Myanmar freeweight kickboxing champion Lone Chaw (L) dukes it out with Yan Gyi Aung at Kandawgyi Park, Yangon, on November 23. Despite being lighter, shorter and less experienced than Lone Chaw, Yan Gyi Aung held Myanmar kickboxing’s biggest name to a draw and is now being tipped as a serious contender for the freeweight title.

A GRUDGE match is brewing between Myanmar freeweight kickboxing champion Lone Chaw and spirited challenger Yan Gyi Aung, who last month held the Kayin star to a bloody draw at Kandawgyi Park in Yangon.

U Soe Than Win, organiser of the November 23 bout that left Yan Gyi Aung bleeding heavily from the mouth and forced Lone Chaw to call a two-minute timeout, said a rematch was being scheduled for mid-February.

“It is definite that they will meet again in mid-February in Yangon,” U Soe Than Win told The Myanmar Times. “I’ve negotiated with both sides but I haven’t determined the exact date of the match.”

Lone Chaw, who last lost a match in 2005 to the now-retired Wan Chai, has had few serious challenges to his throne at the pinnacle of Myanmar kickboxing since he lifted the freeweight title in May 2006.

Zam Htoo, a fierce puncher out of Kayin State with a reputation for taking brutal punishment without flinching, stepped forward this year as a worthy rival in the big-money, crowd-pulling freeweight class. However he has been unable to rattle Lone Chaw’s hold on the title.

Kickboxing aficionados are now tipping YCDC’s Yan Gyi Aung as possibly the one to unseat the king.

“I’ve been organising kickboxing matches in Myanmar for about a decade and I know the boxers well and their ability. Yan Gyi Aung fought well in the match (on November 23) and did better than anyone had expected,” said U Soe Than Win, whose company T&T Martial Arts Promotions Group put together the six-fight lineup at Kandawgyi Park.

The 23-year-old, fighting for the first time in the freeweight division, knocked Lone Chaw to the canvas in the third round. The crowd, eager to see Lone Chaw put to the test, roared with approval as the exhausted 32-year-old called for a two-minute break, as is allowed under traditional boxing rules.

With no judges keeping score, the referee called the match a draw after five rounds characterised by Lone Chaw aggression and Yan Gyi Aung counterattacks.

“I believe the match with Lone Chaw is the best of my career and I am very grateful to my coach because he made me a good fighter,” said Yan Gyi Aung, the national middleweight champ.

“I don’t want to talk about Lone Chaw’s weak points, but I did a great job.
“I’m confident about the rematch with Lone Chaw and I’m definitely going to cause him more problems in the ring,” he said.

Lone Chaw, of KLN club, praised the ability of his younger opponent, who had kneeled before him in the ring after the fight in a sign of respect.

“I tried to finish him off in the early rounds by showing no mercy but he was fantastic and did better than I expected. To be honest, I’m not satisfied with the result and I need to train more,” Lone Chaw said.

U Daung Ni, chief coach for the Myanmar Traditional Boxing Federation, said
Yan Gyi Aung has now declared himself a true contender for the title and the rematch next February should be better than the first.

“Yan Gyi Aung is a good fighter and also a talented boxer. Although he is young, he is a clever fighter. To put it simply, he is better than Zam Htoo and the next match is going to be very interesting,” U Daung Ni said.

U Hla Soe Oo, the coach of Yan Gyi Aung, said he was surprised with the performance of his fighter, who at 5ft 10 gives up two inches to Lone Chaw.

“This is the best I’ve ever seen him,” he said, adding that a draw had always been on the table.

“Actually, I had intended for him to first fight Lone Chaw in mid-2008, but after a series of fights with good opponents, and under my training, I knew he had improved a lot so I finally decided to set him against Lone Chaw,” U Hla Soe Oo said.

“At his age and with his talent, he has a promising career ahead and will improve a lot in the future,” he added.

Before Yan Gyi Aung meets Lone Chaw next year, he will square off against former freeweight titleholder Shwe Sai on December 21 at Myaing Gyi Ngu village in Kayin State.

Lone Chaw, meanwhile, will take on Kye Linn Aung from the Taung Galay club on December 23 at Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon. It will be the second matchup for the pair following a draw between Lone Chaw and the welterweight (67kg) fighter on November 8.