The most anticipated showdown will see local legend Thoeun Theara take on American fighter Max Cruz. Town Arena
A team of five American fighters, along with their coaches and management team, have arrived in Cambodia for a championship fight and several friendly matches against some of the Kingdom’s greatest Kun Khmer exponents.
The event will take place on Friday night, March 28, at 60 Meter Street in Siem Reap town, Siem Reap Province.
For this weekend’s international showdown, Cambodian powerhouse Thoeun Theara, who has been out of the ring for over three months due to injury, has been selected to compete for the 73kg championship belt against American fighter Max Crus, a strong contender who already holds a championship belt.
Upon his arrival in the Kingdom on Monday, Crus showed no fear of Theara. Instead, he expressed confidence in his goal of winning and taking the belt back to the US.
“I came to Cambodia to win. I am 100% confident in my victory,” he told the waiting media, at Phnom Penh International Airport on Monday. He also revealed his ambition to knock Theara out if given the opportunity.
Theara is also eagerly anticipating the fight, determined to deliver an exciting performance for his fans.
The matchup follows a January 7 disappointment, when he was forced out of a Kun Khmer tournament due to injury. His original opponent, Tawanchai PK Saenchai from Thailand, went on to claim the championship belt after winning both of his fights.
The US fighters and their team touched down in Phnom Penh on March 24. WCK
“My opponent this time is a big guy from the US, and he has trained in Thailand. But for me, that’s nothing new. At this stage, if we fear our opponent, we won’t make it,” Theara told the media.
However, he acknowledged that his long absence from competition might affect his performance.
“Being out of the ring for so long might make me a bit rusty. But whether I win or lose, I will give it my all. I don’t want to let my supporters down again,” he said.
“I already missed one fight. I won’t let my fans worry again. I will fight with everything I have. I’ve been waiting for this comeback because seeing others compete — both locally and internationally — has made me miss fighting so much that I sometimes struggle to sleep,” added the fighter, known as “the deadly elbows” for his precise and powerful striking.
Besides Theara’s title bout, four other Cambodian boxers will take on Americans in friendly bouts.
Phal Sophorn and Som Vechai are respectively matched up against Wilson Ha and Boulten Even in 65kg fights, while Meas Bunthen will meet Jake Ramirez for a 60kg bout. Chork Savin Kunkhmer will take on Souleya Duangsay in the 61.5kg class.
The four American fighters are all titleholders, with Ramirez standing out as an eight-time champion across different organisations.
Each of the fighters was carefully selected by World Championship Kickboxing (WCK) to compete in Cambodia.
WCK has brought in world-class fight commentator Chris Cregory to provide live coverage of the event.
“The WCK boss, Dennis Paul Warner, is leading his team personally, including their official event host and technical staff. They will also broadcast the fights live to the US,” said Tommy Kim, an advisor to Town TV and the head of IPCC Cambodia.
He urged Cambodian fight fans to support the event.
“As one of the organisers, I hope everyone will tune in via Town TV to help promote Cambodia, our ancestral martial art of Kun Khmer and our country’s tourism to the world,” he added.
