'Fast and furious' Muay Thai action on the cards

Organiser Beany Davis is hopeful of the "full house" sign being raised for the Muay Thai boxing tournament to be held at Masterton's Genesis Recreation Centre tomorrow night.
With 24 bouts scheduled the tourney will be the biggest of its type ever held in the Wairarapa and Davis expects the fast and furious action it will provide to attract a similarly big crowd.
"Anybody looking to be entertained should be there, it will be a tremendous spectacle," she said.
Sixteen of the fights will be for novices who have been in the ring on no more than three occasions. They will wear pads on their shins and gloves which have been well padded and their fights will be over three rounds, each lasting 90secs.
Locals will be keenly interested in the form of Alanna Gain of Featherston, a silver medallist at the world Muay Thai championships in Thailand late last year, and of Masterton's Barry Pickett, another who has been showing huge promise.
The seven "full fight" bouts, during which fighters may perform kicks to the head but must refrain from using elbows to that part of the body, will feature a couple of talented youngsters from Featherston, Nepia Poutu and George Murray, who are both imposing figures in more ways than one.
Poutu tips the scales at 115kg and Murray at 145kg.
Impressive Masterton fighter Lance Deadman was also planning to compete in that section, where bouts are over three 2min rounds, but has been ruled out by an elbow injury. However, two other Masterton fighters in Ron McGregor and Nathan Jones will be there.
Feature bout of the evening will see Cody Temori of Masterton taking on Tom Sheppard of Wellington and these experienced campaigners will operate under rules which will allow for blows to the head from knees and elbows.
Tomorrow's tourney will get under way at 6pm and is part of a fundraising effort to enable co-organiser Billy Davis, from Masterton, to compete at the Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia in April.