Wednesday, January 16, 2008

The Fight

Trevor enters the arena of a cheering audience first. Naruepol comes out next supported by his teammates. In the ring, they perform the Wai Khru; an ancient Thai dance that used to be performed before warriors entered battlefield. Today, as Stephen puts it is a great way to warm up before a fight. Both fighters say a short prayer in their corners before the match start. On the ring of the bell, the punches start to fly.

1st Round

Trevor throws in the first few punches and Naruepol puts in more flying kicks. At the end of the round it seems Trevor has managed to throw in more than Naruepol has. The Tiger Kings are ecstatic over Trevor's early gain in the fight.

2nd Round

In their corners, Wayne continues to encourage Trevor by telling him he is doing a good job. He is told to watch opponent's hands. When the match starts within seconds, Naruepol throws Trevor to the floor. This affects Trevor, as he seems to have lost his former glory from the first round. During this time, Naruepol throws in a high kick to the face though blocked by Trevor. They get stuck in a huddle and Naruepol manages to throw in more elbows into Trevor's torso. Trevor kicks, misses and falls to the ground. At the end of this round, Naruepol has managed to take the lead by gaining more point with more punches to the face and body. As Trevor starts to look resigned, Wayne continues to encourage him by telling him to give "pressure" to his opponent. At the same time Naruepol is told to concentrate on his kicks, by his trainer.

3rd Round

Naruepol is able to get a few early kicks in and we can hear Wayne shouting, "Pressure! Pressure! Pressure!" from the outside. Naruepol manages to throw him to the ground. Get stuck in a huddle and Naruepol almost topples Trevor again. He does successfully do so in the succession of this round. By this time, though Trevor puts on a brave fight, he seems frustrated at his inability to match Naruepol's vigour. By this point, even Naruepol's trainer tells him that he should "feel sorry for him (Trevor)," as he has already more or less won the match.

4th round,

By this time it seems that Naruepol has taken and obvious edge over Trevor, despite Trevor's early lead. Wayne tells Trevor to not let himself fall into Naruepol's game and instead to focus on his on. James, from the audience, shouts to Trevor to "kill him in this round." As the round progresses, the competitors are stuck in even fiercer huddles as the crowd cheers enthusiastically. Naruepol tries to topple Trevor again and once almost throw Trevor into the audience. Things continue to remain for Trevor as Wayne shouts "Pressure!" from the audience. He throws punches but misses. At the end of the match, Trevor has truly resigned as Naruepol tries to topple Trevor again and once almost throw Trevor into the audience. He has managed to throw in several kicks as Trevor backs away without a fight.

The match ends with the audience cheering on for Naruepol, who knows that he has won the match. Finally, it is announced, "The winner of the match is from the blue cornerĂ¢€¦Ă¢€ Cheers ensue for Naruepol, as Trevor quietly backs into his corner.

In the interviews, Naruepol exclaims that is extremely happy that he was the first to win in this competition. He felt sorry for Trevor although he commended spirit of in putting up a strong fight against him.

A retired Trevor explains that he tried his best but his biggest mistake was "playing Naruepol's game." However he was happy that he had Wayne in his corner. Although he really wanted to win for him he said he did not have any regrets.

In a sentimental moment, he hangs his mongkok on the wall of his changing room and leaves. Before he leaves he takes one last look at the ring, longingly. He ends off by saying, "I am disappointed I didn't mange to achieve what I wanted to."

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