Thailand to win other than by knocking his opponent out. Losing on points can be very frustrating for a fighter trying to force a knockout, instead of being patient to wait for the right chance, but it is a very normal thing in Thailand. Don’t get us wrong. Thailand has every right to be proud of its fighters. The fighters of Thailand are some of the best in the world. However, the Thai judges at Lumpinee Stadium and other places need to revise their scoring system and be more objective when giving a decision in a Thai vs. foreigner bout. The current scoring system gives more points for knee and elbow strikes than for punches. Because of the way they train, it just so happens that the Muay Thai fighters from Thailand are more skillful with knees and elbows, while the European fighters (who are showing tremendous success in Muay Thai) are usually more skillful in the punching range. Many times the Thai fighters still dominate regardless of the scoring system. However, there have been times when the European fighters have clearly caused more damage with their punches than the Thai fighters with their clinching arsenals. And because of the current scoring system, the decision went to the Thai fighters. The Thai judges are creating a situation in which the only way that a foreign fighter can win is if he knocks the Thai fighter out. This is not a fair scoring system. Muay Thai is the combination of punching, kicking, elbowing, kneeing, and clinching. This means that punching is as much a part of Muay Thai as kneeing and elbowing. This is a sport; you win some and you lose some. But let the games be fair and honor all the competitors for their true accomplishments. So while I want the West to give more credit to the Thai fighters, I also want Thailand to be less biased when a Thai vs. foreigner match comes down to a decision. The Muay Thai Ring of Champions started out in Thailand, but it is now a Global Ring. Ramon believes that in some fights he lost some points but as far as he is concerned, in actuality, he won. He is sure that he won some great fights. I saw some of the fights he lost by decision and I must say he was very dominant in most of them. |
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Next: Ramon’s Technique |
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