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A local Muay Thai fighter had spectators at the Royal Jersey Showground on their feet as he secured the coveted ISKA Four Nations title at the weekend.
Professional fighter Ben Reid won the belt in a back-and-forth fight against Ireland’s Keelan Foran that saw both men draw blood.
Hundreds of islanders attended the latest Blood Fight Series event, where competitors from Jersey, Sweden, Ireland, England and Guernsey showcased their skills across an action-packed card of boxing and Muay Thai fights.
Despite moments of adversity, the Jersey fighter kept the pressure on to land violent shots of his own that ultimately led to a stoppage in the fifth round.
Pictured: Ben Reid claimed a hard-fought stoppage win in his title fight at the Royal Jersey Showground. (James Jeune)
Reflecting on his win, Reid said: “Unreal, what an event, what a show and what a buzz, the atmosphere was electric,” adding that he “couldn’t have asked for a better night”.
The 26-year-old has been rapidly gaining momentum at the professional level and has previously spoken of his desire “to be inside the top ten in the UK”.
And while there may be years to go until that goal can be realised, the islander’s performance on Saturday is a noteworthy step in the right direction.
Pictured: An ecstatic Ben moments after he won the title. (James Jeune)
Reid said: “So happy to achieve this for me and my team, we really put the work in for this, training four-plus hours a day with my training partner Justin and Michael my coach, so buzzing that we got the job done was definitely a tough fight but we managed to get the stoppage in round five.’’
Blood Fitness owner Michael Blood said Reid’s opponent “really came prepared”.
“It was very back and forth,” he added.
“Ben’s such a fantastic fighter and really proved on the night how big his heart is, because most people would have given up.”
Pictured: Michael Blood (left) watches on in Reid's corner amid the "back and forth" title-fight at the Royal Jersey Showground on Saturday. (James Jeune)
Blood continued: “It was just a fantastic night overall and I’m so impressed with the guys and the way they’ve really stepped up their training – and it shows in the ring.
“We are progressing now to a point where a lot of the UK gyms know who we are and recognise what we are doing.
"They come over here and they are so impressed with the shows, they say it’s the best shows they’ve ever been to.”
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