Masterton muaythai trio to Malaysia

Fortitude Thaiboxing fighters Brendan Varty, Zane Hopman and Jade Williams are in the New Zealand WMC/IFMA squad that will travel to the 2014 IFMA World Championships at Langkawi in Malaysia in May.

A trio of Masterton kickboxers have won selection to represent New Zealand at the world championships next year in Malaysia.

Fortitude Thaiboxing head coach Bryce Baron said three fighters from the Masterton gym - Brendan Varty, Zane Hopman and Jade Williams - won selection for the Kiwi fight team at the Muaythai national championships held at the ABA Stadium in Auckland on Saturday.

Baron said he will travel as coach with the fighters as part of the New Zealand World Muaythai Council/International Federation of Muaythai Amateur squad to the 2014 IFMA World Championships, which will be held over 10 days in May next year on the island of Langkawi in Malaysia.

Varty, who last month won the NZ WMC professional light middleweight championship belt, was selected unopposed in the Senior Men's A-Class light middleweight division and Williams also won selection unopposed in the Junior Male Under 17 years class lightweight division, Baron said.

Hopman won selection in the Senior Mens B-Class heavyweight division, Baron said, after knocking out New Plymouth fighter Clinton Kahaki 34 seconds in to the first round.

Hopman will fight for the WMC North Island cruiserweight title against undefeated Auckland fighter Ziggy Croft in New Plymouth on September 28. Hopman boasts nine wins from nine bouts and Croft, fighting out of Legar Thaiboxing, has recorded seven wins and a draw.

Williams also will fight in New Plymouth at the end of the month alongside fellow Fortitude fighter Brent Segrue, who will have his first full contact bout in the 73kg division. Baron said his wife Kylie, secretary of the Fortitude gym in Masterton, was also re-elected as vice-president of NZ WMC national body.